This week's London appointments

Veronica Sharma, Cazoo

Online car retailer Cazoo has announced that it has appointed Veronica Sharma as its first group chief people officer.

Veronica has most recently been working as an advisor in the technology and private equity space.

Prior to that, she was group chief people officer at Photobox & Moonpig Group where she led a large-scale cultural transformation across Europe.

Alex Chesterman, founder and CEO of Cazoo, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Veronica to the Cazoo team.

“Her experience in transforming working practices in large organisations, driving diversity and instilling high-performance cultures will be invaluable as we continue to grow and deliver on our mission of providing the best car buying experience for consumers across the UK and Europe.”

Veronica commented: “I am delighted to be joining Cazoo. The pace at which the business has been growing is amazing and the ambition that Alex and the team have creates endless opportunities from a people perspective.

“I am looking forward to helping to fuel Cazoo’s growth and supporting the business in its mission to transform one of the largest retail markets in Europe which is ripe for digital disruption.”

Harris Waseem, Mazars

Tax firm Mazars has announced that it has appointed Harris Waseem as a director in its Restructuring Advisory team.

Harris has over 20 years of professional services experience, working with both UK and international clients. Prior to joining Mazars, Harris spent 16 years at a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm and then three years working at a challenger firm.

Mark Boughey, partner at Mazars, said: “I’m delighted that Harris has chosen to join the Mazars’ Restructuring Advisory team.

“His past experience, expertise and skillset makes him ideally suited to the team, further enhancing our advisory offering to our clients as we move out of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Harris said: “I’m hugely excited to be joining the restructuring advisory team at Mazars.

“I’m looking forward to playing a key part in leading the continued growth of the advisory capability and supporting clients in navigating some of the economic headwinds and opportunities that lie ahead in the coming months.”

John Osborn, Rendall & Rittner

Managing agent Rendall & Rittner has appointed John Osborn as property team manager within one of its Central London divisions.

With twenty years of experience in the industry at other managing agents, John joins R&R with a wealth of property management experience.

His role at R&R will focus on developing relationships with clients and ensuring the high service delivery levels. He will also help manage the handover of management from the developer to the leaseholders at certain key developments.

John commented: “I was drawn to Rendall & Rittner as a place to work because of the calibre of its client base.

“I have extensive experience of the industry having always worked in property management since I left university and relish the variety and challenges.

“I’m looking forward building strong connections with clients and helping my team develop their own careers.”

Richard Daver, managing director of Rendall & Rittner said: “We are delighted to welcome John to the team as we continue to strengthen our business through our people.

“John’s expertise will be a great asset as we successfully navigate the complex issues involved with managing large Central London multi-phase developments while guaranteeing outstanding service to clients and residents.”

Claire Dickson, DS Smith

Sustainable packaging company DS Smith has announced the appointment of Claire Dickson as group chief information officer (CIO).

Claire will lead the delivery of the company’s next generation technology agenda, focused on transformation of its data and digital technology capability to deliver efficiency improvements and enhance the customer experience.

She joins from British Petroleum (BP), where she was the CIO fdr its ‘Downstream’ division since 2016, supporting seven business units and executing a strategy to drive business value.

Prior to joining BP in 2009, Claire held roles at United Biscuits and Accenture.

Claire commented: “It is an exciting time to be joining DS Smith to support its ambitious growth agenda. DS Smith’s industry leading sustainability credentials and Purpose of ‘Redefining Packaging for a Changing World’ presents the opportunity to tap into key digital trends to enable innovation and efficiency as well as improving our customer experience.”

Adrian Marsh, group CFO, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Claire to DS Smith. Her wealth of experience leading large-scale transformation and data projects will be of significant benefit the wider group, as we continue to support our colleagues and customers in this changing world.”

Peter Clarke, INVNT

Brand agency INVNT has announced that it has appointed Peter Clarke as director of business development.

He joins from Smyle Creative, where he held the role of client relationships manager for six years, and prior to that, was the head of business development and marketing at Pumphouse Productions.

Claudia Stephenson, managing director of INVNT EMEA, said: “Given the momentum we’ve experienced in EMEA in recent months, it’s evident that brands here are interested in our unique thinking and approach.

“Now as we emerge from the pandemic, Peter will play a pivotal role in ensuring we continue to deliver on clients’ expectations in a post-pandemic world.

“Leaning on his combined business development and strategic marketing experience, he will challenge clients to re-think and re-position their brand and offering, connect them with their most important audiences, and drive ROI. We’re so excited to have him on board!”

Peter commented: “I’m thrilled to be joining INVNT EMEA and their global sales team during this rapid phase of growth for the agency both in the region and around the world, as we enter a promising new era for the events industry.

“We’re all aware of the power and potency of face-to-face experiences, and I’m looking forward to working with the company’s creative minds to develop hyper-personalised hybrid and in-person event and marketing campaigns for brands and organisations in the region.”

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