Accountancy firm appoints first-ever CEO

Accountancy firm Duncan and Toplis has appointed Damon Brain as its first chief executive officer.

Brain, who has been at the company for 27 years has succeeded Adrian Reynolds, who has stepped down after serving as managing director for the past 12 years.

As CEO he will oversee a strategy for organisational growth, with a focus on expanding the company’s capabilities and market presence across the wider Midlands region.

Brain started at Duncan & Toplis as a trainee, becoming a partner in 2004.

In addition to this new role, several other existing senior leaders have been promoted to a newly created C-level executive leadership team, including Heidi Thompson as chief people officer, Caroline Cleary as chief marketing officer, Nicholas Smith as chief operating officer and Kayleigh Williams as chief finance and technology officer.

Brain said: “Stepping into this newly created role is both an important milestone for Duncan & Toplis and an exciting opportunity to lead the group toward a truly ambitious future. My sincerest thanks to Adrian Reynolds, whose influence on and contributions to the business over many years cannot be understated, guiding it to become the modern organisation we see today and laying the foundations for what we are poised to achieve as we move forward.

 “The evolution of our approach to leadership, with a new structure designed to support a faster growth trajectory, will underpin the achievement of our ambitious vision. Quality remains at the core of our offering, however, and there are few other advisors which can match our deep understanding of, and relationships within, the Midlands business community. The next chapter for Duncan & Toplis will be focused relentlessly on matching the changing needs of our clients with our own evolving capabilities and reach.”