A raft of new hires and promotions have been announced over the last couple of weeks by companies based all over the North West.
Household names such as The Very Group and B&M have made top appointments as well as firms from a diverse number of industries.
Below, BusinessLive has rounded up the last 36 new hires and promotions that we feel you should not miss.
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The Very Group
The former president and CEO of Walmart Japan has been hired as the new boss of the group behind Very and Littlewoods.
Speke-headquartered Very Group has hired Lionel Desclée who will join on September 19.
Current group CEO Henry Birch will step down on September 24 after four and a half years in the role.
Mr Desclée will join from McKinsey & Company where he is a senior advisor. He previously spent three years as president and CEO of Walmart in Japan, where he led a 35,000-strong team at Seiyu, the Japanese supermarket business.
Liverpool Chamber
Liverpool Chamber has appointed a new vice-chair and three new non-executive directors to its board.
Chris Waine has been appointed as vice-chair following the resignation of Sue Grindrod, who had held the position since 2019.
Jessica Parry, partner at law firm Brabners, Sean Keyes, managing director at engineering group Sutcliffe, and Rob Aitken, partner at financial services firm RSM, all join the chamber as non-executive directors.
Mr Waine said: "I am delighted to continue supporting the chamber but in a new capacity as vice chair of the board.
"The chamber continues to evolve and more than ever it is playing a crucial role in supporting businesses at a time of economic volatility. I look forward to working with the existing chamber team and the new members of the board. Exciting times ahead."
B&M
B&M has revealed that the chief financial officer of DFS is to join the discount retail giant.
Mike Schmidt will become the Liverpool-headquartered group's new CFO on a "mutually agreed start date to be announced shortly" and which is expected to be no later than January 3, 2023.
Mr Schmidt has been in his current role at DFS for the last three years, having first joined the business in March 2014 as a senior member of the finance team, later becoming chief development officer.
Prior to joining DFS, he spent 13 years in corporate finance roles at investment banks including Citi and UBS.
Leasing Options
Leasing Options, the Manchester-based car leasing firm, has hired Chandni Desai as its new head of compliance.
She will be responsible for maintaining its standards in regulatory compliance across areas including governance and risk.
She will also be involved as part of the senior leadership team, in reviewing and monitoring internal policies and procedures, overseeing all elements of staff induction and future proofing the business for any regulatory and industry changes.
Chandni Desai said: "I am so proud to be joining Leasing Options as it’s a company that truly understands the importance of compliance in all areas of the business and invests in its forward-thinking approach to future proofing.
"The management team at Leasing Options is clearly demonstrating its commitment to compliance by investing in this role and their support to me already is fantastic."
CloudM
Manchester-based cloud migration and management provider CloudM has announced the appointment of Carlos Oliveira as director of product and engineering.
He has more than 12 years’ experience in cloud computing, originally beginning his career in web development in Turin, Italy.
Following a three year stint in Italy, he moved back to the UK where he founded Shaping Cloud.
CloudM currently supports customers including Spotify, Netflix, and Uber.
Mr Oliveria said: "The opportunity to grow and scale the business is massive. I see a huge amount of potential in CloudM’s software and I’m very excited to be a part of this journey."
The Armstrong Partnership
Chester-based B2B marketing agency The Armstrong Partnership has announced a new director of CGI and video, as well as two new account directors, following a number of internal promotions.
Former account managers Becky Small and Katie Roberts become account directors, while Ed McIver becomes director of CGI and Video.
Chief executive Daniel Owen said: "Armstrong is continuing to invest in our team, new talent and technology as we continue to enhance our support for our customers across the world.
"Becky, Katie and Ed have played a vital role in our success, further developing our client relationships and helping guide the creative teams towards delivering some of the best quality work we have ever produced."
Jackson Lees
North West law firm Jackson Lees has appointed John Jones as its head of residential property.
Mr Jones, who is also a director of the Society of Licensed Conveyancers, joins the firm with four decades’ experience in conveyancing.
