Helen Dean, currently NEST executive director, product and marketing, has been appointed as the new chief executive of the government’s auto enrolment pension service, taking over from Tim Jones. Dean has had a 30-year civil service career, originally joining NEST on secondment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

A big coup for the National Audit Office as Stephen Smith, who has over 20 years’ experience as a partner with KPMG, is to join the leadership team. His work at KPMG included leading a number of key initiatives for the firm nationally and internationally and often with a performance improvement or change agenda at their heart.  Smith’s career has also included a secondment to the Treasury accounting advisory group.

BDO has appointed Stephen Peters as partner in its London-based forensic services team, after three years with the firm.   He was previously a director in the forensic accounting group of AlixPartners, a US specialist consultancy, and also worked for PwC.

IAPA, the global association of independent accountancy/business advisory firms, has appointed Stephen Hamlet as CEO, replacing Susan Humphry, who retires after 11 years in post. Hamlet joins IAPA after six years with BKR International as regional executive director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

PKF Littlejohn’s corporate advisory and restructuring practice, PKF Geoffrey Martin & Co, has appointed James Earp as a principal, with responsibility for developing fraud, investigation and contentious asset recovery services.  Following nineteen years at Grant Thornton, where he focused on contentious litigation for asset recovery and proceeds of crime assignments, Earp was managing director at Kroll before setting up his own practice. 

Shakespeare's Globe has appointed Ian Dixon, currently chief operating officer at the Serpentine Gallery, as chief finance and operations officer. Dixon takes over from Liz Fosbury, who leaves after seven years to take up the role of finance director at the National Theatre. For 25 years Dixon was with PwC and was a partner on their not-for-profit audit work before moving to the arts-client side as finance director of the National Youth Theatre.

Ray King and John Coomber have been appointed to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Board. King also becomes a member of the Board’s codes and standards committee and chair of the Audit & Assurance Council from the same date. Coomber becomes a member of the Board’s codes and standards committee. A former chief executive of BUPA, King has held a number of senior finance positions, including as group finance director of BUPA, Southern Water, director of group finance and control of Diageo/Guinness plc and as a controller with ICI.

ICAEW has appointed Ross Campbell as a director, public sector to lead its public sector strategy in the UK and internationally. Campbell joins from the Treasury, where he was previously deputy director for government financial reporting. He has also been group chief accountant at the Ministry of Defence as well as a director at the National Audit Office and has also worked in a series of financial management roles in the private sector including at KPMG and RBS.

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