Charles Whelan has been appointed the new head of Deloitte and Touche Corporate Finance in Southampton, one of the region's most influential business organisations.

He takes over from Stuart Lindsay, who retires from the firm at the end of May. Stuart has led the team in Southampton since 1996, establishing it across the region as a first port of call for firms seeking advice and solutions for funding, mergers, acquisitions and sales.

His experience, energy and network of contacts ideally positions him to take up interim or non-executive roles, typically for plcs or fast-growing businesses.

Mr Whelan, who is returning to Southampton after a period in Deloitte's Reading office, has years of experience in Hampshire. Since joining Deloitte in 1996 he has completed more than 20 transactions in all areas of the corporate finance arena.

He said: "I am looking forward to the opportunity to build up on the team's market-leading position. We have developed and built a strong, confident team that has considerable technical competence, experience and strong connections with industry and the financial community. The team's performance in the last two years in particular has proved its ability to succeed in the face of a difficult economic climate.''