32 finance/deals
James Cowper Kreston tops charity audit league tables
Thames Valley accountants James Cowper Kreston has been named as one of the UK’s top 30 charity audit firms after ranking 28th place in this year’s Charity Finance magazine league table.
The report, which is based on the views and data from 1,363 charities, gives James Cowper Kreston a 93% rating for its charity expertise, commitment to the voluntary sector and good overall service. The ranking sees the firm move up four places in the past two years.
Mike Farwell, partner at James Cowper Kreston, commented: “We are delighted to have been named as one of the UK’s top 30 audit firms. It’s nice to know that we are doing a good job and the fact that the data is derived from our own clients makes it all the more meaningful.”
HMT advises on Pitmans acquisition of Calvert Solicitors
HMT, led by partner Andrew Thomson, undertook financial due diligence for Pitmans LLP on its acquisition of London-based law firm Calvert Solicitors LLP.
Pitmans is a leading commercial law firm providing specialist and pragmatic legal advice and services from its teams of experts to both businesses and individuals. It has recently been expanding through organic growth and Calvert is the second law firm it has acquired in the past 18 months.
Established over 20 years ago in London, Calvert is a respected law firm which services clients in creative media, architecture, construction and intellectual property.
The law specialists from the Calvert team relocated to Pitmans’ London office, including Nigel Calvert who founded the business in 1996.
John Hutchinson, Pitmans managing partner, commented: “We are delighted with the merger with Calvert. They are first rate lawyers who complement the service Pitmans already offers. We were impressed by the help given by HMT in undertaking due diligence with care, thoroughness, sensitivity and efficiency.”
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NetDespatch acquired by Royal Mail to strengthen technology capability
NetDespatch, a leading cloud-based shipping and parcel data management platform for postal and parcel carriers, has been acquired by Royal Mail. This new move will enable NetDespatch to not only broaden and deepen the services it offers, but also expand its global footprint.
The financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed, but NetDespatch, based in Marlow, will operate as a standalone external-facing subsidiary, enabling it to continue to securely provide services to its customers – both existing and new.
The NetDespatch business will remain under the leadership and management of NetDespatch directors, Matthew Robertson and Matthew Clark, and will continue to operate in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreements with its customers, and in line with industry best practice.
NetDespatch has experienced significant year- on-year growth with the rise of e-commerce and today it helps more than 100,000 businesses in over 100 countries worldwide to ship parcels more quickly and efficiently. With a fast-growing list of industry partners, NetDespatch enables order delivery data to be automatically transferred from a retailer’s system to its chosen carrier, automatically printing shipping labels, manifests
and custom documentation, as well as generating any required data files. In addition, tracking is available from point of despatch to point of delivery.
Matthew Robertson, NetDespatch commercial director, commented: “We are incredibly proud of our achievements to date and believe that this acquisition will help us to continue to grow and to better service all of our clients. Our aim is to make what is a relatively complex process simple, delivering improvements and savings to everyone in the supply chain from retailer to carrier to consumer. E-commerce exploded in the run up to Christmas and we expect to continue to steam ahead in 2016 and beyond.”
Nick Landon, managing director of Royal Mail Parcels, commented: “The acquisition of NetDespatch supports our strategy of providing our customers with leading-edge e-commerce software. It allows customers with complex IT estates to integrate with us quickly and with the minimum of effort allowing them to improve the service they offer to shoppers. We are confident that this acquisition will support the continued growth of our parcels business with new and innovative software solutions as the needs of our customers evolve.”
Details:
www.netdespatch.com Sanlam re-launches Marlow office
As part of its national integration and growth strategy, Sanlam UK is to re-launch its regional office in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
The Marlow office will initially deliver financial planning and wealth management services to existing private clients in the region, for whom it already looks after in excess of £150 million (funds under influence), and it will look to grow and develop its footprint through 2016 and beyond.
The office will also provide employee benefits and auto-enrolment advice to a growing book of corporate clients and give support, service and guidance to the legal and accounting community.
From the outset the office will be staffed by three Sanlam wealth planners and two discretionary fund managers, all supported by customer-facing administrative support. Paraplanning support to the wealth planners will be delivered by the centralised team in Bristol.
The office will serve as a regional hub supporting Sanlam’s growing profile in the Thames Valley area. Sanlam is looking to recruit appropriately qualified financial
advisers to join its wealth planning team with immediate effect.
Alex Morley, CEO Sanlam wealth planning, said: “2016 will see the launch of a new era for Sanlam in the UK where we will, I believe, take our place among the leading wealth management businesses in the country.
“We have been building our presence steadily in the Thames Valley over the past couple of years and our revitalised presence in Marlow will strengthen that further. It is an area where we plan to grow dynamically – both through the recruitment of financial advisers to our wealth planning team and through the attraction of new clients.”
Paul Britton, CEO Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce is delighted with the decision of international brand Sanlam to further invest in Buckinghamshire. This commitment to develop a regional hub to support Sanlam's growing customer base is a reflection of the quality of talent pool and commercial opportunities in the Thames Valley and we look forward to supporting Sanlam during this exciting stage of growth.”
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – FEBRUARY 2016
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