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Coventry’s professionals raised £4,000 for Coventry & District Samaritans, a sum that will enable the charity to operate its listening service for six weeks.
The region’s professional services experts donated £2,000 at Coventry & Warwickshire First FirstPro Awards, a sum then generously match funded by Barclays Bank.
“We’re very grateful for this incredibly generous donation,” said Roger Hughes, director of Coventry & District Samaritans. “Samaritans operates 24 hours a day 365 days a year. We are there for everyone, whether their distress is short lived or feels permanent, whether they feel there is no way out and whether they see the problems they face as large or small.
“It costs us £4.50 per hour to operate our service and so this donation will enable us to provide the support to people who need it for over six weeks. It makes a big difference.”
The FirstPro awards recognise the very best of the region’s professional talent. Each category winner contributed to the community outside the workplace, supported others, showed active commitment to the region and possessed the intangible x-factor. Maria Thomas, relationship manager at Barclays Bank plc was named overall winner.
Run by its members for its members Coventry & Warwickshire First is the only forum exclusively for professional and financial services firms in the region. Its members advise and support businesses from entrepreneurial start-ups to family firms and global organisations.
Coventry & District Samaritans marked 50 years of listening in 2014. Established in 1964 by thirteen volunteers and it today has over 100 volunteers.
Maria Thomas, relationship manager at Barclay Bank plc in Coventry, has been named FirstPro 2015.
She was named winner of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s hunt for the leading professional in the region at a gala dinner held last night at the Ricoh Arena.
“Maria is clearly exceptional,” said Martin Gibbs, Chair of Coventry & Warwickshire First and Senior Partner at Dafferns Chartered Accountants. “Being good at your job is a given so we look for more than just that in FirstPro. The winners have contributed to the community outside the workplace, supported others and shown active commitment to the region. They also need to posses the intangible x-factor.
“Maria shone out. She is ‘an irreplaceable member of the team’ who exhibits outstanding behaviours. An active board member of the Coventry Business Improvement District she is driving up footfall in the city centre and consistently supports a wide range of community projects and activities. These include everything from cake and bake sales and raising thousands at the Belgrade Theatre Charity evening to running business planning events for local children.
“We were particularly impressed by her willingness to step forward and assume responsibility beyond her remit. She supported a personal customer who had attempted suicide. She brought together Age UK and Barclays retail collections team to change the personal loan repayments to an amount the individual could pay.”
The category winners are:
Legal Professional: Rachel Gwynne, Wright Hassall
Finance Professional: Maria Thomas, Barclays Bank plc
Property Professional: James Walton, Sheldon Bosley
Business Services Professional: Vikki Whittemore, Wright Hassall
Young Professional: Carl Malcolm, Dafferns Chartered Accountants
Legal Professional: Rachel Gwynne, Wright Hassall.
Head of Wright Hassall’s charities sector Rachel is a senior associate who has already achieved recognition for her work and contribution. Whilst at Anthony Collins Solicitors, a firm she joined as a paralegal, she was named Young Business Leader 2009/2010 and Birmingham Law Society’s Trainee Solicitor of the Year in 2006. She is currently the immediate past President of the Warwickshire Law Society. Rachel was the youngest President the Society has seen in its 100 years. She is also Trustee of a number of charities including Cornerstone, Cornerstone Quest, Cornerstone City Centre and The Midland Legal Support Trust.
Finance Professional: Maria Thomas, Barclays Bank plc
Property Professional: James Walton, Sheldon Bosley.
Based predominantly in the Stratford-upon-Avon office of Sheldon Bosley, James is a registered RICS valuer and works mainly in the areas of Land Agency and Agriculture, Estate Management, Planning and Valuation. His personal interest in conservation is exemplified by the Stewardship Scheme in place on his family farm. Outside work he is a Director of the Warwickshire Rural Hub based at the NAC Stoneleigh and a member of the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership SME Business Group. He was appointed to the Midlands Regional Advisory Board of the NFU Mutual Insurance Society in 2013.
Business Services Professional: Vikki Whittemore, Wright Hassall.
Business Development Director at Wright Hassall, Vikki was shortlisted in recognition of the ideas and structure she has introduced that have significantly improved the performance of the firm’s internal and external marketing, including the delivering of an improved website, refreshed collateral including three new high quality client publications (Law & Business; Law & Land; Law & Life) and the implementation of a new CRM system and account management protocols. Outside work, Vikki is providing pro bono marketing support to Age UK Warwickshire and has trained as a Dementia Friend. She is also one of just 12 marketers appointed to the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Professional and Membership Advisory Group, which upholds the standards of CIM members.
Young Professional: Carl Malcolm, Dafferns Chartered Accountants
Carl is an important contributor to the Dafferns team, responsible for a number of his own clients. Outside work he has been an active participant in the Young Professionals network. He is currently chair of the Young Professionals and in this role has been responsible for the reinvigoration of the mentoring programme. He is also incredibly active in the local community, quietly raising funds for and contributing to a variety of local charities.
