The BusinessLive inbox has been inundated with companies announcing a string of new hires and promotions over the last week as we edge closer to Christmas.
Firms of all sizes from across Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and the North West as a whole have been in contact since our last North West appointments round up.
Businesses in sectors from as diverse as retail, entertainment, law and social media are among those who have made a series of moves.
If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion that you would like featured in our next roundup, please email jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
READ MORE: Second largest shareholder in retail and software giant THG increases stake
Here, BusinessLive runs through the 30 North West appointments announced in the last week that you shouldn't miss:
Asda
The former boss of Marks & Spencer Lord Stuart Rose has been named as the new chairman of Asda.
The supermarket group, which was bought by the Blackburn-based billionaire Issa brothers and private equity backers TDR Capital for £6.8bn last year, has confirmed he will take up the role next month.
Most Read
Lord Rose was also named as the chair of EG Group - the forecourt giant also owned by the brothers and TDR - last year.
The retailer has also appointed Dame Alison Carnwath, another director at EG, to be a non-executive director at Asda.
HOME
The chief executive of cinema advertising agency Pearl & Dean is the new chair of HOME in Manchester.
Kathryn Jacob has taken on the role alongside new trustees Dr Ruth Bromley and Sita McIntosh at the international multi-arts centre.
They succeed chair Jonty Claypole, director of BBC Arts, and trustees Karl Jackson and Stephen Sorrell.
Director and CEO of HOME Dave Moutrey said: "It is a great pleasure to welcome our new chair and trustees to HOME.
SAS Daniels
The Chester office of legal practice SAS Daniels has promoted Claire Porter to partner in its family law team.
Don’t miss
She will help spearhead growth at the firm which is already experiencing a surge in post-Covid divorce cases, especially from the agricultural community.
She said: "It’s been widely reported that divorce applications have risen dramatically since the start of the pandemic, mainly due to couples living in close proximity realising they are no longer compatible. This is different.
"The domestic lives of farmers and their spouses hasn’t radically changed so we’re at a loss to explain this sudden increase in divorce.
"The vast majority of enquiries we’re receiving are from women in their fifties. We’ve even wondered whether they’ve been spurred on by a couple of recent storylines in The Archers and Emmerdale.
"Whatever the reason, the fact remains divorce among agricultural couples is complex and requires specialist expertise to ensure a fair outcome for both parties."
Myerson Solicitors LLP
Altrincham-based Myerson Solicitors LLP has appointed corporate and commercial lawyer Chris Moss.
He joined the firm with partner experience from city centre firms Eversheds, Halliwells and Pinsent Mason.
He also headed the corporate and commercial team at JMW and now joins Myerson with nearly 30 years of experience in corporate and commercial law.
He said: "I’m delighted to join the Myerson team and so excited to be a part of their rapid expansion."
I Saw It First
Manchester-headquartered online fashion retailer I Saw It First has announced Greg Pateras as its new chief executive.
The move comes as founder former CEO Jalal Kamani steps into the role of chairman.
Mr Pareras joined the board in July 2017 as executive director and has previously worked at Matalan where he was deputy CEO and COO before that spending 10 years at Shop Direct where he was CFO.
He said: "I am extremely proud and excited to be given the opportunity to lead this high growth business, working with supportive owners and a passionate team.
"We will continue to build on the good work to date and drive the business forward to help hit its ambitious targets."
Savills
Savills has appointed a residential consultant to join its team in Cheshire.
Jonathan Major will take on the primary role of increasing stock by introducing potential clients to the team, alongside supporting various marketing initiatives.
He was a partner with Strutt & Parker for almost 40 years prior to his recent retirement, where he opened the firm’s Chester office in 1983.
Eric Wright Group
Preston-based Eric Wright Group has appointed Lesley McGregor as its new managing director of its health and care business and has also promoted Wayne Ashton to director.
Lesley McGregor joins from Community Health Partnerships (CHP) where she worked for eight and a half years, six of which she held the position of regional property director across the North West and North East and Yorkshire.
Mr Ashton, who has been with Eric Wright Health and Care since 2014, initially joined as head of strategic planning and became LIFTCo Director in 2019.
TUC
Jay McKenna has been appointed as the TUC’s regional secretary for the North West of England.
He takes over the post from Lynn Collins, who is on a second long-term secondment with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Mc McKenna will be based in the TUC's Liverpool office, and will be the TUC's senior representative across the North West.
Pierce Business Advisory & Accountancy Group
Blackburn-based Pierce Business Advisory & Accountancy Group has welcomed two new directors in its corporate finance and tax divisions.
