People: Promotion at accountancy business; Big Four firm announces raft of promotions; Northern Powergrid appointment; Employment lawyer recruited; and more

The Yorkshire office of UK accountancy firm Saffery Champness has strengthened its senior team with the promotion of David Bussey to Director as part of its continued growth in the region.

Bussey joined the team almost 20 years ago and is part of the firm’s nationally renowned Landed Estates and Rural Businesses team.

He will promote the growth of rural business and estates advisory services in Yorkshire and the North East from the firm’s Harrogate base.

He becomes the office’s third Director, joining private client tax specialist Bernard Eke and Justine Stalker, who heads up the corporation tax team in Harrogate and leads a specialist hub advising businesses nationwide on research and development tax credits.

Saffery Champness also has six partners based at its Harrogate office.

Jonathan Davis, Partner, said: “David has been a valued part of our Yorkshire team for many years and has developed strong client relationships on both the rural business and corporate sides of the business.

“His promotion to Director bolsters our senior team at a time when we are recruiting strategically across all departments to support growth throughout the Yorkshire region.”

Bussey said: “Saffery Champness now has an incredibly strong leadership team with a huge amount of knowledge and experience to pass down to the next generation of advisers who are already starting to make their mark in the firm.”

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EY has made a raft of senior appointments and promotions in its International and Transactions Tax Services (ITTS) team as demand for its services increases across the North.

As well as five senior appointments and three senior promotions, new graduates and experienced staff starting in September will further grow the Yorkshire and the North West ITTS team to around 50 people.

Jahangir Rashid joins as a director focusing on international tax in Leeds, while Helen Edwards joins as a director with experience in real estate in Manchester, both from KPMG.

Martin Copley joins EY from Weir Group as an Associate Partner based in Manchester, focusing on transfer pricing; Antonio Zegovin is relocating from EY Milan to join as a senior manager in transfer pricing in Manchester; and Sahid Daud is joining as an international tax manager in Manchester, having previously worked at Amino Associates.

EY’s internal promotions see Jo Smith returning to Manchester as a director in international tax after three years in New York; Simon Taylor being promoted to director in transfer pricing in Manchester; and Dan Dickinson being promoted to Associate Partner in the international tax team in Leeds.

Noam Handler, Partner and Head of Tax for National Markets, said: “I really am delighted by the progress we have made in the local market in recent months both with our clients and in our ability to attract talent such as Jahangir, Helen, Sahid, Antonio and Martin. They are full of energy, enthusiasm and bring a wealth of experience to the team.

“Dan’s promotion to Associate Partner is thoroughly deserved and reflects his commitment to growing our business and the excellent client work he’s delivered during his time with EY.

“This is an exciting period of growth for our local tax practices and this investment in the team will enable us to further strengthen our offering to clients.”

EY’s multidisciplinary International and Transactions Tax Services (ITTS) team covers transactions tax, transfer pricing, international tax advisory and infrastructure and real estate tax advisory.

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Northern Powergrid, the distribution network operator for Yorkshire, Northern Lincolnshire and the North East, has appointed Justin McCracken as Chairman of its new Customer Engagement Group. (CEG)

He will act as an independent Chairman to the group that will challenge the operator’s business plans for the RIIO-ED2 period as it facilitates society’s decarbonisation in the production and increased use of electricity.

The group will help ensure Northern Powergrid’s business plan for the regulatory period, starting in 2023, meets and reflects the needs of the eight million customers across the communities it serves and supports the significant shift towards a low carbon economy.

An accomplished leader with board experience across multiple sectors including public health and environment, McCracken has a strong regulatory background. He currently serves on the board of the Office of Rail and Road.

Phil Jones, Northern Powergrid’s CEO, said: “We are delighted to have secured someone of Justin’s calibre and experience to lead our Customer Engagement Group.

“Our business will produce a better plan, and in turn will deliver a better service to our region as a result of having addressed the challenges brought by the group he will lead. I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with him.”

McCracken said: “As inaugural Chairman of Northern Powergrid’s CEG, I’m determined to build a forward-looking team that will effectively represent the needs and priorities of our region’s broad customer base, from single person households to the multinational companies.

“As an independent group, we will operate in an open and transparent way. With the industry on the cusp of significant change, the actions we will guide can help directly improve quality of life and business in the area while contributing to nationwide decarbonisation and the growth of the clean economy and job market.

“I relish the opportunity to play an active role in shaping them.”

He added his first priority will be recruiting members to the group to ensure a broad and diverse range of expertise and views are represented. More information including the details to apply for a position in this group can be found on northernpowergrid.com/customer-engagement/

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Husband and wife partnership Simon Robinson and Juliet Ralph have appointed David Sillitoe, Employment Lawyer, to their expanding Leeds-based law firm Robinson Ralph.

Sillitoe, who joins the firm as a Partner in early September, comes from Langleys Solicitors where he was an Associate specialising in Employment Law. Prior to that he was with Lyons Davidson for more than ten years where he held numerous roles within their Employment Law division.

Robinson said: “David is an exceptional Employment Lawyer with a great reputation. We are thrilled to welcome him into the Robinson Ralph fold.

“When recruiting there are three things that we look for: integrity, enthusiasm and a sense of humour and David brings these by the bucket load.”

In its first year, Robinson Ralph has already grown its team and secured 25 national employer clients in various sectors.  The firm’s continued growth has led to this latest investment to complement its existing team.

Robinson added: “We have been very lucky to have been approached by some well-known household names recently and we have clear plans for growth over the next 12 months. David will play a key role in supporting us to achieve this.”

Sillitoe said: “I am looking forward to joining Robinson Ralph. I see this as a great opportunity to work alongside Simon and the rest of the team, to develop and move the success of the firm forward.

“When Simon approached me to join Robinson Ralph it was an opportunity that I couldn’t turn down, to be part of something special, right from the beginning and be a fundamental part of the firm’s growth.”

Simon Robinson has worked in large corporate law firms for most of his career and disillusioned with their one-size-fits-all approach, he explained he decided to set up a firm which would offer a more bespoke service to clients.

Silitoe added: ‘The refreshing approach that Robinson Ralph brings to Employment Law, putting the client at the heart of everything they do, and building personal relationships as a trusted advisor on an ongoing basis are the reasons that I wanted to be part of the firm.

‘This approach is not just for their clients either, they focus on team well-being including flexible working, which is really important to me because I have a young family.”

Juliet Ralph said: “Our employees are our greatest advocates and we believe fundamental to our future success.

“Being an Employment Law firm it’s important to us that we ‘practice what we preach’ and lead by example in terms of our culture and development of team well-being.

“We’re thrilled that David has chosen to join us and be with us on our journey as we grow.”

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Carrick Read, the Leeds-based specialist insolvency and commercial law firm, has announced the appointments of three new members of staff

Hannah Dunn has been appointed as an Associate Solicitor after completing her training with the firm.

Helen Mitchell and Elspeth Gray join the firm as paralegals providing support services to the recoveries and commercial departments.

Andrew Laycock, principal of Carrick Read, said: “We are delighted to retain Hannah who has proved during her training with the firm to be an excellent lawyer.

“She will be an excellent addition to our team. We are also pleased to welcome Helen and Elspeth to the firm and believe they will add real benefits in the provision of our specialist legal services.”