Tag Archives: Growth

Business, Wales

Chamber appoints new CEO with commitment to further growing its business support

Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid has appointed Gus Williams as its interim CEO.

The appointment comes as the Chamber seeks to underpin and further develop its commitment of high quality business support services for its partners and members.

To drive the Chamber’s mission to promote, connect, support and inform businesses in Wales, Gus and the senior team will particularly focus on services such as key events, international documentation, property support and the highly anticipated annual Wales Business Awards in 2025.

Gus is the CEO of leading Welsh chartered accountancy firm Bevan Buckland, and will continue in that role alongside his role at the Chamber. Gus has a background in international banking prior to joining Bevan Buckland and is passionate about supporting Welsh business.

This appointment follows the recent strengthening of the Chamber’s trade team which saw David Peña join as International Trade Manager to assist members, partners and businesses in Wales with their exporting and importing needs.

Gus Williams, interim CEO at Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “Chambers Wales continues to be more than just a business support organisation; it’s a leading voice for business in Wales, playing a vital role in supporting people within our member and partner businesses.

“Its international network also makes it uniquely positioned to bring Wales to the world, and the world to Wales.

“The key pillars of our support are around our events, which continue to prove extremely popular, international trade support, and of course, our flagship awards. Each of these help to enable people to connect and work together regionally, nationally or internationally.

“I am excited to lead the Chamber in its next chapter, and work with the team to use our network and expertise to support businesses in Wales through both good and challenging times as businesses respond to a range of legislative changes, and announcements expected from the Chancellor in Wednesday’s Budget.”

Penny Lock, the Chamber’s Director of Partnerships, said: “Hundreds of our partners and members have been involved in our engaging and impactful events through the past year.

“The Chamber will continue to build and develop this programme in consultation with those partners and members, in particular, the 2025 Wales Business Awards.”

The Chamber has also actively started to strengthen its Board to further reflect the diversity and voices of its membership, and to appoint a new Chair, replacing Paul Clark, who has resigned from the Board.

The Chamber is a membership organisation which supports businesses across 80 per cent of Wales through facilitating connections, upskilling opportunities and trade expertise. It is part of the British Chambers of Commerce and wider global Chamber network.

Business

Growing Welsh PR agency makes senior appointments

Leading Welsh PR and marketing agency Effective Communication has promoted two longstanding staff members to director roles to help drive further growth while maintaining the very best service delivery.

 

Effective Communication, which was established by Alastair Milburn in 2004 and supports organisations with their PR, marketing and digital communications, has promoted Katherine Kennedy to operations and people director and Rhys Gregory to commercial director.

 

PR specialist Katherine joined Effective in 2012. In her time at Effective, she has worked on countless client campaigns and has latterly played a vital role in shaping the business as it looks ahead and continues to adapt its service offering to reflect changing habits and platforms.

 

Katherine said: “In my new role I will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business and ensuring that we deliver for our clients, while supporting and developing our extremely talented team.

 

“We were recently shortlisted as Employer of the Year at the Cardiff Business Awards and this is some recognition for all the hard work we’ve put in to make sure that Effective is a great place to work.”

 

Rhys, who specialises in digital marketing and communications, also joined Effective in 2012.

 

Rhys said: “When I first started at Effective we were in the very early stages of developing the social media and digital side of our business. Since then, the digital arm of the business has grown to such an extent that it is now a major component of our offering.

 

“Effective as a business is constantly evolving and, in many ways, it is hardly recognisable as the company I joined in 2012. It has been very gratifying to work alongside Alastair and the team to help the business grow and evolve.”

 

Alastair Milburn, managing director of Effective Communication said: “As we approached our 20th anniversary in the third quarter of 2024, it felt like the perfect time to take stock of the business, assess all that we have achieved to date, and consider what we want to do next. My ultimate goal is to continue to build a business that is sustainable, resilient and thriving, and Katherine and Rhys are integral to those plans.”

 

Effective was founded in 2004 by the then South Wales Echo editor Alastair Milburn.

 

For more information about Effective Communication, visit www.weareeffective.co.uk

Appointments, Business, Business News

New appointment to support Welsh businesses’ trade ambitions

Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid has appointed David Peña as its new International Trade Manager.

David, who is originally from Barcelona and speaks English, Catalan, French and Spanish, joins the Chamber from International Trade Matters.

With his professional career spanning the retail sector, licensing industry, business development and trade support, David brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with him to the Chamber.

In his varied career he has worked in culturally different companies, opened access to new markets for companies in all continents and liaised with businesses, organisations and brands such as Asmodee, Ministry of Defence (UK), Royal British Legion and The Smurfs.

