The latest 61 North West appointments and promotions you should not miss

Businesses large and small that are located in Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and across the North West have announced a number of top hires and promotions over the last week.

Since our last BusinessLive North West appointments round up, companies in sectors from as diverse as fashion, law, manufacturing and planning 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.

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Here, BusinessLive runs through the 61 North West appointments announced in the last week that you shouldn’t miss:

N Brown Group

N Brown Group, the fashion and homeware digital retailer headquartered in Manchester, has appointed Nuno Miller to the executive management team as the group’s new digital chief operating officer.

He joins from the multinational fashion group Sonae Fashion, where he was the chief digital and information officer.

Before joining Sonae, he spent three years as the chief information officer at farfetch.com.

In his new role, he will oversee the group’s digital transformation which includes leading on the development of the company’s new front-end websites, which are set to replace current customer facing sites, as part of the refreshed strategy announced in June 2020.

Office Tech Holdings

Office Tech Holdings, the new owner of out of town workspace in Dukinfield, Globe House, has announced the appointment of Sarah Bennsir as the new food and beverage manager at the business hub.

She joins having previously worked at Macdonald Hotels and as an HR manager at Tesco.

With over 20 years of experience in hospitality, she spent the last few years leading refits, opening new stores and bringing them to life as store manager at Starbucks and as part of Village Hotel Group.

She will head up the on-site restaurant, Babushka’s Lounge and Bar.

James Cropper

Cumbria-based James Cropper, an advanced materials and paper products group which has worked with the likes of Selfridges, Burberry and Lush, has appointed Sarah Miles and Martin Court as non-executive directors.

Sarah Miles is currently the CEO of Feelunique.com and has held executive roles in Amazon and Diageo.

Martin Court is currently an executive director and chief commercial officer of Victrex plc, a FTSE 250 global chemicals business. Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

Chairman Mark Cropper said: “I am delighted to welcome Sarah and Martin to James Cropper plc.

“The appointments and their experience will continue to strengthen the capabilities of the board and help support the growth plans of the group.”

In The Style

The founder of online women’s fashion brand In The Style is to step down as its chief executive and move to a new role as a successor was named.

Adam Frisby is to become the Salford-headquartered company’s chief brand officer, a newly-created board level executive director role with responsibility for developing the group’s influencer partnerships and the brand’s creative direction.

He will be succeeded as CEO by Sam Perkins from January 17. He joins from The Very Group where he has been managing director of its retail division since 2018.

Fabulosa

Fragrance-led home and lifestyle brand Fabulosa has hired new leaders across operations, marketing, finance and technical.

Mike Pritchard joins the Cheshire-based team as operations director while brand manager Lindsey Carroll has been brought on board to support the overall brand strategy and direction.

Alexandra Healy has been added as technical manager and chartered accountant Martin Webb has been named as the company’s new finance director.

Joel Walker has also been promoted from factory manager to project manager.

CBRE

CBRE has appointed Geoff Machen as assistant surveyor in its national planning and development team in Manchester.

He joins from Turley where he was planning and development surveyor, development viability.

In his new role with CBRE he will be responsible for property market analysis; detailed financial appraisal and cashflows, as well client advice to analyse and support the viability of land under promotion, repurpose existing property assets and optimise development proposals at all stages of the planning process.

He joins the new specialist service line which sits as part of CBRE’s UK planning team who are advising on more than 90,000 residential units and over 4million square metres of commercial development across the country.

DF Capital

Manchester-based DF Capital has hired Rachel Taylor as head of change and continuous improvement.

She is responsible for leading the continued development and delivery of business innovations across the bank, as well as monitoring and improving organisational processes with the aim of optimising efficiency and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

She has worked in change management and business improvement roles in the financial services sector for over 15 years. She joins from Aldermore where she was a business manager, advising and supporting the senior management team.

B&M

Discount retailer B&M has added the managing director of KFC UK and Ireland to its board.

The Liverpool-headquartered company has made the move to appoint Paula McKenzie after a vote of its shareholders recently.

She first joined KFC in 2013 as business development director and has also served as chief financial and development officer as well as having marketing responsibilities.

She has also worked for the likes of Innocent Drinks, EY and Diageo.

Meadow Foods

Chester-headquartered Meadow Foods has hired Sophie Lyons as its new marketing manager.

She will predominantly be working the commercial and NPD teams, but will also be supporting the HR function with increasing employee engagement across the business.

She joins from Roberts Bakery and has eight years of experience working in marketing and the FMCG industry, having also held positions with Bradgate Bakery and Noble Foods.

Sophie Lyons said: “I have a great passion for food and love working within the food production and service industry.

“Meadow Foods is a proven business and it’s exciting to be joining the business as it extends its range and reach to customers.”

Gorvins LLP

Greater Manchester-based solicitors Gorvins LLP has announced the appointment of Mike Smoult as the head of wills trusts and probate.

