Dains Group has appointed John Williams as chief performance officer, where he will help shape the private equity back firm’s strategic plans and operating models, as it continues to grow both organically and through acquisition. Williams will be responsible for leading regional and partner performance across the business and supporting strategy delivery with a focus on strengthening operating models across the group and aligning people, processes and resources to support sustainable growth and client experience. A chartered accountant with Big Four experience at EY and Deloitte, Williams joins from Radius, where he spent seven years as director of finance across the fuel, telematics and emerging business units. During this time, he led more than 18 acquisitions with a combined value in excess of £200m.

AAB has appointed Lorraine Quinn as partner and head of audit at the Glasgow office. She brings more than 15 years of experience and has deep technical expertise, strong leadership and a real understanding of the Scottish market, supporting businesses across a range of sectors with high quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and strategic insight. Quinn joins from PwC, where she was an assurance director, and led complex audit engagements for a diverse range of clients covering IFRS and UK GAAP, as well as SOX controls reporting. Pictured: Angus McCuaig, Gary Harding, Lorraine Quinn, James Pirrie, AAB

S&W has appointed Chris Osborne as partner and co-head of forensic services, and Emily Walton as partner in private client tax services, both based in London. Osborne brings more than 25 years of forensic accounting experience, with broad expertise spanning expert witness services, fraud, bribery and corruption investigations, asset-tracing and recovery assignments. He joins from FRP Advisory, where he was a partner and head of forensic services. Walton brings over 16 years’ experience and specialises in advising clients with cross‑border US-UK tax exposure, including high net worth individuals, families and business owners. Previously she was a director at EY Private Client Services (formerly EY Frank Hirth).

Smailes Goldie has appointed Andrew Robinson as a partner as he returns to the firm where the chartered accountant started his career in 2013 as an audit and accounts senior, before progressing to manager in his nine-year stint. Robinson was previously a senior manager at Saffery in the London office, and brings expanded expertise gained from advising businesses across a range of sectors.

Johnston Carmichael has appointed Gemma Gibson as audit partner in the Newcastle team. She brings almost 20 years of Big Four experience and has led audits for large, complex groups across a range of sectors. In her new role, Gibson will take the lead on audit in Newcastle, signing off audits and playing a key role in new client engagement. She brings strong cross-sector expertise in property, construction and manufacturing, as well as significant experience working with private equity-backed businesses and organisations operating in the oil and gas sector. Previously she was an audit director at KPMG.

Mercer & Hole has appointed Shaun Walker as restructuring and insolvency director, based in London. He is a licensed insolvency practitioner and brings extensive experience across corporate recovery and restructuring, insolvency and debt management working with a wide variety of sectors, including FCA-regulated firms, construction businesses and professional service companies. Previously he spent more than 12 years working in a boutique insolvency practice in Guildford, which later became part of WSM, where he was a business restructuring and insolvency manager.

Azets has appointed James Bennett as an associate director in the Wolverhampton office. He brings 20 years’ experience to the accounts and business advisory role and adds expertise particularly in the technical accounting segments at the Black Country office. Previously he was a senior manager financial reporting at S&W.

Companies House has appointed Dr Ros Rivaz as chair, replacing John Clarke who is stepping down. Dr Rivaz brings extensive leadership experience across the public and private sectors, including as global chief operating officer at Smith & Nephew, director of operations at Premier Foods and director and board chair of Diageo. She will chair the board, supported by CEO Andy King and the ministerial team at the Department for Business and Trade. She currently holds board positions at Anglian Water Services, Victrex plc and Aperam SA.

HM Treasury has appointed Katharine Braddick CB as the next deputy governor for prudential regulation at the Bank of England and chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), succeeding Sam Woods when his term ends in June. Braddick brings extensive City, regulatory and policy expertise, and will lead the PRA’s work to supervise and regulate banks, building societies, insurers and major investment firms. Braddick is currently group head of strategic policy and senior adviser to the CEO at Barclays, and previously worked at the Treasury as director general for seven years up to 2021, and was head of banking policy at the Financial Services Authority during the financial crisis, before it became the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has named Doug Gurr as permanent chair for a five-year term, stepping up from interim following an open recruitment process. His appointment has been approved by the business parliamentary committee. Gurr has senior board and leadership experience, including at tech giant Amazon, where he led the UK operations as country manager for four years until November 2020, and was also president of Amazon China. Beyond the competition regulator, he is also a director of the Natural History Museum and chair of the Alan Turing Institute.