People: Deloitte; Nicklin; Burgis & Bullock

Deloitte’s Midlands practice has expanded its corporate finance capabilities with the appointment of Sunil Prabhaker as debt advisory director. Prabhaker will also be joining Deloitte’s 180-strong national debt and capital advisory team.

Joining from Virgin Money, where he spent the last six years working in corporate and structured finance, Prabhaker brings extensive knowledge of debt financing, having transacted on a range of corporate and private equity-backed deals across several sectors, predominately within the Midlands region. Prior to this, Prabhaker worked in Deloitte’s transaction services team between 2015 and 2017.

Prabhaker will be focused on bringing the strength of the firm’s debt advisory expertise to clients across the Midlands. Recent M&A deals worked on by the Deloitte Midlands corporate finance team include Literacy Capital’s investment into Cubo Work and Portakabin’s strategic acquisition of Darwin Group.

This latest appointment comes following a period of growth for the debt and capital advisory team, whilst the wider Deloitte Midlands practice recently announced a number of senior promotions, including five partner and 12 director appointments.

Darren Boocock, partner and head of corporate finance Midlands at Deloitte said: “Having built his career in the Midlands, it’s a pleasure to welcome Sunil back to our team here in Birmingham. He’s returning amidst increased demand for our services, and during a critical period for UK corporate finance. Recent interest rate rises mean debt financing has become a central issue for our clients and for transactions more generally. We’re looking forward to working with Sunil across our local markets and providing an enhanced offering to our clients.”

Prabhaker said: “It’s exciting to be returning to Deloitte’s Birmingham office, helping to deliver on some of the region’s biggest and highest profile deals. There is a deep level of expertise within the team, both at a regional and national level, and I look forward to building on the exceptional track record of consistently delivering on transactions that are often large and complex in nature.”

Pictured in the Deloitte Birmingham office, Prabhaker is joined by Anil Gupta, partner and regional lead for the Debt and Capital Advisory practice at Deloitte. Gupta added: “With our national debt and capital advisory team continuing to grow, Sunil will help to bolster our already strong presence both across the Midlands, as well as nationally. Bringing extensive experience from across the transaction lifecycle, Sunil offers a level of expertise that complements our strategy and client relations.”

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An independent pallets and packaging company has further strengthened its senior team as it continues to grow its West Midlands operation.

Wednesbury-based Nicklin Transit Packaging has appointed Tom Bratby as head of operations while Neil Benbow has joined the company as head of sales.

David Nicklin, CEO and owner of Nicklin Transit Packaging, said: “Tom has a real understanding of the manufacturing sector and comes to Nicklin with a track record of success, demonstrating strong leadership skills and an ability to implement process improvements and drive positive change.

“Neil joins us following a distinguished career in sales leadership, having successfully delivered exceptional results in his previous roles. He comes with strong sector experience and his customer-centric approach will play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our growth ambitions.”

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Accountancy firm Burgis & Bullock has made seven new hires across its Leamington, Nuneaton and Stratford-upon-Avon offices.

Michelle White, a charity and not-for-profit specialist, has been employed to work in the corporate and special services team at the firm’s Leamington office in Waterloo Place.

Nikki Coulson and Jenni Lynch have been appointed as audit trainees at the Leamington office and Jack Holmes has been hired as an audit and corporate finance trainee.

Joseph Lindsey has joined as an accounts trainee and will spend the majority of his time supporting work in the firm’s Stratford-upon-Avon office.

Burgis & Bullock has again bolstered its bookkeeping team at its Nuneaton office with two new appointments, following on from a string of hires in February, as the company continues to see significant growth in its outsourced bookkeeping services.

Sharan Bansal joined the Nuneaton bookkeeping team, with Lauren Kalyan linking up with the team in a trainee role.

The appointments come as the firm continues to expand across all its offices, serving clients in a wide range of sectors and providing a group of specialist services.

Burgis & Bullock has offices in Leamington, Nuneaton, Rugby and Stratford-upon-Avon.

Sean Farnell, partner at Burgis & Bullock, said: “We’re pleased to be in a position to be able to continue investing in and developing our teams.

“The firm has enjoyed another strong year, delivering a bespoke and personal service for our clients, and attracting new business across our full range of accountancy services, including in bookkeeping where we continue to see significant growth.

“This success allows us to continue expanding our trainee programme and provide professional development opportunities for young people.”