Accountancy and business advisory firm Henderson Loggie has appointed Diana Penny as head of audit.

Ms Penny (pictured) takes over the role from Gavin Black who has led significant growth in audit revenues in recent years.

Mr Black joined the company’s main board in April last year and will continue to use his experience to support the wider business, as well as working with his existing audit client base.

Ms Penny, who joined the firm as a partner in 2019, will lead a team of 60 auditors working across commercial and not-for-profit clients. She brings almost 30 years’ experience to her new role and was previously with Grant Thornton where latterly she was a director in the Edinburgh office.

She has played a key role in developing significant levels of new audit business, introducing a number of large commercial audit clients and building a strong reputation in the education sector. Driving sustainable growth will remain part of Ms Penny’s remit, together with developing the next generation of talent.

Mr Black said: “Since joining us as a partner four years ago, (Ms Penny) has embraced our desire to leave a legacy in the communities in which we operate, and to provide opportunities for our people to achieve their full potential.”

Ms Penny said: “One of the biggest challenges facing all firms today is finding the talent to resource the volume of available audit business.

“We have successfully grown the number of audit trainees we take on each year three-fold, and I will continue to focus on attracting and nurturing our graduates and direct entry trainees and continuing our focus on providing excellent client service.”