Mazars has appointed Deniz Nadiri as FTSE 350 development partner. The appointment reflects the firm’s focus on expanding its services within the FTSE 350 space. Nadiri joins Mazars following 20 years at EY, where she specialised in providing services to FTSE 100 clients and high profile listed companies. She was also the founder and former leader of EY’s global audit transition centre of excellence. At Mazars, she will work with FTSE 350 businesses, across both audit and non-audit services, including the financial services and industry and services markets.

PwC has appointed Paul Kett, former director general at the Department for Education, as a senior adviser and global director for education and skills. He brings a wealth of experience of the education and skills systems, alongside significant leadership expertise across the public sector. He will be developing PwC’s education and skills practice and delivering business  transformation work for clients in the UK and globally.

Chiene + Tait has promoted three senior colleagues as Alan Dean is named as a partner in the tax advisory team and Mairi MacIver a partner in the accounts and business advisory team. John Kean is promoted to director in the tax team, working on international tax.

MHA has strengthened its ESG and sustainability team with the appointment of Annie Walton, formerly general manager of Fancy Plants, as ESG director based in the group’s Peterborough office. She has 25 years’ experience in the food sector, working in both fresh food and grocery businesses as well as brand companies at board level. Walton also has specialist knowledge in both grower focused and food manufacturing businesses, understanding the commercial opportunities as well as the financial challenges firms face in the sector. Her appointment forms a key part of MHA’s growing ESG and sustainability capabilities and she will be responsible for helping deliver these strategies in her new role.

RBK Chartered Accountants has promoted Jennifer Brennan to corporate finance director. She has been with RBK since 2016 and has experience in the provision of corporate finance services across a broad range of transactions including M&A, debt and equity fundraising, due diligence and forensic accounting assignments.

Prime Accountants Group has promoted Leigh Dudley and Paul Guise to directors from their previous roles as associate directors. Guise joined the firm in 2015 where he started as an account manager in the audit and accounts department. Dudley qualified in 2003, joining Prime in August 2016 after working for more than 17 years in general practice. Martin Farrell has been promoted to senior payroll manager and Paislei Godley has been promoted to senior manager for tax advisory. There have also been several promotions in the audit and accounts department, with Emma Abbotts promoted to senior manager; Liam Hackett to manager and Emma Pithouse and Natalija Carlsson to assistant manager.

TaxAssist has appointed Terry Peachman as franchise development manager to support and mentor franchisees across the group. He is a former TaxAssist franchisee in Lincoln and sold his franchise to Paul Simpson in August 2022.

Larking Gowen has announced that partner Mark Curtis is due to retire at the end of March after 26 years with the business. He joined the firm in 1997 as a part qualified accountant and was fully qualified in 1999, before becoming a partner in 2006. He led the business team for nine years, standing down in 2021 to join the board. The biggest changes he has seen over his career have been in the use of technology to improve practice and create value for clients. These changes continue, and the use of AI is another benefit and challenge. ‘AI is great at crunching vast quantities of data and spotting patterns, but we also need to apply human judgment and experience to interpret results,’ Curtis said.