A decade after starting out as apprentices, two new partners have been appointed at accountancy firm Lithgow Perkins in Harrogate.
Tom Lowry and Tom Rhodes completed their education and a series of demanding industry exams to become fully qualified Chartered Accountants in 2020 and 2018 respectively.
In their recent promotion, they will work with current partners Robert Horner, Mike Briggs and Joe Taylor to further develop the company’s services and grow its client base.
You will also be involved in supporting the next generation of accountants and helping to train the company’s current five trainees.
Rhodes, 29, said: “We are delighted to be recognized for this promotion which is the culmination of many years of hard work.
“Lithgow Perkins is a great place to work and we are very grateful for the support we have received from everyone as we have continued to develop our accounting career.”
Lowry, 30, added: “Over the past 10 years we’ve had some great opportunities to expand our knowledge and skills across all areas of accounting and to develop the soft skills needed to work front-line.”
“We look forward to strengthening and growing Lithgow Perkins for the future by taking a proactive and innovative approach that delivers value to our customers.”
Rhodes joined Lithgow Perkins in September 2012 after completing his A-levels at Rossett School in Harrogate whilst Lowry, a former pupil of St Aidan’s and Rossett Schools, joined a year later after changing directions whilst studying physical education had.
Lowry, who specializes in tax and VAT, said: “Working at partner level will allow us to further develop our expertise as well as our relationships with clients.”
“It’s about a high level of technical knowledge combined with softer, interpersonal skills.”
Prior to their promotion, the new partners had already launched a number of initiatives within the company.
This included the launch in 2021 of LP Connect, a monthly fixed-price service designed to help SMBs better manage their cash flow. The service has become a growing area of activity for the company, whose customer base is predominantly made up of younger people.
Rhodes, who specializes in tax, accounting and business consulting, said: “We want to be more proactive and offer some innovative, more modern services alongside the traditional approach.”
“Not only is this appealing to a new generation of entrepreneurs, but it also fits in well with HMRC’s move to make taxes digital.”
Partner Joe Taylor said, “Our new partners are a great example of why it’s important for heritage companies like Lithgow Perkins to nurture their younger employees and invest in their career development.”
“They have worked extremely hard, are proactive and innovative, and have built a strong reputation for their expertise and the value they bring to our customers.”
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Virgin Money Business has appointed three new members to its Strategic Finance team in Yorkshire and the North East.
Jonathan Fletcher and Charlie Treloar have joined the Commercial team as Relationship Managers and Rich Hartley has been appointed a Director in the Acquisition Finance team.
Fletcher and Treloar both hail from other teams at the company. Fletcher comes from the private banking team, where he served wealthy clients with bespoke banking solutions for four years.
Treloar comes from the Social Housing team, where he spent five years providing financial support to housing associations in England, Scotland and Wales.
Hartley has held a variety of roles in the financial services industry over the course of his eight-year career, including associate director and managerial roles at Teneo and Deloitte.
The trio will be responsible for supporting businesses by providing a wide range of specialist products and lending solutions to facilitate business acquisition, growth and investment needs, with total commitments typically ranging from £1.5m to £25m and upwards.
They will also support you in day-to-day banking matters.
John Bullock, Head of Strategic Finance Yorkshire and North East said: “Jonathan, Charlie and Rich are three strong additions to our growing Strategic Finance team in Yorkshire and North East Structured Finance.
“We are committed to growing our client base by providing well thought out and tailored financing to help local businesses thrive.”
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York-based Burton Roofing Group has appointed Jon Smith as its new operations manager.
He comes from London-based Enotria & Coe, where he was supply chain director for the £200m company, a leading wine and spirits retailer.
He was responsible for all transportation and warehousing operations and helped the company increase operational efficiencies.
Prior to Enotria & Coe, Smith was regional managing director for beverage wholesaler Matthew Clark.
He was responsible for the £100m turnover budget and oversaw a 30 strong sales team and 220 strong operations team whilst also managing the fleet of 70 vehicles and 150,000 sqft of warehousing space.
He was also Regional Managing Director of Carpet and Flooring Ltd, a £100million distributor to the construction industry.
Smith began his career at AAH Central Heating Supplies, which Travis Perkins bought.
Ina Leigh, Managing Director of Burton Roofing Group, said: “Jon has outstanding experience and an impressive track record of managing multiple sites and achieving operational efficiencies.
“He has an expert knowledge of streamlining organizations through the implementation of processes and systems that lead to effectiveness, but he also has the leadership skills to motivate teams in a positive culture.
“We look forward to welcoming him to the leadership team.”
Smith added, “Burton Roofing Group is a respected company in the construction industry and the company begins an important chapter in its history as it aims to grow in the years to come.
“There is a strong company culture that aims to be the best and to ensure that our customers receive excellent and competent service.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues across the organization to help us achieve our vision of being a market leader that puts our customers first.”
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Hull-headquartered 55 Group has appointed a new learning and people manager to drive career development for employees across its technology and construction businesses Pagabo, Sypro, Loop and Tequ.
Cheryl Hogger has over 14 years of experience in the skills and education industry and has been tasked with leading the focus on training, development and upskilling of the group’s 80-strong team.
She said: “Human development can never be an overnight transformation and requires continuous investment in coordinated well-being and education.
“To truly help people thrive, there needs to be a continuously tailored and personalized approach to the individual development of each team member to ensure they are supported, fulfilled and happy.
“It can be traditional CPD training and formal qualifications, but also more personal aspects such as learning a language.”
“I look forward to developing these programs that not only strengthen our teams and their personal career growth, but also drive change in the industry.
“Upskilling a modern and ever-diversifying workforce has become such a critical necessity in the construction industry and I am delighted to be able to help The 55 Group lead the way.”
Gerard Toplass, Group CEO, added: “We know that the construction industry needs continuous progress to be sustainable and profitable over the long term.
“We have pursued this goal with our digital-first approach, which supports the streamlining and simplicity of what we see as the hardest aspects within projects and the built environment as a whole.
“We are incredibly excited to have Cheryl on our team to help strengthen the other incredibly important component in the industry: people.
“Your work represents our ‘careers not jobs’ mentality and will be instrumental in strengthening and nurturing our team for the individual growth and development needed to support the overall strengthening of the construction industry.”
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