Additionally, David holds a Level 5 Diploma in International Trade from the Institute of Export where he is a full member and was awarded twice in his graduation ceremony including the Prize for Academic Excellence from the Worshipful Company of World Traders.

In his new role, David will lead the trade team at the Chamber and assist members, partners and businesses in Wales with their exporting and importing needs including compliance, training, access to new markets and supply chain connectivity. David will share his invaluable knowledge and experience, becoming an asset to the team.

David said: “I am looking forward to supporting all our members in their international trade journey. I know from experience how challenging it can be, but I trust that Chambers Wales will be the right partner to be alongside our members at every step of the journey.

“As a native Catalonian and a Catalan speaker, I fully understand the particularities of being a nation within a nation, and the challenges but also the opportunities that this uniqueness can bring to the table.”

In his spare time, David trains with his local rugby club and plays the occasional veterans game as a scrum half.

Commenting on David’s appointment, Penny Lock, Director of Partnerships at Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming David as a core member of our team who will be instrumental in supporting our members in their international trade journeys.

“This appointment represents another step in our mission of taking Welsh businesses to the world across our global network. David will be a tremendous asset to the Chamber, and we are very excited to work with him and to learn from his invaluable knowledge.”

Appointments, Business, Construction, Construction News

Fabricator welcomes next generation with new appointments

FABRICATOR Dudley’s Aluminium has made three new appointments to its team in Cardiff.

Taran Bhullar, an experienced Estimator, has joined Dudley’s from aluminium product manufacturer Smart Systems. Using his expertise, Taran will assist with cost estimation for new projects and will take an active, leading role within the department.

Joining Taran in the estimating team will be Estimator Apprentice Miles Neizer. Miles has an NVQ Level 3 in Construction in the Built Environment from Cardiff and Vale College and through his apprenticeship, he will learn to review detailed drawings, elevations, floor plans and specifications to assist the team and calculate the required costs for construction projects.

Project Design Apprentice Evan Robertson completes the trio of appointments. Evan joins the team fresh from completing his A-Levels at Newport High School and, in his apprenticeship, will be undertaking CAD training to develop his skills in project design to create detailed drawings and designs across a range of projects.

Pablo Shorney, Finance Director at Dudley’s Aluminium, said: “We are delighted to welcome Taran, Evan and Miles to our team and look forward to seeing them progress in their roles with our support.

“It’s exciting to see our team grow as our company has enjoyed a successful year with an increasing number of projects live and in the pipeline. We’re also continuing to expand with more apprentices set to join us in the coming months.”

Since 1993, Dudley’s Aluminium has offered clients full in-house design and production facilities, completing many successful and prestigious projects within the education, health, commercial, retail, residential and defence sectors throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

Dudley’s reputation for quality has been recognised with several industry-related accreditations. The company is CHAS accredited, Constructionline registered and BM Trada certified to manufacture enhanced security products to align with PAS24:2016 and BS 4873.

Accountancy & Accounts, Appointments, Business

New appointments strengthen audit and accountancy team at independent firm

Kilsby Williams, one of the largest independent tax and accountancy firms in south-east Wales, has made four new appointments to its audit and accountancy team.

Channa Wijesekera joins Kilsby Williams from one of the ‘Big Four’ global accounting firms and will use his external audit, internal audit and special assignments experience to support the firm’s audit specialists as a senior.

Channa said: “I am very grateful to all the Partners of Kilsby Williams for the opportunity given to me. It is a great experience working with diverse people, clients and cultures.”

Joining Channa in the department will be manager Stephanie Pingue, an ACCA qualified business services manager with years of experience working in practice, and seniors Ryan Jeffs and Alex Manton. The trio will be responsible for providing accounts preparation services, including financial statements, year-end accounts, management accounts and VAT returns for a range of clients.

Ryan said: “The future at Kilsby Williams looks really promising; their plans for expansion and growth really give me hope for what’s to come. There are big things to look forward to from the company and I am glad I managed to join at the right time so I can continue my career and grow as they do.”

Simon Tee, managing partner at Kilsby Williams, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Channa, Stephanie, Ryan and Alex to our audit and accountancy team. Their skills and knowledge strengthens our existing team and will provide a multitude of benefits for our clients. We look forward to seeing them progress in their roles and will do all we can to empower them to maximise their potential.”

Established in 1991, Kilsby Williams works with clients locally in south Wales, extending across the UK and globally. Their clients range from sole traders to international quoted groups.

Appointments, Investment, Investment News, South Wales

Howden appoints Account Director to accelerate growth in Wales

HOWDEN, the global insurance intermediary group, has appointed Tony Barber as Account Director as it continues to grow its presence in South Wales.

