It's a new year and businesses across the West of England are continuing to hire and promote staff as they look ahead to the next 12 months.

From the education and commercial property sector to accountancy and law, companies across a range of industries have boosted staff numbers in recent weeks.

Here, we take a look at some of the people on the move in our region.

If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion you'd like featured in our next roundup, please email hannah.baker@reachplc.com - and include a picture!

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Forest High School

Alan Dane has been appointed as the new Headteacher at Forest High School
Alan Dane has been appointed as the new Headteacher at Forest High School

Alan Dane has been appointed the new headteacher at Forest High School in Gloucestershire following the retirement of John Whitehead.

Mr Dane, 45, has been teaching for 20 years. He previously steered Harris Academy Bermondsey, London, to an ‘Outstanding’ rating by Ofsted before moving to the West Country and heading up Oasis Academy Brightstowe in Shirehampton.

He is a graduate from the University of Durham, where he studied Theology and he lives in Cardiff with his husband and two children.

He said: “It is an honour and a delight to be the new headteacher of The Forest High School. I am really looking forward to getting to know the staff and students as soon as possible and to working with you in the years ahead to make this the best school it can possibly be for its students and for this community.”

Nigel Johnson, chair of the school board, and chair of SGS Academy Trust, which oversees the school, added: “We were fortunate to have several high-quality, experienced, senior leaders who applied for this post. Alan was unanimously chosen by the selection panel at interview because of his experience, intellect and leadership style which we believe is a perfect fit for Forest High School."

Securious

Peter Woodward is CEO of Securious
Peter Woodward is CEO of Securious

The Exeter-based cyber security company has appointed Pete Woodward as its chief executive. Mr Woodward is the company’s co-founder and was previously its chief technology officer.

He takes over from Roz Woodward, Securious' co-founder, who will become the firm's finance director and will also oversee operations. She is a qualified accountant with experience working in senior management positions and at board level.

Mr Woodward has more than 18 years of cyber and data security experience and has advised hundreds of organisations in the UK and internationally, working on security projects in the public and private sectors.

He said: “The past couple of years haven’t been easy for anyone, but Roz has ensured that Securious as a business didn’t just survive - we have thrived.

“I’m now very excited to be taking on the role of CEO and already have some exciting new developments in the works, so listen out for a big announcement over coming weeks.”

ForrestBrown

Chloe Palmer has joined ForrestBrown
Chloe Palmer has joined ForrestBrown

Chloé Palmer has joined ForrestBrown, the R&D tax relief consultancy, as an associate director.

She will be working on a wide range of strategic projects to support the next phase of ForrestBrown’s growth.

Ms Palmer previously worked at Mazars and is a qualified chartered tax adviser, spending a number of years in Mazar’s financial services team delivering tax advice to a portfolio of financial sector clients. More recently she has held roles managing a number of strategic business projects.

Before leaving Mazars, Ms Palmer worked for the UK head of tax at Mazars, where she focused on business strategy and development.

She said: “ForrestBrown has a fantastic reputation as the market leader in the R&D tax advice industry and I’m excited by the opportunity.”

Sara Brigden, managing director at ForrestBrown, added: “Chloé’s appointment is part of our commitment to continue to provide best-in-class R&D tax advice to innovative UK businesses.”

ForrestBrown has offices in Bristol, London and Glasgow and employs 120 people.

Stone King

Stone King partner Kathryn Layzell
Stone King partner Kathryn Layzell

Law firm Stone King has welcomed a number of new recruits to its Bath office, including two new members of staff to its trusts and estates team.

Emily Moberly has joined the firm as an associate from Wards Solicitors, with experience in wills and probate, while Stephen Horton has joined as an associate chartered tax adviser, having previously worked at Thrings.

Stone King Partner Kathryn Layzell, who heads the trusts and estates team, said: “It is an exciting time of growth for our team and we look forward to Emily and Stephen joining us at the beginning of 2022."

In December, the firm welcomed Kate Tomlinson as an associate solicitor in its information law team.

Stone King is a national law firm with offices in Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds and London.

Mazars

Jon Barnard, partner at Mazars
Jon Barnard, partner at Mazars

The international audit, tax and advisory firm, has promoted Jon Barnard to partner and also hired 12 new trainees.

Mr Barnard, who is now an audit partner, will be responsible for leading and growing the firm’s relationships with large and listed businesses in the South West.

He has over 15 years’ experience of auditing entities which report under IFRS and UK GAAP, and has sector expertise in energy, waste management, construction and life sciences.

There have also been four additional promotions at management level. The investment is on the back of strong growth for Mazars’ Bristol business and advisory team, which has seen a 10% increase in size over the last 12 months, while the office overall has grown from 62 people in 2020 to 70 people in 2021.

Mr Barnard said: “I’m looking forward to continuing our growth and offering support and advice to a wide range of businesses at all stages of their development.”

Oak Group

Catherine Pigeon has joined the board of Oak Group
Catherine Pigeon has joined the board of Oak Group

The Guernsey-headquartered financial firm has announced a series of senior internal promotions.

