Businesses based across the North West have announced more than 30 top appointments and promotions over the last week.
Companies with operations in the likes of Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and further afield have been in contact with BusinessLive since our most recent North West round up.
Firms in sectors from as diverse as law, media, technology and property are among those who have made a series of moves in the last seven days.
If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion that you would like featured in our next round up, please e-mail jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
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Here, BusinessLive runs through the latest North West appointments announced in the last week that you shouldn't miss.
Red-Fern Media
Burnley-based technology and growth marketing agency Red-Fern Media has made two new hires.
Sam Duckworth joins as a specialist UI/UX designer, having previously worked at software development company, Blue Wren, for several years.
Al Davies joins as marketing manager and brings almost a decade of agency experience to the team.
Managing director Sean Redfearn said: "We’re ecstatic to have two new members of the team start at the beginning of 2022. It sets a precedent for the coming year, allowing us to bring on even more projects and watch our clients flourish. I’m looking forward to seeing Sam and Al make their mark on the Red-Fern brand."
Avison Young
Avison Young has boosted its project consultancy and management team in Manchester with the appointment of project management and advisory consultant, Ramone Johnson.
Mr Johnson brings more than 13 years’ experience to Avison Young, primarily from working within the power and real estate sectors in the roles of project manager, employer’s agent, contract administrator and programme set up, management and delivery.
His main responsibilities will be to assist with the successful delivery of projects and programmes around the country where he will be working with both local governments and public sector bodies.
He said: "Joining the team at Avison Young is a real peak in my career and I believe I have the skillset and experience to deliver results that will contribute significantly to the company’s continued growth plans."
Edgefold Homes
Bolton-based Edgefold Homes has welcomed two new senior staff appointments as it breaks ground at a site in Cheshire.
Charlie Welsby has joined the company as site manager for a new development of seven homes in Dunham Massey while Steven Bowen has joined the team as senior quantity surveyor working across Edgefold’s portfolio of sites.
The housebuilder began work on its Barns Lane scheme in Dunham Massey in early January and Charlie Welsby joined the company in December as site manager to lead the project.
He said: "After working as contracts manager across lots of different sites for many years I am delighted to have made the move to this new position.
"I was approached by management in late 2021 and I had heard a lot of fantastic things about Edgefold Homes.
"The biggest draw for me was to be able to concentrate fully on one site and ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible and the team has been really welcoming."
PM+M
Blackburn, Bury and Accrington-based PM+M has made four promotions in its audit, accounting and advisory and operations teams.
The group has promoted Ceri Dixon to director in the audit, accounting and advisory team.
Lisa Davern, who has been with the firm since 2008, has also been promoted to assistant manager.
Dean Rodgers works in the firm’s accounting and advisory team and joined the firm following its merger with Haworths, he has been promoted to manager.
The firm has also promoted Kirsty Pilkington to operations director.
Managing partner Jane Parry said: "It is always really encouraging and satisfying when we make these kinds of promotions as the success of PM+M is down to an incredibly dedicated and talented group of professionals.
"Every one of these promotions is hugely deserved and I congratulate Ceri, Dean, Lisa and Kirsty on their achievements."
Robiquity
Manchester-based intelligent automation (IA) service provider Robiquity has announced two new hires.
The firm, which launched six years ago, has increased its headcount to 90 globally following a 120% growth in turnover in 2021.
Lee Egerton has joined the business as global head of financial services while Fawaz Hassan joins as an automation consultant who takes the role of Microsoft power platform practice lead.
CEO Tom Davies said: "We are seeing a real shift in the use of automation from basic cost efficiency to becoming a real enabler of growth, productivity, customer service improvements and employee satisfaction.
"Our clients are growing faster with streamlined, automated processes that release their people from mundane tasks.
"Our success in the financial services, retail and telco sectors has allowed us to take real examples of hard benefits delivered to customers and use those to build repeatable propositions which can be scaled across our target markets.
"We are looking forward to the year ahead as we continue with our ambitious plans for continued expansion in the UK and globally."
Place Capital Group
Manchester-headquartered Place Capital Group, the estate regeneration specialist set up by David Smith-Milne in 2021, has announced a trio of new recruits to take headcount to 29.
Eleanor Binns has joined as project director having previously spent 16 years with project management specialist Buro Four.
Ben Burton also joins as a development manager from City of York Council’s zero carbon homes programme.
Jamie Pratt joins the team as a paid intern. He was previously in the Royal Marines before being medically discharged through injury. He is a second-year student of Building Surveying at The University of Salford.
Mr Smith-Milne said: "We are lucky to have found three highly talented, and exceptional individuals, in what is a tight recruitment market.
"The new team members join our fast growing business which is expanding through recent acquisitions and new and interesting project wins across the UK."
Hollis
International real estate consultancy Hollis has welcomed a new starter to its Manchester office.
Sai Thein joins the office as an associate supporting the M&E services team and client projects locally across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool.
Mr Thein has over nine years’ experience in M&E, specialising in detailed design works, condition surveys and reporting, project management and client M&E brief development.
Director and head of Hollis in Manchester David McBride said: "Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, demand for commercial property in Manchester remains strong as the city looks to build back better.
"Hollis is committed to significant expansion over the next year as we look to support our strong and growing client base across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, and Manchester represents a large piece of that pie.
"We are pleased to welcome Sai to Hollis; his combined industry knowledge and experience will prove an asset to our team in Manchester. I look forward to seeing his career flourish at Hollis."
MHA Moore and Smalley
A new senior consultant has been appointed at North West accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley to strengthen the company’s growing financial planning team.
Robin Houghton has joined the firm as senior financial planning consultant from Tilney Financial Planning, where he spent 12 years as a chartered and certified financial planner.
Specialising in working with entrepreneurs and NHS professionals and based primarily at MHA Moore and Smalley’s Preston office, he will support clients across the UK on a wide range of financial planning issues.
Elizabeth Hall, financial planning director, said: "Robin is an experienced financial planner and his unique areas of expertise will add to the strong knowledge base we already have within the team, helping us to continue to provide top quality advice to clients across the UK."
Dow Schofield Watts
Dow Schofield Watts has expanded its North West transaction services team with the appointment of Alex Aitchison and Elliot Pledger as executives.
Mr Aitchison joins from Liverpool Football Club, where he was part of the financial planning and analysis team helping to manage forecasts and produce budgets.
He has six years’ experience in finance, having started his career with PWC, where he qualified as an accountant and was part of the external audit team.
Pledger joins from PwC, where he started as a trainee in 2017 and gained his accountancy qualifications. Most recently he was a senior associate working in digital audit in sectors including banking, leisure, and oil and gas.
Ed Brentnall, joint Head of Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services, said: "With the sustained upturn in mergers and acquisitions in the North West, and the volume of deals we have in the pipeline, we felt now was the right time to expand our team. We’re excited to welcome Alex and Elliot to the team."
McAlister Family Law
Beyond Law Group’s McAlister Family Law has appointed a new partner in its divorce and finance team.
McAlister Family Law has hired Lisa Brown from Maguire Family Law, where she was also a partner.
She has specialised in family law for over 15 years, acting for clients on a wide variety of issues including divorce, private children matters and financial matters including complex and high net worth cases.
Her primary focus at McAlister Family Law will see her acting on behalf of clients seeking advice and guidance in relation to divorce and finance, predominantly the more complex, high net worth cases.
Castlefield
Manchester-based ESG investment and financial planning specialist Castlefield has appointed William Thomson to its investment management team.
Mr Thomson joins Castlefield having until recently been head of office at Brewin Dolphin in Manchester.
He said: "I've been an admirer of Castlefield for some time, as they’re recognised in the industry as a pioneer in the responsible investment field.
"As someone who’s worked predominantly at large investment houses for the last couple of decades, I’ve been particularly impressed by the attention to detail on ESG matters throughout the company.
"That makes it genuinely different within the sector and consequently difficult for more homogenised fund providers to deliver this level of attention. As investors demand a greater focus on ESG matters, it’s a trend that I think will grow further.
"Castlefield has been delivering responsible and sustainable investment since it was first formed, long before it became popular, so the team knows what they’re doing. 2022 is also the firm’s 20th anniversary so it’s an exciting time to join."
AG Project + Building Consultancy
AG Project + Building Consultancy, which has offices in Preston, Manchester, and Sheffield, has appointed Paul Westhead to lead its new development division.
Paul Westhead joins the business as development director, bringing over 30 years of property expertise advising and working alongside local authorities, third sector, institutional investors, and private developers on property schemes.
He was previously with Trafford Housing Trust, where he was head of development, land and partnerships. He was responsible for delivering regeneration and property projects from conception to completion, including establishing joint ventures and partnership structures with key partners.
He will now help the firm build its development division, strengthening its development appraisal and pre-construction services.
Mr Westhead said: "AG is a fantastic firm with a great ethos in making sure clients maximise their property assets while making a positive impact on communities.
"Having benefitted from their pragmatic but expert advice, across a range of complex schemes whilst at Trafford Housing, I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to help build this growing area of the business.
"Working with the wider team here at AG, I am sure we will forge a reputation for our knowledge and insights that help add value and opportunity for clients existing and future portfolios.
"Not forgetting our work in helping regenerate areas of our towns and make them places of aspiration and not just need is a core objective of our work."
SAS Daniels LLP
North West law firm SAS Daniels LLP is bolstering its team with the appointment of ten recruits across its four offices.
The property teams are being boosted with five appointments including Chris Hughes, who has been taken on as associate solicitor in the residential team in Congleton.
Anna Thompson joins the Chester office whilst Jonathan Riddaway and Suman Sahi join Stockport as conveyancing assistants.
Meanwhile in the commercial property team, Jyoti Mehta joins the Stockport office as a solicitor.
In other teams, Amy Hayes has been taken on by the firm as a solicitor in the private client team in the Congleton office, whilst Sikander Ellahi joins as a litigation paralegal in Stockport.
There have also been recruits in the central support team with Andrew Swain joining from Verastar as the firm’s new facilities manager, Vivien McNulty recruited as an administrator in Macclesfield and Rebecca Stubbs as an administrator in Congleton.
CloudCoCo
Warrington-headquartered IT firm CloudCoCo has hired Mike Chester as group operations director.
He will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operational functions of the listed company.
Most recently he was head of managed services for SD-Wan specialist Axians (part of the Vinci group) and, prior to that, group operations director at Redcentric plc, an AIM-listed UK IT services provider.
He said: "I have known Mark and some of the team around him for nearly ten years. I have been impressed with the rapid rise of CloudCoCo and am fired up to be joining a team of like-minded individuals, who I know are driven by a passion for customer service with a creative, fresh and flexible approach to the delivery of core IT services.
"My sole aim is to deliver real value-add to CloudCoCo's impressive list of existing and pipeline of new customers and I can't wait to get started."
Distec
Manchester-based technology firm Distec has appointed Dean Challinor as its new general manager following the retirement of co-founder Noel Sheppard.
Mr Sheppard is stepping away from the role after nearly 30 years after he co-founded the company in 1992.
Mr Challinor has worked in the point-of-sale industry for 13 years and managed Aures Technologies for six years after joining the business as a sales executive two years prior.
He also led the expansion of Oxhoo France into the UK market in 2016, heading up the business for three years.
Mr Challinor said: "Noel has dedicated the last 30 years of his career building the Distec team and brand into what it is today.
"That being a business at the forefront of technological advances within the Industrial automation, medical and digital signage industries.
"I am extremely proud and excited to be joining the business following Noel’s deserved retirement. I look forward to further building on the success of Distec and expanding the business with our range of products, services and solutions."
DWF
Legal and business services firm DWF has promoted five of its Manchester-based employees to partner.
Colin Bushell, Stuart McCann, Lee Norman, Darren Ormsby and Daniel Williams have all been promoted.
CEO Sir Nigel Knowles said: "To be able to offer promotions to more than 200 colleagues across all grades and in every division is a great reflection of the talent that spans our global business.
"I congratulate everybody on their accomplishment, in contributing so much to the continuing success of our business in what has been a transformational year."