Mr Smoult started with Gorvins in January 2011 and became a partner in 2018.

He said: “Wills trusts and probate is an incredibly important part of what we do at Gorvins LLP.

“While the subject matter can be something clients can worry about, having the right plan in place ensures when the tough times come, legal headaches don’t arise.

“It’s that peace of mind that we provide and shall continue to provide under my leadership.”

Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall

North West law firm Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall has added ten new legal specialists to its team following a period of growth.

The firm, which has eight offices across Greater Manchester and Lancashire, has recruited Olivia Cobham, Rahel Goni and Lucie Rushton to its business law team, with Catherine Ackroyd, Tom Barton, Angela Brown, Melissa Cooper, Louise Conroy, John Llanes and Jennifer Parkinson joining its divisions that specialise in advising individuals and families.

WHN Solicitors employs 110 staff across Lancashire and Greater Manchester and has offices in Accrington, Bacup, Bury, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Haslingden, Great Harwood and Rawtenstall. It advises businesses, individuals and families on a full range of legal matters.

CEO Michael Shroot said: “We’re experiencing strong growth right across our business, individual and family law teams.

“The growth in new instructions has been borne out of our reputation and commitment to help our clients achieve their legal goals and make a positive difference, leading to a raft of recommendations.”

Assetz Capital

Manchester-based Assetz Capital has strengthened its origination team with a new relationship director as it targets lending volumes of £1bn per annum.

Ciaran McGivern joins from Santander and is a chartered accountant with over 20 year’s banking and finance experience.

He will be covering a wide geography in the North from Manchester across to Newcastle.

Slater Heelis

Greater Manchester-based Slater Heelis has hired Beth Sutcliffe as a solicitor in the corporate and commercial team.

Trainee solicitor Sophie Fleetwood is also set to qualify into the corporate commercial team on completion of her training contract.

Partner Simon Wallwork said: “The corporate and commercial team has gone from strength to strength in recent times, as can be seen by our promotion in the Legal 500 rankings this year.

“I’m confident that the expertise these new recruits will bring to our services for business will help us continue to flourish and enable us to build on this positive momentum.”

Joining the commercial property department as a paralegal is Rachael Wilding while Caitlin Cavanagh is the newest member of the Slater Heelis residential development team.

RSM

Audit, tax and consulting firm RSM has announced nine new promotions to director in the North West.

The promotions span several key teams including corporate finance, corporate tax, financial reporting, procurement and tax investigations.

There have been four promotions in the firm’s tax team, Darren Griffin (Liverpool), Nicola Clough (Preston) and Sarah Merrigan (Manchester) within the corporate tax team and Paul Marcroft (Preston) in the firm’s tax investigations team.

RSM’s accounting and business advisory faulty sees financial reporting specialists Helen Jones (Stoke) and Vicky Bailes (Preston) promoted to director.

The firm’s transactions team sees two promotions, Rikesh Patel (Manchester) in the merger and acquisitions team; and Sam Dalziel (Manchester) in the financial due diligence team.

Elliott Bowyer (Preston) was also promoted to director in RSM’s procurement team.

Drivers Direct Recruitment

Runcorn-based Drivers Direct Recruitment has appointed Danny Jellicoe as managing director.

Mr Jellicoe has been with the business for nearly 20 years and now takes over with responsibility for the company’s continued growth and strategic direction.

The appointment came as Driver’s Direct announced a £3.3m MBO that saw founder Gethin Roberts move to the position of chief executive for a 12-month transition period.

Mr Jellicoe joined Driver’s Direct in 2002 as a consultant, progressing through the company to branch manager, regional manager and then operations director before his most recent appointment.

Knights

Legal and professional services company Knights has announced two partner appointments across its Manchester operations.

Tony Dean has been appointed to lead Knights’ recently-launched specialist debt advisory offering.

Jane Trevithick joins Knights’ real estate team and brings particular specialism in development and regeneration projects.

Since Knights acquired Croftons in 2020 and Housing Law Services earlier this year, the real estate team has grown significantly providing specialist housing and regeneration advice to registered providers and social housing clients.

CERT Property

Manchester property developer CERT has expanded its senior team with two new appointments.

Chris Hosty has joined the business as head of design while George Konstantakopoulos has been brought on board as head of innovation and ventures.

Having run his own architecture practice, Mr Hosty has worked across multiple property sectors including; residential, commercial and leisure, counting CERT as one of his clients.

Mr Konstantakopoulos previously worked for an arts, culture and social innovation enterprise, FutureEverything, leading on Social Innovation & Enterprise for and Horizon 2020 project.

Cowgills

Business and advisory firm Cowgills has expanded its tax team with the appointment of director Michelle Willson to continue to grow its Inheritance tax (IHT) planning and trust advisory services.

Michelle Willson, who joins as private client director, previously worked with EY and brings over 18 years’ experience to the firm.