He will be based at the firm’s Liverpool and Wirral offices overseeing the 20-strong department across offices in Liverpool, Heswall and Hoylake.
Mr Jones said: "I’ve long admired Jackson Lees’ fantastic reputation for its culture and since joining, I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive and enthusiastic attitude from every staff member.
"Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the very best conveyancers who all instilled a genuine interest in conveyancing in me and a desire to do it well.
"I’m now looking forward to leading an energetic team committed to delivering the highest possible standards of service to our clients."
Olliers Solicitors
Manchester-based criminal defence firm Olliers Solicitors has appointed a new senior associate.
Martha Whitehead qualified as a solicitor in 1992 and initially joined Olliers in 2001.
She left the firm after 16 years to join Fieldings Porter Solicitors in Bolton and has now re-joined Olliers.
She said: "Having spent the formative years of my career with the firm, I know just how unique its approach to criminal defence is. Olliers’ proactive and personal approach are a winning combination and deliver fantastic results for clients.
"I’m thrilled to be back and look forward to working alongside all the new talent that has joined in the years I’ve been gone."
Woodcocks Haworth & Nuttall Solicitors
Law firm Woodcocks Haworth & Nuttall Solicitors (WHN) has made a senior addition to its commercial property team with the appointment of Daniel Boulton.
Mr Boulton joins the firm, which operates eight offices across Lancashire and Greater Manchester, as a director from Harrison Drury Solicitors where he worked for six years.
He said: "I’m really excited to be joining the WHN team. It’s a forward-thinking law firm with traditional values that has a great reputation in the area for delivering excellent client service.
"There’s lots of potential for growth here, and I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise to the firm to help expand the team further."
Ward Hadaway
Manchester-based law firm Ward Hadaway has appointed two commercial lawyers to senior positions.
Susan Honeyands and Rolla Rostam, who have over 40 years of combined experience in commercial law practice, join as a partner and director respectively.
Susan Honeyands said: "I wasn’t actively seeking a new opportunity but there was something different about Ward Hadaway that, in all my years as a lawyer, I’d not seen before.
"After talking to members of the senior management team, it was clear the firm truly cares about its people. Private practice is fast paced, but Ward Hadaway takes such a refreshing approach to work/life balance, a real investment in well-being initiatives and enabling the team to work flexibly whilst meeting the demands of their role."
Travel Counsellors
Manchester-based Travel Counsellors has hired Mat Hanson as its new chief financial officer.
He succeeds Neil Barnes, who has been interim CFO since February.
Prior to joining Mr Hanson was CFO at Cawood Scientific and Concept Life Sciences.
He said: "I grew up in the North-West and it is an exciting time to join a Manchester based technology company that is leading the way in travel.
"Travel Counsellors has that unique mix of a technology business coupled with the personal touch and has a fabulous platform to scale further.
BGN
BGN - a Manchester-based brand-led design and digital agency - has added five new members to its team.
The agency has added Mel Yates as a senior creative while the other new starters in the design team are Ryan Stockall, Nick McLoughlin and Francesca Smith.
The final new appointment is account manager Kat Fogg.
Mel Yates said: "I’ve always been impressed by the work that BGN produces, and I knew that for my next move I wanted to join an agency which had a wide breadth of clients that were more tied into some of my own passions of food, fitness and pets.
"This position was perfect for me, but I also quickly realised the team had a collective passion for producing creative work which was inspiring."
Civic Engineers
Manchester-based civil, structural and transport engineering practice Civic Engineers has announced the appointment of a new non-executive director.
Dominic Miller is a co-founder and former chief operating officer of Fishawack Health, a global commercialisation partner for the biopharmaceutical, medical technology, and wellness industries, predominantly based in the US and UK.
He said: "I’m delighted to have joined Civic Engineers. The business has an impressive track record over the past nine years and importantly it’s a practice that has brought its values to life as it strives to fulfil its vision.
"With the incredible portfolio of UK-wide projects and the strong culture that has been built amongst its diverse team, I’m looking forward to working with them to help the business grow and develop significantly and to enable Civic Engineers to have an even greater impact."
Castlefield
Manchester-based Castlefield has announced the appointment of Carol Lawson as a new non-executive director.
She will be joining the board of ConBrio Fund Partners Limited, the group's authorised corporate director business.
Fellow ConBrio director Richard Slattery-Vickers said: "I'm delighted to welcome Carol to the board as a non-executive director.
"Her appointment comes at a fitting time as we look to build on our existing oversight arrangements and the group’s reputation as the thoughtful investor, to achieve our exciting growth ambitions."
Carol Lawson added: "I am looking forward to working on the ConBrio board and being part of an employee owned group that has a long history of running responsibly invested funds."
Gorvins LLP
Paul Dowdall has been appointed as partner in the commercial property team at Greater Manchester-based solicitors, Gorvins LLP.
Previously at Addleshaw Goddard for more than 15 years, he specialises in development and funding projects, disposals and acquisitions, landlord and tenant work, and the commercial management of property portfolios.
Mr Dowdall said: "Gorvins LLP has a well-established commercial property team, which I’m excited to be joining.
"I’m looking forward to working with existing key clients and developing further the number of property clients that the firm works with, to deliver a wide range of projects across the commercial property sector as it continues to prosper."
NVM Private Equity
NVM Private Equity has promoted Oliver Wildig to investment director.
Mr Wildig, who is based at NVM’s Manchester office, joined the firm in 2019 with responsibility for sourcing new investment opportunities, execution and portfolio management.
He said: "The North of England is leading the way with regional private equity deals, and I am delighted to be part of such an exciting community.
"NVM has achieved some outstanding multiples on recent deals and is continuing to deliver on its investment objectives of driving value from regional investment by backing high quality business and management teams.
"We have some exciting projects in the pipeline and I am pleased to be taking a more senior role as these deals continue to unfold."
OHS
Manchester-based compliance consultancy OHS has appointed Nick Bye as group commercial director.
He has 10 years' experience in the property services sector, formally working for VPS Group.
Mr Bye said: "Part of my role will be to take the business forward with new service lines, such as property maintenance and clearance work, while also developing OHS’s current service lines.
"I have a number of years’ experience of knowing what clients do and do not want from a property support service company, so I will to be able to grow the business rapidly as it offers a completely holistic service."
Northcoders
Manchester-headquartered Northcoders has grown its senior team with the appointment of Steven Oakes who joins as its new director of marketing.
Mr Oakes will lead, plan and execute Northcoders’ marketing strategies for its existing product range as well as for all new launches.
He joins Northcoders from Shoot The Moon Group where he was group digital director.
He said: Coming from an agency background, I knew first-hand the issues around trying to recruit good quality software developers along with the lack of diversity and inclusion in the industry.
"Northcoders’ mission is to address that head on, so this opportunity was too good to pass up. It’s not an understatement to say that we are living in a time where technology is defining what it means to be human, and I passionately believe that our future should be built by people from all walks of life.
"My new role will allow me to help lower those barriers and make careers in tech as inclusive as possible."
Eureka! Science + Discovery
Merseyside’s newest visitor attraction has made its first senior hire ahead of its opening date later this year.
Eureka! Science + Discovery, set to open to the public this autumn has appointed Andy Grimshaw as its new operations director.
Mr Grimshaw, who has 20 years of experience working in operations in retail and hospitality, joins the charity from the Liverpool Guild of Students, where he has been director of operations since 2013.
He said: "I’m delighted to be part of the Eureka! team and to support them creating something that will help inspire many thousands of children and families every year.
"Eureka! Science + Discovery has been eight years in the making and will be a transformative addition to Merseyside’s leisure and tourism offer."
SAS Daniels LLP
North west law firm SAS Daniels LLP has promoted Tim Jordan to partner in the residential property team.
Mr Jordan joined the firm last year as director of conveyancing. He heads up the 40-strong residential property team across the firm’s four offices located in Stockport, Chester, Macclesfield and Congleton.
