This week's London appointments

Sophie Chamberlain, Simon Denye and Robert Wilson, ETC Tax

ETC Tax has announced that it has appointed two senior managers after seeing revenue rise by 15 per cent in the space of the last 12 months.

Sophie Chamberlain has been recruited from Deloitte, where she had been an associate director, while Simon Denye has switched from the role of partner at Dow Schofield Watts.

In addition, Robert Wilson, who moved to ETC Tax in August, has been promoted to the firm’s senior ranks.

Director Andy Wood commented: “The fact that we’re able to attract senior staff from larger rivals indicates how the nature and quality of the work which we do and the team which we have managed to pull together is an enticing mix for tax professionals elsewhere.

“We are in the process of moving into the next phase of the business’s development, so it is vital to have the right people in place.

“Sophie and Simon add great experience and capablity to our leadership team, and will lead our private client and corporate tax work respectively.

“We also felt it was important to recognise the extremely positive contribution which Robert has made in the time that he’s been with us, successfully managing our growing client book and bringing in new work too.”

Sarah Highfield, Elvie

Technology business Elvie has hired former Costa executive, Sarah Highfield as the dual COO and CFO.

Sarah joins Elvie following five years as CFO of Costa where she led financial planning and strategy across a range of business functions, from shop floor technology through to Costa’s supply chain.

Before joining Costa in 2015, Sarah spent a decade in other international finance roles at the likes of Mars and Tesco.

As COO her responsibilities will include supporting driving international growth and identifying new strategic opportunities, and her remit will include finance, operations, people, legal and customer care.

Tania Boler, CEO and founder of Elvie, commented: “Sarah’s experience working to successfully grow businesses across the globe make her the perfect fit for Elvie, especially at this stage in our development.

“Last year we expanded into the US and China and we have ambitious plans to continue on our trajectory.

“The current economic climate has many businesses thinking twice before investing, but we believe that investing in the right areas now will pay off in future.

“Coming from a commercial finance background Sarah understands our challenges and is well placed to help us identify the right opportunities.”

Sarah added: “The appeal of joining a team as exciting and dynamic as Elvie is truly exhilarating.

“Elvie’s blend of exceptional technology, talented people, and focus on championing women’s health made this an opportunity too good to pass up.

“The sheer potential that Elvie has to develop and expand is incredibly impressive and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Pontus Noren, Tyk

Tyk, the API gateway and management platform provider, has announced the appointment of technology innovator Pontus Noren to its board of directors.

Noren’s experience includes roles at several blue-chip companies including Cisco, Ericsson and Nokia.

His appointment as chairman will focus on sharing his experience working with fast growing IT start-ups to aid Tyk’s further global growth and rapid expansion.

Pontus commented: “I’m excited to use my experience to help Tyk continue its incredible growth.

“The API space is changing rapidly, and I believe there is a great market opportunity for Tyk as the independent, open-source, fair-dealing option.

“I’ve been inspired by the way the team works and their passion for software, and I’m excited to be a part of a company with a remarkable culture that is truly breaking the mould.”

Martin Buhr, founder and CEO of Tyk, added: “Pontus’ appointment to our board adds a tremendous level of experience and strength.

“He truly believes in the importance of empowering teams to innovate, experiment and express themselves, as well as building a strong culture and great place to work.

“We’re very excited to have him join us, and we’re very proud that our team has attracted such a successful chair to join our business.”

Paul Massara and Maria Ingold, iSIZE Technologies

Video streaming start-up iSIZE Technologies has announced the appointment of Paul Massara, former CEO of Npower, and Maria Ingold, former CTO of Disney-Sony joint venture FilmFlex Movies, to its executive board.

Paul brings over two decades of experience in the energy sector to the role, after various executive positions at Centrica plc, Northstar Solar and Habitat Energy, before becoming CEO at energy compant Npower.

Maria joins the board with extensive technical experience, having helped innovate the beginnings of audio and video on PCs at IBM and early 3D PC computer gaming at Ocean, before becoming a senior technical executive in streaming, including a 5-year tenure as CTO at Disney-Sony joint venture FilmFlex Movies.

Paul commented: “I am very excited to join iSIZE Technologies, a start-up which is shaking up the streaming industry.

“Having dedicated much of my career to furthering the environmental cause, I am very much looking forwards to taking iSIZE low-carbon, sustainable technology solutions to new heights in 2020.”

Maria said: “I’m thrilled to be part of iSIZE at such a relevant time.

“With nearly 30 years of technical expertise in the entertainment and media industry, I am well-placed to see the potential iSIZE has to revolutionise the sector and am delighted to be part of its future.”

Sergio Grce, CEO at iSIZE Technologies, added: “We are very pleased to have both Paul and Maria on board here at iSIZE.

“With years of commercial and technical experience under their belts, these appointments demonstrate our accelerated growth trajectory as we continue to expand our corporate horizons in 2020.

With Paul’s impressive business acumen and Maria’s technical credentials on side, we are confident that iSIZE will continue to flourish as we look to make our mark in the streaming sector in 2020.“

Omer Weinberger, Peter Murphy, Elizabeth Williams and Sinead Fox, Avanton

London investor-developer Avanton has announced the appointment of two staff to new roles.

Omer Weinberger, formerly managing partner, now becomes chief executive of Avanton, focusing on funding opportunities and expansion plans across the group.

Peter Murphy, previously in charge of development delivery, is now promoted to executive director at Avanton, responsible for both development and the planning, design and procurement of all current and pipeline projects.

The investor-developer is also appointing Elizabeth Williams as an after-care sales representative, and Sinead Fox as a development analyst.

Elizabeth joins Avanton from Conductor where she focused on handovers of large scale residential projects.

Sinead joins after previously working for AECOM and Gardiner & Theobald as a quantity surveyor, and in-house for a developer in South Africa.

Omer commented: “Our expanded staffing will help to build our investment and sales after care activities, the latter important now that we have forward sold/reserved 50 per cent of our flagship Coda development in Battersea.

“In terms of our investment team, we are taking a long-term position on the enduring value of prime London real estate and we believe that there will be opportunities to acquire new sites and projects over the next 12-18 months which is part of our focusing on building our portfolio of London developments.”

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