Moore Stephens International has named ICAS chief executive Anton Colella as global CEO of the accounting network. Colella leaves ICAS after over 10 years at the Scottish institute, which told CCH Daily that it is going to commence a recruitment process to find his successor imminently.

Richard Barnwell joins BDO as a financial services partner from KPMG, having held previous positions at EY. He began his career in 2000 with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). 

Ian  Kenyon, current CFO of Cancer Research UK, is to become the first CFO of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the new single, strategic body set up to bring together the seven research councils, Innovate UK and the research and knowledge exchange functions of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

Quantuma has signed up insolvency specialist Mark Sands as a partner to lead the firm’s personal insolvency offering. He joins from Baker Tilly Creditor Services (part of RSM) where he was a partner and a former president of the Insolvency Practitioners’ Association.

Smith & Williamson has appointed Zoe Thomas as a partner. She joins from EY where she was a partner for nine years, after previously being at Deloitte for 10 years.  Thomas specialises in advising property and construction businesses, on their tax and business affairs, with a particular focus on complex transactions within the real estate sector.

Ralph Zoing has joined forces with Lee Hurst, founder of Harrogate Wealth Management, to bolster the boutique firm’s wealth planning service. Zoing has spent the last 12 years at the helm of Harrogate IFA Marshall Zoing and previous experience includes roles with Brown Shipley Independent Financial Services and Ellis Bates Group.

PwC has named five new partners in its health industries practice. Bronwen Alexander is a transaction services partner based in London, as is Simon Bradford, who specialises in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.  Steve Crook, a consulting partner based in London, works with government and health industry clients across the UK and Europe, while Stephen Aherne is a deals partner leading a team specialising in healthcare, pharma and life sciences valuation and deals strategy projects. Roberta Carter, who has  25 years’ experience in the public and private health and life sciences sectors, is made a consulting and deals partner. 

Worthing and Gatwick-based chartered accountants, MHA Carpenter Box, has taken on 12 new trainees, the highest ever number, with a mixture of graduates and school leavers. 

Two graduates and a school leaver have started careers in accountancy at Tunbridge Wells practice Creaseys. The new post-university trainees are Dan Rennardson, who will initially be part of the corporate and business team and Alex Banyard, who is starting his career with the taxation group. Lee Waterhouse will focus first on bookkeeping and bureau services.

BDO has hired 284 trainees, including 210 graduates and 74 school leavers who will take up roles in its tax, audit and advisory streams across the firm’s UK offices. The recruits have been selected from a record-high of over 9,000 applications, a 50% increase from last year’s 6,000 applications.