Bishop Fleming has appointed Eoin Heeney as corporate tax partner in the Birmingham office. Heeney joins the firm from KPMG where he was a tax director and spent 18 years building deep technical expertise in corporate tax while developing a broad, relationship-led advisory approach. With extensive experience advising Midlands based businesses across industrial and manufacturing, automotive, retail, food, and real estate sectors, Heeney brings a broad perspective and a joined-up approach to complex tax challenges, strengthening the firm’s corporate tax practice. Pictured (l-r): Mark Taylor, Birmingham office lead with Eoin Heeney

HW Fisher, part of Sumer Group, has promoted Dean Stevens and Rebecca Galbraith-Lowe to partners in the audit practice, and Neil Maslen to director in the private client tax team. Stevens has over 13 years of audit experience and is an expert practitioner in media and entertainment services, as well as hospitality, property, professional services and manufacturing. Galbraith-Lowe originally trained and qualified as a member of ICAEW with the firm, and rejoined five years ago, bringing with her a wealth of experience with large, international entities and groups from her time at BDO. She is also responsible for looking after people matters for the audit team, including recruitment and development of trainees and qualified staff.

Saffery has appointed Steve Preston as audit partner in the Leeds office. He brings 19 years of experience working with large, complex and international group structures across a variety of industries and has specialist knowledge of the real estate sector looking after businesses across developers, construction, investment property and serviced offices. Previously he was a partner at Armstrong Watson, where he headed up the firm’s Manchester office, having started his career at BDO.

Beavis Morgan has appointed Tim Shaw as corporate tax partner. He is an FCA-qualified corporate tax specialist with over 30 years of experience advising owner-managed businesses, inward investors, multinationals and high net worth individuals. He brings extensive technical expertise in corporate reconstructions and demergers, liquidations, transfer pricing, M&A tax support, and family company planning. He joins from Blick Rothenberg where he was a partner.

BK plus has appointed David Meldrum as restructuring partner and the promotion of Christie Murphy to tax director, alongside wider growth in the Glasgow office, with new hires across senior, manager and graduate levels. Meldrum brings over 18 years’ experience in personal and corporate restructuring, supporting owner-managed and SME businesses through periods of financial pressure. He joins from Azets where he was a director. Murphy advises on a wide range of tax matters from tax planning to regulatory issues, and originally joined the firm as a trainee.  

HaysMac has promoted Luke Clark, Meia Hartnett and Ranvir Cheema to director. Clark becomes a director in the media, marketing & advertising practice and will also co-head the wider creative, media and technology (CMT) sector team alongside tax partner Sabina Burke. Hartnett becomes a director in the property practice having joined the firm in 2016 as a trainee, during which time she has launched a number of initiatives including the firm’s FutureGen network. Cheema is promoted to director in the financial services practice, and has led a number of complex group audits since joining the firm in 2022, as well as driving the development of the team’s structured training programmes.

Xeinadin has promoted Pavanvir Dhaliwal to director at its Leicester office. The promotion marks the culmination of a seven-year journey, beginning when Dhaliwal joined the practice as a trainee in 2018. In his new role, Dhaliwal will lead a portfolio of SME clients across the Midlands, with a particular focus on the dentistry and property sectors. He will also oversee team development and prepare clients for upcoming regulatory changes, including the rollout of Making Tax Digital. 

Brown & Co has appointed Tyreece Barrett and Christine Chapman as accountants, and Jed Capstick as an assistant accountant at the Kendal office. Frankie Crosthwaite and Issi-joi Mciver join as assistant accountants in the Thornton-Cleveleys office. Barrett joins from High Spirits Leisure Group where he was a management accountant, and Chapman has 17 years’ experience, joining from Armstrong Watson where she was an accounts assistant. The expansion means the firm has grown from five to 30 employees in just six years, and operates across Lancashire and Cumbria.

Kilsby Williams has promoted Astrid Hungerford to HR manager focusing on recruitment and onboarding, learning and development, and performance management. She was previously senior payroll assistant, and since joining the firm has upskilled with professional qualifications including the CIPP Foundation Degree in Payroll Management and CIPD Foundation Certificate in People Practice.

STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) has appointed Emma Lovell as chief executive officer, taking over from Mark Walley who has retired. Lovell brings over fifteen years of senior leadership experience, in a career spanning professional services, financial services, regulatory and membership bodies. She joins from the Lending Standards Board where she was chief executive, and previously was CEO of R3, the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. Lovell is also a non-executive director for the Money Advice Liaison Group, a membership body supporting all sectors to tackle and end problem debt.

The Serious Fraud Office has announced retirement of director Nick Ephgrave QPM this March. He has been in the top job at the SFO for two and a half years, during which time Ephgrave has overhauled the organisation and ramped up the number of active investigations and prosecutions. His decision comes after 38 years serving the public, holding senior roles in UK law enforcement, with the London Met and Surrey police forces as well as the National Police Chiefs’ Council.