Accountants announce regional leadership boost
Azets, the UK top 10 accountancy and advisory group, has appointed Claire Murray and Lewis Aldridge as partners, whilepromoting Sarah Sullivan to director.
Claire Murray has joined Azets as tax partner and employment tax lead for the region, bringing over 25 years of specialist experience in employment tax.
She most recently worked at Alvarez & Marsal, and previously at BDO, Deloitte, Grant Thornton and KPMG, as well as
In-house, Claire brings valuable industry insight, having advised across a wide range of corporate sectors throughout her career.
She supports SMEs, large corporates, and inbound subsidiaries on all aspects of employment tax, providing practical, scalable, and commercially focused advice.
She will be based at Azets’ Bristol office, where she will lead the local tax team while also supporting the wider regional network of offices.
With over 15 years of experience, Lewis Aldridge has joined Azets as a partner, where he will head up the East Midlands audit team from the Nottingham office.
Bringing extensive experience advising owner-managed businesses, private equity-backed companies and subsidiaries of overseas entities, Lewis brings clarity and confidence to clients, combining audit expertise with practical business advice to guide them through growth and operational challenges.
In his new role, he will lead the expansion of Azets’ audit offering in the region.
Sarah Sullivan has been promoted to director in Azets’ Birmingham office.
She joined the firm in October 2020 and specialises in advising owner-managed businesses with a private client focus.
A chartered accountant and chartered tax advisor, Sarah trained at a Big 4 firm in their private client tax team, gaining extensive experience in complex transactions, shareholder restructuring, and residency advice.
With several years’ experience working with SMEs, shareholders, and entrepreneurs across a wide range of sectors, Sarah particularly enjoys supporting business owners throughout the lifecycle of their businesses, focusing on their personal tax position during their lifetime while also considering succession plans for future generations.
Richard Goddard, regional managing director at Azets, added: “It’s a pleasure to announce two senior appointments at Azets, alongside a well-earned internal promotion.
“Claire and Lewis bring valuable sector expertise and accountancy knowledge, strengthening our employment tax and audit services.
“Sarah’s promotion, along with five others in our latest round, highlights the depth of talent within our team. These career milestones also underline our investment in people and our focus on driving Azets’ continued success.”
