Latest appointments, promotions and people news from across the East Midlands:
Vibrant Accountancy:
A Derby accountants and business advisors has recruited its fourth new team member in less than 12 months.
Vibrant Accountancy, in Duffield Road, has welcomed Katie Hirst, who will take care of the company’s bookkeeping, accounts and, predominantly, payroll.
She joins co-founders Ian Ball and Beverley Wakefield, as well as Samantha Carter-Roe, Vibrant’s chief book-keeper, office co-ordinator Lynn McCabe and head of accounting Emma Vicars.
Bev said: “Katie, who lives in Matlock, has great values and has already settled into the job so well.
“Her background is in banking and she trained in accountancy, completing her ATT Level 4 accountancy exam just 10 days after giving birth to her third baby, which is incredible.”
Bev and Ian, who both previously worked at Castle Donington accountancy and business advisors Cooper Parry, set up Vibrant Accountancy in September 2019.
Bev said during what has been a challenging year for many, Vibrant has blossomed thanks to its “personality” and “passion”.
“Ian and I are polar opposites - I’m the emotional one in our partnership while Ian is the one who does most of the number-crunching. He’s the data man.
“It gives our clients that balance and we find it works really well.
“We both have the same vision for Vibrant Accountancy and, after experiencing rapid growth since we formed just over a year ago, we’re excited to see what 2021 will bring.”
Nelsons:
Nelsons law firm has welcomed a new investment director and chartered financial planner into the ranks of its expert investment management team.
Sam Cawley, who has more than ten years’ experience working in financial planning and previously worked as a tax inspector at HMRC, specialises in providing a comprehensive planning service to families including investment, pension and tax planning.
He said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Nelsons.
“Having been a client for them over the years when they supported me with several house moves, I’ve always been impressed by the people, service and culture they have, as well as the charity work they undertake.
“Starting a new job in the midst of a pandemic, particularly as I joined just as we went into the second national lockdown, could have been challenging.
“However, the team has been incredibly welcoming and the firm’s ability to enable secure, remote and agile working is second to none.
“I’ve been able to get to know the other members of my department and felt supported from day one, despite everyone currently working from home.”
Sam graduated from the University of East Anglia with a degree in accountancy with law in 1999 before going on to achieve chartered status from the Chartered Insurance Institute, becoming a member of the Personal Finance Society and a founding member of the Life Centered Planners.
Nelsons has offices in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.
Breedon Group:
Constructions materials giant Breedon is bringing in James Brotherton as chief financial officer designate from January 1.
James was CFO of door and window components supplier Tyman Plc between 2010 and 2019, prior to which he was its director of corporate development for five years.
He contributed to the significant growth and geographic expansion of Tyman during that period, and prior to that, worked in investment banking roles at Citi and HSBC, after qualifying as a chartered accountant at Ernst and Young.
He is currently a director of the Quoted Companies Alliance.
As announced in October, Rob Wood, Breedon’s current finance director, will succeed Pat Ward as chief executive upon Pat’s retirement in 2021.
It is anticipated that James will be appointed to the board as CFO at that point, ensuring an orderly transition.
Breedon’s chairman Amit Bhatia said: “We are tremendously pleased to welcome James to Breedon. He brings significant construction sector and corporate development experience, including in the areas of finance, strategy, operational efficiency, M&A and business integration.
“The board is confident James will build a strong partnership with Rob to deliver further growth and strategic progress in the next stage of Breedon’s development.”
Leicestershire-based Breedon Group operates two cement plants and an extensive network of quarries, asphalt plants and ready-mixed concrete plants, together with slate production, concrete and clay products manufacturing, contract surfacing and highway maintenance operations.
It employs around 3,500 people and has around 1 billion tonnes of mineral reserves and resources.
Kinchbus:
The man who plays a key role in planning how Kinchbus services run has won a new national award for the bus industry.
