Member Article

This week’s North West appointments

Megan Christie, Linder Myers Solicitors

Linder Myers Solicitors has boosted its nationally recognised court of protection team with the appointment of a new solicitor in its Manchester office.

Megan Christie joins the department from Irwin Mitchell and will be assisting with managing the property and financial affairs deputyships of vulnerable clients who have lost mental capacity ranging from young children with acquired brain injuries and cerebral palsy, to elderly clients suffering with dementia.

Simon Heapy, court of protection partner at Linder Myers Solicitors said: “Megan is a very welcome addition to the team and will be assisting with our growing client base. She brings solid experience in court of protection, personal injury and industrial disease having previously worked at Irwin Mitchell and completing her training at Pannone prior to that. Court of protection is a highly sensitive area and we work with our clients in both an empathetic and non-judgemental manner and Megan proved to be a great fit with our values.”

John Beard, Vantage Motor Group

Vantage Motor Group has appointed a Hyundai Business Specialist to lead the growth of the brand in the North West fleet market.

John Beard from Oldham, joins Vantage with fifteen years of sales experience after working in various roles with Fiat, Citroen, Kia and Hyundai.

John will be responsible for introducing the Hyundai brand to businesses across Manchester and the North West, forming relationships with them and familiarising them with their local Vantage Hyundai dealerships in Oldham, Manchester, Preston and Stockport.

John will be based at Vantage Hyundai Stockport, the first Hyundai dealership in the UK to rollout the manufacturer’s new corporate identity in 2014, part of the brand’s plan to sell 100,000 cars in the UK within the next two to three years.

John said: “I’m really looking forward to building on existing relationships with businesses in the local area, forming new ones, and advising them on what Hyundai can offer. The Vantage team has been incredibly welcoming and great to work with. This is a very exciting time to join Vantage as its relationship with Hyundai strengthens.”

Mark Robinson, Managing Director of Vantage Motor Group said: “John has significant experience in the sales industry as well as strong local knowledge, and so I’m confident that he will be able to advise local businesses and communities on what Vantage and Hyundai can bring them.

“At Vantage we have a passion to please, and I’m sure that John will be an asset to the company as he embraces our customer ethos.”

Duncan Firth, Walker Sime

Walker Sime, with offices in Manchester and Liverpool has strengthened its team with the appointment of Duncan Firth as Director to lead and develop its project management service offering.

Duncan joins Walker Sime from Deloitte Real Estate in Manchester. With over 20 years’ experience within project management across the property industry in a variety of senior positions, Duncan has been involved in the project management of many large and complex developments both in the UK and overseas including, sporting venues for the London Olympics in 2012, City of Manchester Stadium, MediaCityUK and various projects in the Middle East and Europe.

Mr Firth said: “Walker Sime has established itself as a reputable, professional and trusted consultancy who work on exciting projects throughout the North West and beyond with high profile clients. I recognised it as an excellent opportunity as the company enters a new phase in its growth.

“I am looking forward to the challenges ahead and being able to contribute to further strengthening the project management team at Walker Sime.”

Derek Walker, founding director of Walker Sime said: “We are delighted that Duncan has joined us at such an exciting and important time in our growth. His skillset, industry reputation and ambition to drive our Project Management Service will be another huge boost to our talent pool.”

“As we continue to compete and consistently beat some of the top national consultants, it is great that we have the ability and profile to attract key talent here in the region.”

Walker Sime is working actively with Peel Holdings on a number of projects in the Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters Master plan. Other clients include BAE Systems, Keppel Seghers, ENW and MUSE.

Carl Rhodes, Rob Scovell, Shannon Duncalf,Plastic Card Services (PCS)

Plastic card manufacturer, Plastic Card Services (PCS), has made three new appointments in its business, administration and printing divisions following a 31 per cent increase in its year-to-date turnover.

The recruits follow several new wins for the company, including Wyevale Garden Centre, Gourmet Society and Danish company, Matas, all of which total more than £4.5m in revenue.

Recent Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduate, Rob Scovell, who previously worked at communications agency Fishburn, joins PCS as a data administrator. Rob will be working alongside newly recruited Macclesfield College student, Shannon Duncalf, who is joining the team as a business administration apprentice.

Completing the trio of recruits, Carl Rhodes joins the Macclesfield-based company as a lithographic printer. Carl has a wealth of printing and production experience, having worked in the likes of Pillans & Waddies, Walkers Instore and most recently St Ives Direct.

PCS is further demonstrating its commitment in developing the skills of their staff by offering a range of training programmes, covering areas such as business telephone selling, negotiation skills and presentation skills, all of which are endorsed by the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (ISMM).

Rob Nicholls, managing director of PCS, said: “Following several big business wins and exceptional year-to-date growth, it’s most definitely the best time to be investing in our team and ensuring we are adding new talent to each area.

“We pride ourselves in developing new talent and recruiting experienced people, so we’re looking forward to welcoming new faces to the team and making the most of the skills they will bring.”

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