Edwards will be tasked with the development of the Dains Group’s operating model and operational performance, working with its service lines and central teams to create greater, consistency, connectivity and capacity across the business.

Her remit will bring together people, processes, technology and data to support sustainable growth and aim to deliver an excellent experience for Dains’ people and clients. Edwards’ career spans finance operations, client delivery, operational leadership and business transformation. Her early experience includes DTZ, where she was involved in establishing shared service centres for finance operations across Europe.

She joins Dains after 11 years at Cooper Parry, where she was most recently a partner and head of digital business management. Edwards led a multidisciplinary portfolio encompassing transformation and digital enablement, shared and overseas delivery, resourcing, talent acquisition and workplace operations. 

She also helped establish its audit operation and held leadership roles within client delivery.

Richard McNeilly, chief executive at Dains said: “Gemma brings an impressive combination of professional services, operational and transformation experience, alongside a clear understanding of what it takes to build a business that can grow without compromising on quality or the experience we provide to our clients and people.

“As Dains continues to grow, we need to make sure the way we operate develops with us. That means creating greater consistency and connectivity across the Group, making the best use of technology and data, and giving our teams the capacity to spend more time supporting our clients.

“Gemma’s experience of doing exactly that within a fast-growing professional services environment makes her a fantastic addition to our leadership team. I’m looking forward to working with her as we continue to build a stronger, more connected Dains.”

Gemma Edwards, chief operating officer at Dains said: “Dains has a strong heritage, talented people and real ambition for the future. What stood out to me was the appetite to keep evolving and the opportunity to help shape how the Group operates as it enters its next phase of growth.

“My focus will be on turning that ambition into practical change, connecting the business more effectively, simplifying how work gets done and making intelligent use of technology and data. Done well, that will create capacity for our people, strengthen the experience we deliver to clients and provide a scalable platform for sustainable growth.”