Appointments: Sharifi lands national role at GT; EY boosts deal team & more

ALI Sharifi, Grant Thornton’s North West head of corporate has been promoted as the national head of its corporate finance practice.
 
He will still be based at the firm’s Manchester office and will now  lead a team of 95 people across seven offices in England – London, Reading, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cambridge and Bristol – and a team in Scotland.
 
Mark Byers, UK head of advisory at Grant Thornton said: “Ali will provide the leadership that ensures delivery of Grant Thornton’s corporate finance strategy. Our vision is to be the leading trusted advisor to our clients, providing the best in class advice and execution excellence to help them grow.”
 
Mr Sharifi, 44, has been with the firm since 1999 and became a partner on 2005.

He will retain a day-to-day involvement in deals, and said: “I’m still working closely with clients on business strategy and executing specific M&A projects.”
 
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EY’s North West corporate finance team is expanding with promotions and new hires amid further growth in the regional deals market.

Emma Pickering has been promoted to the position of director and Dan Cichocki has been made an assistant director.

Miss Pickering has been at EY for nine years having joined following four years at PKF, while Mr Cichocki, who has 10 years’ corporate finance experience including seven years at PwC, joined the firm in 2011.

New hire Rob Jones joins as a senior executive from Baker Tilly, where he was a corporate finance manager. The team is supplemented by the appointment of Louise Leung as an executive. She joins from EY’s North West audit practice.

Tim Morris, corporate finance Partner at EY in the North West, said: “Emma and Dan’s promotions reflect their expertise in originating and delivering complex transactions, and their important contribution to the growth of our corporate finance practice.”   

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BARRY Holt of Blue Bell Crewe, has retired as dealer principal after 28 years with the Blue Bell Group.  

He has been replaced by Anthony Masterson, who said: “Barry has been an iconic figurehead within Blue Bell Crewe and will be missed. We will maintain the warm, family atmosphere that has made the group what it is today, whilst at the same time updating the facilities in order to further enhance the customer experience at Crewe.”

A keen motorist, Mr Holt is looking forward to enjoying his retirement with plenty of time to indulge his true love of motorsport with his classic MINI Twin Cam 1293.        

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CHESHIRE legal practice FDR Law has just recruited seven additional staff across a number of departments.

The firm reports demand growing across the practice, particularly in conveyancing.

Emma Allchurch, a conveyancing solicitor, and Alison Herdson, a conveyancing executive, have boosted the residential property service in the firm’s Stockton Heath office and solicitor Chris Illingworth will lead professional conveyancing services in Frodsham.

The family law team at Stockton Heath has been boosted by the arrival of Rachel Kendrick as a chartered legal executive and in Warrington, Ian Murray joins the accounts office and the IT support team has recruited Andrew Glover and apprentice, Jack Peters.

Oliver Burton, chief executive of FDR Law said: “All law firms have experienced some challenging times recently but the fact we are able to take on seven new staff within the space of four months is a sure sign that the local economy is now in a much better place.”