S&W has appointed Melissa Ng and Paul Wong as partners. Ng brings more than 15 years of experience and deep technical knowledge in advising private capital clients with a focus on Asian funds, corporates and family offices investing in the UK and Europe. Ng is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser, and takes an active role in shaping the next generation and championing diversity. Most recently she was a senior director at Alvarez & Marsal and previously in the real estate practice at Grant Thornton. Wong has close to 15 years of experience in UK R&D tax, and specialises in R&D tax incentives and wider innovation focused tax matters, advising businesses from early-stage startups to multinationals, and has a particular expertise in the built environment sector. Previously he too was a senior director at Alvarez & Marsal. Pictured: Paul Wong, Melissa Ng

Blick Rothenberg has appointed partner Sean Drury as head of tax. The former PwC partner joined the firm last September as a partner and head of the people tax advisory practice. As head of tax, Drury will focus on leading the business, people and indirect tax services practices over the next stage of expansion, building on the core client base of international businesses, fast growth entrepreneurial enterprises and internationally mobile executives, especially in the complex high net worth bracket. John Bull will continue to head up the UK and US private client services practice. Drury has more than 30 years of experience, and was an international mobility partner at PwC for nearly three decades, until leaving in 2022 and setting up his own firm, Executive Tax and Advisory Services. 

AAB has appointed Adam Flight as partner in the employment, pay & people team, and Craig Paterson as a business development partner, both based in London. Paterson has nearly 20 years of experience in professional services as well as corporate banking, and joins from Lloyd’s Banking Group where he was growth market director, TMT and business services. He will focus on growing the London client base and building strategic partnerships. Flight brings more than 20 years of experience in payroll and HR compliance and advisory, and is a CIPD associate. In his new role, he will work closely with clients to develop resilient, scalable services that meet fast changing regulatory and workforce demands, including outsourcing and global mobility. Previously he was a director of payroll and HR consultancy services at Moore Kingston Smith.

Hurst has promoted Ellen Feetum to partner, and she will continue in her role as head of corporate tax compliance. Feetum has more than 20 years of technical expertise and experience, and last year joined the firm as an associate partner in the corporation tax team. She was previously a senior tax manager at KPMG. Sarah Haley has been promoted to associate director, a brand new role in the tax team, after returning to the firm in 2021 after a spell at KPMG having originally trained at Hurst. Ewan Lawson, Miles Redgrave, Jasmine Ali, Jake Holt and Todd Thompstone have been promoted to associate managers in the business services team, and were all on the firm’s graduate trainee programme.

RSM has appointed Mike Cooper as a partner in its corporate tax team, to strengthen its advisory work on complex multinational projects for global clients. In his new role, Cooper will focus on the listed market, specialising in supporting large multinational businesses. He brings over 25 years of experience as a corporate tax professional and adviser, with expertise spanning international corporate tax structuring, complex cross-border projects, M&A and financing. Previously he was an international tax advisory partner at PwC.

Alvarez & Marsal has appointed Rob Mindell as a managing director to lead the build-out of a newly established reputation advisory practice. Mindell brings nearly 20 years of experience in strategic consulting and communications, and has advised on landmark restructuring, litigation and crisis situations, and M&A transactions. He joins A&M from FTI Consulting, where he was a senior managing director and co-led the London crisis & disputes practice. In his new role, he will lead a team of senior reputation advisers, based in London, working closely alongside the firm’s restructuring, disputes, transactions and transformation advisory practices.

Crowe has appointed new partner, Mark Dyer, to its VAT, customs and international trade practice, to further grow the firm’s corporate presence and lead its indirect taxes offering in the Midlands and Southwest. With more than 30 years as a VAT specialist, chartered tax adviser Dyer’s experience includes roles at multiple Big Four firms, as well as industry-side at a global hotel business and at HMRC. Dyer joins from EY where he was a director in the indirect tax team.

PKF Smith Cooper has appointed Chloe Fisher as corporate finance manager, strengthening its Midlands M&A advisory team. Fisher started her career in audit with PwC where she qualified as a chartered accountant in 2021, before moving into M&A, advising owner-managed businesses on transactions. She joins from Compass Group where she was a finance business partner.

PwC has appointed Marcus Bokkerink as an independent non‑executive and audit non-executive. He will join the firm’s public interest body (PIB) and the audit oversight body. Bokkerink brings extensive leadership and governance experience from his 30 year career at Boston Consulting Group, where he was a senior partner and managing director leading the UK and European consumer and strategy practices, as well as several global client teams. After BCG he became chair of the UK Competition and Markets Authority for three years until 2025, and is currently a non‑executive director at global law firm Pinsent Masons, and at Provenance, an AI-enabled product data platform for retailers. He is also volunteer chair of the development board at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and a member of the advisory group of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC). 

CIPD, the professional body leading and supporting the people profession, has appointed Neil Carberry OBE as chief executive, succeeding Peter Cheese who is retiring at the end of June. Carberry joins from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), where he has been chief executive since 2018. He previously led the CBI’s work on labour market, skills and employment relations, and brings more than 25 years’ experience in HR and employment. He is currently chair of the CBI’s Trade Association Council and was recently appointed as a member of the advisory board of the Fair Work Agency, a newly created government body. Until Carberry takes up his new role on 28 September, Caroline Stockmann, CIPD board member and treasurer, will serve as interim chief executive.