People: Armstrong Watson; Burnley Bondholders; Qbunk; Express Solicitors; Hugh Jones Solicitors; Moneypenny
Accountants, business and financial advisers, Armstrong Watson, has announced the addition of Brendan O’Connor to its team as an audit director specialising in advising pension scheme clients.
Brendan is well known as an expert in pension scheme audit and comes to the Carlisle-based firm from Haysmacintyre, which has recently withdrawn from the pension sector.
He is a member of PRAG (Pensions Research Accountants Group) and regularly speaks at internal and external pensions forums and is on the PRAG’s Pensions Technical Discussion Group.
Brendan regularly attends PLSA (Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association) events and was involved with a previous update to the former Auditing Practices Board’s Practice Note 15 ‘The Audit of Occupational Pension Schemes in the UK’.
He has worked on pension schemes since the mid 1990’s, specialising in multi-employer and sectionalised schemes, including a number of Master Trusts, and is also a pension scheme trustee.
Brendan will continue to be based in London but will work closely with the Armstrong Watson team in Glasgow in completing audit work for the pension sector clients. He said: “Armstrong Watson is currently going through a sustained period of growth, with an impressive client base, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with the audit teams, focusing on the pension scheme sector and expanding our pension assurance services.”
CEO and managing partner, Paul Dickson, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Brendan to the team at such an exciting time for the business. His appointment is another key milestone in the development of our audit team and having Brendan join us, allows Armstrong Watson to continue to grow and develop our expertise in the pensions market.”
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Neil Evans, the MD of VEKA plc, has been announced as the new chair of Burnley Bondholders.
Burnley Bondholders, which now has more than 200 members, was formed to drive forward the borough’s ambitions of becoming a place where businesses could flourish, and businesses wanted to invest.
The Burnley brand and Burnley Bondholder scheme is led by the Focus Burnley Group, of which Neil Evans is the new chair. He will carry out his duties alongside his role at VEKA – a manufacturer of uPVC profile used to fabricate window and doors. At its 35-acre Burnley based factory, VEKA employs more than 400 people, the majority of whom live in the local area.
Neil Evans
He said: “It’s been a challenging time for our town over the past couple of years, but I’ve been amazed at how the Burnley Bondholders and other businesses, along with our community groups and residents, have pulled together during this period.
“It’s an honour to have firstly, joined the Focus Burnley Group and secondly, to have subsequently become the new chair. I look forward to working with the bondholders, Burnley Borough Council and our other partners to help steer the town further into recovery and to attract further investment to Burnley, which includes the recent announcements about UCLan and Burnley College expansions and work starting on Pioneer Place.”
Mick Cartledge, CEO of Burnley Borough Council, said: “Neil will make a fantastic chair, he’s made an impactful contribution to the borough already and I look forward to working more closely with him.”
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Liverpool-based tech firm Qbunk has announced key senior appointments, official partnerships with leading firms Halewood Artisan Spirits and Think Wine and the retention of all of its staff members this year.
Providing a seamless table ordering experience, Qbunk has pivoted over the past 12 months to support the leisure and hospitality sector throughout the pandemic, with the company working with and within some of the Liverpool City Region’s most loved venues, such as Chester Racecourse, 62 Castle Street Hotel and the Bling Aparthotel by U-Stay.
From left: David Allan, Paul Wilson, Kevin O’Toole
Collaborating with Frodsham-based tech company Urban to further expand its offering, Qbunk will now be investing circa £180,000 into new technologies this year, to drive efficiencies and maximise revenue for hospitality operators.
Paul Wilson, director, Qbunk, said: “As a company, we have placed a huge impetus into recruiting a driven senior team and partnering with companies that share similar values to ourselves. With a solid investment plan in place, we now look forward to continuing to grow our portfolio across a wide range of sectors.”
Appointing experienced businessman David Allan in a BDM capacity, Qbunk is now looking to appoint a new head of sales and strategy in Q2, with plans to now grow further both in headcount and contract wins throughout 2022/23.
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Personal injury law firm, Express Solicitors, has appointed Carlos Lopez as its newest partner and head of its clinical negligence department.
Lopez, a dual qualified solicitor and barrister, is one of only a few practitioners in the North West to hold accreditations for both clinical negligence and personal injury with the Law Society. He is also an assessor for the Law Society Clinical Negligence panel, as well as a Trustee for Headway, Central Lancashire. With 26 years’ experience in clinical negligence work, Carlos has acted for thousands of clients in a variety of work including cases of maximum severity.
