Companies with operations all across the North West have announced a string of top hires and promotions over the last seven days.
The likes of The Lowry, PwC and Merseyrail have all made major moves alongside businesses such as PM+M and Far East Consortium.
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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The Lowry
The Lowry in Salford has announced the appointment of nine new trustees to its board.
The new trustees are Nazir Afzal OBE, Jatin Aythora, Roli Barker, Jaiden Corfield, Phil East, Fiona Gibson, Katharine Hammond CBE, Daniel Kasmir and Andrew Wylie.
They join the chair Sir Rod Aldridge OBE, lifelong president Felicity Goodey OBE, and current board members Mike Blackburn OBE, Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter, Ian Currie, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett, Jane Frost CBE, Jeremy Glover MBE, Councillor Bill Hinds, Baroness Beverley Hughes, and Tom Stannard.
Sir Rod said: "We are delighted to welcome a superb new cohort of Lowry trustees - they all add great abilities to our already excellent board.
"We look forward to harnessing both their skills and their passion for culture in helping to shape The Lowry’s future development."
Merseyrail
Neil Grabham has been named as the new managing director of Merseyrail.
Currently the customer services director for East Midlands Railway, he has previously held senior leadership roles for Greater Anglia, Signet Jewellers and Lidl.
Mr Grabham replaces Andy Heath, who left Merseyrail earlier this summer and Jane English who has been acting managing director for the last ten months.
He said: "I feel very proud to have been given the opportunity to lead the fantastic team at Merseyrail, who I know share my ambition to deliver a railway that the communities we serve can be proud of.
"This is an exciting time of transformation, with new trains being introduced, and the opportunity to deliver real improvements in the journey experiences of our customers."
PwC
PwC has admitted six new partners into the partnership and promoted 16 new directors across the North.
Across all of the 22 senior promotions, 11 will be based in Manchester, nine in Leeds and two in Newcastle.
Among those promoted is Zeynep Turunc who has been made deals partner. She has lived in Manchester for over 20 years and is responsible for the growth of PwC's financial crime practice in Manchester and Scotland. She joined the firm in 2018.
Aaron & Partners
Legal firm Aaron & Partners has announced two promotions in its family law team
The firm has named Simon Magner Mawdsley as the head of its family law team, while Victoria Syvret has been promoted from senior associate to partner.
Victoria Syvret said: "Being named as a partner at Aaron’s is such a privilege. It’s brilliant to work at a firm that has such a welcoming environment alongside so many other talented professionals with a wealth of experience.
"I am excited to work alongside Simon and the rest of our exceptional team as we continue to expand our services and deliver outstanding outcomes for our clients."
Far East Consortium
Far East Consortium (FEC) – the developer bringing forward Manchester’s Victoria North project – has created a new estates division with the addition of Gemma Price to its senior leadership.
She joins FEC’s Manchester office as managing director of its newly-established FEC Estates division.
She joins FEC from Urban Bubble where she oversaw a portfolio of 9,000 homes. Prior to this, she spent six years with investor-developer Bruntwood as head of property management.
Gemma Price said: "It’s an incredibly exciting time to become a part of FEC and establish this new division as the first phases of Victoria North start to take shape.
"The project represents a major addition to Manchester’s residential community, and I’m looking forward to helping influence the living experience of 40,000 new residents and the design of the seven diverse neighbourhoods they will come to call home."
Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall Solicitors
Greater Manchester and Lancashire law firm Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall (WHN) Solicitors has added to its family law team with the appointment of Stephen Pinnington.
Mr Pinnington joins the firm as senior associate from Bury and Bolton law firm Latimer Lee Solicitors where he was head of its family department. He will be based at WHN’s Bury office.
Prior to that, he ran his own practice in Salford called Pinnington Law, representing clients across Salford, Manchester and Bury.
Cheetham Bell
Manchester creative agency Cheetham Bell, which is part of EssenceMediacom North, has announced the appointment of two new senior hires.
