People: EY makes four senior hires; Double appointment for law firm; and more

EY has expanded its Midlands practice with the appointment of four directors.

Hannah Griffin, Kyri Papathomas, Ben Collins and James Golder, have all been promoted to director.

Griffin has been promoted to director in the forensic and integrity services team, having been with the firm seven years. Griffin is specialised in litigation support services and has extensive experience acting for both claimants and defendants through litigation, arbitration and mitigation processes.

Papathomas has been promoted to a director in EY’s restructuring team, having been with the firm 15 years. Papathomas advises underperforming and distressed businesses and their stakeholders to protect and preserve value, with a particular focus on supporting mid-market companies through refinancing, restructuring and insolvency processes.

Collins has been promoted to a director in the transaction advisory services team, having joined as a graduate 11 years ago. Collins specialises in using data analytics to support mid-market clients undergoing a sale, refinancing or acquisition process. Most recently, Collins has advised on the sale of ITG, GCI and Freshcut.

Golder has been promoted to a director in the firm’s assurance business, having also joined as a graduate 13 years ago. Golder specialises in working with hospitality, retail and private equity backed companies, supporting clients deliver transparent reporting to investors and other stakeholders as well as giving robust perspectives to audit committees.

EY made 165 promotions at its Birmingham office within the last financial year, including these four recent senior appointments.

Simon O’Neill, managing partner in the Midlands, said: “It’s a pleasure to see people develop their skills and build their careers at EY. Hannah, Kyri, Ben and James will all play vital roles in supporting companies in the region to grow and thrive. The Midlands is a wonderful place to live and work and it is important to show people who are thinking about where they can build their careers, what can be achieved right here in our region.

“I’m also delighted we’ve made so many promotions within our Birmingham office throughout the last year, which reflects the importance we place on supporting our people to grow within their careers. Developing and retaining the very best talent is vital in EY’s commitment to driving growth in the Midlands market.”

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Two family lawyers have joined Thursfields Solicitors.

Susanne Leach has been appointed as an associate solicitor at the law firm’s Kidderminster office, joining from Greens Solicitors in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Eilidh Rose has joined Thursfields as a solicitor at the Birmingham and Solihull offices, recruited from the specialist family law firm Benussi & Co.

Their appointments means the family law team at Thursfields has grown by well over a third in the last year.

Shane Miller, director of the Family Team at Thursfields, said: “We’re delighted to welcome two more experts to our family team as we continue to expand.

“It’s refreshing to hear how the Thursfields’ success story is attracting top lawyers to join us, and we look forward to more growth in the future.”

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Risk management and insurance broking advisers JLT Specialty, which has Midlands offices in Birmingham and Nottingham, have appointed Simon Conley as a development account executive across the Midlands.

Conley brings with him 31 years’ insurance industry experience and joins from PIB Insurance Brokers in Birmingham. Prior to this, he worked as the sales director at Towergate Insurance where he managed a team of 10 account and development executives.

As part of the Midlands corporate team, he will help to build the Midlands’ client base and market presence, using his expertise in the technology and cyber sectors, and strong background in precision engineering and professional services.

Sally Swann, head of Midlands, UK retail at JLT Specialty, said: “Simon’s appointment supports our ongoing growth ambitions for the Midlands region. He brings a wealth of experience to our business development team, and his specialisms in the technology and cyber sectors will strengthen our offering to businesses across the Midlands.”

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