Dains Accountants has appointed Neil Cox as Chairman in a move which demonstrates Dains’ ambition to consolidate the fragmented UK accountancy market. Dains has recently completed its second acquisition since taking investment from Horizon Capital in December 2021 and expects to double revenue in the current financial year. Cox is a buy and build expert and joins Dains following a stellar private equity career, supporting businesses across a wide range of sectors including commercial insurance, regulatory compliance, and veterinary services. Richard McNeilly CEO of Dains said ‘we are delighted to have Neil on board. His experience in M&A and buy and build in particular is first class. We share an appetite for growing the Dains business through a series of quality acquisitions, which are highly integrated and enjoy delivering brilliant service to clients’. Neil Cox commented ‘Dains has a clear strategy and has already made two highly complementary acquisitions, whilst also delivering strong organic growth. Our market presence is growing, and we have a compelling proposition. We are building a strong team and I look forward to working with them in the coming years’.

Four new starters have strengthened the ranks of creative agency Fluid Ideas as its expansion continues. Fluid, which is based at Darley Abbey Mills, near Derby, has recruited across four of its six teams in line with further growth in demand for its range of services. The new arrivals are Nicole Davies, Tom King, Will Davis and Matt Thompson. Nicole, who has a master’s degree in marketing management, has joined Fluid’s websites and systems team as a project manager. Her role is to ensure digital projects are delivered efficiently, on time and to budget while also helping to support and optimise clients’ websites. Tom has joined the brand and creative team as a multi-disciplinary designer, working on client campaigns and pitches. He has more than 10 years’ commercial experience of working with national and international brands and he adds to the team’s animation and CGI capabilities. Tom also holds a leadership and management qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management. Will, a digital marketing graduate from the University of Derby, has gained experience in the sport and leisure sector and has joined Fluid’s search and social team. His main focus will be search engine optimisation, content writing and social media management. Matt has joined the design and artwork team and brings with him more than 20 years’ experience of working in local agencies. In joining Fluid, he follows in the footsteps of his brother Ben, who was the agency’s first employee and has helped drive the growth of its brand and creative team for almost two decades. Ed Bowler, joint managing director of Fluid Ideas, said: “As always, our focus has been on growing with good people. Nicole, Matt, Will and Tom all bring new and exciting talents to the team but, most importantly, they care about the quality of work we produce and they will undoubtedly add to the spirit and culture that has helped make Fluid such a healthy and enjoyable place to be, for our clients and our colleagues.”

Recruitment specialist Thorn Baker Group, headquartered in Nottingham, has promoted Rhian Newman to a newly created senior position within the business, head of offsite and professional lead. The new position will give Rhian responsibility for developing two new specialties within Thorn Baker’s construction brand – offsite and professional. During her time with Thorn Baker, Rhian has made a significant impact, particularly in developing the group’s offering within the offsite sector. Also known as the modular building industry, the sector remained resilient throughout the pandemic and Rhian has used her extensive knowledge and wealth of contacts to develop this as a new service offering for Thorn Baker. Starting from scratch with a team of one, Rhian has developed Thorn Baker Offsite into a nationally respected recruitment partner whose clients include Countryside Timber Frame, Premier Modular, Innovare & Donaldson Group, Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Crest Nicholson, Barratts and many more. Whilst there is demand for workers across the construction industry at the moment, demand for professional staff is particularly high. Throughout her 15 years in the recruitment industry, Rhian has always recruited for professional roles and will now also take the lead in developing Thorn Baker’s presence in this area. Speaking about her promotion, Rhian says: “This is a huge opportunity for me and something that I have been working towards for several years now. It is exciting for me personally, and for the future of the company. The new role will allow me to use my knowledge and experience to further strengthen Thorn Baker’s offering within construction recruitment and complements its existing specialties. “Developing the company’s professional offering builds on 34 years’ experience within trades and labour, and means that we will be able to find quality candidates for our clients for the full range of roles required on construction projects and in the industrial sector. “Similarly, the offsite sector is growing rapidly in the UK and there is a high demand for candidates with transferable skills – and our expertise within ‘traditional’ trades roles means we are able to find people who may want to transfer to another branch of the construction industry. “I feel hugely supported by the Board and we have a clear understanding of what we want both teams to look like in the future. I want to make a success of both specialisms as I am sure they will become fundamental to the future of Thorn Baker and the success of our clients.” Rob Ford, director at Thorn Baker, added: “Rhian is a fantastic asset to the Thorn Baker team and contributes so much across the business, not just in offsite and professional. She is a real people person and someone who clearly cares and demonstrates our values on a daily basis. This is clear to see by the relationships she has built with her team, her colleagues in other offices, myself, and the rest of the Board. “Having been with us for less than a year when the pandemic struck, we all had to cope with the uncertainty that caused. And Rhian’s response to these challenges – recruiting her team and training them over Zoom – showcased her natural leadership qualities and admirable work ethic. “Rhian is respected across the industry and has a natural flair for offsite and professional. We want to support her to develop these teams as it will benefit our growing client base and help more people find employment.”