Richard Sherratt was revealed as the first winner of the Joe Wood Scheduler of the Year Award.
He has been a scheduler for the past 29 years at Loughborough-based Kinchbus and its sister operator trentbarton, and was one of five finalists for the award which was inspired by the career of Joe Wood, a bus scheduler who died in 2019.
As well as helping plan future services, Richard is responsible for scheduling the rotas of drivers and the deployment of buses.
Richard, 59, joined the industry 41 years ago straight from school.
He said: “Winning was a big surprise. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s nice to be recognised as the industry does not always appreciate the work that goes into getting the services ready and the bus to the bus stop.
“I’ve seen a fair few changes over the years.
“This year, with the coronavirus pandemic, has been very different.
“We had to cope with changes seemingly every week early in the first lockdown.
But it’s just one of those challenges – the work has to be done.
“The art of being a good scheduler is to go unnoticed. Like any job the trick is making the hard things look easy.”
Kinchbus managing director Jeff Counsell said: “Scheduling is fundamental to what we do as a bus company. Richard makes it possible for our network to do what it does every day.”
Dice:
Engineering consultancy Dice has announced four new additions to its growing team to support with a number of exciting new projects and client wins.
Maia Stride, Niall Murray, Iva Dimitrov, and Thanos Fotiou have joined the growing Nottingham-based firm.
Maia joins as an associate with more than 10 years’ experience within the industry and Niall as structural revit technician – the firm’s first.
Iva has been appointed as a senior civil engineer and Thanos as a structural engineer.
Dice, which was set up in 2018 by Wayne Oakes and Raj Somal, prides itself on being an agile and forward-thinking business. As a result, the firm adapted well to lockdown, continuing to win new projects and clients.
Maia, who has previously held roles within building, infrastructure, and environmental engineering, said: “As a modern and streamlined company, I’m delighted to have joined Dice and look forward to growing the structures team.
“Implementing a supportive culture and championing collaborative working are two of the most vital elements when developing a successful and happy team, so I am very much looking forward to working with Wayne and Raj to build on Dice’s current offering.”
Anicca Digital:
Business is booming at Leicester-based digital marketing agency Anicca Digital, as a string of client wins has led to three new hires.
The full-service performance agency has strengthened three of its internal teams by employing Angela Padfield as business development manager, Mark Janes as content account manager and Jayesh Mistry in its paid media team.
Angela has joined the Anicca team from Reach Plc, after supporting the Leicester Mercury commercial team for 11 years.
She brings with her significant experience of selling SEO and PPC services, and will work with managing director Ann Stanley to bring new clients into the agency.
Angela, who is one of many people that has suffered redundancy caused by the pandemic, said: “When I found out I was to be made redundant, I made a list of companies that I would like to work for.
“Anicca was top of that list – I approached Ann Stanley about a position, and the rest is history.
“I have been so impressed by the customer-centric approach at Anicca – I feel like we are delivering so much value to our clients.”
Mark Janes brings with him over 25 years of marketing experience, much of it in the education sector, including seven years in De Montfort University’s marketing team.
Leicester-based Jayesh Mistry joins Anicca as senior paid media account executive, having spent two years at Adtrak managing pay per click campaigns for a range of clients.
Ann Stanley, said “The pandemic has seen many businesses switch budgets to online marketing, following their locked-down customers onto Marketplaces, social media or e-commerce platforms.
“As a result, we are thrilled to be able to employ more talented, local people into well-paying long-term roles at Anicca.”
De Montfort University:
A knee injury put an end to Fatou-Binetou Ba’s career as a star of the Senegal women’s basketball league and her ambitions of playing in America’s NBA.
But a bus-load of faith in her own ability to succeed, coupled with huge amounts of hard work, has seen her join De Montfort University, Leicester, as part of the current cohort of the FIFA Master International in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport.
She said she wants to work in football and help her West African country organise ‘the best ever’ Youth Olympic Games in 2026.
