This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Nicki Hutchinson and Liz Atiba-Davies, JWPCreers

JWPCreers, a North Yorkshire accountants and business adviser, has boosted its senior team with the appointment of two new associates.

Nicki Hutchinson and Liz Atiba-Davies both work in general practice.

Nicki Hutchinson, a senior manager who joined the firm from the Pickering office of a national practice in November 2014, became a chartered accountant (ACA), through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales in 1992; a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (FCA) in 2002 and a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) in 2011.

Liz Atiba-Davies, a manager, became a chartered accountant (ACA), through the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales in 2009 and joined JWPCreers from a London practice in 2013.

Based at York Science Park and Park Street, Selby, JWPCreers is one of the largest accountant firms in York and North Yorkshire, with seven partners and more than 80 staff.

Commenting on the new appointments, Nigel Clemit, JWPCreers managing partner, said: “Liz and Nicki have been appointed on merit in recognition of their skills. The firm is very busy, continuing to grow and gaining work beyond our traditional heartland in the North. We are very pleased that they are joining our senior team which needs to reflect the strength in depth throughout the firm.”

Nicki Hutchinson added: “We are thrilled to have been promoted to the senior team relatively soon after joining the firm and appreciate the recognition of our commitment.”

Liz Atiba-Davies also said: “We are both looking forward to the added responsibility of helping to manage and develop such a well-known and long-established firm.”

Andy Pearcy, Gibson Booth Limited

A Barnsley accountancy firm is moving into the future with a new director.

Andy Pearcy has been appointed as corporate tax director at Gibson Booth Limited, which has offices on Victoria Road in the town centre.

Andy studied accountancy at the University of Hull before working in the corporate tax departments of Grant Thornton and BDO. He joined Gibson Booth two years ago.

The former corporate tax manager will now work alongside managing director Robert Watson and two other directors as owners of the company.

With 29 staff, Gibson Booth currently has around 1,000 clients and a growing turnover.

Commenting on the appointment, Andy said: “I am delighted to become a director, it means I will have more influence over the way we move forward and grow the company. We believe our success is based on the quality of service we offer.”

“We are one of very few accountancy firms of our size that has a dedicated tax department, but we see tax advice as a vital service for our clients. It’s about making sure that businesses work efficiently and are not hit by tax bills they aren’t expecting.

“We make sure that we are ahead of the game by keeping abreast of changes in tax regulations and taking ideas to our clients and not just waiting for them to come to us.”

Jed Wolfe, BNP Paribas Real Estate

Jed Wolfe MRICS has been appointed the director of BNP Paribas Real Estate’s investment team in the firm’s Leeds office.

Having previously worked for Commercial Bank of Qatar where he was the managing director of Asteco Qatar, Jed had also been head of investment at Asteco’ Bahrain office and between 2005 and 2008 he was a partner in the investment team at Knight Frank in London.

Jed will focus on the property investment markets in the key regional centres of Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester and Newcastle, working with UK investment funds and institutions, property companies, high net worth individuals and international investors.

Simon Williams, head of investment at BNP Paribas Real Estate said: “Jed’s extensive experience of the investment market in the UK and in the Middle East will further strengthen our regional offering in the UK. Having previously worked with government bodies, global corporations, institutions, property companies, high net worth individuals and shareholders, his understanding and market insight will be of great benefit to our clients.”

Commenting on the appointment, Jed Wolfe said: “As part of a global banking brand BNP Paribas Real Estate global network is uniquely placed to access international buyers looking to invest their capital in the UK and much of the demand for regional investments came from the international community during 2014. The UK’s real estate investment market benefited from this global appetite with institutions, sovereign wealth funds, high net worth individuals and private equity funds seeking the higher returns gained from property in an otherwise low yielding environment.”

Richard Gibbon and Richard Cressall, Gordons

Yorkshire law firm Gordons has strengthened its commercial property and property litigation offerings by recruiting two lawyers to its team.

Richard Gibbon has joined the firm’s commercial property department, led by partner Barbara Rollin, from independent practice Ford & Warren.

Richard Cressall has been appointed into Gordons’ property litigation team, headed by partner Andrew Todd, after previously working with international firm Eversheds.

The new duo were both previously were based in Leeds.

Mr Gibbon previously worked for Ford & Warren for just over five years, after training with niche Manchester corporate and commercial firm Smithsons, which was acquired by Reading-based practice Pitmans last year.

