Andrew Drake, former managing director at River and Mercantile, has joined PwC as a partner, to lead its regional pensions investment consulting activities. He will work as part of the national pensions group, primarily focusing on providing comprehensive advice to trustees of both defined benefit and defined contribution schemes. He has held a number of senior leadership and client management positions, including roles at Towers Watson and Morgan Stanley.

Selina Hall is re-joining PwC’s pensions team as a senior manager, following a short period as member services director for Ensign Pensions. Rupinder Eardley and Carrie Zhang also join as managers bringing project management and investment portfolio expertise.

PKF Littlejohn, the London member firm of PKF International, has appointed Rhodri Whitlock as an assurance and advisory partner. With over 20 years’ partner experience in audit and corporate advisory Whitlock has extensive knowledge of national and international financial and business assurance matters.

Robert Facer has joined Menzies LLP as director of VAT, bringing 22 years of experience into the practice. Moving from Moore Stephens after nine years, he specialises in all aspects of VAT, in particular within the property, construction, professional practice and financial services sectors. Although based in the central London office, he will work across the firm’s other seven offices.

Cheshire accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth has announced a number of appointments and promotions as part of its ambitious plans to increase fee income by nearly 25% to £10m by 2020. Danny Reid, who has had 24 years’ service with the firm and has been an assistant manager, is promoted, as is Lucy Buck who is made assistant manager. Joanna Greska joins as an accountant assistant and is a member of the AAT, she previously worked for an independent accountant firm in Warrington, and will be using her language skills with a growing number of eastern European clients. 

Jane Ashton has been named executive director of the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT), succeeding Andrew Pickering, who is retiring after 22 years with the association. She has worked in various directorates in the former Inland Revenue and HMRC and is now working in HMRC's Change Portfolio Group, based in London. A member of the ATT since 1993, Ashton has served on the ATT council for 10 years. Jane chairs the Association's Business Development Steering Group and also serves on the Member Steering Group. During this time she has been involved in a number of major change projects, including the introduction of the first self-assessment and of corporation tax online services, and more recently she was a senior leader in the strategic design authority team at HMRC.