S&W, formerly part of Evelyn Group, has appointed Tom Norrie as a partner in its real estate audit team based in London. He has more than 20 years’ experience specialising in the real estate and asset management sectors. As an audit partner, he has led audits for a wide range of clients including listed companies, large private companies, multinationals, sovereign wealth and private equity backed businesses. Norrie will strengthen the group’s real estate team bringing his extensive strategic audit knowledge to clients. Previously he spent over 24 years PwC, most recently as a partner at the Big Four.

Cooper Parry has appointed Neil Norman as tax partner and regional head of Scotland.  He has over 20 years’ experience in the Scottish accountancy market, including five years at KPMG and, most recently, 13 years at Chiene + Tait, where he was a senior tax partner.

RSM UK has announced 11 new partners to drive organic growth. The tax practice has promoted two partners, corporate tax expert Chris Alderman and VAT compliance specialist Joost Willemsen. In the national audit team, Dominic Finn and Nick Cattini are made partners. The national consulting service line has promoted five partners including accounting and advisory expert, Philippa Carter, restructuring advisory specialist Glen Carter, fraud risk expert Andrea Deegan, and Mark Leyland and Graham Weston in the deal services team. Meanwhile, Thomas Pugh, the firm’s UK economist has also been made partner, along with Sally Baker, head of dispute resolution.

HaysMac has announced five promotions in its social purpose sector group. Led by partner Steve Harper, the group advises charities, educational organisations, professional institutes and membership bodies. Education expert and partner Jane Askew will take over the education team, replacing Tracey Young after nearly 10 years at the helm, as she takes on a senior partner role in the team. Askew joined as a trainee in 2008 and became partner in 2023. Isabelle Shepherd and Tom Brain have been promoted to partner in the audit team. Shepherd joined HaysMac as a trainee 11 years ago and specialises in hospitality and hotel group clients. As head of audit quality and compliance, Brain has over 20 years’ experience, specialising in advising charities, professional institutes and membership bodies. Stephen Patey has been promoted to VAT director, focusing on VAT advisory for commercial and not for profit organisations. He started his career at HMRC.

Gerald Edelman has promoted Ben Hildebrand and Talha Farrukh to partners, taking the number of partners to 22. Hildebrand joined the business services department in 2016, after qualifying at a small general practice. His specialisms include business advisory and growth, and he often acts as a CFO for clients. Farrukh joined the firm in August 2023 as an audit director and RI, bringing over 15 years of experience, primarily leading corporate audits and specialising in the energy and natural resources sector. He now leads the audit and assurance team in this industry. Previously he was a senior manager at BDO.

Bishop Fleming has appointed Stuart Crisp as audit partner in Bristol. Crisp brings more than 25 years’ experience in audit and accounting roles and has worked extensively with startups and scale-ups. He will focus on the owner managed business and mid market segment. He joins the firm from Corrigans where he was also a partner, and was previously at BDO and Baker Tilly.

Wilson Wright has appointed Susie Mullin and Sehjal Gupta as private client tax partners, and Luigi Lungarella as VAT partner. Mullins joins the tax advisory practice and has more than 20 years of experience advising entrepreneurs and business owners. Previously she was a partner at Blick Rothenberg. Gupta brings more than 19 years of expertise advising non doms, high net worth clients and those with cross-border tax considerations, and joins from Menzies where she was a private client director. Lungarella has over 25 years’ experience of indirect taxation, advising both UK and international businesses and not for profits, most recently as indirect tax director at PKF Littlejohn.

PKF Francis Clark has promoted four new partners, including three who joined the firm as trainees. They are head of not-for-profit Louise Bridgett, corporate finance specialists Matt Willmott and Nick Tippett, and restructuring expert and insolvency practitioner Nick Harris. Bridgett joined the firm as a graduate trainee in 1997, before spending five years working in local government finance. Since being promoted to director in 2017, she has focused on growing a dedicated team serving more than 200 charity, education and other not-for-profit clients. Willmott joined the firm in 2007 as a graduate trainee and now specialises in deal-making , M&A and employee ownership trusts. Harris also started as a trainee in 2004, and is a restructuring specialist. Tippett focuses on M&A, supporting private and corporate clients, and joined the firm in 2010.

Armstrong Watson has promoted Matthew Hutton and Adam Pattison to business services directors. Hutton is head of hospitality leisure and tourism based at the Kendal office, and joined the firm in 2018, while Pattison joined the firm as part of the merger with Gibbons Accountants in 2024, and works with clients in Carlisle and West Cumbria. Rich Cowell has been hired firm as business services director based in Penrith, joining the firm from EY in London, where he was an assistant director in the strategy & transactions service line. Ellen Bulloch joins as business services senior manager based in Hexham. Previously the ACCA accountant was a director at T R Dixon & Co.

VAT & Indirect Tax Advisors (VITA) has appointed Tony Cochrane as associate director, Chantal Scheepers as practice manager, and Rachael Moran as VAT and indirect tax trainee, all based in Glasgow.

Shaw Gibbs has appointed Angus MacGregor as chief people officer. He has three decades of experience in the financial services and legal sectors as both a legal and HR professional. He specialises in developing talent management and people strategies. Previously he was head of global HR at MUFG Bank, where he spent 10 years in various leadership positions.

FRP has appointed Chris McKay as restructuring advisory director, an appointment-taking role based in Cambridge, strengthening its presence in East Anglia. A licensed insolvency practitioner, chartered accountant, and mediator, McKay has more than 30 years’ experience. He joins from his own consultancy, McKay Business Solutions Ltd, and was previously a director at McTear Williams & Wood. Ryan White has also been appointed as an insolvency administrator in the east Anglia team.  

PKF Smith Cooper has appointed Kate Donlon as employment tax manager and Lucy Brooks as assistant indirect tax manager, both based in Derby. Donlon is a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser, and specialises in employment tax governance for clients who fell within the Senior Accounting Officer regime and has experience in a wide range of employment tax matters. Previously she was an employment tax manager at PwC. Brooks has extensive experience working with clients through HMRC compliance checks and advising on tax implications of import contracts working with businesses in the manufacturing, transport and logistics, and ecommerce sectors. She joins from Tuerner & Co where she was an assistant VAT manager.

Switalskis Solicitors has enhanced its leadership team with the appointment of experienced finance professional Alex Moore as chief financial officer (CFO). A chartered accountant and ICAEW member, Alex was previously CFO at precision engineering business, Cutwel, where she played a key role in strengthening financial structures. She brings extensive experience in financial strategy and management in senior roles at large corporates which will be key in supporting Switalskis’ next phase of development.

Reconomy has appointed Philip Vincent as chief financial officer (CFO) of the circular economy specialist. He brings over 20 years of experience having held senior roles at multinational public and private companies across a number of industries, and has expertise in public markets and M&A. He joins from Zigup plc, formally Redde Northgate where he was CFO. A chartered accountant, he originally trained with KPMG. 

The UK Endorsement Board (UKEB) has appointed Rebecca Vass to the rate-regulated activities technical advisory group (RRA TAG). The TAG provides specialist knowledge and technical advice to the board for rate-regulated activities. Vaas is head of group external reporting at National Grid.