People: Engineering consultancy makes senior hire to Birmingham office; Accountancy firm expands again

WSP, the engineering and professional services consultancy, has made a senior hire to its Birmingham office after welcoming Dan Bishop as group director for its stations team.

Bishop joins from Atkins where he has spent the previous 12 years, most recently as practice director in Birmingham. In his new role at WSP, he will oversee the delivery of a broad portfolio of stations projects, including the firm’s work on HS2’s Curzon Street Station and Birmingham International Station.

Operating out of WSP’s Midlands headquarters in The Mailbox, Bishop will lead the stations team which has around 150 staff across the UK, sitting within the rail business. A key part of his role will include ensuring efficient integration of the wide range of engineering and design disciplines involved in every WSP stations project.

Bishop said: “WSP is at the leading edge of transport infrastructure development both in the Midlands, nationally and internationally. I am delighted to be joining at such an exciting time as the firm is currently working on a range of transformative projects which will revolutionise the way we all live and travel.

“The firm’s commitment to sustainability and delivering future ready projects really stood out to me and I am looking forward to embracing these values as part of an expert team. From our Birmingham base, I am aiming to help WSP pursue emerging opportunities in the Midlands Engine and across the UK, supporting the rail team’s long-term growth plans.”

Bishop arrives at a time of expansion for the engineering and professional services consultancy which reported record growth in Birmingham last year. His appointment is set to bolster WSP’s growth in the Transport & Infrastructure sectors, both in the Midlands and across the UK.

The firm is currently supporting the delivery of several Crossrail stations in central London, HS2’s Old Oak Common and Curzon Street stations as well as regional stations schemes including Brent Cross West and Beaulieu in Essex.

With the updated designs for Curzon Street station revealed in January on which WSP has a 160-strong team, communities across the Midlands will benefit from the transformational impact of increased capacity and connectivity across their rail network.

Moving into the city’s iconic Mailbox building in November 2018, WSP recruited 110 employees in Birmingham in 2019, making it one of the fastest growing offices outside of London.

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Stafford-based Howards Chartered Certified Accountants has announced the appointment of a new senior manager to its leadership team.

Darren Roberts joins as senior manager covering areas of auditing, accounting and tax and brings 30 years’ experience to the business. He is about to complete his ACCA practising certificate and audit qualification and will then become a director designate. With all teams reporting to him, Roberts will take a strategic lead in the business reporting directly to managing director Matt Bailey.

“This is a key appointment for the firm, helping us to capitalise on serving our core business of small to medium-sized businesses in Stafford and the surrounding areas,” says Bailey. “I’m delighted to bring on board such a high-quality professional with a wealth of valuable experience.”

Roberts added: “Howards is a successful business with a strong reputation in the area. With the recent service additions and changes this is an exciting time to be joining an expanding business.”
After a series of recent recruits, the firm now employs 45 staff.