RSM UK has appointed two partners, Terence Amako and Michael Buckley, to strengthen the deal services team as part of its growing consulting business. Amako has over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance advisory and joins from Centrus where he was head of M&A. He specialises in advising corporates and private capital in the infrastructure and transport industries. With 19 years’ experience, Buckley joins RSM after nearly 10 years at Deloitte, where he joined as assistant director and progressed to partner. He is an expert in financial due diligence, advising technology industry focused private equity investors and their portfolio companies across Europe and North America.

Cooper Parry has appointed Nick Campbell Lambert as audit partner in London. He will be working closely with mid-market, PE-backed and AIM-listed businesses, building the firm’s audit team. Lambert brings with him almost 30 years of experience as an auditor in the Big Four, including 24 years at PwC in London, where he spent 12 years as an audit partner for London listed businesses before a stint in Sydney as a partner at Deloitte in Sydney.

Evelyn Partners has appointed Fenton Burgin as a partner, head of debt & capital advisory with a remit to lead the continued growth of its debt and capital advisory practice. He joins from Deloitte, where he was a partner responsible for the expansion of a successful debt and capital advisory team, and has more than 30 years of experience, originating and leading significant board level client relationships.

Sumer Northern Ireland has appointed Jonathan McMillan as senior manager in the internal audit team. He has eight years of experience and is a certified information systems auditor and chartered internal auditor. He will be responsible for developing the firm’s IT audit service. Previously he was a manager, technology risk at EY and managed the IT internal audit team covering Ireland.

Champion Accountants has appointed Catherine Dootson and Orire Oderinde as accounts & audit semi seniors, and Sreelakshmi Prakashan as accounts & audit trainee. Dootson will manage accounts and deliver a range of services spanning bookkeeping, VAT returns, CIS returns, and corporation tax, and will also mentor trainees and junior colleagues. Previously she was an accounts assistant at Topping Partnership. Oderinde is a specialist in managing dental accounts and joins from DJH Specialist Dental. She will be responsible for accounts, delivering personal and company returns. Prakashan has three years’ experience as an audit assistant at Abraham & Jose in Kochi, India, and a CA qualification at intermediate level which she will continue at the firm.

DSW Midlands Corporate Finance team has expanded with the appointment of Zain Mahmood and Gurpreet Poonia as managers, and Ishan Sharda as an executive. The team has also been supported by summer intern Manvir Goutam from Leicester University and executive assistant Nancy Benn.

PKF Smith Cooper has appointed Oliver MacPhee as private client manager, continuing the growth of the tax team in Nottingham. He completed the ATT in 2019 and qualified as a chartered tax advisor in 2022. He has over seven years’ experience working with a wide range of clients, from directors and shareholders to high-net-worth individuals and trusts, advising them on how to pass on wealth in the most tax efficient manner. Previously he was a private client tax manager at Cooper Parry.

Trainee hires

Forvis Mazars has hired 357 trainees across its UK offices. They will take up positions across the firm’s six service lines including accounting & outsourcing services, advisory & consulting, audit, business services team, private client, and tax. The intake is made up of 65 school leavers, 219 graduates, 45 industrial placements, and 28 returning placements. They will be placed across 13 UK offices, with the nearly half based in London.

Kreston Reeves has welcomed a bumper intake of 49 trainee and students across Kent, Sussex and London. They are mix of school leavers, work placement and university graduates who are studying for a range of qualifications including the ICAEW Chartered Accountant qualification (ACA), ATT, ACCA and Certificate in Finance and Business (CFAB). Last month, the firm was named as one of the country’s top 50 apprenticeship employers in the annual Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers List, achieving the ‘highest score for diversity apprentices’.

Business hires

Strada has appointed Colin Brennan as chief executive officer, and Richard Hanks as CFO to lead the global financial function. The appointments follow the spin-off of the payroll and professional services business from Alight Solutions under Strada. Brennan brings nearly three decades of experience in the digital and human resources sectors, most recently as chief revenue officer at fintech company Lumin Digital. Hanks is a highly experienced CFO with a strong track record of growing and transforming global technology and services companies. He joins from Williams Lea, a global provider of business-critical support services where he was CFO, and originally trained at PwC. 

Basware, the accounts payable provider, has appointed Donna Wilczek to its board of directors. Wilczek, a seasoned technology executive, will provide guidance on product innovation and market strategy. Currently, she is chief product officer at Oomnitza and a board member at Optimizely, and spent 13 years at Coupa, where she was executive vice president of strategy and innovation.

Aqilla, the accounting software provider, has appointed Charis Thomas as chief product officer. She will be responsible for developing the product roadmap strategy, driving the implementation of the next stage of Aqilla’s evolution which will use AI and machine learning to automate the purchase invoicing process. Previously, she was payments product manager for domestic payments at Lloyds Bank, overseeing the development of digital onboarding processes for business customers. 

Sucden Financial, the clearing provider, has appointed Bruno Almeida to the newly created role of director of regulatory and financial risks, and will join the executive committee. He is a highly experienced executive with nearly two decades of experience in financial services, specialising in financial risks and regulation. He will be responsible for managing the company’s exchange relationships, capital and liquidity risks. Previously he was chief financial officer UKMEA for FNZ Group.

FloQast has appointed Ben Schechter as chief marketing officer (CMO). With more than 25 years of experience in his new role he will oversee all marketing functions, including brand and content development, demand generation and customer marketing. He will report directly to FloQast president and chief revenue officer Josh Glover. Schechter joins from RingCentral where he also CMO responsible for a team of 130 staff.