Professional advisory firm PwC has appointed Paul Atkinson as head of financial services in Wales and the west of England.
PwC has more than 120 people working in financial services based in Bristol and Cardiff. Mr Atkinson who replaces Will Conner.
A qualified as an accountant in his early career, Mr Atkinson then spent six years working at Barclays which included a two-year secondment to the US. Having joined PwC in 2014, he was focused on supporting a wide range of regional and international financial services clients.
Mr Atkinson said: “As we start to look beyond the pandemic, it’s essential that we continue to focus on supporting our financial services clients to navigate new and emerging risks to achieve their strategic objectives.
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“We know the financial services sector is resilient and adaptable to change, and as we emerge from a post-pandemic, post-Brexit environment I believe we will do so in a more sustainable, agile and tech-enabled way. “We have an important role to play in Wales and the west of England, and I’m committed to ensuring we are supporting our current and future financial services clients in navigating this period successfully."
John-Paul Barker, regional market leader for PwC in Wales and the West of England, said: “Paul’s experience and expertise in the sector will be hugely important for our clients at a time when they require support through the recovery and beyond.
“This region’s financial services market is buoyant and supporting that market and further afield is crucial to our growth plans. Our new operate hub is being established in Cardiff, specialising in tech and financial solutions, and will create scores of local jobs in the years to come.”
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The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has appointed Jonathan Batty as its director of marketing and communications.
He will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of an integrated marketing and communications strategy across the university.Originally from Sheffield, he joined UWTSD from Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln where he held the role of director of marketing, recruitment and communications.
Mr Batty said: “I was motivated to join UWTSD as I believe the university is ambitious to become globally recognised and respected. I look forward to working with colleagues with complementary skills to implement strategies that will drive the University forward and ensure that it recruits students to its programmes and campuses. I have a strong work ethic and relish the opportunity to contribute to the future growth of the University, particularly as it looks forward to celebrating its bicentenary in 2022.”
The university’s vice-chancellor Professor Medwin Hughes said: “I’d like to welcome Jonathan to UWTSD and look forward working with him as part of the University’s leadership team. This is an important appointment as we work together to deliver transformational change. Jonathan will provide strategic leadership for the Marketing and Communications professional teams as we look to further enhance our student recruitment activities and market presence in the 海角视频 and internationally.”
Law firm Blake Morgan has appointed a new legal director to its real estate team in Cardiff.
Charlotte Whitehead, who has significant expertise in advising on major commercial property transactions, takes up her new role with the firm immediately.
Ms Whitehead, who brings a wealth of experience in acquisitions and disposals, leases, real estate financing and development work, joins Blake Morgan from another Cardiff-based law firm where she spent 13 years after graduating.
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James Egan, partner and head of Blake Morgan’s real estate team in Wales, said: “We are delighted that Charlotte has chosen to join Blake Morgan and further strengthen the team. Her appointment as legal director reflects her expertise in advising on commercial property transactions and impressive track record of delivering excellent service to clients.”
Ms Whitehead said: "I am excited about joining such a forward thinking, ambitious and talented team. I am very much looking forward to working with clients and the Blake Morgan team to contribute to their collective success and growth.”
Ashok Ahir has been appointed interim president and trustee of the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.
Mr Ahir, 52, is deputy director of Cabinet Office communications for the 海角视频 Government. He joined the 海角视频 Government in Wales in July 2018 as director of communications, having previously run a communications agency based in Cardiff.
Before that, he worked for the BBC as a journalist, editor and programme maker.
In a Welsh Government appointment Mr Ahir will hold the role, which has a one day a week time commitment, until a permanent new president is appointed. The deadline for applications is October 13th.
Mr Ahir will be accountable to Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden.
Pedr ap Llwyd, the national library’s chief executive and librarian, said: “We are really looking forward to Ashok joining us, to benefiting from his broad experience and knowledge and to working with him over the coming months.
“In welcoming Ashok, I would like to thank Meri Huws, the former interim president, for the enormous contribution she has made to the library during the past two years and wish her, and the organisations she serves, well for the future
“Ashok joins us at the start of a new and exciting chapter in our history as we launch our new five year strategic plan 2021-2026 in a few weeks’ time.”
Ms Bowden said; “Ashok is a welcome addition to the Board and I would like to thank him for agreeing to step in to the role until we recruit a new president.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Meri Huws her for her commitment as interim president. During her time in the role Meri has been a friend, advocate and champion of the Library during one of the most challenging periods in the organisation’s history.”
Premier Forecourts and Construction, a specialist in forecourts and diverse construction projects, has appointed a new finance director.
