Accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton have made two top-level appointments as the firm embarks on a new phase of growth in the South West.
Simon Moore, one of the region's leading bankers, joins as a senior consultant from Barclays Corporate, where he was chairman and managing director in Wales and the South West.
Meanwhile James Morter, a director in the audit team, becomes a partner in Grant Thornton's Bristol office.
Simon, an Exeter University graduate, spent four years in the army with The Gloucestershire Regiment before launching his banking career with Lloyds Bank Corporate. He then spent several years in London and New York with Chase Manhattan Bank and ABN AMRO before joining Barclays in 2003.
He is also a governor of the University of the West of England and has served as a non-executive director of the Government Office of the South West, as well as having been a member of the South West CBI Council, Bristol Common Purpose Advisory Group and the South West RDA Business Forum.
His new consultancy role at Grant Thornton will revolve around generating new business opportunities among the region’s mid-market and large companies, and public sector organisations.
James, who holds a music degree from York University, becomes a partner in Grant Thornton's audit and business assurance services team after 11 years with the firm. He advises a wide range of public and private businesses and has worked on a number of banking and corporate finance transactions, as well as having been the firm's head of business development in the South West and Wales for the past 18 months.
Grant Thornton senior practice leader in the South West, Nigel Morrison, said: "These appointments mark a watershed for our practice as we enter a period for which we have set ourselves some ambitious growth targets. We are an ambitious firm and will be creative in terms of generating opportunities in a market which will remain challenging for the foreseeable future.
"Simon has impeccable business credentials in the region and he will be a huge asset as we look to strengthen and expand our client base. James's promotion to partner is richly deserved and he will also have a crucial part to play in our development over the coming years."
