A host of top appointments have been announced by businesses from across Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and further afield.
Since our last BusinessLive North West appointments roundup, companies in sectors from property to banking to communications have made a series of moves.
If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion you'd like featured in our next roundup, please email jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
READ MORE: Developer behind huge part-built student scheme falls into administration
Here, BusinessLive runs through the 55 North West appointments announced in the last week that you shouldn't miss:
GB Group
Digital identity software firm GB Group has announced the appointment of Bhavneet (Bhav) Singh as an independent non-executive director.
Mr Singh will become a member of the audit and risk, remuneration, nomination and ESG committees.
He has over 25 years' experience leading successful digital businesses, through periods of growth and transformational change, with international expansion a key feature.
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He is the founder and CEO of Sandbox, a digital learning company reaching over 55 million users monthly.
He said: "I am delighted to be joining the GBG Board at such an exciting time for the company as it continues its journey and growth trajectory. I look forward to serving on the Board in this time of growth and with such huge opportunities ahead."
Plus Dane
Plus Dane has appointed Paul Knight and Claire Ryan to its top team. The pair will join Ian Reed, who was appointed as chief executive in December 2020 to make up the new executive team.
Paul Knight, currently interim executive director of neighbourhoods at Plus Dane will take over as the chief operating officer with Claire Ryan being appointed to the deputy chief executive role.
Ian Reed chief executive at Plus Dane said: “I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome of our executive recruitment. Having included Board, customers and colleagues in the process, to get a unanimous decision on the preferred candidates, in what was a really strong field, is both exciting and reassuring.
"Paul has been at Plus Dane for 13 months and has established himself with our teams and customers so its great that he’s staying with us. I’m also really looking forward to welcoming Claire back; she’s one of our own and returns with a wealth of experience that will strengthen Plus Dane’s leadership further and help overcome the challenges facing our customers and the housing sector more widely."
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Beyond Corporate
Don’t miss
Manchester commercial practice Beyond Corporate has appointed James Corlett as partner and head of its expanding commercial team.
Mr Corlett, originally from the North West, previously worked at international law firm Fieldfisher across both London and Manchester offices.
He specialises in commercial contracts, IP, and technology transactions and has in-house experience and advises a wide variety of clients.
He said: “At this stage in my career I wanted to be part of something that was progressive, modern and which had a dynamic culture. Importantly the Group has demonstrated that it is prepared to back and support its managers and partners, and is forward thinking in its approach to everything that it does.
“I am looking forward to growing the commercial team and its client base, whilst working closely with the Group’s other practices in order to offer an even broader range of services to its clients.”
Taylors Solicitors
Taylors Solicitors has welcomed back commercial disputes and intellectual property expert Rebecca Horne less than two years after she left the firm.
Ms Horne initially joined the North West practice in 2019, then departed a year later for Napthens.
Now she has returned to Taylors, where she is working alongside the firm’s head of intellectual property, partner Tony Catterall.
She said: “Now that I have gained more disputes experience, I have made the decision to specialise in intellectual property.
“I recognise that Tony Catterall is acknowledged nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner in this area of law, and most particularly in the fields of copyright and design.
"I believe I can develop my career much more effectively by working closely with him, and I am delighted to return to Taylors.”
Brabners
Independent law firm Brabners has made two new partner hires.
The firm has appointed property litigation specialist Jessica Parry within its 95 lawyers-strong real estate team, while Amanda Bailey joins to add significant wills, tax and family trust expertise to its private client team.
The two appointments follow a period of "significant investment" across the firm, which has seen it named in the ‘海角视频 100 Best Companies to Work For’ list for the second consecutive year.
Ms Parry joins from the Manchester office of international firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, having previously spent five years in London with Charles Russell Speechlys. Ms Bailey joins from DTM Legal where she was head of the trust and estates team.
Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “The pandemic and Brexit have created a range of new challenges for clients across both our commercial and private client practices – be they related to matters such as high street rent arrears or the management of family estates.
"All such evolving issues require specialist support, which is why we’ve moved to further strengthen our offering across the board. In Jessica and Amanda, we are adding two exceptional and highly regarded lawyers to an increasingly diverse partnership which is committed to making the difference and helping our clients to achieve their ambitions."
