Firms from Liverpool, Manchester and all across the North West have wasted no time recently in making plenty of appointments and promotions.
The BusinessLive North West inbox has been absolutely inundated in recent days, and our 'People on the Move' roundup this week features businesses from all ends of the spectrum.
The appointments have been announced by firms in sectors from developers, PR agencies and a bank.
Here are the 32 North West appointments and promotions you may have missed:
Warwick Smither
Manchester-based Genr8 Developments has hired Warwick Smither as development director after over 20 years with boutique retail and leisure specialist Cheetham & Mortimer.
During his tenure he gave development and agency advice on schemes as far ranging as MediaCityº£½ÇÊÓƵ, Rochdale Riverside, Kampus Manchester and Preston Fishergate, as well as strategic advice to clients including Tesco, M&S, Morrisons, and Boots.
He will be driving new opportunities for the developer, seeking prime sites for regeneration across the country.
Mr Smither said: "I’ve worked with the team at Genr8 for a number of years and know how talented they all are. It is fantastic to now be joining them at what is a pivotal time for the business, with projects completing and an exciting pipeline of development on the horizon.
"I’m looking forward to getting started and leading what is a brilliant development team."
Sharon Seville
Sharon Seville, director of First Executive Recruitment, has become Stockport Local President for Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
She said: "I’ve been a member of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (Stockport) for over 10 years.
"Originally, one of the main reasons for joining was that as a new, small business I wanted to belong to an established and trusted organisation that could provide me with support, advice and guidance as and when I needed it.
"In addition I also knew that as an organisation the chamber was the representative business voice to industry and government on both a local and national level.
"Since then my business has drawn on the resources the chamber has to offer and I’ve watched it evolve over the years to meet the changing needs of its members and the wider business community."
Becs Bridge
Knowsley-based learning and development organisation Raise the Bar has appointed a new managing director, Becs Bridge, to oversee the company’s new growth drive.
Mrs Bridge, the company’s operations director since January 2019, will now oversee all areas of the business, which has seen a year of "unprecedented" growth working alongside some of the world’s biggest brands.
She said: "We’ve worked hard on Raise the Bar’s growth and evolution over the past two years, and I’m delighted to now be stepping into the managing director role.
"I couldn’t be prouder of the culture we’ve created here, and the experiences our amazing team are delivering for our clients are genuinely leading in our industry.
"The last 12 months have been challenging, but the passion, innovation and consistent drive for high quality provision from our team has stayed true throughout.
"I’m excited to develop this further in my new role, as well as exploring new markets, developing new products and continuing to deliver the very best value in our sector."
Jodi Hinks
Jodi Hinks has been appointed as director of commercial strategy for Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester.
Previously the director of sales and marketing with Rocco Forte Hotels in Manchester and Prague, her 20+ years of experience in the hospitality sector encompasses a number of leading hotel, catering and sports industry brands.
She said: "I am passionate about working in the hotel and hospitality industries, especially within the North of England, there is no better satisfaction than a customer or guest leaving with a smile knowing that we have provided a fantastic experience.
"I have seen first-hand how hotels are places where remarkable talent from all genders and diverse backgrounds can thrive.
"I love that no two days are the same; I’m thrilled to be joining the Hyatt Regency and Hyatt House Manchester hotels at such an exciting time."
Holly Roberts and Katie Evans
Liverpool-based Shopify Plus partner agency Velstar has appointed a finance and operations director and head of client services.
Holly Roberts brings with her over 10 years of experience in creative and digital agency operations. She joins Velstar from the brand engagement agency, Owl Live.
As finance and operations director, she will head up the operational side of the business.
Katie Evans joins as head of clients services and will help build on existing client relationships and support Velstar’s global reach.
She has previously worked in various client-facing roles across the digital industry in both the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and the USA, and has over 10 years of experience, helping B2C clients and businesses achieve their commercial objectives.
