People: Begbies Traynor; Propaganda Brand Consultancy; ITP; and more

BTG Advisory,  a division of independent business rescue and recovery specialist Begbies Traynor Group, has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of experienced forensic accountant Jack Clitheroe as a partner.

He will be focused mainly across the north of England, including Yorkshire and the North East.

Clitheroe joins BTG Advisory from accountancy and business advice firm Azets, bringing with him a wealth of expertise in forensic accountancy, including 11 years’ experience at EY.

In his new senior role he will advise clients and lawyers from around the UK on a range of matters, including commercial disputes, loss of profits claims, contentious business valuations, matrimonial valuations,  transaction disputes and fraud investigations.

A chartered accountant and a member of the ICAEW, he is a senior professional in the forensic accountancy sector.

BTG Advisory partner, Richard Pughe, said: “We are happy to welcome Jack to the team and his tremendous wealth of experience and deep knowledge in forensic accountancy will be invaluable.

“We are committed to bringing on board well connected, highly skilled and experienced professionals and Jack is a perfect example of that as we grow and develop in 2024.”

Clitheroe added: “I am thrilled to join BTG Advisory and I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues across all our offices.

“I’m committed to maintaining my existing professional relationships and developing new ones as we continue to develop the business.”

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Leeds-based Propaganda Brand Consultancy has appointed Sarah Shakery as its first head of e-commerce.

Over the last year, Propaganda has seen a big increase in demand for its e-commerce trading services.

Shakery will lead the online sales team to deliver tailored strategies for a variety of businesses such as Power Sheds, Arighi Bianchi designer furniture and DeliVita pizza ovens.

Starting out in merchandising, Shakery then spent two decades in-house in various senior e-commerce roles, for companies such as Ted Baker where she was global head of e-commerce and most recently The Cambridge Satchel Company where she was head of international e-commerce.

In these roles, she led global multichannel strategies for the brands, boosting online sales by implementing marketing initiatives that optimised traffic, conversion and ultimately ROI.

She will work alongside James Winfield, Propaganda’s digital director. Winfield said: “Over the last year, we’ve been inundated with brands that want us to take their e-commerce to the next level.

“With this huge growth, it was vital that we brought in an experienced leader in the space to manage our e-commerce offering.

“Sarah’s background in the industry speaks for itself, and having spent her career in-house she is able to closely align our delivery with exactly what the client needs.”

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North Yorkshire-based construction and protective textiles manufacturer, Industrial Textiles and Plastics (ITP), is supporting its next phase of growth with the appointment of Martin Green as managing director.

With 24 years in senior roles in construction and associated industries, including successful periods with national and international manufacturers, he brings a wealth of experience to the position.

He will be overseeing ITP’s strategy to develop its global markets across a diverse product portfolio, which includes sheeting for scaffolding and temporary fencing, acoustic barriers, debris netting, keder sheeting, protective breather membranes and vapour barriers for walls and roofing, and ground barriers for use on contaminated land. 

Chairman, Richard Menage, said: “We are happy to have Martin on board. He has outstanding credentials as an innovative thinker across operations, sales and marketing, business management and distribution in both domestic and international markets.

“He has the strategic agility to drive continued expansion in our core sectors, including construction, environmental protection, petrochemical, marine and offshore.”

Green said: “I’m very excited to be joining a company which has been at the forefront of technical development and innovation over the past 35 years.

“ITP’s knowledge base is unrivalled, with senior management that has been hugely influential in advancing flame retardant technologies and advocating certain standards of testing and certification, particularly in relation to fire safety which has become more important than ever with the arrival of the Building Safety Regulator.

“The company has become a go-to resource for construction companies requiring fully compliant scaffold solutions and a trusted name for architects and contractors requiring fully compliant solutions for high-rise buildings.”

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Armstrong Watson has welcomed 37 new graduate trainees, a record number for the Yorkshire-based accountancy, business and financial advisory firm, up from 28 in 2023.

Based at offices across the north of England and Scotland, the new students, including 17 based in Leeds, will be working towards their ACA qualification to become Chartered Accountants.

Three of this year’s graduate students are former trainees who have progressed from their AAT apprenticeship to the ACA qualification.

In September they will start their three-year programme which combines study with hands on experience, support, coaching and mentoring from the business.

Paul Dickson, CEO and managing partner, said: “We have a long history of growing our own talent and strongly believe in investing in our people as our people are our business, providing solutions to our clients.

“Our training programme provides us with an incredible pool of talent, many of which go on to have successful careers within the business.

“We are pleased to welcome a record number of ACA students this year and look forward to seeing them progress in their roles.

“We invest in ambitious individuals who are keen to launch their careers and take advantage of the development we offer.

“With 19 offices across the North of England and Scotland and several different service lines supporting our clients, there’s a huge range of scope for career direction and development available to those who choose to join us on this exciting journey.”