People on the Move: Hurst; TLT; Garratts; DSG; Claritas Tax

From left: Adrian Young, James Thompson, Liz Gallagher

Accounting and business advisory firm Hurst has recruited a tax partner who has joined the practice from forecourts operator EG Group.

Adrian Young was the group head of tax at Blackburn-based EG Group, which was founded in 2001 as Euro Garages by Mohsin and Zuber Issa.

The company operates around 5,400 sites in Europe, the US and Australia.

Adrian joined EG Group in 2017 from PwC in Manchester, where he was a senior tax manager working mainly with privately-owned, internationally-focused businesses.

While at EG Group he led a high-performing tax team across nine territories focused on compliance and advisory matters across the business, cross-border investments, global transfer pricing and mergers and acquisitions.

He said: “Working at EG Group was a fantastic experience, it’s a phenomenal company. In my role I gained experience of the commercial side of business which people in practice don’t tend to get.

“However, the offer to return to practice with Hurst was simply too good. The firm has a great team of committed people and it’s an opportunity to be based in Greater Manchester once again and to work with owner-managers and decision-makers across a range of exciting businesses.”

Adrian, who speaks French and Spanish, will be advising Hurst’s clients on tax issues relating to mergers, acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations and exit planning.

Outside of work, he is chairman of finance for the Link Learning Trust, an educational charity in Manchester.

Tim Potter, chief executive of Hurst, said: “Our clients expect highly-commercial tax advice built on sound technical foundations.

“We also have a well-developed international proposition which sees us advising UK and overseas clients on a regular basis.

“Adrian’s experience in practice and industry, combined with his language skills, make him the ideal hire for the firm. We are delighted he has chosen to join our team.”

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Law firm TLT has announced Gareth Oldale as its head of privacy and cyber security.

Oldale will have a particular focus on expanding TLT’s service offering in this area, including the use of legaltech to help solve clients’ challenges in this complex area of the law.

The firm’s data protection, information law and cyber security products and services have evolved rapidly in recent years, led by specialists Brian Craig, who was appointed legal director in April 2018, and Oldale who joined as a partner in April 2019.

TLT offers legaltech solutions as part of its existing service, including a fully outsourced service for responding to data subject access requests (DSARs) under the GDPR.

Gareth Oldale

Automated technology is used to perform searches and respond to requests, helping clients to manage costs and improve speed and efficiency.

Gareth Oldale said: “We have been assisting clients in all sectors with a range of issues stemming from recent changes in the law, not least the high volume of often complex issues relating to the GDPR and the Data Protection Act.

“With the emergence of new cyber security threats and the increased focus on incident management, together with other legislative changes in this field, this trend of increasing demand for our services is expected to continue in the years ahead.

“Legal technology and automation is key to helping clients meet their privacy and data protection obligations, and in detecting and responding to cyber security incidents. I am looking forward to working with the team to develop further our offering in this area.”

Oldale is a specialist in data protection, privacy and information law. He acts as external data protection officer for a number of clients and is regularly instructed to advise on cyber security and cyber breach issues.

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North West law firm Garratts has strengthened its team with the appointment of Victoria Marshall as head of conveyancing.

Victoria joins the firm’s 15-strong property team from Pearson Solicitors, Oldham. She brings more than 10 years’ conveyancing experience, spanning all aspects of property transactions, from sale and purchase to equity release and complex property enquiries.

Garratts has six offices across the North West located in Oldham, Ashton, Worsley, Radcliffe, Stalybridge and Newton Heath. Victoria will be based at the Oldham office.

Victoria Marshall

Partner, Antoni Machowski, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Victoria to the team at an exciting time for the firm as we continue to grow.

“Over the past 30 years we have built an excellent reputation in the local area for helping people with their conveyancing.

“It is fantastic to have someone of Victoria’s calibre to grow the team and ensure we continue providing the first class service that our clients have come to expect.”

Victoria said: “I’m excited to join the team at Garratts. With strategically-placed offices we are able to offer conveyancing services throughout Greater Manchester and across England and Wales.”

The property team advises first time buyers, investors and people moving up the property ladder.

Garratts is a full-service law firm which specialises in family, employment and wills and probate services. The firm was established in 1982 and has grown into a practice with eight partners and 65 staff across its six offices.

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Murray McLean has been promoted to tax director at Liverpool-based DSG Chartered Accountants following the recent transfer of Mazars’ Liverpool audit practice, and a period of growth for the firm.

Murray will be working alongside Mark Kearsley, also recently appointed tax director, and the DSG partners Jean Ellis, Tony Bayliss, Andrew Moss and Iain White, in supporting the growth of the business across Liverpool and North Wales.

Murray McLean

Murray trained with Big Four firm Arthur Young before moving to a large local firm.

Spending 13 years there and reaching the position of tax associate, he was responsible for delivering their tax service alongside the tax partner.

He then joined a small local firm, becoming tax partner within 18 months, a position he held for 13 years, before joining the DSG tax team.

Murray specialises in providing bespoke tax planning advice to SMEs, including management buyouts, exit strategies, succession planning, large professional partnerships in the legal and medical sectors, as well as providing inheritance tax planning advice to high net worth individuals. He also provides tax planning advice to offshore individuals and businesses.

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted at the promotion. I look forward to working alongside the existing DSG tax management team to enhance our already excellent tax service delivery to clients.”

Senior partner Tony Bayliss said: “Murray has been an integral part of the DSG tax team since joining in April 2018, which has been recognised by this well-deserved promotion. This will strengthen DSG’s tax team as one of the leading tax service providers in Liverpool and the North West.”

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Manchester-based Claritas Tax has appointed Simon Mitchelhill as head of business development.

Simon is a sales and marketing specialist with more than 25 years’ experience developing and executing successful business development strategies across various sectors.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted to join Claritas Tax at a key point in their growth journey. Having expanded rapidly over the last seven years through their strong reputation among mid-market businesses and their stakeholders, Claritas are now one of the largest independent tax advisory firms in the UK.

Simon Mitchelhill

“I will be promoting Claritas directly to entrepreneurial businesses and their owners who are looking to develop, transform, grow, restructure, buy or sell part, or all, of their organisation.

“Due to the size of the team, their incredible depth of experience and Claritas’s affinity with SMEs, I am genuinely excited to be a key part in the next phase of their regional and national expansion.”

Director Matthew Hodgson said: “Simon joining us at the beginning of what already feels like a very busy year ahead is a critical hire and demonstrates our ambition to establish Claritas as the ‘go to’ firm for independent tax advice in the North West.

“We’re delighted to have him on board.”

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