Rebecca Cook has been promoted to director after serving as a finance controller with the Swansea company for over two years. She has nearly three decades experience in finance and accounts, having previously held finance roles within well known organisations, including Bevan & Buckland and South Wales Police.
Her appointment comes as the company has experienced a period of substantial growth after pivoting its business towards the electric vehicle charging market.
The new role will see her taking overall responsibility and accountability for finance, procurement and commercial activities with the Swansea-based construction company.
Ms Cook said: “My career goal was to become a finance director, and it’s very exciting to take on the role at a time of growth and positive change with Premier Forecourts and Construction. The company is now at the forefront of launching electric vehicle charging points for clients like MFG, BP and Shell, and we very much see this as the future of the business.
I’m thankful for all the support I’ve had from the board, my fellow managers and the office staff. I plan on learning more about the different processes that happen on site and start working on preparing commercial and financial strategies that align to the overall aim of the company.”
Steve Evans, Premier Forecourts and Construction’s managing director, said: “We are delighted to be able to promote Rebecca to the role of finance director during this exciting period for the business. Rebecca’s hard work and dedication over the two years she has been with us, coupled with her impressive working background and vast experience in finance, means she has become a highly-valued member of the team. Her passion for accounts and confidence in making decisions has meant she was the ideal choice to lead the finance department.”
Cardiff-based Wendy Hopkins Family Law Practice has appointed two paralegals to it family law team.
Originally from Cardiff, Rhys Evans attended Swansea University to undertake his legal studies, while Esther Ifan was raised in Aberystwyth and studied at Cardiff University with an integrated degree in Law and Welsh.
The firm which has recently celebrated its 25-year milestone expands with two new appointments to path the way for the next generation of family lawyers with Wales’ largest specialist family law firm.
Founder and director of the firm Melanie Hamer said: “We are pleased to welcome Rhys Evans and Esther Ifan to the team. Since the start of the pandemic, everyone at the firm has worked incredibly hard to deliver exceptional service to our clients. These new appointments will help to support the growth and development of the firm.
" Having recently surpassed our 25th anniversary, we are recognised as leaders within our field, both Rhys and Esther stood out amongst an exceptionally high calibre of candidates and will lead the way for the firm’s future lawyers.
Cardiff-based tech firm We Build Bots has appointed Network Rail’s portfolio director Yaelle Ridley as a non executive director to strengthen its board and support its growth planas.
A specialist in conversational AI and intelligent automation, We Buld Bots helps companies looking to automate back-office customer service processes that are repetitive and low value. It has clients across the education, utilities local government and transport sectors. It is currently going through its next round of funding, where it hopes to raise £3m. Set up ini 2017 it has developed the IntelAgent platform which helps organisations free up human time by developing multilingual AI chatbots that automate low value, repetitive calls and emails.
Founder of We Build Bots, Paul Shepherd said: “ “We are absolutely thrilled to have Yaelle join as a member of our board, her experience in helping businesses with digital transformation is extensive, and with the transport sector as one of our key sectors, we are confident she will be able to offer invaluable insight and guidance as to how we can really make our technology work for this sector.”
A business transformation specialist, Ms Ridley has been with Network Rail for over a decade and is currently a portfolio director where she oversees capital investment in the rail network.
Before joining Network Rail, she worked in the IT sector for 16 years where she specialised in bringing about business transformation through using technology. During this period, she worked with companies such as the Post Office, Reuters and Midas IT Services.
Ms Ridley said: “I just loved the energy in the team at We Build Bots and knew that my experience would be relevant for their goals and objectives. I think they’ve got an exciting proposition across a lot of sectors, but are still a relatively small team, so hopefully the knowledge that I’ve built through helping large organisations manage change will be helpful in the next stage of their development.
Wales & West Utilities has appointed Iain Morley as hydrogen transformation manager, as the gas network for Wales and south west of England increases its focus on the zero carbon gas.
Mr Morley, 41, has extensive experience of the utilities industry, with over 16 years experience as a gas engineer and manager, latterly responsible for the operational delivery of Wales & West Utilities mains replacement programme.
In his new position, he will play a key role in managing the company’s work on hydrogen, including its contribution to the South Wales Industrial Cluster, which will help decarbonise heavy industry in South Wales.
Mr Morley said: “I’m really excited to be moving into this role at a pivotal time for the gas industry. Independent research has shown that converting the gas network to run on green gases, like hydrogen and biomethane, is more cost effective and can deliver green, sustainable energy sooner than the alternatives.
“My focus now is to build on the fantastic progress being made across the industry and start bringing this future to life: delivering real life trials of hydrogen for home heating and heavy industry.”