 

Tony will be based in Cardiff, covering Wales and its surrounding regions, and joins the team having previously worked as Account Director at Willis Towers Watson.

 

In his new role, Tony will help drive Howden’s positive growth in Wales by supporting larger and more complex clients, developing and implementing comprehensive risk management and insurance strategies.

 

Commenting on his appointment, Tony said: “I am thrilled to be joining Howden’s Cardiff office and to build on its already fantastic growth.

 

“I was drawn to Howden due to its employee ownership model as it cultivates a collaborative culture amongst colleagues to the benefit of clients, as well as its renowned entrepreneurial culture.

 

“I’m excited to join a new team and am looking forward to playing a part in shaping Howden’s strategy in South Wales.”

 

Gary Stevens, Regional Managing Director at Howden, said: “Tony is yet another fantastic addition to our Cardiff team, and has already made an extraordinary impact in accelerating our growth and creating new ways in which we can support our clients.

 

“As we continue to grow our Howden team in Wales, I have every confidence that we will continue on our upwards trajectory and expand even further across south and west Wales.”

Accountancy & Accounts, Business News, Leadership

Kilsby Williams announces major Partner promotions

Tax and accountancy specialist Kilsby Williams has announced a major enhancement of its leadership team, doubling its partner group to 11 with six new internal promotions to partner.

Lucy Creese, Stuart Evans, Dafydd Ford, Rob Meredith and Kaye Morris have been promoted from within the firm’s fast growing Tax, Growth and Transactions departments, while Huw Sheppard from the Audit, Accountancy and Payroll teams completes the leadership group.

Simon Tee, managing partner at Kilsby Williams, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for our business and we are proud that we are able to expand our leadership team with six outstanding internal promotions. We have been growing at a fantastic rate over the last few years and the capabilities and ideas our new partners bring will ensure we can continue to do so in the future.”

The announcement coincides with an exciting new brand identity and website.

The brand refresh has seen the firm retain the respected Kilsby Williams name and diamond logo, supported by a fresh colour palette and updated design across its new website with improved functionality, and at its Newport headquarters.

The website’s significant functionality overhaul now offers existing and prospective clients a seamless experience, showcasing the firm’s tax and accountancy expertise, case studies and thought leadership in a more user-friendly way. The new site allows the firm to better interact with its client base of entrepreneurs, local fast growth businesses, and national and international groups.

Simon Tee added: “With the continued use of the Kilsby Williams name, there is a classic feel to the new branding, representing the firm’s determination to stay true to its history and culture. These have been the bedrock of the firm’s success and made us a recognisable, trusted partner to our varied client portfolio for over 30 years.

“Whilst retaining our heritage, we have also developed a modern, forward-thinking new look that fully embraces the firm’s current evolution and growth as the largest independent firm in the region and improves our clients’ experience.”

Established in 1991, Kilsby Williams works with clients locally in south Wales, extending across the UK and globally. Their clients range from sole traders to international quoted groups.

News, Recruitment News

Hiring Hub and hireful link up to power growth

Recruitment marketplace Hiring Hub has struck an agreement with technology provider hireful to power growth for both companies and help more employers find the right candidates to fill job vacancies faster.

The partnership and platform integration will allow users of hireful’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to post roles directly on to Hiring Hub’s platform and gain access to its rated and reviewed network of specialist recruiters.

Headquartered in Strixton, Northamptonshire, and with offices in Spain and South Africa, hireful supports more than 400 organisations with its ATS software, recruitment workshops, training and recruitment process audits. The company, which has 60 staff, works with clients including Heron Foods, Kidney Research UK, Haribo and Fulham FC.

Its technology streamlines and automates the recruitment process, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks such as advertising jobs, scoring and shortlisting of candidates, interviewing and onboarding new hires.

It also includes a variety of features as standard to help support employers’ diversity and inclusion goals, including diversity capture, anonymised and disability-confident applications and ongoing performance monitoring.

The platform is designed to make life easier for employers and provide organisations of all sizes with the tools, insights and capability to compete with larger rivals in their sector.

In December, hireful secured a seven-figure funding package from SME Capital, facilitated by Leyton Capital Advisors, to support its growth strategy and expansion plans.

Hiring Hub, which is based in Manchester and operates across the UK and Europe, connects businesses with boutique recruiters through its marketplace platform to help employers find quality candidates quickly.

Companies post their vacancies on the platform and set the fee they are willing to pay a recruiter, and recruitment agencies pitch to work on them. This enables employers to manage recruiters centrally online, widen their candidate search and swiftly find off-market talent via specialist head-hunters.

