Member Article

This week’s North West appointments

NoChintz, the Manchester-based interiors and branding studio has further strengthened its talented team with four new appointments, three Interiors designers and one graphic designer.

Kara Latham joins the business to account manage and designer all residential interior contracts, whilst Tim Denton and Rachael Phillips will be bringing their wealth of interior design experience to the ‘Live’, ‘Work’ and ‘Stay’ areas of the business. Katie Lea also joins the team as a graphic designer.

Kara, has developed her expertise as a residential interiors specialist over the past eight years for businesses including Elle Designs and UBER Interiors and by working in the high end, private residential client market. She has worked on projects throughout the UK but her most recent appointments have covered properties in the North West region within the Cheshire hot spots of Hale and Alderley Edge. Projects have ranged in size from a room redesign to a full house remodelling, show home and apartment fit outs.

Tim joins NoChintz as an interior designer having worked on projects for The National Trust, the Museum of Science and Industry, Coca Cola, BCN Manchester and Capital Properties. He has enjoyed a varied and creative background in fabrication and spacial design as a freelancer creating furniture and exhibition space with a proven track record in developing concepts and managing projects.

Rachael Philips is the third new appointment to the NoChintz team, as an interior and Computer Aided Design (CAD) designer. Joining from a Cheshire-based practise, Rachael has experience as a design lead working on high-end, bespoke luxury accommodation projects throughout the North West.

Katie Lea joins the growing Branding team as a graphic designer where she will work on corporate branding, interior graphics and wayfinding contracts across all areas of the business.

Leanne Wookey, director at NoChintz said: “Having established a strong reputation as an award-winning commercial designer, we are now looking to using our expertise to create bespoke designs in the high-end residential market.

“We believe that each of our new appointments will be a real asset to NoChintz. They will soon become an integral part of our extremely creative and innovative team here in Manchester and it means that we go into 2015 with plenty of exciting new prospects on the horizon, particularly within the residential interiors market.”

Alwin Thompson, Join the Dots

Manchester based consumer insight agency, Join the Dots, has appointed its first independent Non-Executive Board Director since its establishment in 1998.

With a career spanning over 40 years, Thompson brings a wealth of business experience and achievements to Join the Dots, not least his leadership skills as Executive Chairman of Inter Link Foods Plc which grew rapidly to a turnover of £130m under his control.

Thompson will provide a new dimension to the Board of this growing consumer insight agency, currently comprising Quentin Ashby and Graeme Lawrence alongside co-founders Pete and Trish Comley..

Join the Dots was attracted by Thompson’s entrepreneurial flair and strategic vision, and intends to use his skills outside the market research industry to assist the company’s continued growth over the coming years.

Keith Molloy, Kate Henderson, South Ribble Borough Council

Keith Molloy and Kate Henderson join the council as Enterprise Manager and Strategic Housing Manager – two brand new posts which will be responsible for driving forward the economic growth of the borough.

Keith, 54, from Chorley, joins from Wigan Council, where he worked in economic development, delivering major projects. He has a career spanning 30 years in local government and has experience of running his own business.

Kate, 32, from Merseyside, comes to the council from a community involvement role at Progress Housing Group, and has a wealth of knowledge in local housing and planning issues, having worked in a number of organisations across the North West.

South Ribble Borough Council leader, Councillor Margaret Smith, said: “South Ribble is already at the heart of the North of England’s economic powerhouse and we can be even stronger in the future by working with our partners to support growth.

“By bringing new talent on board, we will strengthen our relationships with businesses and our community, and we will find new ways of supporting growth and investment while maintaining our green spaces for generations to come.

“Keith and Kate will play a big part in our plans to unlock the potential of South Ribble and bring real long-term benefits to our communities. They join a team who have done excellent work to drive our thriving local economy. The new recruits are the support they need to maintain and enhance the borough as a great place to live, work and play.

“I welcome our new employees aboard and look forward to working with them on some exciting projects.”

Mike Mitchell, Belle Vue Manchester

Bus and coach hire firm Belle Vue Manchester has recruited a manager from Transport for Greater Manchester to spearhead a new contracts division.

Mike Mitchell, 48, spent 14 years at TfGM, latterly as its Yellow School Bus project manager.

His role at Stockport-based Belle Vue will see him oversee the company’s tendering processes, contract compliance and performance in its core education market, and helping to develop new business opportunities.

Before joining TfGM, Mike worked at First Group, was a constable with Lancashire Police and served in the Army’s Parachute Regiment for 10 years.

Belle Vue director Phil Hitchen said: “This is a significant appointment for the business as we seek to increase our market share in the education sector.

“Having Mike on board will enable us better capitalise on opportunities as they arise. He brings great qualities to Belle Vue, and we could not have wished for a better recruit to this newly-created post.

“He has excellent communication skills, operational expertise and knowledge of tendering and contractual processes.”

Stuart Kempson, Andrew Glynn-Williams, Weightmans LLP

Law Firm Weightmans LLP continues to grow its marine practice with the recruitment of Stuart Kempson and Andrew Glynn-Williams.

Phil James, Head of Weightmans’ Marine team said: “I am thrilled to welcome Stuart and Andrew to our marine team. Their recruitment is another demonstration of Weightmans’ commitment to and investment in the marine sector. The support and encouragement we have received from our client base has demonstrated that marine is a growth area for the firm and has enabled us to invest in recruiting talented and experienced practitioners such as Stuart and Andrew. Our marine clients want a firm that can offer stability and expertise, at the right price. Stuart and Andrew complement and enhance our offering in all of those areas.”

