People: Software firm creates new role; new partner at BDO
Ruddington software firm Ideagen has appointed its first chief people officer, Louise Tommasi.
Tommasi has worked with large, complex companies, including Speedo and Incora.
CEO of Ideagen, Ben Dorks, said: “Ideagen has grown rapidly in the last few years, and we intend to keep growing the business and expanding our workforce in the years to come. It is important to us that we approach the recruitment, retention, and development of our fantastic team of people in the best way possible and so we felt the time was right to appoint a chief people officer to help us on our journey. Louise is a fantastic person with a wealth of knowledge in this field. I am really delighted that she has joined us and I look forward to her contribution to making Ideagen the number one employer in Nottingham and a sought after place to work worldwide.”
Tommasi added: “I am very excited to be joining a company that genuinely puts people at the top of its agenda. To deliver on Ideagen’s growth plans we need to be able to attract and retain the best people possible and that is where I will be focusing my efforts initially. In the post-pandemic world of work, people are making different choices and for different reasons. We need to be as innovative in our working practices as we are in our product development to attract the best talent and I am looking forward to driving change and making a real impact on the future success of this very exciting business.”
Greg Watts
Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has appointed former Holland & Barrett’s chief financial officer Greg Watts as audit partner.
Watts, who will be based in the Midlands, previously spent 30 years at KPMG, working across audit, transaction services and internal audit, latterly leading the markets team in the region.
He has considerable experience working alongside FTSE and private equity businesses in the region, with particular expertise in retail/consumer and automotive sectors.
Richard Rose, partner at BDO and head of the Midlands, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Greg to the BDO team. He brings considerable experience in the audit field, having worked alongside a large number of listed and private businesses across multiple industries and geographies.
“With significant expertise in supporting and advising some of the region’s most prominent businesses, he is perfectly positioned to help strengthen our proposition across our audit team.”
Watts said: “Having spent 15 months as CFO, helping to lead the successful turnaround of Holland & Barrett through a business-wide transformation project, I’m delighted to be back in practice, joining a dynamic and talented audit team.
“I’m eager to harness my experience working alongside senior international executive groups and boards of directors, as BDO increasingly looks to work with large UK corporates across the audit spectrum.”
