Big Four accountancy firm EY has appointed Karen Kirkwood as a partner to lead its South West tax practice as it continues to expand the team. Karen, pictured, has 20 years’ experience providing tax advice to a broad range of companies and private equity backed businesses. She joins from PwC in London and will...
Swindon’s economic performance has failed to keep pace with its population growth, a major new report out today shows – leaving the town struggling to compete with the UK’s largest towns and cities. While the town’s population increased by 14.8% between 2004 and 2013, it was one of the worst performers for jobs growth...
Specialist restructuring firm Quantuma has expanded into the South West with an office headed by former BDO regional head Graham Randall. The firm, which already operates from bases in Southampton, Marlow, London and Brighton, has opened a Bristol office to provide specialised restructuring advice on all forms of insolvency procedures. Until recently Mr Randall,...
Businesses are increasingly falling victim to fraud – most of it committed by their own employees, new figures show. The number of cases in the South West soared by 136% last year to 33, from 14 in 2013, according to accountants KPMG’s latest Fraud Barometer. Thirteen firms in the region were hit by the...
Proposito, the Malmesbury-based financial planning firm, has attained a prestigious British Standard quality mark just weeks after gaining chartered financial planner status from the Chartered Insurance Institute. Proposito underwent a rigorous process to achieve its BS8577, the only British Standard for financial advice and planning firms. It is just the 15th UK firm to...
Aria Networks, the leading-edge Chippenham-based tech firm, is planning to strengthen its lead in the fast-growing Software Defined Networking (SDN) market after securing further investment. The firm, whose customers include major US and European telecoms companies, cloud and datacentre operators, and social network providers, is already ahead of its SDN rivals. Its products, developed...
Ian Larrard, director of the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative at Business West, looks back at the past 12 months and considers why next year’s General Election is set to be one of the most important in recent memory. “The noise and glare of fireworks this New Year must not mask the fact that we...
More than 100 small businesses across Wiltshire have received grants for expert advice to help their enterprises grow under a new scheme. Some 112 Specialist Business Advice grants of between £500 and £1,500 were paid to a wide range of small businesses. The most popular requests were for specialist web development support, brand enhancement...
Confidence among law firms in the South West is at its highest since 2006, according to new research, with a third planning to open new offices next year. However, most also say that competition has got tougher with cashflow management a particular challenge. The snapshot of a sector undergoing fundamental change emerges from the...
The parent company of Royal Wootton Bassett-based specialist logistics and installations firm Bishopsgate is looking for further growth after completing a £25m buyout. Bishopsgate is one of three subsidiaries of London-based logistics and removals group Ward Thomas Group, which was founded in 1985 and has annual revenues in excess of £20m. Ward secured a...