He said: "The property market remains buoyant in the region and we’ve continued to recruit into our team to ensure our excellent standards of service are maintained. I’m looking forward to leading our team in the months ahead."
UK Circuits
Electronics manufacturer UK Circuits (UKC) has welcomed Chris McTernan as its new procurement director.
In his new role, he will be responsible for the end-to-end management of the procurement function of UKC.
He said: "Working with a business that generates sustained year on year growth was an important factor in me taking the role with UKC, as it told me that the business is well managed, was secure and that the people in the business were dedicated to succeeding.
"The group of companies also showed me that UKC, along with Light Science Technologies (LST), is invested in a more interesting and ethical customer base and end use.
"Mostly, I can see that the growth and volume that UKC generates will give me a solid platform to apply a strategic, contractual, model of procurement, as we have a very appetising demand to offer to the right vendors."
Sorted
Manchester-based Sorted has announced the appointment of Peter Ennis as its new chief technology officer to scale its cloud platform globally.
He said: "Customers are looking for gold-class customer service in ecommerce and it’s about how our technology will offer frictionless experiences for consumers, not to mention efficient and low-cost delivery and returns for small businesses all over the world.
"In the face of yet another potential squeeze on retailers as inflation rises, brands need to invest in software that can help them navigate such a competitive market.
"Sorted helped customers thrive throughout the pandemic, and now is the time for us to scale our offering to do the same globally to help the new generation of SMB retailers."
Chief executive Carmen Carey added: "Throughout his 20+ years in the industry, he has combined his practical and business skills to deliver quality, scalable products and services in the most demanding of environments.
"This represents the next stage for Sorted as we pivot our cloud offering to support small and medium business internationally."
Chester BID
The board of Chester BID has announced a restructure of the team that runs the Business Improvement District.
Previously BID manager Carl Critchlow is set to steer the BID as CEO, while Luka Morrell will take on the newly created role of business engagement manager.
Chair Katrina Kerr said: "By promoting Carl to BID CEO and Luka to business engagement manager, Chester BID is demonstrating a clear vision for how our city will move forward, taking its rightful place as one of England’s most liveable and desirable cites.
"Over the past two years Carl has been key to ensuring that the city’s stakeholders work together, instigating important collaborations.
"Now, as CEO, he will be better placed; to work on long term projects that will benefit those who run businesses in the city, collaborate with the council and residents to ensure standards are high and be able to champion good creative ideas to receive the funding they deserve."
Autocab
Manchester-based Autocab has appointed Pete Willingham as its chief technical and product officer to oversee the company’s engineering, product management, IT, and infrastructure operations.
Mr Willingham will join the executive leadership team and report to Autocab’s CEO, Safa Alkateb.
Most recently he headed up engineering in the identity division at GBG.
Mr Willingham said: "Autocab is well-positioned and poised to successfully build and innovate as the global taxi industry continues to embrace technology.
"I’m looking forward to joining a company with such a rock-solid foundation, and one that has established itself as an industry trailblazer from both a relationship and technical perspective."
Bromleys Solicitors
The head of law firm Bromleys’ family and divorce team has been promoted to principal solicitor.
Keith Bull joined the Tameside practice in 2018 and has overseen a doubling in size and turnover for the team.
He specialises in cases involving the breakdown of marriages and relationships of high net worth clients, especially those with their own businesses, investments and sizeable pensions.
Mr Bull said: "To be recognised and offered this promotion by the partners at Bromleys is a tremendous honour.
"I have over 30 years of family law experience, and 2022 has been a real milestone for both myself and the team. We smashed the record for turnover for our team and, towards the end of the financial year, I was able to boost our staffing levels as we look very well set for further growth this year.
"Working in family law comes with its challenges. Going through a divorce or a separation is an emotionally-charged time for anyone, but having the right team by your side can help alleviate some of the stresses relating to property, children and financial issues.
"My entire team is dedicated to the cause and always strives to achieve the very best outcome for all our clients."
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