Catherine Pigeon, Oak’s Group chief risk and compliance officer, has been appointed to the board of directors.

Nicola Gott becomes chief commercial officer and has been tasked with driving the sales and marketing strategy across the group. She will also take the lead with the development, promotion and delivery of Oak's sustainability strategy. She retains her role as Oak Jersey's managing director.

John Doublard is being promoted to the role of chief technology officer.

Graham McCormack, Oak’s Group chief executive office, said: “I am delighted to announce these well-deserved appointments and promotions. Oak is at a critical juncture in its growth strategy and these new roles will certainly help the board and senior management team to deliver on our exciting transformation plans.””

Blackfinch

Wayne Readshaw of Blackfinch
Wayne Readshaw of Blackfinch

Gloucester-based investment specialists Blackfinch has boosted its business development team with the appointment of Wayne Readshaw as executive business development manager.

Covering the south-central region, he will be responsible for the distribution of Blackfinch’s range of tax-efficient solutions, as well as building and developing relationships with the financial adviser, planner and paraplanner communities.

Mr Readshaw has more than 25 years’ experience in financial services, having spent over six years as a senior business development manager at TIME Investments.

He has also held business development and consultant roles with Old Mutual Wealth, HSBC, Hornbuckle, Scottish Widows and AXA.

He said: “I’m delighted to have joined Blackfinch, at an exciting time of growth, and I look forward to getting back in front of financial advice firms to support their client planning and help them build sustainable and profitable businesses.”

Jerry Price, chief distribution officer at Blackfinch, added: “We’re excited to have Wayne join Blackfinch during what is a period of significant business development and investment opportunity.”

R3

Charlotte May has become chair of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 in the South West
Charlotte May has become chair of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 in the South West

Bristol-based insolvency litigation specialist Charlotte May has been appointed as the chair of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 in the South West.

Ms May, who is an associate director for South West and Wales at insolvency litigation finance company Manolete, takes over from Philip Winterbourne, partner at Temple Bright solicitors.

She will work with R3 to plan and deliver events and conferences for its members in the South West, and support the representation work it carries out on the profession’s behalf.

“l want to build on the excellent work previous chairs have done in building a community that supports people throughout their careers and encourages their growth so the profession retains its talent,” she said.

SETsquared Bristol

Marty Reid, director of SETsquared in Bristol
Marty Reid, director of SETsquared in Bristol

Marty Reid has been appointed director of SETsquared Bristol.

He takes over the role from Monika Radclyffe, who has led the University of Bristol’s tech incubator since 2016 and is leaving to join innovation company Plexal.

Mr Reid has been the head of Engine Shed since January 2020 and he will continue in this role alongside his new appointment.

SETsquared Bristol and Engine Shed are part of the University of Bristol’s enterprise brands, which include the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre (QTIC) and QTEC.

Prior to Engine Shed, Mr Reid was centre director for Bristol innovation hub Future Space and worked at Rolls-Royce.

As director of SETsquared Bristol, he will focus on the growth of its incubation and pre-incubation programmes, as well as the development of new sector focused accelerators, corporate partnerships, and investor relations.

He said: “I’m looking forward to joining SETsquared Bristol at a time where there is huge scope for scaling up its business support capabilities and impact to new audiences. I’m also committed to taking forward its diversity and inclusion responsibilities.”

Azets

Azets Cheltenham tax team
Azets Cheltenham tax team

Following a period of growth, the regional accountancy firm and business advisor to SMEs, has announced a number of appointments in the Cheltenham tax team.

Vanessa Clark, who has more than 20 years of private client tax experience, has joined as private client director. She is a certified accountant and a chartered tax advisor, and specialises in inheritance tax planning, trusts, capital gains advice and tax advice for non-resident and non-domiciled individuals.

Tom Westcott has been appointed as corporate tax assistant manager. He will be working with businesses ranging from owner-managed firms to international groups in his new role.

After progressing through Azets’ national graduate recruitment scheme, Liam Carvalho and Mitchell Pettifor have joined as graduate tax assistants.

Cathrin Richards, tax partner at Azets Cheltenham, said: “The new appointments to the tax team are part of a wider strategy to build the strength and depth that we need, to continue to deliver a comprehensive range of tax planning, compliance and advisory services across the board, on a larger scale.”

Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants

Kelly Davies and Phil Butterworth of Thomas Westcott
Kelly Davies and Phil Butterworth of Thomas Westcott

Somerset accountant Kelly Davies has been made a partner at the firm and will be based in Thomas Westcott’s Bridgwater and Somerton offices.

Ms Davies, who trained and qualified with the company, joined Thomas Westcott in 2012 and provides businesses and individuals with a full range of accountancy services. She also advises limited companies, partnerships, sole traders and charities in and around Bridgwater and Somerton.

After qualifying as a chartered certified accountant in 2017, Ms Davies was promoted to manager that year and director in 2020.

