People: New senior leaders supercharge Grant Thornton’s Midlands team; Law firm’s family team bolstered with specialist partner appointment; and more

Grant Thornton has made several senior appointments to its Midlands team.

The appointments at the Birmingham office include Sue Knight becoming the area’s new practice leader, Rachel Parker moving to lead the region’s corporate tax team and Sreekanth Gaddamanugu being appointed as audit director.

Knight has been employed at Grant Thornton for 21 years. Prior to becoming the firm’s Birmingham based practice leader in January, she led the private ultra-high net worth team and the trust business.

She now takes on responsibility for developing and growing Grant Thornton’s expert team across the Midlands.

Parker has recently moved from Grant Thornton’s Gatwick office to become the lead partner for Midlands corporate tax. In this role,she will head up the 40-person corporate tax team which is based across Birmingham and Leicester.

She joined Grant Thornton in 2006 and specialises in working with mid-market businesses as well as large international firms.

Gaddamanugu’s appointment as audit director in December 2021 further strengthens Grant Thornton’s mid-market audit business.

He has experience working with both large listed companies as well as dynamic mid-market businesses in the Midlands. He has an in-depth understanding of a range of sectors in the Midlands market, with a particular focus on the automotive and manufacturing industries.

In addition to these appointments, James Brown, partner and practice leader at Grant Thornton UK in the East of England, will take on new clients and markets leadership responsibilities in the Midlands. This will see him focus on developing existing relationships and collaborate with new companies in the region to help them fulfil their strategic goals.

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Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed new partner Aasha Choudhary to its family team in Birmingham.

She specialises in high-value, complex financial matters, often with significant international elements, including assets abroad, jurisdiction disputes and third-party interveners. She also has a deep knowledge of wealth protection work, children matters, pre- and post-nups, and separation and cohabitation agreements.

With more than 13 years’ qualified experience, Choudhary has joined Shakespeare Martineau after eight years at Mills & Reeve, where she worked her way up from associate to principal associate. Prior to this, she spent three years as a solicitor at George Green and almost four years at Challinors.

Over the years, she has supported clients with significant wealth, including a high-profile pre-nuptial agreement covering assets worth £1.45bn.

Choudhary said: “I am thrilled to have joined Shakespeare Martineau at such an exciting time. I was drawn to the firm’s culture, nurturing environment and strong values, which focus on empowerment and unity – supporting each person to play to their strengths and allowing them to reach their full potential.

“The family team is well-established and well-respected, and the firm is on the crest of a wave – I am looking forward to being part of its growth journey and I am pleased to be bringing my experience to Shakespeare Martineau, helping to achieve the best possible outcomes for my clients.”

Aasha will primarily be based at the firm’s Birmingham office hub but will be working with clients nationally.

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Lorraine Gregory has been appointed as the new regional director for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) for the Midlands, succeeding Dawn Karakatsanis, who has held the post for four-and-a-half years.

CECA Midlands supports its members – including everything from the biggest civil engineering and construction firms in the region through to smaller, niche contractors – with training, networking and up-to-the-minute information.

The organisation also provides a voice for members to key decision-makers, including Central Government, both directly and through the national CECA office in London.

Gregory, who has joined from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), said: “I love this industry and I love the Midlands so this is the perfect role for me and I will give companies – no matter how big or small – my everything to ensure this sector continues to thrive in our region.

“These remain very unpredictable and unprecedented times for all of us. It has created new issues for the sector and also exacerbated others.

“Skills and recruitment are not new issues, but the events of recent years such as Covid and Brexit have created an even bigger headache for businesses. The free training support we provide to members is invaluable but there is also work to do in attracting more people into civil engineering.”

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Douglas Cooper, former hotel inspector for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and general manager of Cowley Manor, has joined the leading hospitality recruitment and staffing agency Off to Work as general manager for their Birmingham & Midlands branch.

Having led a team of hotel inspectors completing detailed brand and quality assurance audits for Starwood’s EMEA division for ten years, Cooper brings with an understanding of delivering five-star service.

In addition to his 11 years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he personally inspected more than 1,000 properties in 80 countries, Cooper has worked at general manager level for Preferred Hotels, Summit Hotels, ACCOR Hotels UK and Choice Hotels Canada.

Katie Pearce, director of regional operations at Off to Work, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Douglas to the team and elevating our service for our clients and team members to the next level. He brings with him a wealth of 5 star management experience which will be invaluable as we head into another year of exceptional growth.”