Sowena Group appoints John Hughes as non-executive chair
Specialist finance and accounting recruitment company Sowena Group has John Hughes as its non-executive chair. He joins following a long career in the consulting sector, including a spell as a senior partner with KPMG.
Sowena Group founder and CEO Perran Cooke said, “This is a really exciting moment for Sowena as we continue to build a business with scale, credibility and long-term ambition. Bringing John on board as non-executive director is a significant step for us. His experience, combined with his strategic insight, will be invaluable as he works alongside me to strengthen our market position and support the next phase of our growth.”
The company, which Cooke launched in summer 2024, specialises in recruitment for high-growth businesses, pre and current private equity-backed companies and venture capital firms across the north west and beyond. It now has a team of 12, based at the Tootal buildings in Manchester’s city centre, and is looking to accelerate its growth, having last year received a six-figure investment from fund manager River Capital.
Hughes brings more than 40 years’ experience advising public and private companies to the board of Sowena, having led transactions valued in the billions across mergers and acquisitions, financing, strategic reviews and business transformation. He is a former senior partner and head of private equity in the north of England at KPMG – as well as the current chairman of Cortus Advisory Group in addition to several other advisory roles.
He also has experience with private equity backed firms as a non-executive chairman – having also fulfilled the role with organisations including Yodel, in addition to a wide range of fast-growth and challenger businesses, supporting founders and leadership teams through periods of scale, change and value creation.
Hughes remarked, “Throughout my career, the constant has always been people. However strong the strategy or compelling the opportunity, businesses only succeed when they have the right people in the right roles, at the right time. I’ve known Perran for many years and have always been impressed by the way he approaches both clients and candidates – with integrity, commercial insight and a genuine understanding of what growing businesses really need. Sowena has built a business that reflects those values, and I’m looking forward to supporting the team as they help clients build finance functions that can scale, adapt and create long-term value.”
Elsewhere, Sowena also recently strengthened its team with the appointment of Alex Mackenzie as a director and Marcus Polledri as business manager. Their addition further enhances the firm’s “delivery capability across newly-qualified, senior and executive finance appointments”, according to a release from Sowena, ensuring it will “continue to provide a genuinely consultative and high-quality service” to clients.
