Appointments: New partners at PwC; Bills takes audit role, and more
ACCOUNTANCY Group PwC has announced five new partner promotions across its Liverpool and Manchester offices.
Nick Elliott, Jane Forbes, John Harding, Hazel Macnamara, and Heather Varley joined the partnership on July 1. The promotions are within the private business, financial services and the public sector industries.
Elliott leads the risk team in Manchester working with financial services firms across the North region. Since graduating from Manchester University he has been with PwC for over 20 years.
Forbes will head up the government and public sector assurance practice in the North West. She has been with the firm for over 12 years and has client experience across a range of government and local public bodies. Harding has been with PwC for over 20 years and heads up the human resource services practice in the North West as well as leading the firm’s national team for pension auto-enrolment.
Macnamara has over 17 years’ audit experience having joined the Manchester office in 1996. She specialises in working with fast growing SME, entrepreneurial and private businesses. Varley has been with the firm since graduating in 1997 and based in its Manchester office for the last 13 years. She is an assurance partner specialising in financial services.
Iwan Griffiths, North West regional chairman, said: “These promotions represent a significant time for PwC in the North West as we continue to grow and invest in the region. They reflect our strategy of building the right team of specialists so that we can continue to help our clients be successful.”
PwC has over 700 staff in its Manchester and Liverpool offices.
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KPMG has promoted Manchester-based partner David Bills to the newly created role of head of UK regions audit. He has spent 25 years with the firm and most recently led its North and Scotland audit team since 2011.
Bills will be responsible for maintaining practice growth and the quality of audit work across KPMG’s 20 offices based outside of London. The firm’s UK regions audit team has 50 partners and 1,200 employees.
Having joined KPMG in London in 1987 where he worked for 15 years, Bills was made a partner in 1999. Following three years spent in roles across some of the firm’s overseas offices, he moved to its Manchester base in 2002 and was later promoted to North West Head of Audit in 2006.
He has worked in positions throughout Europe, the Americas, and the Far East and advised a variety of large corporate and mid-market clients including Pets at Home, Liverpool Football Club and Innospec.
He said: “The economic landscape and changing audit market are creating challenges and opportunities for our business in the UK regions. Non-financial risks continue to scale the boardroom agenda and we’re seeing demand for our assurance services increase, while corporate governance remains under the spotlight as signs of a sustained recovery begin to emerge.”
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WIGAN-based Focus Insolvency Group has appointed Natalie Hughes to its board.
Hughes, who recently qualified as a fully licensed insolvency practitioner, joins the four current board members as operations director.
Managing director Anthony Fisher said: “Natalie has worked with Focus Insolvency since the beginning and has been instrumental in its development over the years. She passed the JIEB exam first time and I am pleased to say that she joins me and insolvency director Gary Birchall in taking appointments.
“Joining the board as operations director will mean Natalie is responsible for internal operations and upholding our very high standards which we have become known for throughout the industry.”
