Norwich wing of FRP welcomes Hayley Watson as director
FRP Advisory has appointed Hayley Watson as an appointment-taking director in its Norwich-based team. The move strengthens its fast-growing restructuring presence in the city, and across East Anglia.
Since 2020, when it acquired local firm JDC Group, FRP Advisory has had a presence in Norwich. Since then, FRP’s East of England presence has specialised in in providing clients with corporate finance and forensic services support. Two years later, the firm also launched a new restructuring team in East Anglia, adding to its corporate finance and forensic services lines.
As the firm looks to expand and strengthen that offering, FRP Advisory has committed to a number of promotions and appointments in Norwich. The latest of these is Hayley Watson, who arrives after 20 years with local professional services firm McTear Williams & Wood.
A licensed insolvency practitioner with extensive experience advising individuals and companies facing financial difficulties, she worked her way up to the role of board director there, before moving on. During that time, she has acted across a wide range of corporate and personal insolvency processes, including creditors’ voluntary liquidations, and bankruptcies. She is also currently the eastern region chair of restructuring trade association R3.
New position
In her new role, Watson will work alongside FRP partner Richard Bloomfield to continue growing the firm’s restructuring presence across Norwich and the wider region. She joins more than 900 colleagues across FRP’s national network of offices.
Bloomfield commented, “Hayley is one of the most respected insolvency practitioners in the region. Her technical expertise, long-standing experience and strong professional network make her a hugely valuable addition to our team. Her appointment also underlines our ambition to continue building our presence in East Anglia. We’ve enjoyed a strong period of growth since launching in 2022 – but we want to continue to expand and evolve our offering. Hayley will play an important role in supporting this strategy, as we look to continue providing the best service possible to the region’s businesses as they continue to contend with a challenging economic environment.”
The firm is well known for its role in some of the UK’s most high-profile restructuring cases, including The Body Shop and Debenhams, as well as restructuring plans developed on behalf of Prezzo, Clinton’s and, most recently, Poundland. The Norwich restructuring team is now nine-strong and is complemented by a Cambridge-based team, helmed by insolvency practitioner Chris McKay.
Speaking on her arrival, Watson added, “I’m both proud and excited to be joining a team that has grown so rapidly in such a short space of time. With 20 years’ experience working in the region, I’ve seen first-hand the pressures that businesses and individuals can face as they navigate financial challenges. Joining FRP gives me the opportunity to draw on this experience within a firm that combines regional insight with national reach and resources, helping to deliver a significant impact for the businesses we serve.”
