People: Partner promotion at BDO; New CEO for Leeds 2023; and more

Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has promoted Lyndon Firth to partner in its Leeds office.

Firth joined BDO as a Director in 2017, his promotion to partner comes at a period of growth for the Leeds office as it looks to expand and grow its specialist tax advisory services.

Terry Jones, partner and head of BDO in Yorkshire, said: “Lyndon has contributed significantly to the growth of the office and his promotion will further strengthen our position in the market as the leading VAT practice in the region.

“Lyndon has demonstrated his ability to lead the Leeds VAT practice over the last few years with some significant wins in both the public and private sectors. This has included the BDO Leeds VAT team being re-appointed by the Department of Health and Social Care to continue providing specialist VAT advisory support nationally to NHS Trusts for construction projects, a fantastic achievement.

Firth said: “I am delighted to become a partner at BDO. This is a very proud moment for me  and I want to thank all of my team members who have made this possible. The support I have had from my colleagues at BDO, is incredible and I look forward to growing the Leeds VAT team further.

BDO has offices across 17 locations in the UK and has promoted 14 new partners this year as of 6 July. Earlier this year, BDO merged with Moore Stephens LLP, making it the UK’s largest accountancy and business advisory firm focused on mid-sized, entrepreneurially spirited businesses.

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Theatre director Kully Thiarai will return to Leeds to oversee a major cultural investment programme culminating in a spectacular one year cultural festival for the city in 2023.

Currently the CEO and artistic director of National Theatre Wales, Thiarai will become the new CEO and creative director of Leeds 2023, working to bring together a world class programme celebrating the best of cultural life in Leeds.

She is renowned for her bold work exploring themes of diversity and community. Her 30 year career has included stints with Leeds Playhouse and the city’s Transform Festival, becoming artistic director with important Northern companies such as Red Ladder Theatre in Leeds, the Contact Theatre in Manchester and Cast in Doncaster, as well as Leicester Haymarket Theatre and Theatre Writing Partnership in Nottingham.

Thiarai said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Leeds 2023 and to be returning to a city that was instrumental in launching my career and is filled with so much incredible passion and immense potential.

“It was always going to have to be something special to entice me away from the extraordinary company that is National Theatre Wales. To lead the cultural year for Leeds 2023 is that special something – a once in a lifetime opportunity to return to my roots and play my part in inspiring a whole new generation of artists and audiences.

“I can’t wait to explore more of what the city and its communities have to offer and to work together to create a unique, daring and ambitious range of diverse and compelling work for Leeds 2023.”

Before joining NTW in May 2016, she was the founding director of Cast, Doncaster’s £22m performance venue, so she is used to projects of considerable scale. Earlier this year, media executive and former journalist Ruth Pitt was announced as the new chair of Leeds 2023.

Over the past few months, Pitt has begun assembling a team, contacting prospective trustees and board members for Leeds 2023 and leading the search for a CEO and creative director.

Pitt said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Kully will be joining us on this journey and it’s testament to just how exciting the Leeds 2023 project is that we’ve been able to attract someone with such a prestigious track record in creating ground-breaking work.

“There is a growing sense of momentum around Leeds 2023 and with Kully on board I’m confident we can look forward to seeing an artistic programme that encapsulates the passion and vibrancy of Leeds and its many communities.”

Kully will continue to work at NTW and will officially join Leeds 2023 towards the end of the year.

Leeds 2023 will be led by the Leeds Culture Trust, an independent charity that will be the main delivery body for Leeds 2023.

The festival itself in 2023 will shine an unprecedented light on cultural life in Leeds as well as bringing the best global arts to the city and providing a catalyst for attracting visitors, jobs, new skills and economic growth.

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Commercial property advisor Knight Frank’s Sheffield team has been boosted with the appointment of Liam Keyworth as a Senior Building Surveyor.

Keyworth joins the Building Consultancy department where he will be involved in both professional and project work on a range of commercial properties in the Sheffield City Region.

Jonathan Ingleby, who heads the Building Consultancy department of Knight Frank in Sheffield, said: “Business is buoyant and we are involved in some very exciting projects across Sheffield and the wider region. Liam’s appointment indicates our intention to continue to attract high quality talent and will allow us to expand and deliver additional services for our clients.”

Keyworth’s career in Building Surveying began at EC Harris, now Arcadis in Birmingham, for his work placement whilst at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle upon Tyne. After graduating, he worked for four years at Workman LLP in Newcastle working mainly on retail instructions for London-based clients in Leeds and around the wider Yorkshire region.

Keyworth said: “Knight Frank enjoys a very good reputation and a large market share in the region and I was keen to join such a well-respected team.”

The Knight Frank Building Consultancy division is involved at any stage of a building’s lifecycle and services include surveying, dilapidations, refurbishments, building reinstatement and project management.