The platform is used by employers such as Dodd Group, Sega Amusements and industrial and consumer goods company Henkel.

Simon Swan, founder of Hiring Hub, said: “The team at hireful are dedicated to making the lives of HR and in-house recruitment teams as simple and straightforward as possible, an ethos that very much aligns with our own.

“This partnership is a great fit for us as an organisation and, more importantly, it will deliver real value for the users of both our systems. It will increase the options available to employers using hireful when they are looking to quickly widen their candidate search, fill a specialist role or have a vacancy that has proven particularly challenging to fill. That is when we can add real value.

“We are looking forward to helping hireful users to find and hire quality talent using our award-winning recruiter marketplace.”

Adrian McDonagh, co-founder of hireful, said: “We are excited to be partnering with Hiring Hub.

“By combining hireful’s technology with Hiring Hub’s expansive recruiter network, we aim to set a new standard for efficiency and effectiveness in connecting employers with top-tier talent. Recruitment has always been about hiring first-rate talent, and our customers will benefit from the support of Hiring Hub’s network.”

Hiring Hub is backed by Manchester-based private equity firm MonacoSol, which last year invested a multimillion-pound sum to scale its sales and customer operations in the UK and overseas. MonacoSol is the private office of software and technology entrepreneur Richard Beaton.

Appointments, Business, Investment, Newport, South Wales

Kilsby Williams continues to grow with new appointments

Tax and accountancy specialist Kilsby Williams has strengthened its business services and tax teams as the Newport-based firm continues to grow.

Ken Vargis has been appointed as a manager in Kilsby Williams’ business services team. An assurance professional, Ken will be applying his significant auditing expertise to support the firm’s varied client portfolio.

Ken said: “I am elated to be joining Kilsby Williams at such a pivotal point in its growth. I am looking forward to working with new clients, and adding value to their business by providing robust services.”

Joining Ken in the business services team is Hannah Griffiths, a Swansea University accounting and finance graduate.

In her role as business services assistant, Hannah will be involved in the preparation of accounts for a number of clients and assisting with audits, while working towards the ACA qualification to become a chartered accountant and progress further in the firm.

In the tax team, Cardiff University graduate Luis McCarthy has been appointed as a trainee. He will support the team with the preparation of corporation and personal tax returns and will study towards the ATT and CTA exams to become a chartered tax advisor.

Ataf Salim, partner at Kilsby Williams, said: “We are focused on attracting the best accountancy and tax talent at every stage of their careers and are pleased to share the news of our latest appointments ranging from trainee to managerial level.

“As the largest independent firm in the region, it is exciting to grow even further and we know that Ken, Hannah and Luis’ work will strengthen our services.”

Established in 1991, Kilsby Williams works with clients from across south Wales, the Midlands and London, ranging from sole traders to companies in international quoted groups.

Appointments, Insurance

Howden grows Welsh team with key appointments

Howden, the global insurance intermediary group, has welcomed two new appointments to its recently established Swansea team.

Alan Jenkins joins as an Account Executive and will be responsible for delivering insurance solutions to businesses within the commercial sector, specifically those in the transportation and construction trades.

Alan joins with over 40 years’ experience in the industry, with a focus on commercial insurance. He joined the firm from Enterprise Insurance Services (Swansea).

On his appointment, Alan said: “I’m thrilled to have joined the Howden team in Swansea – it’s so exciting to be part of a new office and it’s a great challenge. I’m looking forward to managing client accounts and providing the best possible service within a great team.”

Howden has also welcomed Lucy Jamieson as Commercial Insurance Executive.

Lucy has joined the firm following 13 years at NFU Mutual and will focus on supporting hospitality, manufacturing, technology and construction firms with their commercial insurance needs.

Lucy said: “I’m delighted to join Howden at such a pivotal moment of growth and innovation. My enthusiasm for supporting companies through transformative growth journeys aligns perfectly with Howden’s commitment to provide tailored insurance solutions that empower businesses to thrive. I’m eager to make a significant impact as we embark on this exciting chapter, and I look forward to the collective achievements that lie ahead.”

Gary Stevens, Regional Managing Director, added: “As we continue to grow our presence in South and West Wales, having a great team is of paramount importance. Alan and Lucy are a great addition to the team in Swansea; with over 50 years’ experience between them, they are sure to be an asset to our ever-growing client base. We are excited to have them on board as we expand our operations in the new Swansea office.”

About Howden

Howden is a leading global insurance intermediary group with employee ownership at its heart.  Founded in 1994, it operates in 50 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, employing 16,000 people and handling $38bn of premium on behalf of clients.

 

For more information, please visit www.howdengroupholdings.com