I had a fortnight break over Christmas which allowed me to put in back to back weeks of 115 miles running, which not only topped up the endurance bank but also helped fight off a few festive indulgences! I returned to work in great shape knowing that I was firmly heading in the right direction towards my spring target races.

Unfortunately, as a Chartered Accountant working in a FTSE 100 company, January brings many professional challenges and the past four weeks I have had to juggle my running commitments with 50-60 hours in front of the lap top. This is while many of my competitors have been sunning themselves at high altitude in Kenya. Rather than worry about such matters I tend to stress the positives knowing that if I overcome such pressures I will come out the other side fighting fit with the mental edge of having had to work so hard!

Added to this I have been battling a slight niggle with my back over the past month. The support from Alexander Daniels has been invaluable during this period as it has allowed me to seek the appropriate medical treatment without delay. I am pleased to say that after a couple of slightly nervous weeks when I wasn’t sure which way the problem could go, I seem to emerged ok and it continues to improve on a daily basis.

On a competitive front I made a rare cross country appearance at a high quality domestic race in Cardiff earlier in January. This didn’t quite yield the result I was hoping for, partly because my back was hindering my progress round the twisty section of the course – remember nowadays I am more used to running in straight lines for 26 miles, and partly because it was only my second race over this terrain in the past three years! However, it certainly served its purpose and has helped me build a bit more strength for my races over my favoured discipline.

Next up is a five mile race in Alsager in early February followed by a 10km at the beginning at March. These two races will hopefully allow me to develop my leg speed in preparation for my main target of the winter campaign which is the Reading Half Marathon on 1 April. I will be looking for a big personal best at this event to show the selectors that I am in great shape prior to their selection meeting on D-day, April 23^rd. All the training I have completed so far suggests I am remain on track to achieve this goal and with Alexander Daniels continuing support I feel that I keep my body in the condition that it needs to be in to meet the rigours of my punishing schedule.”

- Dave Webb, Olympic Hopeful

Richard Lindon has joined AD as a Resourcer for the Finance and Accountancy team. His finance background has provided him with the foundations on which he can continue to develop his knowledge of the industry and Richard is able to identify relevant candidates to compliment the needs of clients.

Richard Robinson joined Alexander Daniels in January 2012 after gaining a degree in Law from the University of Birmingham. He currently works within the Finance and Accountancy team supporting consultants by helping to identify impressive and effective candidates to match client needs. Richard also helps newly qualified accountants to find appropriate employment that matches their preferences.

Damion Simonetti joined AD in January 2012 and has a strong background in both sales and finance, having previously worked for HSBC and Lloyds TSB as a Financial Adviser. Damion now operates as an Interim Finance & Accountancy Recruitment Specialist and he aims to identify key skill-sets in the financial world and develop comprehensive candidate and client networks.

Executive Search specialises in the recruitment of Senior Management, Divisional Board and Senior Board roles within Finance, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Operations, Legal and Technology. The division also focuses on the recruitment of Managing Directors with sector specialisms.

Typical Roles Include: 

Executive Search Director Jamie Rodden said: “Alexander Daniels has established itself as a business partner to many of the regions organisations. The Executive Search Division compliments our current offering and allows us to ADd increasing value to our clients businesses and candidates prospects.”

For further information on what the Executive Search Division offers, please contact Jamie on 0121 503 2170.

They are one of three winning companies who will now receive a thousand pounds worth of free advertising in the Birmingham Post as well as a series of mentoring sessions.

AD’s pitch was presented to a panel of industry experts including Birmingham Post Editor Alun Thorne, and was enough to fend off the fierce competition provided by a plethora of other local business entrants.

AD Director and co-pitcher Nick Pearce commented “This is fantastic news for the business and shows how far we have come in a short space of time. To be recognised by such an important and iconic paper like the Birmingham Post and business leaders from the region makes all the hard work worthwhile. This accolade is something that is shared by the efforts of the whole team and having just hired out 15^th person we hope to continue at the same rate of growth in 2012.”

Alexander Daniels would like to congratulate team members Nick Pearce and Nicola Ryder on devising and presenting an outstanding pitch.

Alexander Daniels was honoured to be selected as this year’s sponsor for the BCASS Ball.

The ‘Oscars themed’ event, held at Aston Villa Football Club, was compered by well-known entertainer Jimmy Franks and attracted more than 400 budding accountancy professionals from across the Midlands.

Alexander Daniels would like to say a special thank you to all those who participated in the raffle. A magnificent £1,103.25 was raised for our sponsored charity ‘The Joseph Foote Trust’ which supports vital research into brain tumours.

We send our congratulations to the grand raffle prize winners who will be heading off to Marbella for a week in a luxury Penthouse on the exclusive La Quinta Golf and Country Club!

To view all of the professional photos which were taken on the night, please click on the links below.

http://alexanderdaniels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BCASS-1to5-compressed.pdf

http://alexanderdaniels.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BCASS-6to10-compressed.pdf

The proposed pensions reform legislation, due for introduction in 2012, will have wide-ranging effects across every field of business.

The Government estimates that around seven million people are currently under saving for retirement. The reform aims to make it easier for more people to save, with increased emphasis on the role of employers.

You can prepare now by gaining a thorough understanding of the changes and their potential impact upon you and your company.

Alexander Daniels is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a free seminar entitled ‘Unravelling Pension Reform – Auto Enrolment Legislation’. Guest speaker Paul Glover (from Ernest Grant) will be providing an overview of the reforms and the costly consequences of non-compliance.

To reserve your space or to find out further information on this seminar, please contact Kimberley Cherrrington on 0121 503 2170 or email her at kimberley.cherrington@alexanderdaniels.co.uk

Over the past nine months, Alexander Daniels has recruited three new graduates as part of our ‘Graduate Scheme’.

Initially acting as Resourcers, all AD graduate recruits will endure a three month training programme which will provide them with all the skills they require to become successful Consultants.

Krishan Patel graduated with a degree in English Literature from the University of Birmingham and was Alexander Daniels’ first graduate hire. He is now an established member of the Corporate Governance team and specialises in the recruitment of Audit Professionals.

Matt Loughlin graduated from the University of Ulster Jordanstown with a degree in Marketing. Matt has relocated to Birmingham from Belfast to join Alexander Daniels and he will be supporting the Finance and Accountancy division with the sourcing of ACA’s and high calibre professionals.

Scott Boulton is a recent graduate from Hull University where he gained an honours degree in War and Security Studies. Scott will be assisting the Corporate Governance division in sourcing Compliance, Risk and Audit professionals for their mandates.

Richard Smith, who leads the development of our graduate programme, commented: “Alexander Daniels is committed to developing our own talent and the graduate programme is already paying dividends. It is a key part to our growth in the future”.

Outside of work Krishan, Matt and Scott all like to participate in a range of sports including Cricket, Football and Rugby.