People: BTG Advisory; Tipton & Coseley Building Society; KWB

BTG Advisory, part of the Begbies Traynor Group, is expanding with the appointment of two forensic services specialists in the firm’s Birmingham office.
Katie Alldrit-Rose, a CIPFA-qualified accountant and accredited counterfraud specialist, joins the firm as a director, bringing a wealth of experience in investigations, forensic audit and irregularity reviews, and economic crime risk management.
She works with individuals and organisations across all sectors both reactively in the event of an incident and proactively to help build a robust risk management framework.
Her previous investigation work includes matters related to fraud, accounting irregularities, and contentious insolvency, as well as employee and wider corporate misconduct.
She also has significant experience in post-event fraud, error and irregularity reviews.
Phil Sandland joins the team as a senior manager.
He is an ACA-qualified forensic accountant, specialising in financial and non-financial investigations, fraud risk management and advising clients on their whistleblowing frameworks.
Sandland has experience in a similarly broad range of investigation work.
In addition, he has undertaken work on commercial dispute resolution, loss of profits, professional negligence litigation, valuations, and external audits.
Richard Pughe, BTG Advisory partner and head of forensic services said: “The BTG Advisory practice is undergoing a period of significant and strategic growth as we seek to expand our services to match the needs of the business communities we serve. Katie and Phil are both highly skilled and bring wide-ranging experience to our rapidly growing team.”
Tipton & Coseley Building Society has appointed Harjit Singh to the position of head of retail.
Harjit Singh
Singh will oversee the development and implementation of a retail distribution strategy and be responsible for team performance across the Society’s four branches.
He joins the Tipton from banking group Santander, where he spent 15 years in leadership roles, most recently as primary market manager covering areas including the Black Country.
He said: “I’ve always lived and worked in the region, so the communities the Tipton serves are important to me and I’m excited at the prospect of influencing what we can offer them. I feel my previous experience will support me in shaping the Society’s vision for retail services, while also using feedback and insight to help us drive significant improvements for our customers.”
Richard Groom, Tipton’s director of customer service said: “Harjit is a welcome addition to our leadership team, bringing extensive skills and knowledge gained within retail banking. As a building society, customer experience across all retail channels and achieving the right customer outcomes means everything to us, making Harjit’s role pivotal to our future success.”
KWB has launched its debut apprenticeship scheme, designed to support candidates with little or no property experience or qualifications to enter the commercial property industry.
Ellie Cole, age 22, is the first to be welcomed onto the scheme, joining the KWB Industrial team as part of a 24-month apprenticeship that will see her achieve a BTech National Diploma Surveying Technician Level 3.
Having left school at 15 and unsure of the career path she might take, Cole recently gained an insight into property thanks to a role at a local estate agent in Oldbury.
Cole said: “Whilst working at a local estate agent, I realised that a career in property suited me. It’s an industry that excites me so when I heard about the opportunity at KWB, I decided to go for it. I never felt like studying at college or university was the correct route for me to take, whereas training as an apprentice allows me to qualify, whilst also benefiting from real-life experience.
“It’s only week one and I’ve already learnt so much and been on numerous site visits. I’m looking forward to cementing myself as part of the KWB team and making the most of this opportunity.”
Through her apprenticeship at KWB, Cole will gain experience across various departments, developing skills such as advising clients about property, land and construction, collecting information from site inspections, lease advisory and management.
Kenny Allan, head of industrial, from KWB said: “Ellie’s passion and strong work ethic really stood out to us during the interview process. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team and are confident that she will have a rewarding and long-standing career at KWB.”