Tangerine
Specialist creative communications agency Tangerine has appointed Sam Gregory and Mary Harding as joint CEOs.
The move comes as the agency approaches 100 people and embarks on an ambitious next phase of expansion and investment.
Since joining the agency 10 years ago, Mr Gregory and Ms Harding have been "steering the business to become an industry leader in creative PR and social media communications", the firm said.
Its client roster includes established global brands and disruptive market leaders like Specsavers, PPG and Pizza Hut Restaurants.
Mr Gregory said: “Entrepreneurial spirit has always sat at our heart but over the last 18 months, we’ve seen this quality come to the fore. We have continued to innovate what we do and how we do it, staying agile and adapting to emerging market opportunities. This, coupled with the sheer tenacity of our people, has seen us grow significantly – strategically guiding our clients’ communications through uncharted territory.”
Ms Harding added: “Sam and I have always shared a vision for where we want to take the business. We’re not risk averse and like to invest in our people and offer to stay at the cutting edge and deliver award-winning work. This has been a major factor in our ongoing success, together with our strong culture and values, and ethos of only working with like-minded clients.
“Next year is a key milestone for us. The business will be 20 years old, over 100 people and five years into employee ownership. We feel in a very strong position to embark on this next phase of growth and are very excited about where it will take us.”
James Fisher & Sons
James Fisher & Sons plc has announced that Kash Pandya will join the board as an independent non-executive director.
Mr Pandya is currently CEO of Helios Towers plc, a FTSE 250 company, a post from which he will step down at its AGM in April 2022.
Angus Cockburn, chairman, said: "I am delighted that Kash has agreed to join the board of James Fisher. His considerable experience in leading international manufacturing and service businesses will strengthen the board further."
Suttons Tankers
Suttons Tankers have announced the appointment of Chrisi Lloyd-Roberts as operations director for the division.
Ms Lloyd-Roberts brings a "wealth of experience" including the efficient implementation of major new contracts, systems implementations, process improvement and procurement.
As an existing board member who has been with Suttons for over six years, she has been involved in the creation and execution of the overarching strategy as well as both the long and short term aims of the business.
She said: “Using my operational leadership experience from manufacturing I am looking forward to working with the Tankers operational teams.
"Over the coming months I’ll be focusing on the critical themes of safety, customer service and efficiency, whilst retaining stability through this challenging period of the national driver shortage."
OBI
OBI has appointed Kate Malone to its transactions and asset management team, following a raft of new business wins.
Mr Malone joins the transactions and asset management team – servicing OBI’s extensive client base, which boasts some of Manchester’s most high-profile developments.
Previously, Mr Malone spent eight years at Bruntwood operating managed workspace in Manchester city centre where she worked on some of the city’s most well-known office spaces including the newly refurbished annex of the Bloc development on Brown Street.
She said: “OBI’s reputation is unrivalled, and I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to join such an exciting team. I am really looking forward to a new challenge and exploring a different side of the property market.
“The firm is now one of the biggest property companies in the North and it’s been great to hit the ground running over the last week and to work alongside such experienced professionals.”
Bensons for Beds
Bensons for Beds has made another key appointment to its leadership team, with the appointment of Mandy Winser as chief operating officer.
Ms Winser, who will take up her role in November, joins from Swissport where she was regional operations director.
Her career has also included senior positions at Kingfisher, B&Q and Marks & Spencer, where she has had roles with responsibility for logistics, operations, and customer services,
She said: “I am delighted to be moving back to retail, to a product area I am familiar with and to a brand as well respected as Bensons for Beds. I'm passionate about putting the customer at the heart of all operations and I can’t wait to meet the teams who make it happen.”
Handl Group
Service provider Handl Group, which owns a portfolio of businesses across the claims and rehabilitation sectors, has appointed Neil Vose as head of digital transformation.
Mr Vose will report directly to Group CEO Graham Pulford, and will work with the group's growing portfolio of start-up businesses and established brands to accelerate digital transformation.
He has worked with global enterprises, strategic consultancies and start-ups. Most recently, he was the digital lead at business growth agency Sevendots, as well as an advisor to a portfolio of tech start-ups.
He said: “I am excited to join handl Group to unleash the full potential of digital across our portfolio of companies to better service their customers, employees and partners.”