Steve Bell, who has more than 30 years’ experience in corporate finance, joins Pierce’s six-strong and growing corporate finance team.
He joins from Sheffield-based Castle Square Corporate Finance, where he spent seven years as a director.
Dominic Ball joins as tax director and will lead the ten-strong department alongside Nadeem Hussain.
He brings over 15 years’ experience working for PWC, Grant Thornton and, more recently, his own tax consultancy firm.
Pannone Corporate
North West law firm Pannone Corporate has expanded its team with a trio of appointments.
Kenneth Tang joins the firm as a solicitor in the dispute resolution team, where he will support the team across a range of areas, including real estate litigation, general commercial contracts, estates and trusts, intellectual property, IT, and professional negligence.
Oliver Moore has been appointed as a solicitor in the insolvency and restructuring team. He has joined from Lancashire-based firm, Harrison Drury & Co.
Humera Patel has joined Pannone as a corporate paralegal. She previously worked at Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer and Forbes Solicitors in their corporate teams.
MSB Solicitors
Liverpool-based MSB Solicitors has appointed Steven Davies as head of employment law.
He has specialised in employment law since qualifying as a solicitor in 2009, including in his previous role at Aaron & Partners LLP in Chester.
In his new role, Mr Davies will head up the employment team, which was founded in January 2018 and has since grown its presence within Merseyside and the surrounding region.
Taylor Lynn Corporation
Professional event planner Taylor Lynn Corporation (TLC) has announced the expansion of its team to include the promotion of two team members and the addition of two new recruits.
In a restructure that also includes moving to larger premises in central Manchester, TLC has promoted Jess Randall to the role of senior events director and Laura Callaghan to the position of events producer.
Jessica Hampton has been recruited to the vacant post of event administrator, in addition to Goldie Chadowitz as TLC’s new London-based events consultant.
CBRE
CBRE has added to its real estate capital markets advisory team in Manchester with the appointment of Giovanni Pilla as associate director.
Mr Pilla previously spent more than six years at Cushman & Wakefield focusing on residential investment and the build to rent sector providing brokerage and advisory services across the North West region.
In CBRE’s nine-strong Manchester capital markets team, he will be working closely with Colin Thomasson and Tom Sinclair who lead CBRE’s residential investment activity across the North of England.
Bridge Law Solicitors
Marple Bridge-based firm Bridge Law Solicitors has expanded their team for the fourth time this year, with two new recruits - paralegal Dammy Uthman and legal assistant Valerie Chirnside.
Paralegal and aspiring solicitor Dammy Uthman has joined the firm following a number of years gaining experience in large in-house legal departments and law firms across Manchester.
She now joins Bridge Law to further her litigation career, specialising in debt recovery and contentious probate matters.
Bringing with her over 20 years of legal secretarial and office management experience to the team, Valerie Chirnside has joined the firm’s Marple Bridge team to provide key support to the solicitors, as well as being the first point of call for clients.
KOMI Group
KOMI Group, the Manchester headquartered social media, marketing, and licensing business, has appointed Michael Hodkinson as its new head of creative solutions.
His role in the commercial team will see him focus on driving revenue across the firm for its various core services including commercial content, licensing and video production.
He will also be working to develop relationships between KOMI and the media and creativity agency sectors in the 海角视频.
Prior to joining KOMI, Mr Hodkinson was sales director at Social Chain Media. He has also worked at Mediacom and The Telegraph Media Group.
Dow Schofield Watts
Independent business advisory firm Dow Schofield Watts has appointed Liz Lawson, a business psychologist specialising in leadership assessment and development, to support its expansion across the 海角视频.
Liz Lawson, who joins from Rotheram Carrington Recruitment Group in Chester, has over 20 years’ experience.
She started her career in recruitment with Hays and has also worked as a leadership consultant with Wickland Westcott (now New Street Consulting Group).
In her new role, she will be helping the firm to assess and recruit new partners as it continues to roll out its unique licensing model which enables finance professionals to run their own business under the Dow Schofield Watts banner.
No Brainer
PR, SEO and content marketing agency No Brainer has made two new senior hires to support its continued growth.
Digital PR and content specialist Victoria Attwood joins from digital marketing agency Cedarwood Digital as account director.
Former journalist Tom Houghton has been hired as senior news and content manager.
The agency has also welcomed its first apprentice, with 18-year-old Ella Howatson joining the team while working towards a QA Digital Marketing qualification.