Due to rapid growth, Sumer establishes People and Culture team

SME accountancy service welcomes senior HR hires, Gill Peden and Louise Welby.

Today, Sumer, the UK’s leading mid-market accountancy practice for SMEs, announces the appointment of two HR specialists, creating its People & Culture team.

Gill Peden has joined as People & Culture Transformation Director.  She will lead the development and implementation of the Group HR and talent strategy, focusing on employee experience, enhancing organisational design, and ensuring Sumer’s ‘people-first’ culture, remains a priority as the business scales.

Peden is an accomplished HR professional with a background in technology start-ups, SMEs, and global high-value-tech companies.

At the same time, Louise Welby joins Sumer as Group Talent Acquisition Lead, supporting Sumer Hubs with recruitment, ensuring processes are optimised and standardised.

While Welby takes a strategic, data-driven approach to talent acquisition, she is also highly attuned to inclusivity, possessing particularly neuro-inclusion. Welby’s career to date includes stints at Deloitte and Apple.

Gareth Libbey, Chief Operating Officer and Sumer Co-Founder, said: “A supportive, engaging, and inclusive workplace is the cornerstone of any successful organisation. High quality HR is integral to creating a positive, sustainable culture and exceptional employee experience. At the same time, skilled people are in short supply and we need to attract and retain the best candidates. That’s why Gill and Louise are such important hires for Sumer, they’re going to be fundamental for our further growth.”

Commenting on her new role, Gill Peden, People & Culture Transformation Director said, “This is an incredible professional opportunity, Sumer has an incredibly well articulated mission, to champion SMEs, and its people are known as champions internally. The organisational culture is already inclusive, supportive and engaging here. My mission is to ensure that our champions have a world-class employee experience, and clients receive best in class service.”

Since its inception, Sumer has grown rapidly through acquisition. It now employs over 1,300 champions, with more than 40 offices, and generates an annual turnover of over £130 million, emerging as a key accountancy player.

Sumer’s Hub network includes Carpenter Box, Cowgills, EQ Chartered Accountants, Jerroms, Monahans, RMT Accountants & Business Advisors, R.T. Marke & Co Ltd, Scrutton Bland, Simmons Gainsford Group and Sumer Law.


Sumer Group Holdings Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 14256975 with its registered office at The Beehive Building, Beehive Ring Road, Crawley, Gatwick, RH6 0PA. Sumer is the brand name under which firms which are members of and/or are connected to Sumer Group Holdings Limited operate and provide professional services. Each firm in the Sumer network is a separate legal entity. Sumer Group Holdings Limited does not provide audit, accountancy or other services to clients directly. The member firms can use the resources and/or services of other member firms. Sumer Group Holdings Limited is not an agent of any member firm and is not liable for any member firms. Each member firm is liable only for its own acts or omissions and not those of Sumer Group Holdings Limited and/or any other member firm.