People: Senior appointment at KPMG; Manager recruited at textile specialist; Directors hired for industrial and logistics team; and more
Business advisory firm KPMG has expanded its Northern financial services team with the appointment of Sarah Walker as Transaction Services Director in Leeds.
Walker is a financial services deals specialist with more than 10 years’ experience in supporting mergers and acquisitions activity across banking, consumer finance, wealth management, insurance and fintech.
She joins a team that has advised on a range of high profile transactions in recent years, including the sales of Nexus Vehicle Rental, CallCredit Information Group and Zenith Vehicle Leasing and the admission to AIM of The Simplybiz Group.
In her new role, she will work closely with fellow Transaction Services Director Andrew Nelson, based in the North West and Stewart Cape who leads the financial services sector for KPMG’s Northern corporate finance practice.
Together they will further build relationships within the financial and investment communities, support growing M&A interest in the North and further enhance the strength of KPMG’s regional presence in the sector.
Originally from Huddersfield, Walke started her career in 2000 with KPMG’s audit practice in Leeds before transferring to the firm’s Sydney office in Australia where she built her experience in providing due diligence for transactions.
In 2012, she returned to the UK where she held various senior roles within the firm’s deal advisory team in Canary Wharf, including interim COO and Head of Performance and Operations for Deal Advisory.
Walker said: “We are building a formidable team to support the North’s financial services community.
“There is strong interest from trade buyers and investors looking for acquisitions in the region, but also a growing demand from firms based in the North to expand into new markets and consider M&A targets themselves.
“It is great to be back and be in the thick of what is an exciting market with heaps of opportunity.”
Richard Little, KPMG’s Leeds based Head of Regional Financial Services, said: “Sarah is joining at an exciting time for the financial services market in the North of England, with an increase in mid-market deals and investors keen for a stake in growing businesses.
“Sarah’s breadth of experience across the banking, consumer finance and fintech sector complements the existing team well.”
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Textile specialist Guy Smithurst has been appointed by Halifax engineering firm James Heal as Business Unit Manager in the firm’s Test Materials division.
Smithurst, 46, brings 30 years’ experience to his new role at James Heal, which specialises in the design and manufacture of precision testing equipment and support services in the global textile industry.
He will lead a dedicated team of 11 in the Test Materials division. He will have responsibility for internal manufacturing, external weavers, quality assurance and control, sales and team development.
Prior to joining the company, Smithurst, who originally comes from Halifax, spent five years at Abraham Moon in Guiseley, one of the last remaining functioning vertical mills in the UK.
Prior to this he had held various positions at textile and manufacturing firms across the region. During his career he has developed skill sets across three distinct manufacturing areas, design/technical, sales/business development and production/planning.
Smithurst said: “I’m very excited to be joining James Heal, which has a first rate reputation as an engineering firm and as a leader in global innovation.
“Leading the talented team in delivering a wide range of specialist services that are needed for the important materials testing division of the business is a key part of the central business offering that James Heal provides to customers all over the world.
“That’s what attracted me to the role, which is so varied. It really is like running a business within a business.”
With over 100 employees at its manufacturing and testing site in Halifax and supported by a global network of agents and distributors in over 60 countries, James Heal is an innovator and manufacturer of precision testing instruments, with expertise in materials testing across multiple sectors – from traditional textiles, to emerging sub-sectors of technical textiles.
Outside of textiles, the company’s products have been used to test materials, such as rubber, in the automotive industry; to more diverse items such as wooden flooring.
Amanda McLaren, Managing Director, said: “Guy is a welcome addition to the team and brings a wealth of experience and technical expertise to the firm.
“This year has been a significant one for the business as we continue to showcase our innovative product range in markets around the world, some for the very first time.
“As we seek to underpin our position as a global market leader, it’s important that we are attracting the appropriate calibre of managerial staff with a strong strategic focus who can help reinforce this position.
“Guy’s appointment is the latest in a recent wave of investments that will not only help James Heal retain its enviable position in the marketplace but continue to demonstrate the business has a strong and profitable future in the global testing sector.”
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Chris Earle
Savills has boosted its industrial & logistics occupier advisory team with the appointment of Chris Earle as a Director at the firm’s Leeds office and George Unwin as a director based in Margaret Street, London.
Earle has more than 20 years’ experience in the commercial real estate sector, joining from Bibby Distribution Limited where he was the Property and Assets Manager for the supply chain solutions business.
He was responsible for reshaping the firm’s property portfolio, fulfilling its real estate strategy by transacting approximately one million sq ft of warehousing space and consequently reducing overhead costs.
At Savills he will focus on third party logistics, production and manufacturing, supply chain and leisure occupiers.
Unwin, who started his career in development and strategic land agency at BNP Paribas Real Estate in 2012, joins from Moma Foods where he was the Commercial and Operations Manager.
George Unwin
There he generated cost savings by adopting a new 3PL and manufacturing strategy, while managing inventory, procurement and distribution.
As part of his new role at Savills, Unwin will concentrate on developing efficiencies between operations and real estate divisions, focusing primarily on FMCG, urban logistics and supply chain clients.
Sally Duggleby, Head of the Industrial & Logistics Occupier Advisory Team at Savills, said: “I am hugely excited to welcome Chris and George into the occupier team and we look forward to using the wealth of operational and surveying experience they bring.
“We continue to raise the bar when it comes to occupier real estate consultancy services available in the UK and our clients value our ability to act as an extension of their businesses.
“These appointments will help ensure we carry on going the extra mile for our customers.”
Savills national industrial & logistics team is over 30 people strong and operates from strategically located offices throughout the UK.
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Dave Ogden
High-voltage power contractors Smith Brothers has added a wealth of additional electrical engineering expertise to its portfolio, as six new faces join the Elland-headquartered firm – alongside a newly promoted MD.
After seven years with the electrical engineering company, former Director Dave Ogden has been promoted to Managing Director. Celebrating 20 years in business, founding brothers Richard and John Smith will each remain in the organisation as joint chairman.
Joining the team as a Site Manager, Phillip Taylor brings 15 years of experience in electrical engineering following a career change from the armed forces.
A member of the Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), he had been providing contracting services to Smith Brothers for 19 months before applying to become a full-time member of staff.
In addition, Elliott Johnson has come on board as a Fitter, as he seeks to further progress within the sector. With a career spanning 15 years – and a range of roles – he brings plenty of industry experience in both high and low voltage maintenance and construction.
Another new face is Adrian Pickles, the company’s newest High Voltage Supervisor and Fitter. Having worked in the transmission and distribution equipment industry for over 30 years – as well as alongside Richard Smith prior to Smith Brothers’ inception – he boasts a proven track record.
Appointed as a Project Manager, Matthew Selkirk has 22 years of experience in the sector.
With a broad knowledge and understanding of HV projects and their life-cycle, his strong technical background in design complements the existing Smith Brothers project management team, and its capability to deliver.
Completing the new-look line-up, Karl Gill has joined as an Electrician, while Darrell Johnson – who has worked in the electrical engineering industry for 39 years – has been announced as the firm’s new Health and Safety Manager.
Richard Smith, Joint Chairman, said: “We’re celebrating our 20th birthday this year. As we look to support our growth plans, we’ve welcomed a number of contract and permanent members of staff – and are recruiting several more – in order to cement Smith Brothers’ position for another two decades.
“Dave Ogden has played a key role in developing the business over the last few years and we feel the time is right for him to take on the role of Managing Director.
“Both myself and John will remain in the business but will leave the day-to-day operations in his more-than-capable hands.”