Dafferns, Cranfield Business Recovery and HB&O have all confirmed their associate sponsorship of FirstPro 2015.
“Associate sponorship is the perfect way to boost our profile,” said Martin Gibbs, Senior Partner at Dafferns. “We’re entertaining clients at FirstPro and by becoming associate sponsors we can take them to the pre-event drinks reception with the board and nominees as well as having our logo in the programme and throughout the venue.”
Samaritans has been named as the official charity of FirstPro 2015.
Across the country Samaritans answers 5.2 million calls for help each year from people struggling to cope; 22% of these calls are from people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Based in Earlsdon, Coventry & District Samaritans is part of a network that answers calls round the clock, every single day of the year.
t: 024 76 678 678
Philip Ballard, Cranfield Business Recovery
Philip is a driven young man, determined to excel in his career. Since joining the firm Philip has undertaken a comprehensive programme of study. At the age of 22, he qualified as an accountant with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. At 24, he obtained his Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency and during 2014 became one of the youngest Registered Property Receivers in the country with insolvency experience having passed his NARA exams. Philip is now studying towards his JIEB exams to become an Insolvency Practitioner. Having started as a case administrator in 2007, Philip has received a number of promotions and is now a manager, actively managing his team in order to provide a high quality service. Philip is also a committee member of the Coventry & Warwickshire First Young Professionals.
Sophie Breeze, Dafferns
The youngest in the category, Sophie joined Dafferns as a graduate in 2013, just a few weeks after completing her degree. She has already become a valuable member of the Dafferns audit and accounting team and is sailing through her professional exams. She also persuaded twelve of her female colleagues to take part in the “Pretty Muddy Event”, leading them around a 5km muddy obstacle course, raising nearly £3,000 in the process for Cancer Research UK.
Chrissie Duxson, University of Warwick
Chrissie works in the Marketing Services team at The University of Warwick where she was recently shortlisted in the University Staff Awards for consistently going above and beyond in her job. She has a First Class (Hons) Law degree, as well as being AAT qualified. She also runs a photography business, Christine Ann Photography, and is Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Warwick and Leamington. She writes a monthly small business focused article that appears in the Warwick and Leamington Courier as well as the Kenilworth Weekly News.
Chrissie is very active in Young Professionals, having taken on the responsibility for the marketing and PR of the group. She also mentors a sixth form student through the Career Academies programme.
Louise Hargrave, Arthur J Gallagher
Louise joined the Enterprise team three years ago as an apprentice. Since then she has progressed from Broking Assistant to Trainee Account Manager and now to Account Manager, providing insurance solutions for small to medium businesses and sole traders.
Louise has recently obtained her Certificate in Insurance and is now starting her Diploma in Insurance. She has also completed a Business Administration & Financial Services Apprenticeship.
Her ‘can-do’ attitude makes her highly thought of by both clients and colleagues.
Louise is now passing on the skills and knowledge she has gained to the next generation by mentoring the new apprentices.
Paige Howitt, The SFB Group
A Senior Accountant at Stewart, Fletcher & Barrett Paige has shone at the firm. She regularly deputises for her managers, the youngest in the office to be working at this level. She is now mid-way through her ACCA qualification and is studying a BSc (Hons) Degree in Applied Accounting at Oxford Brookes University. An active member of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professionals, Paige has taken up the role of Charity Officer on the committee. Paige also has a track record of fundraising, recently completing a skydive for Leukemia Care regularly taking part in events including the Moonlight Walk for Myton Hospice.
Carl Malcolm, Dafferns
Carl is an important contributor to the Dafferns team, responsible for a number of his own clients. Outside work he has been an active participant in the Young Professional network. He is currently chair of the Young Professionals and in this role has been responsible for the reinvigoration of the mentoring programme. He is also incredibly active in the local community, quietly raising funds for and contributing to a variety of local charities.
Gus Bhandal, Warwickshire County Council
Part of the inward investment team at Warwickshire County Council Gus concentrates on helping companies relocate to or expand within Coventry and Warwickshire as part of the Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Hub initiative. Gus has long been an active supporter of Coventry & Warwickshire First’s Young Professionals, being a former Chairperson and current committee member, helping to deliver projects and providing a sounding board for his colleagues.
James Brookes, Bromwich Hardy
James is a Senior Commercial Surveyor at Bromwich Hardy, where he has been instrumental in growing the business over the last two years. Through his hard work Bromwich Hardy was awarded Estates Gazette EGi Deal Winner of the Year 2014 for Coventry & Warwickshire. James also finished top commercial agent in the West Midlands region for the deal maker leader board created by property analysts CoStar Group, finishing with 80 deals covering 313,477 sq.ft of space.
