People: Baldwins steps up audit expansion; Law firm board members take two positions on CBI regional councils; and more

The Midlands arm of business advisory firm Baldwins has made another senior appointment to lead the expansion of its audit department.

Laura Hinsley, previously from Grant Thornton, has been appointed to head up the audit function in the region as a partner.

Since November the rapidly growing audit team has tripled in size.

Hinsley will be based at Baldwins’ expanding office at Bank House in Birmingham, and has taken on responsibility for Baldwins’ audit offering across the Midlands region.

She has specialised in audit for ten years across both private and public sectors and her track record of developing, coaching and building high performing teams at her previous employer saw her selected for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Leaders of Tomorrow programme.

She said: “Baldwins is on a long-term journey of growth nationally and I am really excited to have joined a firm that matches my own personal ambitions, and one that is committed to providing a respected, trusted and quality led audit proposition to our selected market place.

“Our investment across people, systems and overall approach will set us apart in the Midlands audit market.

“The audit market is undergoing significant change and this presents a huge opportunity for a firm such as Baldwins, with its clear market focus serving Owner Managed Businesses and SMEs, and commitment to its ambitious and growing team.

“I am dedicated to developing a strong awareness of everything we are doing so that we continue to be a natural choice for ambitious and progressive talent from across the profession, and for clients who genuinely want to experience something different.”

Ian Gould, regional managingpPartner for Baldwins in the West Midlands, said: “Laura has all of the qualities needed to lead our new audit team in Birmingham – she has extensive knowledge of the audit market, is well-connected, ambitious and is passionate about personal development.

“It is important we have someone of this calibre driving the audit department to develop our own workforce, but to also attract the best talent to our firm.

“Our Birmingham office has had a phenomenal year of growth since opening at Cherry Street in late 2018, and our audit department is going to be one of the key drivers of further growth for the region over the next year.”

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Sarah Walker-Smith

Sarah Walker-Smith, CEO, and Lesley Spencer, CFO, of law firm Shakespeare Martineau have been elected to be part of the CBI West Midlands and East Midlands Councils respectively.

Founded in 1965, the CBI comprises 12 regional councils, containing over 500 senior business executives from approximately 400 member companies. The network allows CBI members to directly voice their opinions on the organisation’s direction, alongside discussing issues facing the national business community.

After a voting process amongst CBI members, Walker-Smith was chosen as a representative for the West Midlands Council, while Spencer was selected for the East Midlands Council. They will start a three-year term from 1 January 2020, giving Shakespeare Martineau the opportunity to play a leading role in influencing the policy landscape, both locally and nationally.

Walker-Smith said: “We are undergoing a dramatic period of change and the business community needs to work together, unlocking the potential of the regions and their businesses, and pushing for success.

“Our people and our clients are at the core of everything we do at the firm and having the chance to represent their interests within the CBI, as well as at a regional and national government level, will be a great opportunity. We’re already arranging a series of events and roundtables to seek our clients’ input and find out exactly which issues and initiatives they’d like us raise and champion.”

Spencer said: “Although we are in individual roles, Sarah and I will be representing every single person in the firm, taking a collaborative approach to influence policy with positivity and passion.”