Manchester-based Express Solicitors has also appointed partner Damian Bradley as head of legal operations. He will work directly with managing partner, James Maxey, on the strategic expansion of the firm’s serious injury offering.
Jon Andrews also joins the firm as an employers’ liability partner, acting for victims and their families following serious and fatal accidents at work, as well as those with occupational diseases.
Carlos Lopez
The appointments have been made possible thanks to a revolving credit agreement with The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) worth £8m. The funding is being used to help the firm’s ambition of gaining an even greater share of the market and, as part of its growth strategy, Express Solicitors will make further senior hires during the next quarter.
In September 2021, Express Solicitors Group announced its best ever financial results to date, with group turnover up by 14% to £31.3m and caseloads growing by 36% to 19,015.
Express Solicitors Group confirmed even stronger financial results in its statutory accounts filed with Companies House in March 2022, with group turnover up to £32.1m. It aims to reach a turnover of £45m within the next five years.
Managing partner, James Maxey, said: “Thanks to our £8m funding support from RBS, we’ve been able to plough ahead with our ambitious growth plans and appoint new partners to drive the business forward. Having a partner of Carlos’s stature on board, with Law Society accreditations, is just what we need to help us see our plans to fruition.”
Carlos Lopez said: “It’s fantastic to be joining a firm that is totally dedicated to personal injury and clinical negligence, and to grow a specialist team that uses its expertise and compassion to get justice for those who’ve received substandard medical treatment.”
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Boutique law firm, Hugh Jones Solicitors, has announced leadership changes to implement the next phase of its strategic journey.
The Manchester-based Court of Protection and private client niche firm has appointed Liz Hughes to managing director, as the current MD Rachel Dobson retires, staying on as a consultant director and remaining a shareholder and mentor to the new team.
Liz will work alongside the board of directors to manage the day to day running of the firm and will continue as head of the Court of Protection team. Like Liz, all members of the new management team have been with the firm since it was set up in 2013.
Liz said: “The support I’ve received from our employees and clients has been overwhelming and I’m excited to continue to work closely with everyone within the firm’s network to deliver the outstanding work it has become renowned for.”
Liz Hughes
Rachel Dobson said: “It’s wonderful to see the firm evolve through the development of our own people, which has always been a central part of our philosophy. Our place as a nationally recognised niche practice is assured by the continuity and expertise offered by the new senior team.”
The new team now includes Jenny Roberts, who takes over as director responsible for operations and compliance, while fellow board member and head of the expert witness team, Rebecca Brown, will be focused on the firm’s growth – both in terms of developing its client portfolio and further building brand awareness.
Jon Miller remains in his position as finance director and the firm’s founder, Hugh Jones continues as chairman.
Hugh said: “When I founded the firm back in 2013, I wanted to get away from a de-personalised, process driven approach which often saw the client treated as a commodity. Our belief is that if our staff are appreciated and looked after properly, they will treat our clients in the same way and I’d echo Rachel’s point that the firm’s senior management team live and breathe this. I can think of no better team to lead Hugh Jones Solicitors to further success.”
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Moneypenny, the Wrexham-based call and live chat experts, has announced the appointment of a new people director, Charlotte Ashdown, who was previously head of HR at Iceland Foods headquarters.
Charlotte Ashdown
Charlotte spent 13 years at Iceland and joins Moneypenny with a vast wealth of experience and a passion for organisations that put employees at the heart of their business. She is an expert in people and their development, and her role will involve her heading up the people team at Moneypenny which looks after all things ‘working life and recruitment’.
Joanna Swash, group CEO, welcomed Charlotte to the team, saying: “We are excited about the fantastic experience she will bring to Moneypenny. Charlotte’s background and expertise will be invaluable as we continue to recruit and grow and position the company for further growth both in the UK and US.”
Charlotte said: “I am thrilled to be joining Moneypenny at such an exciting time in the business and am passionate about people and helping them flourish with the right support and training. Moneypenny is well known for its award winning culture and for how it nurtures its people and I could feel and sense the inclusive and happy atmosphere as soon as I entered the stunning offices. I am really looking forward to working across the business to further accelerate the UK and US growth and to drive the ambitious expansion plans.”
