Leeds-based recruitment consultancy, Headstar, has significantly grown the size of its advisory and portfolio finance director division with five new senior appointments in response to surging demand for its services.
Michael Barnes, Darren Bellwood, Lee Bowers, Kevin Cooke and Mark Woodward have joined the fast-growing business as consultant finance directors, further bolstering a division that already comprises a well-established Head of Advisory and Regional Finance Director and a wider network of over 25 associate finance directors.
In their new roles, all five, as experienced finance directors, will work closely with Headstar’s growing base of clients and contactors, providing advice and support in order to help them to shape the right financial model and grow their business.
They will be responsible for delivering a broad range of services to businesses of all sizes, including part-time FD support – where an experienced finance director joins the business on a part-time basis – as well as turnaround and growth support, developing and implementing plans to help companies to thrive. In addition, they will also work closely with Headstar’s team of recruitment consultants, who recruit for all areas of a finance team from entry level to CFO, to identify and fulfil staffing solutions.
The appointments come as Headstar looks to further expand its advisory and portfolio finance director division, which accounts for approximately a quarter of the company’s turnover, outside of its Yorkshire heartland to support an increasing number of UK-wide clients.
Barnes will be responsible for supporting clients in Manchester, while Bowers will cover Chesterfield and Nottingham. Bellwood will cover West and East Yorkshire, while Cooke will focus on South Yorkshire, East Riding and Lincolnshire – with Woodward also supporting clients in South Yorkshire.
Commenting on the new appointments, Simon Webster, Head of Advisory at Headstar, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome Kevin, Mark, Darren, Lee and Michael, all of whom bring a wealth of expertise and experience and the same down to earth character that we look for in all our consultants.
“They join at a time when we’re seeing surging demand for our finance consultancy services, with our team of in-house finance directors and wider network of associate finance directors providing straight-talking, evidence-based advice to help more businesses than ever.
“We expect demand to continue to grow as more businesses become aware of our unique capabilities and plan on further expanding our network of finance directors, in the north of England in particular, over the next few years.”
Headstar, originally known as FD Yorkshire Limited, was established 37 years ago and is owned and run by finance directors, offering a full range of finance consultancy and recruitment services. The company’s advisory and portfolio finance director division is focused on supporting SMEs with a turnover between £2-25m.
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