About Brailey Hicks

Originally Simon came from an accountancy background and is a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant. He first started working for a small firm of accountants in the midlands in the 1990s and by 1999 he was specialising in business recovery and insolvency. Simon moved to work in Plymouth for a large national firm of insolvency practitioners in 2007 and in 2019 decided to set up Brailey Hicks with his business partner, Julian Brailey.

Simon has a wide range of experience from corporate to personal insolvency knowledge and he is extremely skilled in assisting companies and individuals through the processes of recovery or insolvency. He has a strong network of contacts such as lawyers, accountants and independent financial advisors and has been successful in establishing a reputation for swift advice, enabling distressed businesses and people to make the best decisions for their futures.

Simon is a licenced and regulated insolvency practitioner and prides himself in offering a compassionate, professional, confidential service with plain English advice to all corporate and individuals facing financial hardships, whatever their circumstances.

Outside of work Simon is kept busy with his young family and likes to go on daily walks with his vizsla, Rudi. He enjoys good food, music and watching most sports, he also tries to play a game of squash once a week, if time allows.

Having gained a great deal of experience since the 1990’s, Julian has previously worked for a large national firm of insolvency practitioners. In 2011 he went to work at a local insolvency practitioners in Devon where he specialised in solvent liquidations. In 2019 he set up Brailey Hicks with his business partner, Simon Hicks.

Julian has experience in advising business owners and individuals facing financial difficulty and his reassuring manner puts company directors at ease when they are faced with situations where they feel they are out of their depth.

Julian prides himself in offering a compassionate, professional and confidential service and will explain the options available to enable directors to make informed decisions regarding the future of their businesses. Julian is on hand to give advice on how to best handle difficult situations and help businesses move forward.

Julian has an extensive number of contacts that he is able to liaise with if additional support is required, from legal advice to commercial valuations to ensure the most appropriate action is taken.

Outside of work Julian is kept busy with his bull dog, Tyson. He enjoys most sports, although these days mainly as a spectator. He likes to occasionally play a round of golf and he also tries to get on the squash court once a week when time allows.

Julie is currently Human Resources and the Marketing Coordinator at Brailey Hicks. She is responsible for the smooth day-to-day running of the company and for overseeing the company’s marketing activities. Julie deals with recruitment, staff training and development, employment relations and workplace safety and, despite significant business growth and increasing staff levels, Julie effectively makes everything work.

Outside of work Julie is kept busy with her family. However, when time allows, she can often be found outside in the garden. She enjoys going for walks along the beach and wine tasting!

Lauren has worked in the insolvency sector since she began her career in 2011. Having worked in the industry for a number of years, Lauren is aware of the requirements to act quickly when feeling the pressures of debt and is available to offer advice in both business and personal insolvency scenarios.

Over the years Lauren has gained experience of working within the business rescue and recovery sector where she has a background of working on all types of corporate and personal insolvency procedures.

Lauren joined Brailey Hicks in 2021 as an insolvency manager where she is involved with the assisting of the day-to-day management of all insolvency functions at Brailey Hicks, including managing the team. She is currently working towards her Joint Insolvency Examinations Board (JIEB) to become a qualified insolvency practitioner.

Lauren prides herself in offering a compassionate, professional and confidential service with a friendly approach to all, whatever their circumstances.

Outside of work Lauren is kept busy with her young family and enjoys being outdoors walking her dog around the Devon coast. She loves spending time with her friends and family and eating out - bottomless brunches are her favourite! Lauren can often be found singing away in the office so it’s no surprise that she loves a bit of karaoke.

Ellie joined Brailey Hicks in 2020 where she first started her career in insolvency. After joining the team as an office administrator, it soon became apparent that insolvency was where she was interested and she was promoted to insolvency administrator. In January 2024, Ellie was promoted to assistant insolvency manager and in her role she continues to increase her portfolio dealing with insolvent liquidations, members voluntary liquidations and individual voluntary arrangements. She works closely with the case managers ensuring a smooth transition from consultation to resolution. Ellie is currently working towards her Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI).

Outside of work Ellie likes to unwind by going to the gym. She loves going on coastal and countryside walks and spending time with her family. She also likes a good night out with friends dancing away on the dance floor.

Leah joined Brailey Hicks at the start of 2023 as an office administrator. After joining the team, it soon became apparent that Leah was passionate about insolvency and in January 2024, she was promoted to insolvency administrator. Leah works alongside Ellie gaining knowledge and experience for the chance to continue to progress within her job role. Leah is keen to help all staff whilst expanding her administration skills and knowledge within the insolvency industry. She is here to support the advisers and the administration side of things throughout the insolvency process.

Outside of work Leah likes spending time with her friends and going for woodland and coastal walks. Leah is a creative person and in her spare time she loves doing cross stitching, embroidery patterns and painting. And if that’s not enough, she can often be found with a good book in her hand too.

Tom joined Brailey Hicks as a trainee office administrator in July 2023 after completing his A-Levels. When Tom joined Brailey Hicks he was keen to explore the world of business and since joining Brailey Hicks he has discovered a love for insolvency. Tom works along side Ellie and Leah ensuring the smooth progression of the cases he is involved with.

Outside of work Tom plays many sports including darts, football and cricket. When not playing sports he can often be found supporting Plymouth Argyle, watching the home and away games. Tom also loves going to music concerts and festivals.