People: Partner appointed at financial advisors; Accounting director recruited; and more

Yorkshire accountancy, advisory and audit firm Garbutt + Elliott has appointed Laura Masheder as Partner, taking the number of partners in the firm to 13.

Masheder has worked for Garbutt + Elliott for over 16 years, playing an instrumental role in the development of the Audit & Advisory team and helping to secure new clients.

Over recent years her focus has been working in the charities and not-for-profit sector, especially following the acquisition of specialist charity audit firm Ian Pick Up and Co in 2015.  In her new role she will focus on growing further the Charities team and its Yorkshire client base.

Garbutt + Elliott has offices in Leeds and York. Today the firm has 183 staff, including 13 Partners, offering tailored services for individuals and businesses.

Masheder said: “I am delighted to be welcomed as a Partner and take this opportunity to make a real difference to the development of the Charities team.

“I want to build on the success we have recently achieved and establish Garbutt + Elliott as the go to firm for the region’s charities. I am passionate about the sector and enjoy its challenges and diversity.

“By working closely with our clients, we help them to meet their legal and regulatory obligations, offering practical and pragmatic advice. I am looking forward to contributing to the future success of the firm.”

Russell Turner, managing partner, added: “Laura is a great addition to our team of Partners and her promotion is well deserved.

“Laura and the Charities team have worked hard to build and establish a strong reputation within the Yorkshire region as charity specialists, and as a result we now work with many high-profile charities and not for profit organisations.

“Laura’s appointment underlines our strong commitment to building a first class Charities team, as well as our continued investment in the development of our people and recognising their success.”

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Armstrong Watson, Accountants, Business and Financial Advisers, has said that David Cousins has joined its Skipton team as accounting director.

He will play an important role in the development of Armstrong Watson’s services to family and owner managed businesses throughout North Yorkshire.

Cousins joins Armstrong Watson with a depth of experience, having originally qualified at a Big 4 firm in London specialising in financial services audit.

More recently, he has worked with a wide range of non-financial services business, ranging from small start-ups to private equity backed business, family owned groups to PLCs, charities to NHS trusts – and everything in between.

Cousins said: “I am excited to join Armstrong Watson’s growing and ambitious Skipton team. Having researched the firm, I was particularly drawn to Armstrong Watson’s strong culture and values of passion, honest, humanity and trust – which they have proven to exemplify both internally and externally.

“There are some fantastic businesses across the region and I look forward to providing them with the quality of advice and support they deserve.”

Rohan Day, Armstrong Watson Skipton’s lead partner, said: “We are delighted that David has agreed to join the Armstrong Watson team in Skipton.

“David’s wide ranging capabilities and extensive experience will ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our clients and to help them grow and prosper.

“David’s role will be particularly focused on family businesses and the provision of support to the internal finance functions of these businesses through strategic advice, management accounting support, systems and technology, and he will be a huge asset to the Yorkshire team.”

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The new general manager of a landmark Sheffield hotel is going back to his roots following an announcement of the venue’s reopening.

Phil Dunn, 48, has taken the reins at The Quays Hotel – formerly the Hilton Sheffield, which closed late last year but reopened its extensive leisure facilities last month.

Darnall-born Dunn brings with him plenty of experience in the industry and previously held the post of bar manager at the Victoria Quays – located facility during its original launch as a Stakis Hotels venue more than 20 years ago.

Last month, one of the UK’s leading independent hotel management companies, Legacy Hotels & Resorts, was appointed to re-open the four-star hotel and leisure club over the coming weeks following its closure late last year when Hilton surrendered its lease on the property.

As well as Stakis Sheffield, Dunn’s CV also includes experience working locally for the likes of the Rutland Hotel and the former Beauchief Hotel, both in Sheffield, where he held positions of general manager and operations manager respectively.

He has previous experience working for Legacy Hotels & Resorts originally at the Chesterfield Hotel, Derbyshire having since spent time working across the UK at a number of the group’s hotels.

Dunn said: “It’s stunning and I’m honoured to have been appointed. I’m so excited for what the future holds – we can only deliver better, more personalised and adaptable service for our customers; we’re a progressive team and we want this facility to thrive.

“This is one of the very best located hotels in Sheffield – it has a huge part to play in our city, and myself and the new team here at The Quays Hotel believe in its potential.”

Andy Townsend, Legacy Hotels & Resorts chief executive officer, said: “We’re delighted to have made this significant appointment and to someone who has been such an important and loyal part of our groups development over the past ten years – we’re really excited for what the future holds for Phil and The Quays Hotel.

“Bringing on board individuals such as Phil, with his decades of experience, is a huge step forward for us in the embryonic stage of our launch of this business.”

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A Yorkshire law firm has strengthened its dispute resolution team with the appointment of a new solicitor.

Andrew Donaldson joins from a South Yorkshire based legal firm and is based at LCF Law’s new flagship office in Leeds.

Donaldson trained with a Legal 500 ranked firm and qualified in 2019. His experience covers corporate dispute resolution and commercial litigation, insolvency, restructuring and other corporate legal work, alongside two years’ paralegal experience within a litigation team based in London and Dubai.

Originally from Canada, he completed his first degree in history and Russian studies at the University of Ottawa and then went on to graduate from the University of Leicester with a Bachelor of Law degree.

Head of dispute resolution at LCF Law, Charles Abraham, said: “Our team is based across both our Leeds and Bradford offices where we represent well-known national and international companies, dealing with a full range of contentious issues including contract disputes, disputes with financial institutions, insolvency and property litigation.

“Our department has successfully grown and now consists of eight dedicated dispute experts. Clients like our strategic approach, clarity of pricing, and ability to identify a clear route to a desired outcome, and this means our client base has grown significantly over the last five years.

“With several new contract wins towards the end of 2019, we were keen to bolster our team with bright new talent. Andrew joins lawyer Chris Dalby, who we welcomed to the insolvency team two years ago, and they both have the relevant experience and drive to succeed within our firm.”

 

 

 

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