People: Appointment to expand wealth management service; Associate director recruited; and more

Leeds-based accountancy and advisory firm Hentons has announced plans to expand its wealth management business across the UK and has hired Tom La Dell to lead the new operation.

La Dell joins the firm from BHP Financial Planning. He will manage an existing team of two and has made two new hires.

Paul Collins joins from Fairstone Financial Management (City) and will be based in the London Office, while Peter Huddart joins from Tegamax Wealth Management and will cover the Yorkshire region.

Tom, director of Hentons wealth management, said: “I am looking forward to developing a financial planning proposition that will give private clients, directors, business owners and entrepreneurs the support they need to plan for their future financial freedom.

“We are building a talented wealth management team across the UK that will allow us to offer our clients a holistic approach to their financial affairs.”

He will continue to work directly with his clients as he leads a national network of experienced advisers in London, Leeds, Sheffield, York and Thirsk.

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Global strategic resourcing consultancy Hortor has appointed Mark Standen as associate director – Global Automation Practice, as part of its ambitious five-year plan to become a £100m turnover business.

Standen and his specialist team of recruiters will be tasked with building and delivering a best in class talent and advisor practice within the global marketplace of robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

Previously the largest billing contract consultant at Computer People, before being promoted to director level, Standen will call upon his wealth of IT experience to grow the automation division across the Hortor Group and its six offices in Leeds, London, Malaysia, Slovakia, North America and Costa Rica.

He said: “For such a young agency, Hortor has already made a splash in the digital marketplace and this is something I wanted to be a part of.

“I’m most excited about using my specialist industry knowledge to deliver responsive solutions that will play a major role in helping the organisation to become a £100m business.”

With UK offices in Leeds and London, Hortor aims to be a market leading recruiter in the digital, IT and tech sector, while also providing bespoke managed services to a global client base.

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Insurance broker and risk adviser Marsh has appointed John Walsh as head of office, Corporate Division, Leeds.

Marsh’s Corporate Division provides insurance broking, risk advisory and claims services to a wide range of organisations, from growing local businesses to multinational companies, across the UK.

In his new role as head of office in Leeds, Walsh assumes overall responsibility for Marsh’s Corporate clients across Yorkshire.

Walsh joined Marsh in January 2014 and was previously based in Manchester as UK & Ireland claims leader for the Corporate Division.

He has worked in the commercial insurance industry for over 25 years in various underwriting, claims and broking roles, starting with Sun Alliance (now RSA) in 1994 and then spending a significant part of his career with AXA and Ecclesiastical.

Allan McPherson, regional managing director for North of England & Scotland, Corporate Division said: “With his extensive background in claims, together with his regional business insight, John is well suited to lead Marsh’s Leeds office and deliver the best of the firm to our corporate clients across Yorkshire.”

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Yorkshire-headquartered brand consultancy The Engine Room has bolstered its team ahead of projected 2020 growth.

Bailey Waterhouse is the Mirfield-based firm’s newly-appointed junior designer.

A former Greenhead College student and a recent graphic design graduate of Northumbria University, he completed a two-week placement with The Engine Room earlier this year and was later offered a permanent position as the business gears up for expansion over the next 12 months.

Impressed by his attitude and strategic thinking beyond his years, The Engine Room created a permanent position for him, with immediate effect.

Managing director Lesley Gulliver said: “We had planned to look at growing the team in Q1-2 of 2020, as our pipeline includes a rich balance of brand evolution retainer work for long-standing clients, plus a healthy stream of new projects coming into the studio.

“But we were so impressed with Bailey’s skill set and approach, that we accelerated our recruitment to secure his appointment before Christmas.