Ian Copley, Wesleyan

Wesleyan, the specialist financial mutual, has appointed Ian Copley as the new Head of Sales for its Medical North team.

He will lead a team of 94 Financial Consultants and seven Area Managers in the North of England, providing tailored advice and products to meet the needs of medical professionals.

Ian is a Chartered Financial Planner and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society who brings more than 25 years’ industry experience to the role, most recently at Prudential Financial Planning, where he was Regional Director and interim Sales Director.

Alan Jones, Managing Director of Wesleyan Financial Services, said: “We are in the process of growing our business and increasing our presence in our chosen markets. Ian’s vast experience will be invaluable in helping us to develop our sales teams to offer optimum service to our customers.”

The online marketing agency for the legal sector, mmadigital, has expanded its team once again with a trio of new staff.

Lisa Middleton, Jason Westall, Matthew Davies, mmadigital

In 2014, mmadigital doubled its team and has now welcomed video, PPC and marketing professionals in the New Year.

Lisa Middleton joined the team as Head of Marketing and Communications in November, followed by Jason Westall as PPC Executive and Matthew Davies as Head of Video Production this month.

Dez Derry, mmadigital Chief Executive, said: “We have a great reputation with our clients in the legal sector and with key partners such as NatWest and Google and as our team has grown we were keen to support our own brand awareness and develop our products and services further.

“The appointment of Matthew, Lisa and Jason will help us to drive forward our ambitious growth plans and develop our client offer to further enhance our video production opportunities, creative content and social media strategies, and PPC and SEO work. We’re delighted to welcome them all to the mmadigital team as they share our passion and creativity for quality digital communications.”

Joan Kennedy, Birchall Blackburn Law

Birchall Blackburn Law has strengthened its specialist industrial disease department after one of its trainees qualified as solicitor.

Joan Kennedy, 28 and from Chester, is based at the firm’s office on Chester Business Park and works in the industrial disease team helping clients who have been exposed to hazardous substances or dangerous work conditions.

Partner at Birchall Blackburn Law, Craig Howell, said: “As a firm we are always keen to recruit the best calibre of local trainees who understand the technical issues of specialist areas of law.

“It’s been fantastic to see Joan develop and grow her expertise in industrial disease. She’s extremely focused on understanding each case and making life a little easier for people who are seriously ill.”

Sally Martin, Helena Reid, Tangerine

Integrated communications consultancy, Tangerine, has strengthened its B2B senior team to support ambitious growth plans in 2015.

Former vice president at New York agency, Bliss PR, Sally Martin joins the team as senior account director. Bringing more than 12 years’ experience, Sally will work closely with B2B MD Sam Gregory in growing the consultancy’s global client portfolio and supporting its strategic direction, while working across a range of key accounts.

A specialist in financial and professional services, Sally has managed high profile accounts such as Bank of America, KeyBank, BDO and law firm Hunton & Williams.

In addition to Sally’s appointment, Helena Reid, who joined Tangerine in 2014, has been promoted to associate director and joins the consultancy’s senior management team. As part of her new role, Helena will be the strategic lead on a number of European business technology, facilities and manufacturing accounts, and will head up Tangerine’s own marketing activity, as well as the charity committee.

Jonathan Pochin , Pochin’s Ltd

Construction and property development company Pochin’s Ltd has announced the appointment of Jonathan Pochin to its main board. Jonathan, who heads up the business’s construction arm, has been with Pochin’s since 1996. The announcement follows the company’s return to family ownership after a consortium led by James Nicholson and other members of the Nicholson family acquired the company last year.

Commenting on Jonathan’s appointment, James Nicholson, Chief Executive of Pochin’s Ltd, said: “Jonathan joining the main board is a fantastic start to what I expect will be a successful 80th anniversary year for Pochin’s. We added over £10m-worth of contracts to our pipeline in the second half of 2014 and we’re looking forward to delivering new and existing projects in our core regions this year.”

Mike Dunleavy, Crown Records Management

Crown Records Management has created a new position, Head of Customer Development & Experience for UK and Ireland, with Mike Dunleavy appointed to the role.

Dunleavy, has over 20 years’ experience within the Records and Information Management industry. He has progressed from heading up the delivery of Crown’s professional services, which comprise information management consultancy, digital scanning, and image hosting.

David Fathers, Head of Crown Records Management, said: “This forms a key part of our strategy, allowing us to better live by Crown’s core values and deliver the needs of our customers.”

“Mike has fantastic knowledge of the industry and is ideally placed for this vital role helping the company to grow.”

Howard Gil, Peter Winnard, Nabarro

Nabarro has today announced the lateral hire of two partners, one in Corporate and one in Real Estate, to strengthen its recently opened Manchester office.

Howard Gill joins from Pinsent Masons as Nabarro’s first corporate partner in Manchester after the office launched last year. Howard’s experience is focused on corporate finance, M&A deals in the region and, significantly, major corporate transactions in the real estate and hotels sector.

This will complement the real estate capability of the office which is also strengthened by the lateral hire of Peter Winnard, a Real Estate partner from Eversheds. Peter has significant experience of the most complex development and regeneration real estate work in the North West.

Graham Stedman, senior partner at Nabarro, said: “Our Manchester office is scaling up quickly and is already delivering promising results. Since day one it has been our ambition to extend the service lines we offer clients from the office. Howard’s appointment is the first of what I would expect to be a series of corporate hires in the region. Meanwhile the arrival of Peter Winnard firmly establishes Manchester as a second hub for delivering partner-led, high quality real estate work to a sophisticated market of developers and investors in the city.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .