Hammonds names new Manchester chief

Haxby takes up the role with immediate effect, replacing banking partner Edwards to head the 27-partner office.

Edwards came to end of his three-year term in mid-March and handed in his notice shortly after.

Haxby was up against one other candidate in a contested election, but the firm declined to reveal their identity.

Haxby started at the firm in 1993, making partner in 2001

Haxby is also head of the firm’s national capital markets group and advises on IPOs and secondary offerings on the principal public equity markets in the UK, Europe and Hong Kong.

The firm’s Manchester office has won a number of new clients in the last year including Northern Rock, Orange, T-Mobile and the Yorkshire Building Society.

Haxby has ambitious plans for the firms and is committed to driving growth and profitability.

She said: “At the moment I need to get into the position and look at the challenges.

“It’ll not be a case of pursuing turnover for turnover’s sake.  We need to grow in terms of profitability and find additional revenue streams

“All firms have faced challenging times, hopefully now there are more stable times ahead.”

Haxby added that possible areas of growth include financial litigation and financial services.