New partners and directors have been created at some of Wales top legal and financial services firms

Four professional services firms in south Wales have made major changes to their teams by promoting some of their best staff to the level of partners or directors.

The four firms include two law practices, one corporate finance business and one business advisory firm.

These latest promotions reflect the continuing search for quality among some of Wales’ top performing professional services businesses.

Deloitte

L-R: Karen Griffin, Sam Hart, Shaun Curtis, Wayne Harvey, David Rozier, Laurence Hedditch, Delyth Jones

Business advisory firm Deloitte has strengthened its senior leadership team in Cardiff by promoting two of its people to director.

Shaun Curtis in tax and David Rozier in audit and assurance are the newly promoted directors.

Mr Curtis is a senior member of the Cardiff tax practice and focuses on advising privately owned businesses across the region, supporting entrepreneurs on a range of tax matters and helping them to recognise the unique opportunities in Wales. He was promoted to senior manager in 2014.

As a director, and alongside senior partner for Wales alongside Wayne Harvey, he will lead the Deloitte private tax team in Cardiff which consists of 25 tax professionals.

He joined Deloitte’s tax practice in 2007 after graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in accounting.

He grew up in Pembrokeshire where his family runs a fishing business, but always knew he wanted to work in the world of finance and help businesses grow.

Over the last 10 years, Mr Curtis has worked with a large number of different private businesses and high net wealth individuals, helping them address the challenges they face, especially ones related to enterprise taxes and trusts.

As a tax associate in 2008 he gained a distinction from the Association of Tax Technicians in his exams, an award given to candidates that achieve an exceptional level of performance.

In 2016 he was named one of eprivateclient’s top 35 under 35 private client practitioners. Its yearly list recognises the rising stars of private client professions across the UK.

Opening of Deloitte’s office at Park Street, Cardiff

David Rozier is a senior member of the financial services team in Cardiff with 11 years’ experience in this sector, specialising in retail banking. He has been auditing some of the largest financial services companies in south Wales, seeing them grow, deal with the credit crisis and respond to different business challenges over the years.

In his new role, Mr Rozier forms part of the leadership group that heads up Deloitte’s south region financial services practice, a team of 70 people based in the southern half of the UK including Wales.

He is originally from south Llantrisant and joined Deloitte’s audit practice in Cardiff in 2006 after gaining a degree in maths from Nottingham University.

He moved back to south Wales after graduating and now lives in Dinas Powys outside Cardiff. He was promoted to senior manager in 2013.

During his career at Deloitte Mr Rozier has been on secondment to many banks and building societies in a range of roles, the shortest for a period of three months and the longest lasting two years.

The opportunities to work inside different financial institutions, as well as being an auditor in this sector, have given him a strong insight into the financial services industry and its people and has underpinned his career trajectory.

In 2011 he was a finalist in the British Accountancy Awards in their ‘new accountant of the year’ category. In 2015 he was named in Wales Online’s 35 under 35 highest flying young businessmen in Wales, and also made it onto their list of the 25 most stylish men and women in the Welsh business world.

Senior partner in Wales for Deloitte Wayne Harvey

Deloitte employs more than 700 people in Cardiff at its offices in Callaghan Square, Park Street and Fusion Point, including 11 directors and seven partners.

Wayne Harvey, senior partner for Deloitte in Wales, said: “I’m delighted to be announcing these promotions as they are a clear example of how we are investing in Wales. As directors, they are now part of the leadership of our firm in Wales.

“It is testament to the quality of the people we have in our business and of the valuable work they are doing with our clients. They have both built up extensive knowledge in their specialist areas and I’m sure they’ll continue to be successful in serving our clients and leading their teams.

“There are few things more important to the success of our business than attracting, developing and retaining high quality people.”

Harding Evans

Ben Jenkins and Siobhan Downes, new partners at HardingEvans

Newport-based law firm HardingEvans has announced the promotion of two of its solicitors to partner positions.

Siobhan Downes, 32, has been promoted to partner in the care team, and 33-year-old Ben Jenkins has been promoted to partner in the dispute resolution team.

Ms Downes, from Newport, joined HardingEvans 10 years ago after studying for her LLB at the University of Wales in Swansea.

