S&W has appointed Andrew Hornby as a partner in its audit team. He has over 20 years’ experience specialising in life science and technology companies, and has led audits for a wide range of clients in the Thames Valley market including UK and US listed companies, large private companies and private equity backed businesses. Based in the Beaconsfield office, Hornby will help to strengthen and build market presence in the Reading and Thames Valley area. Previously he was an audit partner at Deloitte.

Gerald Edelman has appointed Tom Harris as audit partner, bringing the partnership to 22 members. He brings 25 years of experience working with complex, large listed entities, private clients and start-up businesses. He has significant industry knowledge focusing on the retail, manufacturing, property,  telecoms, media and technology sectors. Harris also joins from Deloitte where he was a director in the audit and assurance practice.

Grant Thornton has promoted Matt Flowers and Mirza Ahmad to partner, reinforcing the firm’s commitment to investing in talent. Based in London, Flowers and Ahmad bring extensive experience and deep sector knowledge to their new roles. Flowers will focus on the private capital audit team, with a particular emphasis on the technology and media sectors. Ahmad focuses on regulated businesses in the financial services sector specialising in investment management, private equity and brokerage businesses. Both originally joined the firm as graduates.

Carpenter Box has promoted four new partners with Alex Chidwick, Paula Nurse, Mark Northam and Andrew Neuman all joining the board as partners. Chidwick specialises in audit and assurance, Nurse in commercial business services, Northam in the Starbox new media team and Neuman in tax services. Meantime, associate director promotions for Angela Norris in corporate business services, David Taylor in the StarBox team, and Meghan Clark in tax services.

Greaves West & Ayre (GWA) has promoted Joseph Findlay and Matthew Taylor to partner. Findlay specialises in tax planning and has a broad range of general practice experience, including advising owner-managed businesses, individuals and charities. He is a chartered accountant and also has a diploma in regulated financial planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute. Taylor is ACA qualified and primarily operates in the tax team, specialising in compliance and tax planning, and business restructuring. Both originally joined the firm in 2019 as graduates.

Xeinadin has appointed Zoe Powell as director of travel, hospitality and leisure to lead the firm’s first dedicated regulatory advisory service for travel companies. She is a banking and finance specialist with more than a decade of experience, and will support clients with ATOL renewals, PTR compliance, and finance planning. Powell joins from the Civil Aviation Authority where she was portfolio manager, aviation and travel finance, responsible for assessing the UK’s largest ATOL holders.

Streets Bush has promoted Luke Harris to associate director and Kieran Whyte to audit manager, reinforcing its commitment to developing in-house talent and expanding its presence across Devon and the South West. Harris joined the firm nine years ago and has worked with a wide variety of clients across the region, specialising in audit services. Whyte qualified as a chartered accountant in 2023, completing his qualifications at the firm.

FTS Recovery has appointed Rachel Ennis as associate director to head up a new centralised team of insolvency and recovery advisers across the Midlands. An in-house hire, Ennis has worked for FTS Recovery and their affiliated company FA Simms & Partners for five years, most recently as a recovery manager overseeing corporate insolvency cases. A JIEB licensed insolvency practitioner, Rachel brings nine years of experience in corporate insolvency to the team. 

Peninsula Group has promoted Alastair Brown to global AI and technology director. He has almost four decades of experience in technology, product development and strategic leadership. In this new role, he will unify Peninsula Group’s multimillion pound AI programme, overseeing the development and rollout of new AI products, emerging technologies and cross-functional innovation teams in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

BrightHR has promoted Alex Maher to chief technology officer, to lead the growth and development of products and market expansion. He was most recently director of engineering at the HR software and support services business, which has grown from a start-up in 2015 to a global operation.

Azets has promoted three staff in the payroll services team to newly created roles in the business. Claire Brown becomes director of payroll north, Christopher Waterson director of payroll south, and Julie Gunnell associate director of growth for payroll.

Sedulo Group has appointed Ross Preston as head of audit – north, based in the Leeds office. He brings more than 15 years of experience in audit, accounting and financial control, and is an ICAS qualified accountant and registered responsible individual (RI). Previously he was head of audit and assurance for north of England at AAB, and originally trained at PwC.

Manolete Partners has appointed Will Sawyer as chief financial officer with effect from December, replacing Rachel Lindley-Janes who is interim head of finance. Sawyer will also join the board of the insolvency litigation finance company and brings over two decades of experience in senior finance and accounting roles, most recently as CFO and board director of AIM listed Zinc Media Group. Prior to this he was finance director of ITN Productions and initially qualified as a chartered accountant at Deloitte.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has named Judge Margaret Ryan as director of the division of enforcement, effective 1 September, replacing acting director Sam Waldon who will return to his previous role as chief counsel for the enforcement division. Judge Ryan was a senior judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and is currently a lecturer on military law and justice at Harvard University Law School. Before her tenure as judge, she was a partner at two law firms, Wiley Rein & Fielding and Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott.