People: Birmingham appointment for national accountancy firm; LSH grows planning team; and more

Haines Watts has appointed Birmingham-based Darren Holdway as national group chairman.

The firm recently announced further acquisitions in London, Wirral, Nottingham, Tillicoultry, Leicester, and Tewkesbury. Haines Watts has also extended its reach in the Midlands following the firm’s merger with CB Chartered Accountants in Tewkesbury and Worcester.

Holdway retains his position as managing partner of the fast-growing Birmingham office of Haines Watts as well as regional partner in Haines Watts’ Hereford, Worcester and Oxford offices and its M25 region.

Holdway joined the Birmingham office of Haines Watts in 1989 having achieved a BA in Accounting and Finance at Lancaster University. He became a partner in April 1996 and was appointed managing partner of the Birmingham office in 2000.

He said: “We are a national firm with more than 60 offices and a team of more than 1,000 employees. Our work is concentrated on supporting growing owner-managed businesses and SMEs who operate in their own local communities. Our goal is to be visible in both local areas and nationally.

“We have particularly focused on people development by installing modern working environments and cultures, embracing flexible working and ensuring we look after employee well -being. The average age of a Haines Watts’ employee is 36 with millennials making up 54% of the workforce and generation 15%. In addition, women now make up 40% of our leadership development programme and 50% of our managers ‘skills programme.”

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Nick Harrison, Steve Hemming, Adam Ramshaw, Ben Rayner and Louise Hinsley.

Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has today announced three appointments in Birmingham as part of a strategy to strengthen its national planning and
development consultancy offer.

The investment follows seven senior appointments that have already been made in London and Bristol.

Regional director Adam Ramshaw said: “This a hugely exciting time for planning and
development consultancy. It’s a key growth area for our business and I’m delighted to welcome Birmingham’s new-look team as we expand our nationwide planning proposition with an injection of fantastic talent.”

Nick Harrison has moved to LSH to head up the planning team in Birmingham.

Previously a director at GVA with 16 years’ planning consultancy experience, Harrison has advised on high profile projects such as the Library of Birmingham, Phases 1 and 2 of Ballymore’s Snowhill office development, and the recent Timber Yard residential scheme on behalf of Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital.

He has also acted for St Modwen Homes, securing planning permission for the redevelopment of the former Victoria Ground in Stoke on Trent.

Also joining the business is associate director Ben Rayner and senior planner Louise Hinsley.

Rayner arrives from Arcadis, where he has been advising Homes England on the redevelopment of the City Hospital site to provide 800 homes, and acted for Court Collaboration on several projects, including a student housing scheme. He has also provided town centre regeneration advice to various local authorities, and secured a wide range of planning permissions for major retailers, including Next.

Hinsley was previously at NextPhase in Cannock, where she has worked nationally, providing planning advice to a range of clients predominantly in the residential sector.

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Stuart Rogers, executive director, has announced that he will leave Birmingham Repertory Theatre in 2019, joining artistic director Roxana Silbert who announced her departure last month.

Rogers has been in the post at The REP for 17 years.

He initiated and oversaw a major capital redevelopment that created a new third auditorium and linked the theatre to the new Library of Birmingham in 2013, coinciding with The REP’s 100th anniversary celebrations.

More recently, he helped establish Unique Venues Birmingham, a company that now sells and delivers conferences and events across the shared theatre/library building.

Rogers will remain in post until the end of 2019 to support the succession plan for the artistic and executive director roles and to ensure a smooth handover.

He said: “It has been an honour and a great joy to lead The REP for the last 17 years, and I am fortunate to have worked alongside three outstanding artistic directors in Jonathan Church, Rachel Kavanaugh and Roxana Silbert, and with the most talented, generous and dedicated staff one could ever wish for.
“I feel that now is the right time to give someone else the chance to play a part in taking this wonderful theatre on to even greater success. Coinciding my resignation with Roxana’s will present an exciting opportunity for the theatre and offer some very fortunate pair the same chance of a completely fresh start as I had when I joined The REP with Jonathan in 2001.”

Angela Maxwell, chair of the board of trustees, said: “Stuart has been an inspiring leader and his tenacity and business acumen has ensured the theatre’s growth and stability. It has been a pleasure to work with both him and Roxana and we will miss them. Birmingham Repertory Theatre is one of the best theatres in the UK and is at the heart of this great city – the board looks forward to finding outstanding successors to continue the company’s legacy.”

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Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (bdht) has appointed Abi Holland as director of finance, following the promotion of Mark Robertson to CEO earlier this year.

Holland was previously financial controller at one of the largest employers in Worcestershire, Kanes Foods in Evesham, which produces washed and ready-to-eat bags and bowls of salad, fresh vegetables, noodles and sauces, fresh salad dressings and ready-to-cook prepared vegetables.

She said:: “Whilst I loved the challenge and processes of the manufacturing industry I was immediately attracted to bdht as a company, the work it does in the affordable housing sector and the values it promotes internally and externally.

“My financial skills are completely transferable and my experience will allow me to streamline processes to ensure we get every bit of value out of every single pound, allowing the best possible service provision for our customers.”

Robertson added: “We’re really pleased to welcome Abi to bdht. Her enthusiasm, her fresh thinking and new ideas will help to take bdht from good to excellent and we’re excited to see what the future brings.”

 

 

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