Member Article

This month’s South East appointments

Lak Gidaropoulos, LazyLawn

Artificial grass brand, LazyLawn, has appointed a new sales manager to its London office in order to cope with the capital’s growing demand for synthetic turf.

LazyLawn, which moved into a 2,300 sq ft office and warehouse at Oliver Business Park in Park Royal last summer, has welcomed Lak Gidaropoulos, 29, into the new role after seeing its sales grow by over 20% in 2014.

Lak, who lives in Edgware, has joined the turf specialists after working as a Sales Manager for online takeaway service, Just Eat, for seven years.

LazyLawn has rolled out its turf for big names such as Selfridges, JD Wetherspoon, Center Parcs and Big Brother.

Lak, who lives in Edgware, comments: “I was interested in joining LazyLawn as I think it is a really innovative product and I’m excited to have joined a company that is growing at such a rapid pace, especially in London.

“I was drawn to working for the company after meeting with the directors, Jim Foottitt, Peter Toghill and Andy Driver, as I follow their passion and also like being part of a family-run business; they have worked so hard to establish the company and grow it to being the biggest of its kind in the country and to be part of it is an honour for me.”

Mark Seaden, BDO LLP

Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has welcomed a new director to the 200-strong team in the Thames Valley.

Mark Seaden joins the firm as a tax director from PwC in Reading. He has more than 22 years’ experience at Big Four firms and at HMRC, with particular expertise in the manufacturing and TMT sectors.

Specialising in employment tax, Mark joins BDO’s human capital team to provide advisory and consulting services to some of the Thames Valley’s biggest employers.

Simon Brooker, partner and head of BDO LLP in the Thames Valley, said: “We have continued to attract the very best talent, and Mark’s arrival will further strengthen our offering in the mid-market. The depth and breadth of his expertise is second-to-none, which will no doubt be a real benefit to us and our clients.”

Alan Edwards, Carpenter Box

West Sussex and Gatwick-based chartered accountants and chartered tax advisers, Carpenter Box, has appointed Alan Edwards as its new managing partner.

He succeeds John Billings who has led the firm from strength to strength over the last ten years and who now takes up the post of senior partner at the firm.

Alan has risen through the ranks from the day he joined Carpenter Box straight from college in 1993 at the tender age of 17. He qualified as an accountant in 1998 and was appointed to the board on becoming a partner in April 2006.

Back in 1993, Carpenter Box had 42 employees and six partners. Since then, the firm has enjoyed continual growth and now boasts a team of 120 staff, with 11 partners, looking after more than 4,500 clients.

In 2010 the firm became a founding member of MHA, a national association of leading independent accountants, giving Carpenter Box the ability to provide larger clients with accounting solutions across the UK.

The firm is also a member of Baker Tilly International, which provides client access to a global network of trusted advisors.

Alan commented: “I am delighted to have been appointed managing partner of the firm that I joined straight from college 22 years ago. I look forward to building on the work of my predecessors and working alongside such a strong group of partners as we pursue a policy of measured expansion, notably in the immediate term via our new Gatwick office.

“As always, central to our success in the future will be the specialist support that we are able to provide to our growing client list.”

Kevin Beardsley, Elliptic

Full-service Bitcoin custodian for the capital markets, Elliptic, has announced Kevin Beardsley as its new head of business development.

Beardsley will be the eighth member of this rapidly growing London-based fintech startup, which in its first year has already become the only Bitcoin custodian in the world to be both comprehensively underwritten by a Fortune 100 insurer and accredited by a Big Four.

Beardsley joins Elliptic from Bitcoin Foundation, where he served as Director of Membership.

He will be responsible for growing the client base for Elliptic Vault, an enterprise-grade insured storage for Bitcoin holdings.

Already it is the Bitcoin custodian of choice for investment funds and publicly listed firms which represent more than $3 billion in market cap.

Beardsley said, “It seems every day you read about another hack. With at least 5% of all Bitcoins already lost or stolen, the Bitcoin ecosystem desperately needs an accredited custodian like Elliptic to make Bitcoin a valid option for the capital markets. I am delighted to be joining the pioneers that are making that happen.”

Elliptic CEO, Dr. James Smith, said, “We believe that even the best technology is only ever half of the solution. We take the time to make sure the operational details are right, which includes things like onboarding fund administrators, educating management teams, and working with local regulators. Kevin’s proven passion for the digital currency ecosystem can only enhance and strengthen our commitment to deliver best-in-class technology combined with deep operational expertise.”

The company is the founding member of UK Digital Currency Association (UKDCA) and is working with the UK government and financial regulators to help shape a sensibl

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .