Well-known business with bases all over the North West have made a series of high-profile hires and promotions over the last week.
The likes of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Specsavers and Princes have all made major moves alongside companies and organisations including Alliance Manchester Business School, BDO and Lovell Homes.
Below, we round up the latest hires and promotions from across the North West that we feel you should not miss.
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Alliance Manchester Business School
An academic has been appointed as a professor of international business at Alliance Manchester Business School.
Peter Buckley OBE was a founding director of the Centre for International Business at the University of Leeds and is a fellow of numerous academies including the Academy of International Business, the British Academy of Management, the Royal Society of Arts, the European International Business Academy, and the Academy of Social Sciences.
He was made an OBE in 2012 for services to higher education, international business and research.
Professor Buckley will join Alliance Manchester Business School on August 1.
Princes
Liverpool-headquartered food and drink group Princes has appointed Siwan Smith as its first inclusion and diversity manager.
She joins following roles at engineering consultancy, Arup, Merseyside Police and innovation firms, Anchored In and KTN.
She led Innovate UK KTN’s Women in Innovation and Young Innovators programmes and helped to shape their Inclusive Innovation competition.
MSP Global
Aintree-based MSP Global has appointed Ritchie Nield to a new role of general manager.
The AV, production and live events business includes clients such as Matalan, Speedy Hire and Everton FC among its roster and has recently been appointed to deliver live and hybrid events on behalf of United Utilities and the Royal British Legion.
It has also supported global events including Eurovision, Cop26 and various United Nation Summits in Qatar.
BDO
Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP has announced a new regional managing partner for the North West.
Tax partner Angela Cross takes over the role from July 1 and will oversee the 470-strong audit, tax and advisory team across the region.
She succeeds Ed Dwan, who will continue in his role as a North West tax partner ahead of his retirement in early 2024.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has welcomed two members of its team, Andy Hygate and Karl Murphy, to join its board of directors.
Mr Hygate has worked in visitor attractions for more than 20 years and as operations director heads up a team of over 150 ride team members and also the park services and gardening teams.
Joining the existing six directors will also be Karl Murphy, who leads the engineering department including the structures and facilities teams with a headcount of over 70 staff.
SAS Daniels
Law firm SAS Daniels Solicitors has announced a raft of eight appointments.
The firm’s residential property team has expanded with five new members. Conveyancer Natalie Beard has joined the team in Congleton and at the same office, Maisie Clark has been appointed as a trainee solicitor.
Three conveyancing assistants have also been welcomed; Joe Lavelle and Karine Maya are both situated at the Stockport office, and Michelle Liston is based in Macclesfield.
Helen Hall joins as a solicitor in the dispute resolution and litigation team at the Stockport office, alongside Holly Wilkinson who has been hired as a paralegal.
At the Congleton office, Amanda Rushton has taken up the position of receptionist administrator for the full-service firm.
Together
Cheshire-based specialist lender Together has added to its executive team by appointing financial services leader John Barker as the group’s chief operating officer.
Mr Barker will take responsibility for operations across the Cheadle-based business, which provides personal and commercial secured finance and has a loan book of £6.2bn.
Richard Topliss, the former managing director of corporate banking in the North for NatWest, will also join the 50-year-old business as a consultant to its corporate team on July 1.
Weightmans
Law firm Weightmans has appointed principal associate Christine Rishton to its energy and environment team.
She joins the firm from the Carbon Energy Fund, where she was an in-house solicitor.
She said: "There is rightly a global focus upon increasingly lower carbon, smarter and decentralised energy network schemes that will not only bring about environmental advantages but also provide greater energy resilience at a domestic or even local level.
"There are also genuine promises we have made as a nation to deliver a carbon neutral economy. Weightmans is clearly committed to reaching net zero and assisting clients in meeting this target too, and I am pleased to have joined a firm that takes its role as an advisor to companies and also its own role as an energy consuming business so seriously."
On The Beach
Manchester-headquartered On the Beach Group has confirmed that founder Simon Cooper has moved to a non-executive director role.
He has been succeeded as CEO by Shaun Morton while Jon Wormald has joined the board as group chief financial office.
The company said: "The nomination committee is progressing a search for an additional independent non-executive director to complement the existing balance of skills and experience on the board."
Private Client Solicitors
Law firm Private Client Solicitors (PCS) has announced a series of promotions.
The Manchester firm has promoted Lucy Fairey to senior associate, Michelle Tonge and Naomi Isherwood to associates, and Charlie Caine to solicitor apprentice.
Dania Musa, Emily Taylor and Foziah Syed have been promoted to paralegals.
The Audit Lab
A Bolton-based specialist search agency has welcomed a new senior staff member.
Joining The Audit Lab is Joe Eaton - veteran of paid marketing as the agency’s new head of paid search.
Mr Eaton heads back to agency side after the best part of a decade working for some major UK brands, including Boohoo, Pets at Home, Fanatics (NBA/NFL) and most recently, We Buy Any Car.
Specsavers
Kirsty McLardy has joined owner and customer service partner Charlotte McGimpsey to lead Specsavers Manchester home visits based in Bolton.
The team supports those who are unable to get out and about, including those who are housebound, in sheltered accommodation, care homes or special care facilities.
She said: "I’m thrilled to be embarking on the next step in my career journey, taking a stake in a business which prides itself on ensuring that all customers receive the same level of expert eyecare in their own homes as they would in one of our stores is something I’m so proud to be part of."
Lovell Homes
A new head of operations has been appointed by Lovell Homes for the North West.
John Roach has worked at the national housebuilder for 15 years, starting his career as a management trainee and progressing through the ranks, from site manager to project manager and then contract manager.
He will now oversee all operations for the region helping to deliver the team’s forecast for 2023 and beyond.
Caddick Construction
Caddick Construction has welcomed Andy Trowell into the role of construction group supply chain manager.
The appointment comes as long-standing procurement director Keith Bradley retires from his position following his nearly 40-year career with Caddick.
Covering the North, Mr Trowell will be responsible for managing the Construction Group’s supply chain relationships, subcontractors and manufacturers.
