Tag Archives: career development

Appointments, Finance and Banking, Finance News, News

Duo gain promotion in HURST’s tax team

Independent accounting and business advisory firm HURST has announced two promotions in its tax team.

Sam Ryan, who joined HURST in 2022, has been promoted to tax manager. He works with clients on a range of matters, including transactions, due diligence and restructuring.

Liza Whiley, who moved to HURST in 2021, has become an associate tax manager. She has a dual role, covering personal tax advisory and research and development.

HURST partner Liz Gallagher, head of the tax team, said: “Sam and Liza are integral to the success of our tax advisory department and have both contributed significantly to what will be our best-ever year.

“As a firm, it’s important that we recognise their hard work and dedication as they progress their tax careers with us.

“In addition to reflecting their individual contributions to the business, their promotions underline our commitment to helping colleagues actively develop their careers with us.

“On a personal level, I’m delighted that Sam and Liza have made these important career steps with HURST and I and look forward to working with them as we go forward to the next phase of our firm’s growth.”

HURST focuses on advising entrepreneurial owner-managed businesses with turnover of £10m and above across all sectors. Clients include Kinaxia Logistics, M&I Materials, Beechfield Brands, Duerr’s, Oliver Valves, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Krones UK, Creamline Dairies, Arighi Bianchi, Scapa Group and Hyde Group.

The tax team promotions follow a raft of recent promotions in HURST’s business services team. Four of those five individuals began their careers with the firm as trainees.

HURST is due to move its head office to a new flagship development in Stockport in the spring to accommodate its growing team.

The firm is taking 11,000sq ft at 3 Stockport Exchange, the latest phase of a £145m project by Muse Developments and Stockport Council.

HURST is taking a 10-year lease and will occupy the entire fifth floor at the building. It has been based since 1998 in Tiviot Dale in Stockport town centre, but has outgrown those premises.

The new HQ will give the firm scope to expand from 120 staff to around 170, which it aims to achieve over the next three years.

Appointments, News

Trio promoted at accountancy firm HURST

Accounting and business advisory firm HURST has promoted three rising stars to associate manager level.

The trio are Oliver Cross and Ellie Wild in HURST’s business services team and Jack Moore in the tax team.

Oliver was recruited to the practice in 2017 as an audit senior while Ellie joined as a graduate trainee accountant in 2015 and qualified two years later. Jack joined HURST in April last year as a tax senior.

HURST partner and director of practice development Simon Brownbill said: “Joining us early in their careers, Ollie and Ellie have become invaluable members of the team, and we welcome their promotion to management positions.

“In a short period of time, Jack has really impressed us with his skills and knowledge. We see his promotion as recognition of his stellar performance, and the central role he will play as the team continues to grow and develop.

“These promotions reflect our ongoing commitment to promoting talented individuals within the firm and giving them the opportunity to further their careers with us.”

HURST, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, focuses on advising entrepreneurial owner-managed companies with turnover of £5m and above.

Clients include leading entrepreneurial businesses such as Kinaxia Logistics, M&I Materials, London Lash, Beechfield Brands, Duerr’s, Oliver Valves and Delamere Dairy.

Meanwhile the firm has also recruited three trainee accountants to its growing team.

They are Ewan Lawson, who has a maths and economics degree from the University of Strathclyde, Tirath Panesar, who graduated in accounting and finance at the University of Leeds, and Miles Redgrave, who has an astrophysics degree from Loughborough University.

In another development, Mimi Weir-Bennett has taken on a new role at HURST as its dedicated HR and quality associate. She joined the practice as a personal assistant in 2015, then moved to its HR and business support team.

Mimi’s new role will see her support and promote best practice across the firm.

News

Why you will regret keeping your mouth shut

Written by Jon lam, Toastmasters International

We are often reminded of the old adage that we “were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason.” It is so we can listen more than we speak. However, after missing out on many business opportunities by simply being a ‘good listener’, I realised that I needed to start opening my mouth more. As the saying by Mahatma Gandhi goes, “if you don’t ask, you don’t get it.” This does not mean that you will instantly win business deals by simply asking for it though, since it depends on how you communicate the ask.

