BKL appoints new chief operations officer

Accountancy and business advisory firm BKL has announced the appointment of James Addison as its new chief operations officer.

News of Addison’s appointment follows a series of senior hires at BKL this year, including Juliet Shaw’s arrival as chief growth officer and the promotion of five new partners across its tax, audit and business services teams.

Addison joins the firm from a career spanning operations, strategy and technology. He was previously chief operations officer for property consultancy JLL across its UK and EMEA regions, and co-founded the international insuretech advisory business Alchemy Technology Services. His earlier roles include consulting positions at PwC and DXC.

At BKL, he will work alongside chief executive Lee Brook and fellow senior leaders, including chief financial officer Neill Ryder and chief growth officer Juliet Shaw. The firm said he would focus on supporting growth through efficiency and innovation.

Addison said: “I’m excited to join the BKL team at this time of significant change and opportunity in the industry. BKL is already a business that does things differently and does the right thing. 

“I’m really looking forward to taking us further, ensuring that colleagues are in an even better position to support our clients’ growth, coupling next generation technologies and operational excellence with BKL’s depth and breadth of expertise and capability.”

Brook added: “I’m delighted to welcome James to BKL. As we continue challenging ourselves to be our best, James’s skills and experience will be key to helping us work smarter and deliver a phenomenal, technology enabled experience to our clients.”