Managing director Dan Sheard said: "Over the past 12 months, we have grown significantly. In fact, it’s been a record-breaking year for us. We put this down to the quality of work we are producing for our clients, our amazing client wins and our teams continued hard work to exceed expectations. Here at Velstar, we are always innovating, we never standstill.
"We are very excited to welcome Holly and Katie to our dynamic team. Hiring them was the crucial next step we needed to make in order to support the continued growth of the agency.
"I am confident that they have the skills and expertise to help us achieve our goals in 2021 and beyond."
Tomas Oliveira da Silva
Manchester-headquartered DF Capital has has promoted Tomas Oliveira da Silva to chief risk officer, subject to regulatory approval.
In his role as CRO, he will lead the bank’s second line of defence function, reporting to chief executive Carl D’Ammassa.
He will have overall responsibility for implementing, continuously developing and overseeing adherence to the firm’s Risk Management Framework.
He joined DF Capital in 2019 as head of enterprise and prudential risk having previously spent almost six years in banking supervision at the Bank of England (Prudential Regulation Authority).
Mr D’Ammassa said: "I am delighted that we are able to promote such an experienced and talented individual from within our own business to take on this critically important role. Tomas has a well-established broad experience across risk disciplines.
"He has been an integral part of the business since he joined in 2019 and we look forward to him contributing to our strategic ambitions."
Oliveira da Silva added: "It’s a privilege to be asked to fill this position. It’s an exciting time for DF Capital and I look forward to playing my part in helping the bank to deliver on its strategic plans in my new role."
Napthens
Lancashire-headquartered law firm Napthens has added 17 new staff in the first quarter of 2021.
This includes two additions to the litigation team, with the recruitment of senior associate solicitor Charlotte Barron and solicitor Jordan Davies.
Andy Ellis, a health and safety consultant and specialist in construction has joined Napthens Health and Safety while the firm has made a further eight additions to its commercial property, rural, private client, employment and corporate practices, while also adding to its business services teams.
Chief executive Shru Morris said: "In what has been a challenging 12 months for everyone, we have continued to support clients’ needs across our commercial and private client services.
"As we look to develop further specialisms and build on our expertise across the board and our recruitment reflects our commitment to providing the greatest service possible for each and every one of our clients.
"As the region looks to bounce back following the pandemic, we will continue to expand our service offering and will be announcing further new arrivals in the coming weeks."
Phil O’Malley
A Cheshire and Lancashire-based home improvement specialist has strengthened its senior leadership team as part of plans to grow 50% by 2024.
Clearview Home Improvements, which is part of the Conservatory Outlet Group, has appointed Phil O’Malley as operations director responsible for driving expansion and enhancing the company’s customer service.
He will use more than 20 years of experience in the industry to recruit, retain and manage the existing team of project managers, surveyors and other professionals crucial to the firm’s day-to-day activities across its three showrooms in Nantwich, Preston and Warrington.
He said: "Clearview has forged a hugely impressive reputation over the past decade as one of the leading home improvement providers across the North West.
"To be given the opportunity to help guide the business to even loftier heights is incredibly exciting."
Mark Walsh, Saif Farjawi and David Finch
Adept Civil and Structural Consulting Engineers is expanding its team with a raft of new appointments at its Manchester city centre office, and the company plans to create further jobs later this year.
Mark Walsh joins the firm as an associate, Saif Farjawi has been appointed as a civil and structural engineer and David Finch has become the office’s first apprentice.
Mr Walsh said: "Joining Adept is an opportunity to further my career at a growing company that is quickly establishing an enviable reputation across Manchester and beyond and works across an extremely varied portfolio of projects."
Neil Brown, a director at Adept, who heads up the company’s Manchester office, added: "These appointments are a direct result of new contract wins throughout the North West across the rail, education, industrial and residential sectors.
"Mark brings a wealth of experience to the team and Saif is an ambitious structural engineer who has gained experience across an impressive portfolio of projects, so they will both further enhance the service that our clients enjoy.
"We’re also delighted to welcome our first apprentice to the Manchester team. Apprenticeships are a proven way of introducing young people into the engineering and STEM sectors, which is vital to the industry.
