Appointments: Hill Dickinson; Garbutt & Elliott; Yorkshire Bank; Walker Morris

LAW firm Hill Dickinson has announced the appointment of Alastair Reid as head of the Sheffield office. 

He will be responsible for continuing the growth of the office, which opened in 2010 following the acquisition of Halliwells’ Sheffield team.

Reid replaces former head of Sheffield, Neil Thompson, who passed away in June.

Reid said: “While nobody would choose to be appointed in such circumstances as those surrounding the death of a respected colleague and friend, Neil’s stewardship of and vision for the Sheffield office has ensured I begin my tenure with the best possible start.

“The office has strong partnerships with many regional businesses and organisations and we will continue to focus on the important sectors such as manufacturing for the benefit of the team and wider region.”
 

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ACCOUNTANCY firm Garbutt & Elliott has teamed up with the University of York to provide three paid 10-week internships for talented students.

The students are Xu Wang, who is studying for an MA in Comparative and International Social Policy, Jingwen Feng, studying for an MSc in Finance, and Auste Vysniauskaite, studying for a BSc in Economics and Finance.

Wang and Feng have been reporting directly to Garbutt & Elliott’s senior partner David Dickson, who is also treasurer of the University, while Vysniauskaite has been working with tax partner Nick Scull.

David Dickson said: “All three students have been a tremendous help to us and in turn they have benefited from the experience. We are especially pleased to take part in such a rewarding scheme with the university.

“Specifically, the three students have supported the firm’s aim of embracing new and different ideas to give us a cutting edge. Xu and Jingwen have helped to establish and launch our China Desk, which encourages Chinese investment in Yorkshire and the UK. They have developed a webpage, video and presentation, all of which are accessible to the Chinese market.

“Meanwhile our other intern, Auste, worked on a project to make personal tax information more accessible to our clients.”

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YORKSHIRE Bank has strengthened its South Yorkshire corporate banking team, with the appointment of a new head of business & private banking for the region.

Kevin Elliott, a business banking specialist with more than 25 years’ experience supporting South Yorkshire companies, is promoted from head of business & private banking for Doncaster.

Under his leadership, Yorkshire Bank’s business & private banking teams in Sheffield and Doncaster will be joined to provide extended services to growing businesses, with turnovers between £500,000 and £25m, across South Yorkshire.

Elliott began his career with Yorkshire Bank in Sheffield in 1984. Having progressed to branch manager, he moved into commercial banking in 2006 and fulfilled a number of roles before becoming head of the Doncaster team in 2012.

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WALKER Morris director Ray Watson is to join the Debt Managers Standards Association (DEMSA) as non-executive chairman.

Watson is a director in the Regulatory & Compliance Group at international law firm Walker Morris, which is based in Leeds.

He said: “I decided to take on the chair of DEMSA because I recognise that it commits its members to provide the highest quality of service and support to their clients. I am excited to be joining DEMSA during what will clearly be a transformational period for members and the wider sector.  The Debt Management Plan Protocol, which DEMSA has embraced, launches this autumn.  More significantly, the transition of debt advice and solutions into the new Financial Conduct Authority regime next year will give a further reassurance to consumers in this sector.”

DEMSA was established in December 2000 in order to promote good practice in the debt management industry and to protect the interests of the public and the lenders to whom they owe money.