Covid restrictions are easing and South West businesses are growing, making appointments and promoting staff. He is a round up of recent activity.
Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants
Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants has three new partners and three directors following a series of promotions.
The internal promotions – from Plymouth to Weston-super-Mare - are part of the South West accountancy firm’s investment in staff and strategic expansion across the region.
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Alison Watts, head of the firm’s growing corporate finance team, has been made a partner. With more than 30 years’ corporate finance experience, she joined Thomas Westcott in 2017 following roles with Ernst & Young, Clydesdale Bank and Armstrong Watson. Based in the firm’s Exeter office, she works with directors and business owners, advising on start-ups, expansion plans and exit strategies.
Cat Williams has been promoted to partner and head of charities and not for profit, following the recent retirement of Steve Cresswell. She joined Thomas Westcott as a trainee in 2006 and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2012. Based in the firm’s office in Barnstaple.
Plymouth-based Adam Croney has been promoted to partner. With 10 years’ accountancy experience, he joined the firm from PwC as a Senior Manager in 2018, before being promoted to director the following year, supporting clients of all sizes and across sectors, from large corporates to SMEs and charities.
Heather Davis has been promoted to director at the firm’s Weston-super-Mare office. Ms Davis,, who has nearly 20 years’ accountancy experience, will play a key role in growing the firm in North Somerset. She advises a diverse mix of businesses, from sole traders to large companies.
Annette Stone’s promotion to director comes as Thomas Westcott focuses on growing its specialist tax team in Plymouth and across the region. With more than 20 years’ tax experience, she joined the firm in 2017 and is best known for advising high-net-worth individuals and business owners.
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Chartered Financial Planner Simon Lake has also been promoted to director. He was recruited to Thomas Westcott in 2017 and, since then, has significantly grown the firm’s financial planning offering in and around Plymouth.
South West Business Council
The South West Business Council (SWBC) has added further quality and diversity to its board with the appointment of new members, Jabo Butera, Justin Olosunde and Martin Williams.
Jabo Butera is co-founder and managing director of Diversity Business Incubator, a community interest company that provides business support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) people living in the South West.
Justin Olosunde has an extensive background of education and curriculum development in science, construction, technology and engineering in further education colleges within the South West.
He also specialises in building service engineering skills delivery, corporate management systems, and renewable skills design and delivery. It is this specialism that led him to join the University of Exeter as Impact and Partnership Development Manager for the Cornwall Floating Offshore Wind Accelerator Project.
Martin Williams joins the SWBC board with a wealth of knowledge in finance and commerce. He has a keen interest in the economic development of the region and currently works for Rittal as chief financial officer, 海角视频 and Ireland. In addition, he sits on the governing council for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, following his presidency of the organisation’s South West division.
Composite Integration
Saltash based manufacturer Composite Integration has appointed Clyde Doyne-Ditmas as its senior tooling engineer.
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Mr Doyne-Ditmas joined the company in August 2008, obtaining extensive practical and
theoretical knowledge of composite manufacturing, processes, and tool building experience.
His new role will facilitate knowledge transfer of his technical expertise, providing greater focus and support to clients with their tool-building and injection processes in the field; as well as developing strong commercial relationships.
Friends and Families of Special Children
Plymouth-based Friends and Families of Special Children has appointed Tim Tod as its first chief executive.
Mr Tod will be leading the organisation through a period of growth over the next five years, with new activities and projects being developed alongside the existing services that already support 1,700 families in Plymouth and surrounding areas.
Mr Tod has decades of experience having been chief executive of the countywide Young Devon charity for 20 years.
His arrival means that Kay O’Shaughnessy, founder and driving force behind the charity since 2002, can devote more time on her role as charity ambassador and to campaign on important issues.
The charity, based at the Virginia House Centre, supports families with disabled children and young adults up to the age of 25. Services include specially catered activities, advice and information, and training workshops. It also has a Fun and Freedom Club for young carers and a sensory room for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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Celtic & Co
Cornwall’s Celtic & Co, the pioneering, digitally native, retailer of ethically sourced, natural and sustainable knitwear, footwear and outerwear has named James Williams as managing director.
He has a decade of digital “direct to consumer” experience with mainstream brands including Jigsaw and Phase Eight and will join Celtic & Co at the End of May 2021 from the ethical and organic children’s clothing brand Frugi.
Albert Goodman
Lyndsay Blackshaw and Michelle Ferris have been promoted from within the accountancy business, after both joined as graduates and completed their professional training with Albert Goodman.
The latest round of promotions brings the South West-based chartered accountants, tax consultants and financial planners total partner headcount to 17, creating a 48%/52% female/male split across the partnership board.
Ms Ferris has been with Albert Goodman since 2006 and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2008. She is responsible for the firm’s charity and care teams, specialising in the public sector, not-for-profit and charitable organisations.
Ms Blackshaw joined Albert Goodman in 2011 part qualified from another accountancy
firm, and qualified as a chartered certified accountant one year later.
Having progressed through the ranks in the past decade, she has risen to the level of partner by gaining a wealth of experience that comes with managing a large portfolio of clients. She primarily works with owner-managed businesses and medical practices, to whom she provides expert accounting, tax and business advice based out of the firm’s Yeovil office.