Fatou-Binetou said: “The first thing you think in the instant the injury happens is ‘this is over. My career is over. My chances of turning professional is over’.
“It takes time and a lot of strength to accept your fate and to start thinking about a new future and a new destiny.
“Your family and friends are so important at that time and you realise how much character and positive attitude you need to keep believing in yourself and to keep on going.
“Now I am the first Senegalese woman to be studying for the FIFA Master and I am incredibly proud of that. It is great to have the opportunity and maybe I can work in the sport industry with great commitment.”
Her studies in the French cities of Limoges and Paris have seen her gain master’s degrees in International Relations and International Civil Service, and Humanitarian Action, as well as a BA in English and Spanish at the Université de Limoges.
She also spent three months living in Nottingham with a family that turned her into a fluent English speaker, although the East Midlands accent baffled her mum.
She said: “When I returned my mum said “Are you sure you are speaking English?’.”
The FIFA Master International MA in Management, Law and Humanities is co-ordinated by the Centre International d’Etude du Sport in Switzerland, and sees students spend three months each at De Montfort, the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan and the Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
The Leicester part of the course is taught by the team at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture, where students learn the history of sports and discuss topical issues and challenges facing the sports industry.
Pegasus Funding:
Rutland-based Pegasus Funding has appointed two technology-focused funding experts to its team of business funding specialists due to a spike in demand for tech start-up and growth finance.
Alexander Jaye has joined as venture partner, while Kirstie Heneghan is taking up the role of venture consultant.
Alexander has more than 12 years’ consultancy experience of identifying, developing and executing new market propositions through joint ventures, deal creation and launching new businesses.
He has developed real estate joint ventures worth more than £100 million, secured early-stage funding for disruptive technologies, and brokered partnerships between global corporations and scale-up companies by managing complex negotiations.
His interest in improving access to healthcare led him to support many clinical entrepreneurs and digital health organisations looking to improve population health with a particular focus on harnessing big data.
He founded Hyde Park Healthcare in 2011, which piloted a model for providing low-cost, high quality care which improved the lives of hundreds of low-income vulnerable adults.
More recently, he founded a community interest company, Public Innovation Labs CIC, that brings together entrepreneurs interested in tackling big healthcare challenges around the globe.
Kirstie Heneghan built her career on creating new platforms and processes for small and large businesses, winning awards for digital integration and her creative approach.
She has a keen interest in helping social technology innovators.
She said: “I am passionate about raising the profiles of commercially driven entrepreneurs who want to solve problems in their markets.
“My role at Pegasus will focus on matching these innovative start-up founders with the right investors.
“I want to help people with great ideas, but perhaps who lack self-belief in their own ability, to achieve success.”
The latest hires follow the appointment in October of Dr Sandra Hogg, the firm’s first female adviser.
Pegasus Funding is a corporate finance boutique that works with companies at all stages of growth.
F-Word Academy:
Finance and funding expert Serena Humphrey, founder of The F Word Ltd and creator of the F Word Academy has been crowned one of the UK’s Top 10 advisers for the finance training support she provides to small businesses and entrepreneurs, taking the title in the Finance and Funding category.
The virtual awards ceremony, which announced the winners of the Enterprise Nation Top 50 Advisers competition, across a range of professional disciplines such as legal, finance and funding, technology, HR, PR and marketing and a special ‘Above & Beyond’ category – took place on the evening of 25th November.
Serena was picked from hundreds of advisers from up and down the UK, nominated for the behind-the-scenes guidance they have given to local entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping them navigate the challenges and opportunities they have faced during 2020 – not least Covid; for many, this professional advice has made the difference between their business surviving, or thriving.
She said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be named a Top 10 Advisor and to win this category, especially through Enterprise Nation which is so well known for its small business support.
“This will be invaluable in helping us in our ongoing campaign to help small businesses owners to get the financial success they deserve, and to increase the survival rate of small business in the UK.”
