HB&O poaches tax director from Ernst & Young

WARWICKSHIRE accountants Harrison Beale & Owen, which has offices in Leamington and Coventry, has appointed Helen Coombes as an associate tax director.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Astwood Bank, has joined the firm from Ernst & Young in Birmingham.

She will provide assistance in all areas of corporation tax planning, compliance and the development of the firm’s tax practice. She is expected to be working with clients in the owner-managed business area.

Ms Coombes will primarily be based at the firm’s Leamington office and Andy Farren, tax director at HB&O, said he was delighted she had joined the team.

“What Helen brings to the team is a wealth of experience in the corporate tax sector and we are confident she will help to drive HB&O’s tax division forward,” he said.

Barclays bolsters wealth management provision with new appointment

BARCLAYS has bolstered its wealth and investment management provision in the Midlands with the appointment of Stephen Howard as Private Banker.  

Based in Milton Keynes, Mr Howard will report into Ben Gulliford, director of the wealth and management division in the Midlands.

Prior to joining Barclays, Mr Howard held senior positions at Coutts and Credit Suisse. In his last role at Coutts, he was responsible for client management and business development within the Milton Keynes region and also has previous experience in opening a new wealth management office in Oxford.

Mr Gulliford said: “We are very pleased to welcome Stephen to our growing team. His extensive knowledge of the area and range of experience in dealing with high net worth clients will be a significant asset to our team. His appointment not only enhances our presence in Milton Keynes, but also emphasises our commitment to our clients there.”

BCRS beefs up board with new appointments

BCRS Small Business Loans has welcomed four new members to its board. The member investors, who all have first-hand experience of working in and developing West Midlands businesses, have joined as non-executive directors.
 
Anna-Maria McAuliffe, Finance Director at Wolverhampton-based McAuliffe Civil Engineering, who is also chair of the Metro Business Partnership, is joined by  Jackie Casey, Managing Director of Success Train Ltd, a business and continuous improvement consultancy based in Kingswinford.

The other appointments see Rob Hill, Finance Director at Dudley-based manufacturer, Metallisation and John Rider, chairman of the West Midlands Institute of Directors, both joining the board.
 
Ms Casey is also an officer of the Black Country Constructing Excellence Club (BCCEC) and chair of the Women Working in Construction group (WWIC), while Mr Hill has held three large group-wide roles. His sector experience includes manufacturing, financial, taxation and secretarial matters, IT systems development, and human resource management. Mr Rider has extensive experience of business integration and change management and has held three large group-wide roles and 10 operating board positions
 
BCRS was founded as the Black Country Reinvestment Society in 2002 as a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) to assist small businesses to grow and prosper by providing access to finance to those that are unable to get loans from traditional sources such as banks.
 
Paul Kalinauckas, Chief Executive for BCRS said “We are delighted to have Anna, Jackie Rob and John on our board. By investing in BCRS they are helping us to support the growth of small businesses in the region.”