CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT
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LEADING PAYROLL PROFESSIONAL PROMOTED TO PARTNER
ARMSTRONG WATSON LLP, accountants, business and financial advisers, has announced that Karen Thomson MSc ChFCIPP FHEA, director of group payroll services, has been promoted to the role of partner and becomes only the second known payroll partner of an accountancy firm in the whole of the UK. Armstrong Watson’s payroll service was established in 1974 and serves more than 1,500 customers, issuing 28,000 payslips every month. Karen has headed Payroll and Employee Services for the past four years leading the team to multiple award wins and national recognition. In 2018, Karen was one of the first ten people in the UK to be awarded CIPP Chartered status. Also, this year, she worked alongside Armstrong Watson’s solutions architect, Toby Woodhead, to create ‘Bostik’ – an automated payroll process – which was the winning nomination for the Institute’s 2018 Project of the Year award (https://online.flippingbook. com/view/546984/48/). Commenting on her promotion, Karen said: “It is an honour to become a partner within the firm and particularly as a representative for the payroll
profession. I have a fantastic team working hard alongside me and I’m extremely proud that managing partner Paul Dickson, and the Armstrong Watson board, recognise the key role Payroll and Employee Services plays within the firm and I will continue to progress and enhance our client experience in my new role as partner.” Paul Dickson, Armstrong Watson’s chief executive and managing partner, added: “This is a well-deserved promotion in recognition of Karen’s leadership, development and growth of the payroll and employee service line for Armstrong Watson. She is an integral part of the leadership team and her ambitious and progressive thinking complement our focus and commitment to increasing and innovating client services, and our continued business growth across the north of England and Scotland.”
PORTFOLIO GROUP APPOINTS NEWASSOCIATE DIRECTOR THE PORTFOLIO Group – an award-winning specialist recruiter delivering highly tailored recruitment services, within the niche markets of payroll, procurement, HR, reward, credit control – launched its new financial year with seven promotions across the business. Mark Davis has been appointed as associate director, becoming the Group’s third with this title in just over a year joining Patrick Day and Gemma Creamer as part of the senior management team.
Starting with the Group eight years ago as a senior consultant, Mark has progressed in the payroll temporary division earning the team leader title in 2014 and now the sought-after role of associate director. Joining when there were circa 25 employees, three divisions and one office, he has witnessed significant growth: 55 employees, the opening of a second office in Manchester in February 2018, eight consultants, and staff numbers doubling in the City of London office. The announcement follows a record-breaking year with the business generating circa £14.5 million in turnover and celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in October 2018. Mark said: “I am delighted to have been promoted to associate director. I have seen the business diversify and grow into something I am incredibly proud to be a part of. I look forward to leading Portfolio’s temporary business and am hugely excited by the thought of what we can achieve over the coming years.” Danny Done, managing director, commented: “Mark has been a wonderful leader of our highly successful temporary recruitment team for several years now and this promotion is a recognition of this and highlights his and the entire team’s fantastic work. We plan to expand the team further and Mark’s responsibilities will only grow with this expansion. “We have greatly increased market share and fully expect this to continue and hopefully under Mark’s leadership we aim to
continue breaking records and take the team and the entire business to another level. “We are also very proud of him and he deserves this accolade for all of his hard work.”
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| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | May 2019 | Issue 50
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