RSM UK has appointed Ari Senders as partner to lead and expand the forensic technology practice within consulting, with a focus on widening the firm’s technology offering and capabilities in the eDiscovery and unstructured data analytics space. Based in the London office, Senders has over 20 years’ experience and joins from legal services provider Epiq where he was an account director. He was previously a director at KPMG. He recently carried out a six-month secondment at law firm Slaughter & May to support eDiscovery operations. David Dry has been hired as associate director in the risk and regulatory advisory team with a focus on payment services clients. He has over 15 years’ experience advising financial services, fintech and payment solutions companies on regulatory risk and compliance. He joins from global payment company, WorldRemit, where he was director of compliance. Prior to this he was a director at Deloitte, where he advised on financial crime for payment services clients.

Alvarez & Marsal Tax LLP has appointed Dr Kathie Haunton as a managing director. With more than 20 years’ experience supporting companies with R&D tax relief claims, Haunton advises a variety of corporates, from large multinationals to SMEs. She works with client teams to deliver an efficient claim process, which fully reflects the requirements of the R&D regimes, and is designed to withstand HMRC enquiries. Previously, she worked as a material scientist and then spent 30 years at Deloitte, most recently as a partner in Manchester.

Hurst has made a number of promotions in its business services team. Chris Stewardson, who has become a partner, joined as a trainee in 2005. He was promoted to manager in 2014 and to associate partner level in 2021. Ryan Tattler, who joined as a trainee in 2015, becomes a senior manager. Rebecca McLoughlin has been promoted to manager after joining the firm as a trainee in 2017. Another trainee, Lisa Everett becomes an associate manager, while Paul Corner becomes a senior manager. The firm’s business services team, led by partner Mike Jackson, provides compliance and advisory services to a growing client base.

Rayner Essex has promoted Marina Trinchese to private client tax director. She has over 10 years of experience and specialises in advising private clients based in the UK and overseas on personal tax compliance and advisory matters from a UK tax perspective. She joined the firm in 2017 from Deloitte where she was an expatriate tax adviser.  

PKF Smith Cooper has appointed Callum Leslie as a senior corporate finance executive in the Midlands division of PKF. In his new role, Leslie will support PKF Corporate Finance in helping Midlands business owners to buy, sell and grow their businesses. He joins from Mazars where he was an audit assistant manager after joining the firm as a school leaver and gaining his ACA accountancy qualifications.

Johnston Carmichael has taken on 90 students at the firm as part of its commitment to fostering a diverse and vibrant talent pipeline. The recruits will be spread across Johnston Carmichael’s offices across Scotland as well as Newcastle. The group includes graduates, who will undertake training to become qualified accountants, interns, and school leavers joining via the firm’s JC Futures scheme. The four-to-six-year training opportunity offers school leavers a route to full qualification as an accountant.

Westcotts has hired 15 new members of staff to work across the firm’s six southwest offices in a mix of roles from trainees up to managers. Helen Cross has been appointed as tax manager in the Plymouth office, alongside two AAT trainees, Harriet Knott and Abbie Smith, and two ACA trainees, Emily Hill and Taylor Bracher. Caroline Young has been appointed as a manager in the Axminster team, Jessica White as bookkeeper and AAT trainee Ellen Bugler. AAT trainees Ellen Ashford and Dexter Nichol have joined the Bridgwater office. Mark Warren has been named as credit controller in Exeter, along with ACCA trainee Abida Islam. The Honiton office will see Lisa Court join as an accounts assistant. In Weston, Jenny Kilburn joins as a financial management administrator and Swathi Ramesh as an ACCA trainee.

Baker Tilly Mooney Moore has welcomed five graduates and trainees and launched recruitment for its 2024 graduate training programme. Iain Gingles embarks on the ACCA accountancy training programme having studied a BSc in accounting at Queen’s University Belfast. Kirsten Fegan is also qualifying with the ACCA after a degree in BSc accounting (pathways) at Ulster University. Hannah Dolan joins the programme from Ulster University, having graduated with an MSc in international accounting with data analytics. Tim Reid joins from the Ulster University Higher Level Apprentice programme. He will split his time between work and studying, spending one day completing his BSc in accounting with management. Ulster University student Ellen McGeown has been taken on for a placement year prior to completing her final year of BSc study in accounting and law.

AP automation provider Medius has appointed Emma Brown ACA as chief financial officer (CFO), responsible for implementing ambitious plans to double turnover by 2025 and championing product development. She has 14 years’ of experience scaling high growth global technology and people-based businesses and was previously group chief financial and operating officer at Talkwalker, where she retains a board position. Brown originally trained as a chartered accountant at KPMG.