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Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has strengthened its South West and Thames Valley tax team with the appointment of a new partner.<\/p>\nTriodos Bank UK, headquartered in Bristol, has boosted its business banking team to grow its impact-focused lending book with the appointment of Lauren Couch as head of business banking.<\/p>\n
With more than 20 years of experience in the sector, Couch brings a wealth of expertise in business lending, alongside broader corporate finance experience. Through senior roles at Aldermore Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and Growth Lending Group, she has led commercial strategy, business development, revenue growth, risk management and client relationships.<\/p>\n
Alongside her banking career, Couch is a non-executive director at Bristol and Bath Regional Capital and a trustee of Quartet Community Foundation, a major independent grant maker in the West of England. Through these roles, she supports initiatives that strengthen communities, increase access to opportunity and drive inclusive economic growth.<\/p>\n
She said: “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Triodos Bank UK. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about helping businesses access the capital they need to grow. Through my voluntary roles, I have also seen firsthand that commercial success and positive social impact can go hand in hand.<\/p>\n
“As one of the UK\u2019s leading impact banks, Triodos brings together everything I care about, helping businesses thrive while creating a positive impact for people and the planet. I look forward to working with the business banking team and our customers to help deliver lasting social and environmental impact.”<\/p>\n
Roger Hattam, chief commercial officer at Triodos Bank UK, added: \u201cI am delighted to welcome Lauren to the team. With her deep knowledge of the banking sector, and passion for delivering lasting impact, Lauren embodies our mission to make money work for positive change and I look forward to working together to deliver for our customers and the wider society.<\/p>\n
“At a time when social and environmental challenges are becoming more urgent, the role of values-based banking has never been more important. Together with our customers, we will continue to support businesses and projects that are creating positive change and helping build a future where everyone can thrive, on a thriving planet.”<\/p>\n
For over 30 years, Triodos Bank has been a specialist in impact-focused lending across social and environmental sectors. In that time, the bank has financed \u00a32.5bn to projects that benefit people and planet \u2013 from renewable energy and organic farming to dignified healthcare and arts and culture.<\/p>\n
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Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has strengthened its South West and Thames Valley tax team with the appointment of a new partner.<\/p>\n
Owen Burn joins the firm as a VAT partner from S&W, where he was an indirect tax director. He will lead the South West and Thames Valley VAT practice, supporting a diverse client base ranging from owner-managed businesses to mid-sized businesses and large international groups.<\/p>\n
At BDO, he will help to shape the VAT strategy across the two regions.<\/p>\n
Neil Brackstone, partner and Head of Tax in the South West and Thames Valley, commented: \u201cOwen is an excellent addition to our expanding tax team, bringing a wealth of technical and commercial expertise as we look to grow our VAT offering across the South West and Thames Valley regions. He will play an important role in bringing that growth strategy to life, supporting not just our clients, but our people too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burn will be based at BDO\u2019s Bristol office.<\/p>\n
He commented: \u201cI\u2019m delighted to be joining BDO during a period of exciting growth in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hugely passionate about delivering practical and commercially-focused advice. I can’t wait to get stuck in and start to build strong relationships with our clients as we help them navigate an increasingly complex tax landscape. At the same time it\u2019s important to me to invest time to mentor and develop the wider team.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Bristol-based PR agency Empica has added to its senior team with the appointment of Katy Garland as head of strategy and digital.<\/p>\n
Garland brings more than 15 years of experience across agency, in-house and charity communications, with a background spanning consumer campaigns, digital development and brand projects.<\/p>\n
She began her career in London agency PR, working across consumer and lifestyle campaigns before moving into the charity sector working in-house at UNICEF UK and Diabetes UK.<\/p>\n
She later joined St. Peter\u2019s Hospice in Bristol, where she helped deliver a major organisational rebrand. As St. Peter\u2019s is one of Empica\u2019s long\u2011standing clients, she worked closely with the agency during her time there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was at St. Peter\u2019s, Empica genuinely felt like an extension of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was real trust and the reassurance that we were in safe hands, which makes such a difference when you are a client.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really excited about the role because it\u2019s new, and that gives me the opportunity to help develop how we work with clients, particularly around planning, strategy and digital.”<\/p>\n
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Encounters Film Festival has appointed a 17-member board of trustees as the Bristol-based festival continues its renewal following its 30th edition in September 2025.<\/p>\n
The board brings together figures from across the screen industries, including BAFTA-winning writer and director Nida Manzoor, Chris Auty, director of London Film School, and Katie Sinclair, head of film and TV at Riff Raff Entertainment, the production company founded by Ben Jackson and Jude Law.<\/p>\n
Other appointees include Mark Simon Hewis, head of the Aardman Academy, Iria Pizania, international business development coordinator at the BFI’s UK Global Screen Fund, and Laurence Boyce, head of programme at P\u00d6FF Shorts.<\/p>\n
Dave Taylor-Matthews, executive director, said: “Our international competition is one of the most trusted places in the world to find the filmmakers who’ll define the next decade, and everything we’re building starts from that. We wanted a board that could help Encounters grow into the festival that looks furthest into the future of the screen industries and celebrates breakthrough in all its forms.”<\/p>\n
The appointments follow an open recruitment process and mark the latest step in the festival’s evolution under Taylor-Matthews, who joined in late 2024 to lead its return after a fallow year.<\/p>\n
The 30th edition in September 2025 welcomed 2,000 guests and 650 industry delegates for more than 80 screenings and events including appearances from Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry.<\/p>\n
The festival’s international short film competition is a qualifying gateway to the BAFTAs, BIFAs and European Film Awards.<\/p>\n
According to the festival, alumni include Denis Villeneuve, Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Julia Ducournau, Charlotte Wells, Ruben \u00d6stlund and Molly Manning Walker.<\/p>\n
New trustee Rowan Woods said: “Encounters has always punched above its weight, and what’s happening now feels genuinely exciting. There’s a real clarity of ambition here, and a board that’s equipped to help deliver it. I wanted to be part of that.”<\/p>\n
The 31st Encounters Film Festival takes place 23\u201327 September 2026 in Bristol.<\/p>\n
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