Two staff at the South Coast office of accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson have been promoted – coinciding with their climbing exploits.
Tim Dunford, 35, is now manager within the tax division, having been promoted from assistant manager, and Zoe Ball, 28, becomes assistant manager, having previously worked as a senior in the audit arm.
They have been with the 50-strong firm in Southampton for four years and five years respectively and work for companies in a range of sectors, from professional services and leisure to manufacturing and marine.
Promotion for endurance athlete Tim coincided with a stunning victory in the Mont Blanc mountain bike race in the Alps, in what is regarded as the hardest one-stage bike race in the world.
A member of the Mountain Trax – Vauxhall Motors cycling team, Tim cycled 100km in seven hours and 11 minutes, an impressive four-minute lead from the second competitor across the line.
The Mont Blanc mountain bike race involved 5,200m of climbing, 400m more than the height of the iconic mountain, in the MB Ultra 100km event.
Zoe continued the ascendancy theme with the Three Peaks Challenge in the UK, reaching the summit of Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike within 24 hours.
Richard Green, managing partner, said: “Tim and Zoe’s promotions are thoroughly deserved as they continue the rise to the top, career-wise and literally, through their impressive sporting exploits.”
