Hurst appoints new head of corporate tax compliance offering

Independent business advisory and accounting firm Hurst has appointed Ellen Feetum to head a new corporate tax compliance offering.

Feetum has joined Hurst as an associate partner from KPMG, where she began her career as a graduate in 2004.

She was most recently a senior manager in its corporate tax team, working with clients ranging from start-ups to large listed groups turning over more than £2bn, in sectors including retailing, manufacturing, distribution and life sciences.

Her role at Hurst will see her lead and spearhead the growth of the new offering, working with colleagues in the tax advisory and business services teams to deliver an integrated service.

As the complexity and size of Hurst corporate client base continues to grow, the firm has identified the need for a dedicated focus on corporate tax compliance.

It is the latest service line to be launched by the fast-growing practice, following the arrival of partner Karen Chadwick last year to lead a new private client tax offering to business owners, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals.

Meanwhile, Hurst has expanded its business services team with the arrival of Eve Armstrong, Adam Proud and Will Grimbleby as associates, Siphathisiwe Nyathi as a senior and Tino Banya as a semi-senior.

The firm has also announced a series of promotions in the business services team, which carries out audit, compliance, strategic advisory, outsourcing and business planning work for clients. Aaron Booth, Alex Burgon and Lisa Everett have been promoted to manager and Georgia Hall to associate manager.

Booth, Hall and Everett all joined Hurst as trainees and qualified with the firm. Burgon has been at Hurst since 2018, when he moved from BTG Advisory. 

Hurst moved its headquarters last spring to a flagship development in Stockport to accommodate its growing team. Its relocation to 3 Stockport Exchange, where it occupies 11,000sq ft, has paved the way for the firm to increase from 120 staff to around 170 over the next few years. 

Hurst partner Simon Brownbill, the firm’s director of practice development, said: “The launch of our corporate tax compliance service is a natural next step in our continued growth and commitment to delivering a fully-integrated tax offering for our clients. 

“Ellen’s wealth of experience and deep technical expertise make her the ideal person to lead this new service line. Her arrival, along with the wider expansion of our team, reinforces our strategy of attracting top-tier talent from both Big Four and regional firms while continuing to develop and promote from within. We’re excited about the value this new service will bring to our entrepreneurial client base.”