People: New head of tax at KPMG North; Property firm hires John Lewis director; and more
Professional services firm KPMG has appointed partner Jon Meeten as head of tax for the north region.
Meeton will oversee the firm’s tax practices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle, ensuring clients across the North receive a consistent level of specialist service, balanced with a depth of local market expertise.
Based in the firm’s Manchester office, he will work closely with KPMG’s practice and sector heads across the North to deliver a multi-service advisory offering to the region’s businesses.
He previously led KPMG’s tax team in Scotland, where he worked with some the firm’s highest profile clients north of the border, including Scottish Power, Stagecoach and national drinks giants Edrington and AG Barr.
Meeton said: “The vibrancy and vitality of any region is underpinned by the strength of the advisory community that serves it. The North of England is no exception and I’m thoroughly looking forward to building on the exceptional tax offering we currently provide clients across the region, especially in an increasingly challenging regulatory and economic environment.”
Chris Hearld, KPMG’s North region chair, added: “As we kick off 2018, we are reaffirming our commitment to helping the region’s businesses achieve their goals. An important part of delivering this is ensuring we have strength in depth across all our capabilities. I’m confident Jon will be a hugely valuable addition to our tax practice, which is our biggest business area.”
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Town Centre Securities, the Leeds-based property investment, development and car parking company, has appointed John Lewis’ property director to its board.
Jeremy Collins will leave his current role at John Lewis at the end of January to take up the role of non-executive director at TCS.
He joined John Lewis in 2003 as head of retail development, becoming property director in 2010, and has overseen the significant expansion of the partnership’s department store estate from 24 to 51 shops during that time.
He previously worked for Lend Lease between 1998 and 2003, in the roles of head of retail and project director. In the earlier part of his career he gained retail property experience in director and senior manager roles at MEPC and Grosvenor Square Properties, and surveyor and valuation roles at Bredero Properties and Wirral Borough Council.
Edward Ziff, chairman and chief executive of TCS, said: “We are delighted Jeremy is joining our board. He brings 35 years of commercial property experience and a unique perspective on retail development and management having worked for a local authority and several property companies, notably as UK Head of Retail Development at Lend Lease, and leading the property team at John Lewis, the country’s leading department store retailer.
“Jeremy’s appointment continues our board succession planning with three new non-executive directors, a new executive director and a new finance director appointed over the last three years, adding the additional skills and experience necessary to manage an ambitious real estate business. We have a great team in place to lead TCS in the next stage of its development and to help us successfully exploit the many exciting opportunities we see ahead.”
Collins added: “I am delighted to be joining the board of Town Centre Securities, at such an exciting time for the Company. Its family origins and values, and its long-term perspective, resonates very strongly with me. I am looking forward to helping the business to adapt to the rapidly changing retail environment, and to continuing its role as a leading regeneration specialist in major cities such as Leeds and Manchester. This new role is an exciting start to my new portfolio of interests.”
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Life sciences firm OptiBiotix Health has announced that Richard Davidson has been appointed as non-executive chairman to the company.
Simultaneous with Davidson’s appointment, Adam Reynolds, as previously disclosed, has stepped down as a director.
