Cornerstone appoints four

Financial advisers Cornerstone Asset Management has made four key appointments to its Edinburgh office.

Alan Reid joins Cornerstone’s senior management team with a focus on business development for both corporate and private clients. With thirty years of experience in the field, Mr Reid has held key director positions in the financial services industry including CE Heath (Scotland) and Balmoral Asset Management.

Suzanne Reid has been appointed Operations Director and joins the firm from Turcan Connell Asset Management, where she was responsible for a team of up to 20 staff. With a strong background in financial services and financial planning, Ms Reid’s career has also included roles with Watson Wyatt Partners, Origen and Scottish Equitable.

Scott Snedden joins Cornerstone as a chartered financial planner from Balmoral Asset Management. With over 20 years’ financial services experience he has also worked with AEGON Scottish Equitable as a senior business analyst in the pensions department.

Cornerstone has also appointed Louise Melville as personal assistant to the management team. Ms Melville has a long standing relationship with Alan Reid having worked with him for over 20 years and joins Cornerstone following a short sabbatical from the industry.

Two new faces at CKD Galbraith

Property consultants CKD Galbraith has appointed two new members of staff to its property-buying department.

Anna Henderson and Scott Hall will help private clients to find and buy estates and high-end properties across Scotland. Based in CKD Galbraith’s Edinburgh office, they will work closely with the firm’s wider team.

Ms Henderson has spent the previous 15 years as a director of rural property for Savills. She brings to CKD Galbraith a wealth of experience and extensive knowledge of the sporting and premium property market.

Scott Hall has a strong background in the leisure industry and experience of working with high-profile clients and multinational organisations on a global scale.

Partner John Bound said: “For many years we’ve assisted clients with finding and acquiring estates, farms and high-end properties at the best price - and often before they come to the open market.

“The appointment of Anna and Scott will place us well ahead of our competitors in this sector of the market and allow us to continue to provide a uniquely well-informed and high-quality service to our clients.”

Grant Thornton boosts tax team with three key appointments

Accountancy firm Grant Thornton has made three appointments to its tax team in Scotland.

Gail Gibson has been appointed as senior tax manager for Scotland with a primary responsibility for leading the team’s international tax offering. She joins after spending 10 years at Deloitte and, more recently, four years as in-house tax counsel with a number of FTSE 250 companies.

Alison Patton and Sarah Joiner also join the firm as tax managers. Ms Patton, who trained at KPMG, joins from drinks manufacturer Beam Suntroy where she was senior tax analyst. She will be predominantly responsible with Grant Thornton’s clients in the drinks and manufacturing sectors, as well as helping to grow the firm's strong entrepreneurial client base.

Having previously owned her own business and joining now from an Aberdeen-based industry role, Ms Joiner will support the expanding financial services practice at Grant Thornton.

Vishal Chopra, head of tax for Scotland at Grant Thornton, said: “It is an exciting time for Grant Thornton in Scotland as we look to grow our tax team significantly over the next five years.

“This will ultimately help us provide even greater support to our clients through a broader scope of expertise within the team. As well as being an important step for our own goals, these appointments will help us continue to support our clients’ growth plans and ambitions.”