People: RSM to more than double trainee intake; New BID manager appointed; and more

RSM in the West Midlands will more than double its annual summer intake of trainees in 2021.

The audit, tax and consulting firm will recruit 35 trainee employees in August in the West Midlands, up from the 16 university graduates and school-leavers it employed in summer 2020.

Nationally the firm will recruit almost 500 trainees in its summer intake, up from the 224 university graduates and school-leavers it employed in summer 2019.

Mark Taylor, RSM regional managing partner for the West Midlands, said: “With youth unemployment sitting at 14% there’s no escaping the fact that career prospects for graduates and school leavers have greatly diminished as a consequence of the events of the past year. Whilst our experiences of the pandemic have presented many challenges, our resilience as a firm, and what has been a strong year for us financially, has allowed us to take some bold steps, and a long-term approach.

“We want to invest in and grow our very own talent now, and a key part of that plan is to apply it at career-entry level. That is to the benefit of talented young prospective employees looking to take their first step on the career ladder, but who are doing it in an extremely competitive market.”

As part of this year’s trainee recruitment drive, RSM will also aim to double its national intake of school leavers since 2019.

This year it aims to recruit 86, up from 66 last year and 42 the previous year.

Victoria Kirkhope, people partner at RSM said: “We’re delighted to be expanding our trainee recruitment programme and look forward to welcoming our new intake. In the meantime, we continue to recruit for the remaining vacancies. From August, our new young talent will gain a professional qualification and the technical and personal skills that they need to develop their careers and reach their full potential with RSM. They will be supported by a modern apprenticeship scheme and an internal training programme that is designed to support development from entry through to Partnership. Our people, who come from a range of backgrounds and bring with them a range of experiences, truly are the heart of our business.”

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Redditch Business Improvement District has announced the appointment of BID manager Muj Rahman.

A prominent member of the Redditch business community and owner of Rilys Restaurant on Alcester Street, Rahman will be responsible for the strategic delivery and implementation of the BID business plan.

He is tasked with working closely with local businesses and stakeholders to promote the town and improve the local economy to allow Redditch businesses to flourish.

Ken Williams, Kingfisher general manager and BID board director, says: “We are delighted to announce Muj’s appointment as BID manager. We have been looking for someone to lead the BID who has the vision and experience to help us deliver our plans for the town and are confident that Muj is the person to do that. He brings with him a vast amount of valuable experience and, as a resident of the town, has the knowledge and passion to help Redditch prosper.”

Rahman added: “I am delighted and honoured to accept the position. I truly believe Redditch is a town that can accommodate national brands and independent businesses alike to create a successful town centre that will attract local residents and visitors from outside the town.

“I approach this role with great passion and enthusiasm, working closely with all stakeholders to help, develop, and promote a vibrant local economy and highlight Redditch as a prime destination for shopping and leisure in the Midlands.”

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Creative agency Giants & Titans is celebrating after securing a hat-trick of European awards, eight client wins and three new appointments.

The Birmingham-based firm won three Lovie awards for its global Defenders of Digital campaign, beating off competition from major international organisations including Al Jazeera in one category.

A total of eight additional new client and project wins have seen the company increase its turnover by more than 20% in the last 18 months.

Nivea owner Beiersdorf appointed Giants & Titans as lead UK social media agency for the launch of its first new skincare brand in 20 years, with responsibility for Instagram, YouTube, Facebook & Pinterest.

Cybersecurity experts Kaspersky, based out of Switzerland, tasked the firm to create, launch and provide ongoing management support for its first online training platform.
Building on that success, the agency has also been engaged to create and manage social media content and develop a new global media website for Kaspersky’s flagship content hub, Tomorrow Unlocked, as part of a three-year partnership.

In response to growing demand for its creative services Giants & Titans has appointed Kieran Quinn as head of social Media and Laura Watkins as digital manager to bolster the senior team, with further recruitment planned later in the year.

Dave Reed, Giants & Titans co-founder, said: “The last 18 months has produced a series of challenges for growing business like ourselves, but also a number of new and exciting opportunities. We’ve successfully established ourselves as agile creative experts, providing world-class thinking and execution that delivers results for our clients. This latest international recognition from the Lovies, Beiersdorf and Kaspersky to name a few is testament to that.”

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Drive Motor Retail in Nuneaton has bolstered its service team with the appointment of two vehicle technicians.

James Roberts joins from Allen Ford, where he worked as a master technician.

Francisco Fernandes has also joined Drive as a technician and will be working on used car preparation as well as repairs. Fernandes, who is originally from Brazil, previously worked at Trade Centre UK.

Peter Davis, general manager at Drive Nuneaton, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome James and Francisco to our service department.

“They both bring a range of attributes we have been looking for and the appointment of James allows us to increase our capacity to maintain electric vehicles, which is set to be increasingly important moving forward.”

Rob Keenan, Joint Managing Director at Drive, added: “It is great to see talented individuals like James and Francisco joining the Drive team.

“We are going through an exciting period of growth and there are lots of opportunities for people to join our dealership teams all over the UK.”