She specialises in complex children and family matters involving disputes both between private individuals and also where there is involvement of local authority social services. She has extensive experience in domestic violence and harassment matters and also applications for injunctions.

She said: “I was focused on becoming a solicitor from a young age, and since joining Harding Evans I have specialised in family law with a particular focus on children matters.

“My specialist knowledge has allowed me to gain accreditations such as becoming a member of the Law Society Children’s Panel.

“Thanks to HardingEvans Pathway to Partnership programme I have in more recent times been given the opportunity to develop my management knowledge and skills, which has resulted in my promotion to partner. I am very much looking forward to contributing to the wider business in the future.”

Born in Singapore to British parents, Ben Jenkins attended schools around Hampshire and boarding school in Wiltshire before studying for his LPC at Cardiff University in 2005.

Specialising in civil and commercial litigation, commercial contracts, advocacy at court and mediation, he has acted for a wide variety of clients including a plc, foreign companies, professional sports clubs and professional athletes.

He said: “Since joining Harding Evans 10 years ago, I have extensively developed my skills as a solicitor and had the opportunity to deal with a vast range of legal clients across my department.

“I am very excited about the new opportunities that being partner at Harding Evans will bring, including playing a key role in the future growth and development of the firm.”

Joy Phillips, practice director at HardingEvans, added: “Developing and retaining staff is one of our top priorities and this is reflected in our desire to promote from within, ensuring that the investment we make in our staff reaps dividends in the future.

“Siobhan and Ben have both shown commitment and dedication to the firm and our clients, they have both progressed through our Pathway to Partnership programme which is key to supporting our retention and development of young talent.

“They have both played an important part in our past success and I believe they will be vital to our future growth plans”.

J A Hughes

Lucas Edwards, new partner at Quality Solicitor J A Hughes

Specialist criminal lawyer Lucas Edwards has become a partner in law firm Quality Solicitors J A Hughes which has offices in Barry, Penarth and Cardiff and was originally established in 1888.

He joined the firm in January 2016 as an assistant solicitor where he specialised in all areas of criminal law. He recently represented a defendant in a high profile local murder case.

Mr Edwards started his career in 2012, working in two of the largest high street law firms in Wales after graduating with a law degree from Swansea University.

While there he gained a passion for criminal law and criminal defence. He started his training contract with Lloyd & Rowe Solicitors, qualifying as a solicitor in April 2015, and has rapidly developed an extensive client base and a reputation for his high quality criminal defence work.

He said: “I’m very happy to have been promoted to be partner in this forward looking, yet long established firm. I enjoy working within criminal law as every day is different and you never know what issues, whether big or small, will arise.

“One minute I can be in the office preparing a submission which will enable someone to keep their driving licence and the next I get a call to go to the police station to represent someone arrested for a serious assault or even murder, though happily those cases are rare.

“I look forward to the opportunities ahead and to being able to continue to provide a high quality service to our clients.”

Tim Hackett, head of the criminal and care departments at QS J A Hughes, said: “We’re delighted that Lucas has accepted our offer to become a partner.

“He is a very talented and passionate individual and we know he is able to deliver an excellent service to the people of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. His enthusiasm and expertise will be put to good use in his new position.”

Grant Thornton

Grant Thornton has boosted its corporate finance offering with the appointment of Trefor Griffith as partner for the South West and Wales.

Mr Griffith will lead Grant Thornton’s corporate finance advisory team for the region. He leads the consumer industry group for the firm nationally, having been based in Grant Thornton’s London office since 2009 with a focus on the food and beverage sector, where he has led deals across the UK.

Mr Griffith has led a number of notable deals in the south west region over the last few years, including the investment in BVG Airflo by BGF, the acquisition of Thompson and Morgan by BVG, the sale of AerFin to Carval and the recent sale of Westbridge Food Group to CP Foods.

Tim Lincoln, practice leader at Grant Thornton South West, said: “Trefor brings with him strong experience from both a national perspective and regionally that will prove invaluable to us and our clients. He will be a real asset to our team and I’m confident that he will help to further bolster our presence in the regions.”

Mr Griffith added: “I am delighted to be able to join a young dynamic team covering the south west and Wales, working with them to continue to grow our business in the region.

“Our focus on advising dynamic organisations is a perfect fit with a significant number of businesses in the region and I am looking forward to working with more of them in the coming months and years.”

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