The Fairhursts Design Group
Manchester architects The Fairhursts Design Group has welcomed a new managing director and added to its senior management team as part of a strategic plan for the future.
The practice, which this year celebrated its 125th year in business, has appointed Mark Adey as managing director after 25 years with the company.
In recent years, Mr Adey has spearheaded the firm’s highly complex and innovative work within the science and education sectors.
Mr Adey’s promotion comes as Richard Sagar moves into a business development and mentoring role on a consultancy basis.
In addition, the FDG board has also promoted Laura Sherliker to director and Stevie Leigh to associate director to further strengthen its leadership team.
Mr Adey said: “Richard joined FDG as an 18-year-old trainee in 1972 and became managing director in 2015.
"Not only has his contribution to the built environment been enormous, he has also had an extremely positive influence on our staff who have grown personally and professionally under his leadership, myself included. Richard has done a fantastic job in steering the business, and we are fortunate to be retaining him in a part-time role so we can continue to benefit from his knowledge and experience."
Exchange Chambers
Richard McLean from Exchange Chambers in Liverpool has been appointed, for a three-year term, to the Football Association’s Judicial Panel.
Mr McLean will be asked to chair hearings on a wide range of matters.
Those matters might include hearings relating to “on-field” issues, such as wrongful dismissals, player misconduct, technical area misconduct, club misconduct or issues relating to crowds.
Alternatively, they might include “off-field” matters, such as discrimination, anti-doping/drugs, media comments, betting and match-fixing, or issues relating to intermediaries.
The panel deals with cases from across all applicable levels of the game, up to and including the Premier League.
Mr McLean, who was called to the Bar in 2011, is experienced in work relating to the regulation of professional conduct in a variety of fields including sport and anti-doping. He also specialises in employment and discrimination law.
DF Capital
Manchester-based DF Capital, the specialist savings and business finance bank, has announced the appointments of two senior marketing professionals to support the company during its next phase of growth.
Will Jones has been appointed in the newly created role of head of marketing, and Gabrielle Donnelly joins as marketing manager. Together, they will be responsible for helping develop and execute the business’ plans to broaden its footprint in the industry, enter new markets and create new product lines.
Jonathan Biggin, DF Capital’s COO, said: “Our business is growing and there are exciting opportunities to take advantage of.
"Both Will and Gabrielle bring with them expertise in a broad range of marketing disciplines and they have also worked in a number of different industries which dovetail perfectly with our customer markets.
"It’s a privilege to welcome them to the team and provide them with the opportunity to be part of our growth story.”
SAS Daniels LLP
Cheshire law firm SAS Daniels LLP has appointed Stewart Burrows as partner in the dispute team at its Chester city centre office.
Mr Burrows joins SAS Daniels having acquired 20 years’ experience working within law firms across the North West. He has acted for individuals, SMEs and larger corporations across a range of civil/commercial litigation issues including contractual disputes, property litigation, contested probate, construction claims, professional negligence, partnership and shareholder disputes, disputed insolvency and intellectual property litigation.
He said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining SAS Daniels, who have a strong Dispute Resolution department and the firm demonstrating that it can ably compete with firms in Manchester and Liverpool.
"My goal for clients is to obtain a practical, commercial, and cost-effective resolution to their business and personal disputes, and I’m looking forward to using my experience and knowledge to work with the firm’s existing and new clients to achieve that goal successfully.”
Browne Jacobson
Browne Jacobson has appointed Graham Ball as the new head of its banking and finance team in Manchester.
The appointment follows a period of sustained growth for the firm’s national banking practice which is on track to deliver 20% growth for the 2021/22 financial year.
Mr Ball has "considerable experience" advising both lenders and borrowers on all types of debt finance including acquisition finance, asset based lending, real estate finance, debt restructuring and general corporate lending.
He said: “I am delighted to be the firm’s new head of banking in the North West. The potential to grow the banking practice in the region even further was a major factor in my decision to join the firm and I am very excited at the challenge that lies ahead.”
Morecrofts Solicitors
Jo-anne Lomax has become an equity partner at Morecrofts Solicitors in Liverpool.
