Appointments: GT boosts audit team; MIDAS, BDP & more
GRANT Thornton has expanded its audit practice in Manchester with two strategic hires.
James Hadfield, 34, has joined as a director from the New York office of McGladrey & Pullen, a large US firm. Originally from the UK, he began his career with RSM Robson Rhodes and is qualified to operate in the UK and in USA, where he is a Certified Public Accountant.
He has experience of auditing a wide range of listed and privately-held companies in both the US and the UK, especially in the life sciences, technology and manufacturing industries.
Chris Martin, 36, has also joined the team as a senior manager from KPMG, where he worked for 15 years. He has audited and advised a number of private equity backed businesses, including those in the retail, manufacturing and biotechnology industries.
Kevin Engel, head of the firm’s North West audit practice, said: “Our business continues to perform well in response to client demand from both the public and private sectors. We’re delighted to have James and Chris on board.”
::
MIDAS, Greater Manchester’s inward investment agency, has appointed Sam Evans as business development manager for the creative, digital and media sector.
She joins from The Sharp Project in East Manchester and the appointment follows the recent growth of the media sector in the region, particularly around MediaCityUK.
Commernting on her move she said: “This sector employs over 320,000 people from 31,000 businesses across the North West and I am looking forward to promoting Greater Manchester’s creative offering to overseas and national investors”.
MIDAS has also appointed Deborah Kelly formerly of Marketing Manchester as a business development executive to support its network of business development managers.
::
DESIGN practice BDP has promoted Steve Merridew as Environmental Design Director and Head of Sustainability.
Steve, 30, who lives in Manchester joined BDP in 2008 as a senior environmental designer, and has a background in low energy design, masterplanning and infrastructure.
BDP Manchester director, Gavin Elliot, said: “Steve is an outstanding designer and thinker. He has made a significant contribution to many of our projects both nationally and internationally, as well as demonstrating his skills as a social entrepreneur on the Manchester Garden City Initiative. I’m sure he will make a very significant contribution to both BDP Manchester and the city in the years to come.”
::
LAW firm Weightmans has made key hires in its Regulatory and Wills,Trusts Tax and Probate teams.
Environment and health and safety expert Ray Clarke has joined the firm’s Liverpool head office as a consultant. He was formerly with Nabarro, where he was a partner and most recently a consultant.
Chambers UK describes him as the sector’s ‘Senior Statesman’ and ‘a very knowledgeable and experienced practitioner who can always be relied on to give commercially astute advice’.
Meanwhile Shahida Jogi has joined the Wills, Trusts Tax and Probate department in Liverpool. She previously worked at Hill Dickinson and DWF in the city.