The team has also been strengthened with the addition of Sophie Mellor who joins as a manager.

Cowgills has offices in Manchester, Bolton, Liverpool and Ilkley.

Appreciate Group

Birkenhead-headquartered gifting and rewards company Appreciate Group has hired Lee Shannon as its new head of commercial finance.

He joins from multi-national B2C and B2B gaming operator Stanleybet Group.

Mr Shannon said: “It’s an exciting time to have joined the company, especially with its focus on future digital innovation. It’s a pleasure to be a part of a team with a strong and clear vision for growth.”

Liverpool China Partnership

Liverpool China Partnership has announced a new board of directors.

The membership organisation facilitates relationships between China and the UK for civic and business people and partnerships.

Chaired by Liverpool-based business leader, Paul Kallee-Grover MBE, the new board is made up of directors and representatives from across academia and the private and public sectors.

Former deputy mayor of Liverpool Gary Millar has also been appointed as the new president of the partnership.

The new board of directors is as follows:

• Chair – Paul Kallee-Grover MBE, group planning director at the Leith Group

• President – Gary Millar

• Thomas Camilleri, CEO and founder at Global School Alliance

• Mi Tang, head of China Affairs at Liverpool City Council

• Julia Wang, deputy director of international relations at Liverpool John Moores University

• Dr Xiaofeng Wu, international partnerships manager (East Asian) at University of Liverpool

• James Wood, marketing campaign manager at Marketing Liverpool

• Maggie Zhang, China Affairs Co-Ordinator at Liverpool City Council

PM+M

Blackburn and Bury-based PM+M, the chartered accountancy, business advisory and financial planning group, has strengthened its tax team with appointment of Roger Phillips as a director.

Mr Phillips started his career at PwC in Leeds and prior to joining PM+M he was director of private client at Fairhurst where he worked for over 11 years.

His new role will see him working with a broad range of clients including entrepreneurs, high net worth individuals, owner managed businesses and landed estates.

He will be advising his clients on their own tax position and that of their families, with a particular focus on succession planning, capital gains and inheritance tax planning.

Bensons for Beds

Lancashire-based Bensons for Bedshas made two key appointments to its leadership team to help drive transformation of the business across its stores and online platform.

Rob Watson is joining as director of digital, with responsibility for e-commerce, digital marketing, digital data and analytics, and digital user experience.

Mr Watson, who most recently led the digital agenda at American Golf, will join the Bensons team in December.

Graham Wilson joins in the New Year as director of omnichannel and customer experience and will take responsibility for the integration of Bensons’ physical and digital presence.

He joins from Sofology where he led the digital and omnichannel teams after seven years at AO where he worked on programme delivery in the business’ technology division.

MHA Moore and Smalley

Accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley has further grown its team following a new senior appointment.

Chartered accountant Gearoid Hennessy has joined the firm’s Liverpool office as corporate services senior manager.

The move comes a month after MHA Moore and Smalley relocated its Liverpool office to the city’s Exchange Station building.

Andrew Matthews, partner and head of MHA Moore and Smalley’s Liverpool office, said: “To help our clients grow and drive their recovery from the pandemic, we need the right people advising them.

“Gearoid is an experienced business advisor who can help shape a better tomorrow for our clients, people and communities.”

Impact Data Metrics

Liverpool-based Impact Data Metrics has hired Paul Gussar as business development director.

His appointment follows IDM’s successful fund raise in June 2021 which will support the development and launch of a range of new products and services.

Chief executive Neil Murray said: “Paul comes with an excellent pedigree in strategic business development and we are delighted he has joined our business at an incredibly exciting time, not just for IDM, but for economic development in the UK regions.”

Colliers

Colliers’ Manchester national offices team is expanding with the appointment of Dan Margolis as a surveyor to advise both occupier and landlord clients across the North West. He has joined from CBRE.

Dominic Pozzoni, director of the national offices team in Manchester, said: “Dan will complement the existing team, fulfilling our goal of providing our clients with exceptional service across the whole offices sector.”

Mr Margolis added: “The North West team at Colliers has really strong occupier ties and a great landlord client base with an impressive pipeline of new developments.

“Having the opportunity to advise both occupiers and landlords in the current market is an exciting prospect and I look forward to working with the team and building on my existing relationships in the North West office market.”

Studio Retail Group

Lancashire-headquartered Studio Retail Group has hired Michael Torpey as an independent non-executive director.

Mr Torpey retired in 2018 and has since been a non-executive director of Metro Bank.

Chairman Ian Burke said: “I am delighted to welcome Michael to the Studio board.

“The expertise he brings with him from his executive and non-executive careers in the area of financial services business activities and finance is extremely valuable.

“It will significantly strengthen the skills, insight and robustness of the board as we continue to focus on growing Studio’s digital value proposition.”