Ms Lomax, who specialises in family law, originally joined the firm as a legal clerk in 1994 and now leads its office in Allerton Road.
An accredited children panel and resolution specialist, she has worked across all areas of family law and now specialises in the area of children law, which includes public and private law children cases, special guardianship matters and adoption.
She said: “If someone had said to me 27 years ago that one day I would sit around the table as an owner of this firm, I’d never have believed them.
“Morecrofts has been a part of Liverpool’s professional landscape for 208 years and it is an absolute honour to be able to make a contribution to the rich tapestry of such an established and highly-respected firm.”
Leasing Options
Leasing Options has announced the appointment of Mike Thompson as its new chief operating officer.
As COO, Mr Thompson takes on responsibility for all operational functions for the business, in addition to his previous main focus on sales and marketing.
He previously held the positions of brand manager and then sales and marketing director for the 31-year-old business.
Nigel Brain, founder of Leasing Options said: “Mike has been an instrumental force in driving the business forward over the last couple of years and we wanted to recognise the effort and performance he has given especially through the last 18 months of the pandemic.
“After 31 years in the industry, our commitment to our core values of excellent customer service are as important today as they ever were and as Chief Operating Officer, Mike is responsible for ensuring the culture of our business supports this while we continue to grow.”
Express Solicitors
Clinical negligence partner Carol Brooks-Johnson and new in-house barrister Garreth Duggan have been appointed by Manchester-based personal injury law firm, Express Solicitors.
Carol Brooks-Johnson joins as Head of Clinical Negligence while Garreth Duggan joins in-house barrister and partner Nyssa Crorie in the firm’s advocacy department, which now has a team of five employees with further growth planned.
The appointments come on the back of news that Express Solicitors Group had its best ever financial results from April 2020 to April 2021, with group turnover up by 14% from last year to £31.3m and caseloads growing by 36% to 19,015.
Managing Partner, James Maxey said: “It’s been a busy year for our HR and training departments, who’ve worked hard during lockdown to recruit, onboard and train the talent we need at the firm to offer a first-class service to our clients and to help us continue to grow.
"We’re delighted to have Carol on board; she has over 25 years’ clinical negligence experience and will undoubtedly lead the department with great skill and expertise.
"In addition, Garreth will really bolster our advocacy department, which we grew after the success of bringing in our first in-house barrister. We’ve found the team has won many cases that other barristers turned down, so it is proving to be of real benefit to our clients.”
Inciner8
Merseyside-based waste management specialist Inciner8 has announced the appointment of Chris Russell as its new engineering manager.
With 30 years’ experience in medium-heavy mechanical and electrical engineering, design and software management, Mr Russell joins Inciner8 following 15 years as technical director at Manchester-based Street Crane, where he was responsible for the design and delivery of cranes used the world over.
He will now be responsible for overseeing Inciner8’s in-house engineering facility, influencing the design of the company’s world-leading incineration solutions and quality control across the business.
He said: “In the waste management sector, efficiency and quality of product are key to achieving results. My vast experience in the field will enhance Inciner8’s ability to produce solutions, which are geared for the next generation of waste management, including developing our role in the waste to energy movement.
“My priority is to ensure we continue to make advances in the delivery of modern-day, fit-for-purpose incineration systems that not only tackle the major waste crisis we are experiencing around the world, but which also contribute towards achieving a greener planet.”
Bristol Street Motors
Chris Armstrong, who joined Bristol Street Motors Ford Bolton on its finance graduate scheme in 2014, has been appointed as general manager.
Mr Armstrong, who represented England and Great Britain at Water Polo, graduated with a business studies degree.
He completed his CIMA qualifications while on the scheme and worked as an accountant at the Ford Bolton and Wigan dealerships before taking on his current role as assistant divisional finance director within the Ford division.
He said: “Although I have taken the company’s General Manager Development Programme I hadn’t really thought about an operational position until Robert and Ian spoke to me.
"My studying and career to date have revolved around finance and it is an exciting prospect to step away from that.
“I am looking forward to the challenges of a sales environment and a customer-facing role and further developing my skills within the company. I am thankful that I enrolled on Finance Graduate Scheme and for the faith shown in me by Robert and Ian.
"This is a great business to work for, which values its colleagues and offers great opportunities for progression.”