Hayley Platt and Amy Berriman have been working together for some 12 years having worked at agencies including McCann Manchester and Forever Beta.
Leighton Horsley, partner at Cheetham Bell, said: "We’re thrilled to welcome such an amazing team to Cheetham Bell. It means we can continue to put high quality creative ideas at the heart of our business, which is something we’ve been doing for over 30 years."
Cowgills
North West accountancy and business advisory firm Cowgills has promoted Jane Rash to partner in its deal advisory team.
She joined the firm as a newly qualified accountant in 2001 before moving into deal advisory in 2002. She was promoted to manager in 2008 and director in 2015.
She said: "I’m extremely proud to be made a partner having worked at Cowgills since the very start of my career. The business has always been so supportive and flexible, enabling me to develop my skills, grow the strategic support services business and have time to raise my family.
"Cowgills is a genuine family firm, offering flexibility and enhanced employment benefits long before it became an expected norm in the industry."
APEM Group
Stockport-headquartered global environmental consultancy APEM Group has announced a new chief executive.
Leah McGimpsey is to succeed Adrian Williams who has led the business for the last six years. Dr Williams will become an executive director.
Mrs McGimpsey said: "The APEM Group’s reputation for scientific and technical excellence is second to none and is central to our unique right to win.
"We’re passionately devoted to driving real impact for the environment and communities in which we operate, in partnership with our clients and people."
One Heritage Group
Manchester-headquartered One Heritage Group has appointed Geoff Willis as investment director.
Chief executive Jason Upton said: "We are delighted to welcome Geoff Willis to the team as an investment director.
"We are confident that his operational experience will help us to deliver valuable investment opportunities for our stakeholders.
"His residential property expertise complements our existing development team, and we are looking forward to seeing his influence at work as we seek to drive growth."
Fieldfisher
European law firm Fieldfisher has appointed Jahanara Hussain as a partner in its construction team in Manchester.
She joins Fieldfisher from TLT where she specialised in advising public and private sector clients from the UK and abroad, including public bodies, local authorities, developers, contractors, consultants, funders, end users and private individuals.
She is a transactional specialist working primarily with developer clients on residential, commercial and mixed-use projects.
MHA Moore and Smalley
North West chartered accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley has added to its audit team with the appointment of a new Manchester-based partner.
Lee Van Houplines joins the firm from Azets, where he started as a graduate trainee in 2004 and progressed to become audit partner in January 2021.
His new role involves leading a growing portfolio of business clients across the North West and further developing the firm’s audit team. His appointment brings the number of partners across the firm to 26.
PM+M
Blackburn and Bury-based PM+M, the chartered accountancy, business advisory and financial planning group, has made 12 promotions across the business.
Four new directors have been confirmed. They are: Tara Maynard, financial planning; Sharon Trebilcock, risk and compliance; Rosie Cooper, cloud accounting; and Terri Green, marketing and business development.
In the tax team, Andrew Kirkaldy and Mark Richmond have both been promoted to manager level, whilst Laura Whewell becomes an assistant manager. Reece Eccles and Megan Tattersall who work in the payroll team have also been promoted to assistant manager.
The final tranche of promotions comprises of Katie Marshall who is now a senior adviser specialising in cloud accounting; Katie Tomlinson who sits in the accounting + advisory team and is now an adviser; and Rebecca Campbell who becomes the firm’s newest marketing and business development senior executive.
Forever Manchester
Jim Wilkinson, CEO of Manchester-based car finance marketplace Zuto, has been announced as the incoming president of Greater Manchester community charity, Forever Manchester.
As president, Mr Wilkinson will champion the work of the organisation, helping to raise its profile and promote its achievements across the region. He replaces William Lees-Jones of J.W. Lees Brewery, following his three-year tenure.
Established in 1989, Forever Manchester raises money to fund and support community activities across Greater Manchester, delivering over £59m of funding into local communities and supporting over 1,300 community projects each year.