And that is why I decided to start working on my communication skills by exploring the world of public speaking. If you are a leader in your organisation, read on to learn why keeping your mouth shut might be ruining your opportunities to get ahead in the world of business.

 

You will miss out on key leadership opportunities

 Successful businesses are often spearheaded by strong leaders and it’s often those who speak up that get elected for leadership positions. Susan Cain, author of the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” explains that “extroverts are routinely chosen for leadership positions and introverts are looked over, even though introverts often deliver better outcomes.” This is because they are not considered as “leadership material”.

There is therefore a strong case to develop your public speaking skills so that you can communicate across ideas that truly inspire others. By doing this, you will gain more visibility in your organisation and strengthen your credibility among your peers too. Start developing this skill by taking on any speaking opportunity that arises at work, even if you feel apprehensive. After speaking, be open to receiving feedback so you know where you can improve in your next speaking opportunity. With consistent practice, you will find it increasingly comfortable to speak with impact in public.

 

You may be losing out on opportunities to collaborate

Finding common ground with others is often a crucial step taken when trying to build partnerships. Unless you meet someone who can mind-read, you’ll most likely have to tell them about your ideas. Again, this is where public speaking comes in. I recall practicing my speaking skills, specifically voice projection and good body posture before volunteering to talk at events. And after sharing my ideas at these events, I was approached by like-minded attendees who resonated with my ideas. These meaningful connections resulted in new business partnership opportunities that would not have happened if I had not learned to communicate my ideas in an engaging manner.

When speaking at any event, it is important to first have a grasp on the audience that you are speaking to. After this step, leverage techniques, such as humour to share your ideas in an engaging manner. By doing so, you will increase the chances of creating new connections with others who resonate with your ideas and who might turn into potential business partners.

 

Mentor others

By practicing how to speak publicly, you will be harnessing communication, one of the most important skills any leader can possess. However, practicing alone will only give you one angle on how to speak. Successful businesses were not built single-handedly by one person, therefore it’s paramount to also take up opportunities to mentor inexperienced speakers in your organisation. By doing this, you will gain a fresh perspective and new ideas on how to improve your own public speaking style. Additionally, you will be able to help build a stronger and more impactful team that can help propel the organisation forward. As with anything, do not wait and start taking up speaking and mentoring opportunities whenever you have the chance as you will only grow through experience.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jon Lam is a member of Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confidence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To find your nearest club, visit www.toastmasters.org

News

Fluent Commerce appoints Alex Pusenjak as Global Head of People

Fluent Commerce, the global distributed order management platform for omni-channel retail, has announced that Alex Pusenjak has joined the team as Global Head of People. Pusenjak will be focused on building and rolling out a robust People strategy for the next phase of the company’s growth.

Fluent Commerce is headquartered in Sydney but has growing teams in Europe and North America. The company works with global and regional brands such as JD Sports, GrandVision, Aldo, eBay, Target and Marks & Spencer.

In his most recent role, Pusenjak oversaw the human resources function across Asia Pacific for Datto, a leading provider of cloud-based software and security solutions purpose-built for delivery by managed service providers.

Pusenjak says he is excited about the opportunity to join the Fluent Commerce team: “I’m thrilled to be joining Fluent Commerce at a time of rapid growth. Our greatest asset is our phenomenal global workforce and I’m looking forward to helping them further establish Fluent as the leading cloud-based order management provider in the Asia Pacific region, as well as our growth markets in EMEA and North America for years to come.”

Pusenjak brings over 10 years of human resources leadership experience to his new role at Fluent Commerce where his focus will be to create a world-class onboarding experience, develop a career model framework across the business and implement a competitive global benefits program. 

“We’ve worked hard to build a great culture here at Fluent Commerce, but now is the time to invest in a People Strategy that includes employee engagement and enablement, career development and diversity equality and inclusion, to support us as we scale. Alex brings an incredible amount of people experience to Fluent Commerce, and his breadth of knowledge and infectious enthusiasm will help guide our growth and enrich our company culture,” said Graham Jackson, CEO, Fluent Commerce.

In 2019 Fluent Commerce raised $33 million in a Series B fund round from U.S. growth equity firm Arrowroot Capital. Fluent Commerce has 15 new starters joining the team in May and is actively hiring for 20 further roles. For more details please visit: https://fluentcommerce.com/careers/