James Walton, Sheldon Bosley
Based predominantly in the Stratford-upon-Avon office of Sheldon Bosley, James is a registered RICS valuer and works mainly in the areas of Land Agency and Agriculture, Estate Management, Planning and Valuation. His personal interest in conversation is exemplified by the Stewardship Scheme in place on his family farm. Outside work he is a Director of the Warwickshire Rural Hub based at the NAC Stoneleigh and a member of the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership SME Business Group. He was appointed to the Midlands Regional Advisory Board of the NFU Mutual Insurance Society in 2013.
Mike Divers, Brooks Macdonald
New to Coventry and Warwickshire Mike Divers is establishing the discretionary investment manager, Brooks Macdonald Asset Management in the region. He has worked tirelessly to embed the company into the local area and is already seeing strong results. The office has surpassed its targets and picked up a number of new clients and intermediary relationships.
Leon Sloyan, Santander
Raised in Coventry and a graduate of Coventry University Leon has always lived and worked in the city. He is a Relationship Director in the Coventry & Warwickshire office of Santander Corporate & Commercial Banking, managing and growing a portfolio of clients. He has won new business with innovative deal structures and secured multi million pound funding packages, supporting local SME’s to the tune of £16M in the past 12 months. He also actively supports his local football team, for which he encourages and supports the next generation of players.
Jason Strain, Harrison Beale & Owen Financial Services
Jason took up the reins as managing director of Harrison Beale & Owen Financial Services early in 2012. Since his appointment turnover is up by 36% and the number of employees by almost 50%. He has supported the development of his team, helping two achieve Chartered Financial Planner status. Jason and two colleagues also raised over £6,000 for three charities including SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) by cycling from London to Paris, and as part of the HBO team £10,000 for the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and Zoe’s Place.
Maria Thomas, Barclays Bank plc
Maria operates a busy portfolio of business customers and has consistently evidenced outstanding behaviours within and outside the team. She is happy to represent her team at internal and external events and is always prepared to take on additional responsibilities. Maria is a member of the Coventry Business Improvement District Board and in this role has actively supported a number of community projects and activities. In the words of her nominator she is “an irreplaceable member of the team”.
Rachel Gwynne, Wright Hassall
Head of Wright Hassall’s charities sector Rachel is a senior associate who has already achieved recognition for her work and contribution. Whilst at Anthony Collins Solicitors, a firm she joined as a paralegal, she was named Young Business Leader 2009/2010 and Birmingham Law Society’s Trainee Solicitor of the Year in 2006. She is currently the immediate past President of the Warwickshire Law Society. Rachel was the youngest President the Society has seen in its 100 years. She is also Trustee of a number of charities including Cornerstone, Cornerstone Quest, Cornerstone City Centre and The Midland Legal Support Trust.
Christopher Jones, Wright Hassall
Chris leads Wright Hassall’s Banking & Finance practice having joined last year from Pinsent Masons in Birmingham. He grew up in Leamington Spa before training and qualifying at the London Magic Circle firm Freshfields. In a short space of time Chris has built strong connections in the Coventry and Warwickshire business community and is using his banking and finance expertise to the benefit of a wide range of local businesses.
Laura Summers, Askews Legal LLP
A specialist in Family and Matrimonial Law, Laura has dealt with some extremely complex child care cases, one of which led her to consider initiating Judicial Review Proceedings against the Legal Aid Agency. In the words of her employer she “puts clients of all background and ethnicity at immediate ease”. Outside the workplace Laura has developed a relationship with a local women’s refuge and undertaken pro bono work.
Helena Bassett, Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce
Helena is a business coach, specializing in helping owners of small and medium sized businesses with their sales, marketing, finance, management and team building.
Lisa Evans, Arthur J Gallagher
Lisa has worked in the insurance profession for over 17 years in both broking and underwriting roles.
Lisa is the Learning and Development Coordinator for the Coventry branch and also manages the Enterprise team providing comprehensive insurance and risk management solutions for small to medium businesses and start ups.
Lisa is actively involved in promoting the insurance profession particularly to young people and has developed an apprenticeship programme that has now been running successfully for over five years. Alongside this Lisa provides mentoring to students through Career Academies helping them to increase their employability skills.
Vikki Whittemore, Wright Hassall
Business Development Director at Wright Hassall, Vikki was shortlisted in recognition of the ideas and structure she has introduced that have significantly improved the performance of the firm’s internal and external marketing, including the delivering of an improved website, refreshed collateral including three new high quality client publications (Law & Business; Law & Land; Law & Life) and the implementation of a new CRM system and account management protocols. Outside work, Vikki is providing pro bono marketing support to Age UK Warwickshire and has trained as a Dementia Friend. She is also one of just 12 marketers appointed to the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s Professional and Membership Advisory Group, which upholds the standards of CIM members.
Keith Boxley, Relationship Director of Barclays explained: “FirstPro is a great celebration of the talent in the professional services in the sector.
“As well as being fun FirstPro always raises lots of money for the nominated charity, this year Coventry Samaritans. It’s a real pleasure to put something back through this match funding!”