Mr Gibbon is currently involved in areas such as landlord and tenant, property finance, development and transactional matters.

Mr Cressall was an associate in Eversheds’ litigation and dispute management group, handling a broad range of property-related instructions. He has particular expertise in commercial security of tenure, forfeiture and relief from it, possession claims, dilapidations, insolvency procedures and arrears recovery.

Commenting on the new appointments, Barbara Rollin said: “We’re very happy that these two excellent young lawyers are now part of the firm. They’ve already strengthened the teams they’ve joined and our overall offering significantly. We’re confident that both will perform very well here and have outstanding careers ahead of them.”

Gordons has offices in Leeds, Bradford and London, employs 235 people and has a turnover of £22.9m. Clients include Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, construction and high performance materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain, international brewers Molson Coors and the world’s largest electrical heating business Glen Dimplex.

Paul Dodsworth, Wates Construction

Wates Construction has boosted its northern operations with the appointment of Paul Dodsworth as business unit director for Yorkshire and North East.

The new move boosts the senior team as Wates, the contractor currently building the £100m Central Square office development in Leeds, is looking to strengthen its portfolio of projects across Yorkshire.

Dodsworth, who has over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry, joins from Bowmer & Kirkland Ltd where he spent eight years as construction director overseeing projects in the North East and Scotland.

The new position will see Dodsworth lead the delivery of Wates’ current projects within the private and public sectors, which includes Haribo’s new £35m Wakefield production facility and the £5.6m XP School in Doncaster.

Phil Harrison, managing director of Wates Construction North, said: “Wates Construction has an extensive portfolio of excellent projects in Yorkshire both past and present, which places us a reputed contractor across commercial, manufacturing and public sector markets.

“Paul’s appointment marks a step forward in our strategic growth plan for the region, which will see us drive the business further afield whilst building on our long-standing position as a trusted and innovative contractor.”

Commenting on his new appointment, Dodsworth said: “This is an exciting opportunity and I very much look forward to leading an already strong Wates Construction team in Yorkshire and developing the opportunities in the North East. I bring with me a keen focus on delivering exceptional quality for our clients, as well as a passion to grow the business into new markets.”

Tom Blandford and Rory Kelliher, Grant Thornton

Business adviser Grant Thornton is expanding its assurance practice in Sheffield with the appointments of Tom Blandford and Rory Kelliher as audit managers.

Tom, who joins as senior manager, has 11 years’ auditing experience having worked with a variety of accountancy firms and joins from Deloitte where he was a senior manager. Tom’s specialisms include advising firms in the advanced manufacturing and construction sectors.

Rory, who began working with Barber, Harrison and Platt (BHP) in 2008, where he trained with the firm and progressed to the role of assistant manager before joining Grant Thornton. He has extensive experience of working in audit with particular expertise within the manufacturing sector and of advising on pension schemes. As well as statutory audit work, Rory also undertook two industrial secondments.

Paul Houghton, senior partner for Grant Thornton in Sheffield, said: “Our audit practice across Yorkshire is seeing significant growth and these latest appointments give us further resource to manage our increased workload in Sheffield. Tom and Rory will support the team in delivering exceptional service to a variety of national and international clients in the region.”

Tom added: “It’s an exciting time to join Grant Thornton as it further cements its ‘category of one’ status. I’m particularly pleased to be back in Sheffield, where I trained and still live, as the firm has established a strong presence here and is the leading choice for mid market businesses looking to develop an international presence.”

Rory also commented: “Grant Thornton is a growing firm with a very good local and national reputation and this is a great opportunity for me to progress and continue my development within the professional practice industry.”

Maddie Holmes, NatWest

NatWest has appointed Maddie Holmes as Relationship Manager specialising in Real Estate Finance (REF).

Maddie had previously worked as a Private Banking Manager supporting a wide range of SME customers. The new role will see her supporting REF customers through the bank’s Halifax Business Centre which supports customers in Halifax, Huddersfield and Barnsley.

She will be responsible for commercial investment and development, residential investment and development, and business development in Halifax.

Over a five year period, Maddie developed a portfolio of up to 800 customers while also obtaining a Private Banking accreditation and passing the bank’s Future Relationship Manager programme. She is currently embarking on a Business Banking accreditation.

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