"David is a very bright individual and with our guidance and support, he can forge a successful career in the industry.
"We now employ a team of six in Manchester and plan to recruit another engineer and Revit technician, to produce technical drawings and models, later this year, which all combines to make it an exciting time for Adept."
Samantha Kennerley
Manchester-based B2B agency Turquoise PR has strengthened its strategic corporate and financial communications capability with the appointment of Samantha Kennerley as an account director.
Mrs Kennerley, who has recently returned to the º£½ÇÊÓƵ after 10 years in Australia, is the founder of Dabbs PR & Marketing which she led for 13 years prior to moving to relocating in 2010.
She said: "The º£½ÇÊÓƵ has always had a strong finance sector and it is now very much at the forefront of global innovation. I’m delighted to be back and join Turquoise, which combines an in-depth understanding of the financial sector with PR and digital skills.
"We are well positioned to help both traditional finance firms seeking to take advantage of the post-pandemic opportunities as well as fintech and other challenger brands which want to establish themselves and build their profile in the market."
Turquoise founder Pauline Rawsterne added: "Sam has a solid track record in financial and corporate PR via her agency Dabbs PRM and brings additional skills including governance and strategy as well as international experience at board level.
"Her appointment will help us consolidate our position as one of the leading financial PR agencies outside London."
Sharon Lornie
Wirral-based Sharon Lornie has been appointed as a receivables specialist at Cerberus Receivables Management (CRM) in Salford.
CRM works with asset-based lenders, restructuring firms and directly with business owners to help determine financial difficulties and develop and implement strategies to overcome them. It is part of the Cerberus Group.
Mrs Lornie will have a º£½ÇÊÓƵ-wide remit with responsibilities including undertaking offsite system reviews for clients, verifying sales ledgers and collecting books and records.
She will also be involved in planning, implementing and working through collection strategies for both CRM’s funder and restructuring clients.
She said: "I’ll be working across all client sectors here at Cerberus, which reflects my 21-year background in the invoice finance industry – having held the roles of recoveries manager, relationship manager and risk manager for the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's leading independent invoice finance specialist.
"I worked alongside CRM for a number of years in my previous role, so I’d experienced their great work ethic and professionalism first-hand. When the opportunity arose to join their team, it was an easy decision to make."
Janine Smith
Janine Smith has been appointed as the new director of Greater Manchester’s GC Business Growth Hub.
The first female director to lead the GC Business Growth Hub, Mrs Smith has been with the Hub for the last eight years.
She is taking over the reins from Richard Jeffery, who founded and led the Hub over the past 10 years.
He is stepping up to lead the development and expansion of The Growth Company’s business support services across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.
Mrs Smith said: "Richard has been a brilliant founding director and ambassador for our business community, and I am proud to be continuing his legacy.
"The Hub makes a real difference to the lives of businesses across our region and I am so proud of the work we do.
"I am really looking forward to leading us in the next stage of our journey and continuing to drive the support and services that we deliver for our amazing entrepreneurs.
"The last 12 months have been incredibly challenging for the entire business community and I’m proud that our teams have been there to offer support and advice for those who need it the most. We will continue to be here for our businesses, every step of the way."
Professor Dominic Regan
Manchester-based Frenkel Topping Group has appointed Professor Dominic Regan as director of training and insight.
Professor Regan joins the firm to lead its training division, The KnowledgeHub, delivering expert training and development to legal practitioners across the country.
He said: "I am elated to be working with Frenkel Topping to further enhance their services. Getting compensation right has never been as complex as it is today.
"The company has already identified areas where claimants might be short changed and I will be working with counsel on such issues."
Chief executive Richard Fraser added: "Professor Dom is one of the country's most prominent figures in civil procedure and an extraordinary mind in the field of costs.
"Frenkel Topping's training division has become a valuable source of knowledge for professional services in personal injury and clinical negligence.
"We are the go-to firm for financial expertise in our industry and we're investing heavily in making sure we continue to deliver with the most up-to-date and relevant expertise."
