KPMG UK has appointed Hilary Eastman as a partner in accountancy advisory services to lead the ESG reporting practice and support clients as they look to comply with new ESG reporting requirements. She has over 20 years’ experience in corporate reporting, investor engagement, and business valuation across sectors. Previously she was at PwC where she led their global investor engagement programme.

RSM UK has appointed Ben Collett as partner to lead the firm’s performance improvement and turnaround practice within consulting. Based in the Birmingham office, Collett is an experienced turnaround and transactions professional of 25 years. He joins from financial advisory firm Kroll and has held previous roles as strategic projects director at IMI PLC and KPMG. At RSM, he will focus on helping companies improve profitability, working capital and cashflow.

MHA has strengthened its tax technology offering with the appointment of Andrew Fairhurst as director and head of tax technology based in the group’s London office. He has over 20 years’ experience with a background in both tax and technology. Most recently he worked at EY, where he was a member of the tax, technology and transformation team, responsible for helping clients update and streamline their tax function in line with the latest technology. He began his career at IBM and then moved to Andersen where he trained as a tax adviser.

FRP has appointed two partners to its London City and West End teams. Victoria Kisseleva joins the firm’s West End office as a partner in its corporate finance team while Jonathan Wheatcroft joins the City office as a partner in the forensic services team. Wheatcroft has 20 years’ experience, having worked on high profile and sensitive fraud, bribery and financial crime projects, across multiple jurisdictions. He joins from PwC, where he was a forensic accountant and investigations specialist. Kisseleva has 20 years’ experience in international finance, private equity and investment banking, specialising in the beauty and wellness industry, most recently as an independent consultant.

Mazars has announced a raft of senior promotions across the firm with 13 partners appointed across the group. At the Milton Keynes office Ross Lambert, a member of the private client team, has been promoted to partner. Ellie Bradford and Andy Border are promoted to senior manager, both in the audit team, while Susanne Minocha, company secretarial, becomes a manager. In the tax advisory team, David Copperwheat and Annie Shen are both now managers. These promotions reflect Mazars’ commitment to nurturing and developing talent as Border, Bradford and Lambert all joined the firm as graduates. At the same time, Mazars has appointed a record number of partners, with 13 new partners appointed across six regional offices. Meantime, in the East Midlands offices, Mazars has appointed three partners, Andrew Hickson, Claire Cowen and Mark Surridge. The firm has also hired 20 graduates and school leavers as part of its annual intake in the East Midlands.

Armstrong Watson has taken on 51 trainees and graduates as the firm continues its commitment to investing in young people. Among the new starters are 17 AAT students and two ATT students who will be working towards their apprenticeship qualifications in accounting and tax compliance. There are also 28 ACA graduates who will work towards ACA qualifications. In addition, the firm has recruited two ACCA students in restructuring and insolvency as well as two payroll apprentices. Based at the firm’s offices across the north of England and Scotland, the trainees and graduates will receive hands-on experience throughout their studies as they work towards their qualifications.

Novatus Global, the risk and regulation consultancy and technology solution provider, has appointed former KPMG chairman Bill Michael as head of strategy and member of the board. He has over 35 years’ experience in financial services across capital markets, corporate banking and regulation as well as extensive advisory expertise. Prior to joining Novatus Global, Michael was UK chairman at KPMG and previously held roles including UK head of financial services and global head of banking and capital markets at the firm.

Shaw Gibbs has appointed Adam Bell as its first chief people officer in a move to reinforce the firm’s HR leadership and foster employee well-being, ED&I and growth. Bell has over 19 years of experience in HR leadership roles, most recently as chief people officer at software development company, One Beyond. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the employee experience at Shaw Gibbs, including talent acquisition and retention, professional development, and fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture.

Baker Tilly Mooney Moore has expanded its business services department, hiring Emma Scott as payroll administrator and James Malee as trainee accountant. Scott brings experience to the role, having worked at another mid-tier accountancy firm and as a payroll specialist in the local food processing industry. Having recently moved to Northern Ireland, Malee joins the team after holding the position of accounts assistant at a practice in Liverpool, where he also studied accounting and finance at Liverpool Hope University.