People: Deals partner appointed; Three new team members at financial services business; and more
Seasoned deals partner Chris Stott has been named as KPMG’s head of deal advisory for the North of England.
He now leads the business advisory firm’s Corporate Finance, Transaction Services and Restructuring practices across the region.
Stott has more than 20 years’ M&A experience advising on some of the region’s most prominent deals. He has led the Transaction Services team in the North since 2010 when he joined the partnership and is also KPMG’s national head of food and drink.
The news follows significant investment in KPMG’s Northern Deal Advisory practice.
Sue Richardson, who has been with the firm for almost 20 years, has been promoted to partner and leads the 30-strong Transaction Services team in Yorkshire. As well as advising primarily on privately owned retail, consumer and leisure businesses on their deals, she is KPMG’s head of retail in the North.
Sarah Walker and Katrina Magee have both returned to the region where their careers began, as directors within the Transaction Services team, after pursuing their ambitions internationally within the firm.
Originally from Huddersfield, Walker will support mid-market transactions for financial services clients in the UK regions. After joining KPMG in 2000 as an audit professional, she later transitioned to transaction services in 2007.
Magee, who has been with the firm for almost 20 years and has advised on well in excess of 100 transactions, has returned to support private capital transactions and focus on leveraging her wider operational specialist experience to help clients create value through the acquisition and immediately after a deal has been signed.
Stott said: “Businesses in this region are exploring buying, selling, partnering, funding or fixing to grow or transform.
“All of these processes can be complex and risky. So, it’s important that management teams can access specialist advisors who can help them see beyond immediate challenges to future opportunities and provide the confidence needed to make the best decisions.
“We’re privileged to have a Deal Advisory team in the region that is bursting with talent and experience. Our recent appointments reflect the incredibly hard work colleagues put in to make KPMG Deal Advisory a great place to work and develop fulfilling careers.”
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Sheffield headquartered SMH Financial Services has added three new team members to meet increasing client demands and workloads.
SMH Financial Services was set up in 2015 as part of Sutton McGrath Hartley Chartered Accountants, enabling the firm to offer financial planning advice to their existing client base.
New additions to the team in the latter part of 2019 include Andrew Huby, an experienced financial adviser, Isobel Hall, a graduate financial planning assistant, and the latest addition Jared Beaumont, who joins as a financial planning assistant having gained 11 years’ experience in the financial services sector, specialising in both corporate and personal protection.
Simon Turner, Partner at SMH Financial Services, said: “We have experienced rapid growth over the past four years since I was brought in to set up and lead the Financial Services department, and we have now got to a stage where we needed to add to the team to meet the increasing demand from our clients.
“One of the key strategies for SMH as a whole is being able to offer a complete range of financial services within one group of companies, meaning clients don’t have to seek out multiple advisers for different areas of advice. Our service offering fits perfectly with the overall objectives of the firm, as well as the other companies in the group.”
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A Yorkshire-based user experience and behavioural research consultancy has appointed a new sales executive.
Leeds-based SimpleUsability has made the appointment to support the growth of its sister company Research Helper, which offers state of the art research facilities and helps to carefully recruit participants for research.
Hailing from the Netherlands, Cheyenne Ritfeld joins the firm following an MA in Medical Anthropology at SOAS, University of London.
Judith Doherty, business development director at SimpleUsability, added: “Cheyenne has a passionate and inquisitive nature, which means she has fitted in with our team immediately.
“She has already become a strong advocate for our services, as she sets out to meet potential clients to follow the path of brands we work with such as the NHS, Coca-Cola and ASDA, all of whom recognise the important of research in understanding and meeting the needs of their users and customers.”
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A new principal has been appointed at UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.
Jessica Stevenson has 19 years’ experience in education and is currently director of inclusion at Mercia Learning Trust, in Sheffield. She will start at the UTC in January 2020.
The current principal, Sarah Clark, is leaving this month to become chief executive officer of Uttoxeter Learning Trust in Staffordshire.
Nick Crew, executive principal, The Sheffield UTC Academy Trust, said: “Jessica has a strong track record in education and is well respected within the city. We are looking forward to working with her.
“I am very proud of what we are achieving for our students and employers in Sheffield. I’d like to thank Sarah for her excellent leadership, guiding UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park from its launch to becoming one of the best performing UTCs in the country.”
The UTC – which is Ofsted graded ‘good’ – is a technical school for 13 to 19-year-olds located on Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park on Old Hall Road, Attercliffe Common.
