New Marketing Director for Midven

VENTURE capital firm Midven has broadened the support provided to its portfolio companies by appointing a dedicated marketing director.

Gina Panopoulou has joined the Birmingham-based firm to support early stage businesses with their marketing activities.  She has worked with a wide range of companies in a variety of marketing disciplines that include integrated marketing and digital media leading marketing programmes on a regional, national and European level.

Of her appointment Ms Panopoulou said: “Most companies in their early stages don’t have a dedicated marketing team or are often without the time or resources to consider marketing, which is a vital component of business success.  Within Midven’s investment portfolio, my aim is to build a winning situation for companies by creating engaging marketing experiences that positively affect sales and help achieve business objectives.”

Ms Panopoulou has combined her experience in strategic marketing with the creative use of tech applications to reach audiences for start-ups, SMEs and large companies.

Starting her career in Silicon Valley, she has since worked across Continental Europe in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, predominantly in the high tech sector in app and software development, online publishing, IT solutions and system integration.

Roger Wood, director at Midven, said: “We place a high priority on providing much more than funding by offering expert business advice and support to our portfolio companies. Gina’s appointment as marketing director is a great example of our commitment to ensuring those businesses we invest in are able to reach profitability in the shortest possible time.

“The Midven team welcomes Gina and is extremely excited about deploying her marketing skills and expertise to the benefit of our portfolio companies.”

EY strengthens Human Capital team after poaching PwC man

EY has appointed Rupert Hutton as an Executive Director in its Human Capital practice in the Midlands.

The appointment comes as the professional services firm looks to expand its tax practice in the region.

Hutton has over 20 years’ experience providing reward advice to a broad range of companies, from entrepreneurial private businesses to international organisations. He provides advice ranging from developing the right reward strategy for businesses to the design and implementation of bespoke tax efficient incentive arrangements. He joins from PwC and will be based out of EY’s Birmingham office.
 
The appointment comes after the firm continued its expansion, a strategy which has already seen it add new partner, Andy Williams and executive director, Piers Clinton-Tarestad. The firm now has more than 800 people based in its Birmingham office at One Colmore Square.

Graeme Crawford, Head of Tax at EY in the Midlands: “Our Midlands Tax practice has grown by 15% in headcount over the last year, reflecting the continued investment we’re making in our regional business. Rupert’s approach and reputation for building trusted client relationships, based on high quality delivery and experience advising a variety of clients, will be vital in helping us deliver on our Vision 2020 growth ambition to more than double the size of our business.”

Leadership team promotions at Grant Thornton

GRANT Thornton in Birmingham has strengthened its leadership team with the promotion of Sue Knight and Becky Eagle to partner.
 
In her new role Knight will lead Grant Thornton’s 16-strong award-winning private client team in Birmingham, working with the region’s high and ultra high net worth individuals and their families.

Eagle joined Grant Thornton’s audit team in 2012 and is a specialist in advising dynamic mid-sized and large privately-owned and listed companies on their growth strategies, both in the UK and overseas. Her work includes advising clients on the people, processes and policies to take their businesses forward. She also is responsible for the Birmingham office’s innovative school internship programme, which encourages new recruits to the profession from a wide variety of backgrounds across the West Midlands.
 
Dave Munton, regional managing partner, said: “Sue and Becky are truly representative of the Grant Thornton approach: they are both extremely enthusiastic about developing sustainable business relationships, dedicated to understanding their clients’ goals and providing them with practical advice in order to achieve them. They also epitomise the firm’s philosophy of nurturing talented people and providing a flexible, family-friendly working environment in which to flourish. They both thoroughly deserve their promotions to partner.”

Munton is pictured with new Birmingham office partners Becky Eagle (left) and Sue Knight (right).