She said: “Being promoted to partner means fulfilling a long-held ambition. Working for Thomas Westcott, I’ve benefited from the phenomenal expertise and experience across the firm and this has been instrumental to me progressing in my career.”

Thomas Westcott partner Phil Butterworth added: “Congratulations to Kelly whose promotion to Partner is so well deserved. Kelly is the perfect general practitioner who has fully embraced every opportunity at Thomas Westcott.”

CBRE

Clockwise from back row: left – Nikita Dhier, Hannah Marshall, Stella Hicks, Tom Morris and Hannah Hicks
Clockwise from back row: left – Nikita Dhier, Hannah Marshall, Stella Hicks, Tom Morris and Hannah Hicks

The global real estate firm has announced a round of promotions at its South West office in Bristol.

Nikita Dheir and Hannah Marshall have been promoted from their roles as senior surveyors to associate directors, while Stella Hicks and Hannah Hicks have been promoted from surveyors to senior surveyors.

“Ever since I first joined CBRE as a graduate in 2016, I’ve been offered ongoing training and support in developing my career, including building my own client base and networks,” said Ms Dheir, who works in CBRE’s lease consultancy team.

“The opportunities here are limitless and I’m excited to be taking this next step.”

Ms Marshall joined CBRE in 2019 and currently manages the company’s occupier business development programme across the UK.

“We work hard as a team to communicate well with each other and our clients, getting to grips with what clients need and working together to deliver that,” she said.

Tom Morris, managing director, CBRE South West, added: “All four of our new promotions are very well deserved and reflect the hard work and dedication put in by our teams.”

Bevirs Law

Bevirs family law team from left to right: Michelle Bowyer, Natalee Worthington, Stuart McNeil, Rebecca Bates
Bevirs family law team from left to right: Michelle Bowyer, Natalee Worthington, Stuart McNeil, Rebecca Bates

Wiltshire legal firm Bevirs Law has merged with a rival business to strengthen its family law team.

Bevirs Law, which has offices in Swindon, Royal Wootton Bassett and Calne, has taken on the team from Worthingtons Family Law.

Natalee Worthington, who founded the West Swindon-based business in 2019, has joined Bevirs Law as a partner and its head of family. Also joining is PA Annette Janman.

Bevirs Law was established in 1885 and is a multi-disciplined practice with services for individuals and businesses, employing more than 40 people.

As the new head of family, Ms Worthington takes over the reins of the department from head of litigation Stuart McNeil, who is planning to retire in the spring.

He said: “Natalee is a very experienced and well-respected family lawyer and her practical, client-focused approach will enhance the existing team here at Bevirs Law.”

Natalee said the merger was an “excellent move” for her clients, who have transferred across with her.

“Bevirs Law is a very well-known firm, which has been around for a long time and has an excellent reputation,” she added.

Optimum Finance

Optimum Finance marketing director Jo Maniatt
Optimum Finance marketing director Jo Maniatt

The specialist invoice finance provider has made three new appointments across the marketing and finance departments.

Jo Maniatt joins as marketing director; Szym Wasilewski as finance manager; and Liam O’Shea as financial accountant. Ms Maniatt was previously international marketing manager for global brand Bisley Office Furniture.

She will be focused on supporting the firm’s growth plans through brand building and awareness, product adoption and revenue generation campaigns.

She said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me to help [Optimum] amplify such a great message and play my part in supporting so many fantastic businesses.”

Optimum Finance chief executive Ant Persse said: “Jo’s passion to make a difference is fantastic, she comes with a wealth of experience that will result in her being a valuable asset to our business.”

Vicky Williams, chief financial officer, added: “Both Szym and Liam are very motivated and excited to be joining Optimum at such a key stage in our journey.”

Time Finance

Michael Freebury joins Time Finance to drive business growth
Michael Freebury joins Time Finance to drive business growth

Bath-headquartered Time Finance has appointed Michael Freebury as head of sales in its invoice finance team.

Mr Freebury, who has worked in the business finance sector for more than 25 years, will be responsible for driving business growth in Wales.

He started his career as a business development manager at Bibby Financial Services, moving on to become a regional sales director at Close Brothers before returning to Bibby. In his most recent role as head of sales he was responsible for generating awareness of Bibby’s product offerings across the South Wales and South West regions of England.

He said: "I’m excited to start the next stage of my career with Time Finance. They’re a well-established market player who have built a fantastic reputation over recent years.”

Phil Chesham, head of invoice finance at Time Finance, added: “Michael’s appointment is an important part of our growth plan to continue bringing excellent talent into our firm.”

Michael’s recruitment is the latest in a string of appointments at Time Finance in recent months, including Lauren Maloney and Jonathan Johnson as business development manager in the invoice finance team; Jake Bebbington as broker manager in the commercial loans team; and Dan Hindmarsh as broker manager in the asset finance team.

If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion you'd like featured in our next roundup, please email hannah.baker@reachplc.com - and include a picture!