Catalyst raids rival to strengthen deals team

CATALYST Corporate Finance has strengthened its dealmaking team in the Midlands with a new appointment.

The firm has recruited Mike Falzon, a graduate from University of Birmingham, who joins the firm from Deloitte.

Falzon gained his ACA in 2006 and then joined the transaction services team at Deloitte from where he was seconded to Lloyds Development Capital in Birmingham for 12 months. In this role he provided support to the regional managing director on LDC’s southern region portfolio, gaining valuable experience of the investment committee process.

Initially appointed as Assistant Manager at Deloitte he was promoted to Assistant Director in transaction services in 2011 after working on a number of high profile deals, which included financial due diligence for Diageo’s £2bn acquisition of United Spirits and vendor due diligence during Wolseley’s disposal of Jewson to Saint Gobain.

Andy Currie, Managing Partner at Catalyst, said: “Mike joins us at a very busy period for the firm. Having completed thirteen deals already in 2014, the latest being the SMBO of Foster + Partners, Catalyst is set to have a record year. The firm’s pipeline is very strong with around 20 deals that are due to complete by the end of the year and our investment in quality people will continue as we grow the business across the UK.”

Fair play to HB&O for new VAT appointment

HARRISON Beale & Owen (HB&O), which has offices in Coventry and Leamington, has appointed Jane Deeks as a VAT consultant at the firm.

The 41-year- old, left, whose family come from a fairground background and whose parents are members of the Showman’s Guild of Great Britain, started her career in VAT as a graduate trainee with one of the ‘Big Four’ accountants.

She continued to work within the quartet for a number of years and most recently worked for a fee protection company, providing consultancy advice to clients on all aspects of VAT.

She has been hired to strengthen HB&O’s tax department and will be based in Coventry and Leamington.

Helen Coombes, pictured right, who is tax director at the firm, played an integral role in the recruitment process.

She said: “It is great to be able to add Jane’s skills and knowledge to our already highly-skilled workforce. Jane’s arrival will considerably strengthen our offering and enable us to provide a higher level of service.”

Ex-graduate appointed head of HR at BHSF

A STUDENT who started her career on the graduate training programme at one of Birmingham’s oldest companies has been appointed Head of HR.

Melanie Tavener, left, joined the programme at BHSF, the Midlands-based health insurance and employee benefits provider, and in 2005 after a period as executive assistant when she ran the company’s CSR initiative, she became HR Officer and subsequently HR manager.  

While HR manager, she completed her MSc at Aston Business School and achieved her Chartered Membership of the CIPD.  

In addition she is accredited by the British Psychological Society and runs BHSF’s in-house psychometric profiling.

She said: “I am grateful to BHSF for the opportunity to develop my HR career and I am looking forward to the new challenge of a strategic management role contributing to the strategic direction of the business and adding value to the company’s mission.”