Partner Article

This week's North West appointments

Steve Heaton, Marley Clarke, Tina Parry, Roma Finance

Roma Finance, the Manchester-based bridging lender, has announced three new appointments as the company looks set to triple its lending volumes this year.

Two new Lending Managers Steve Heaton and Marley Clarke and an Office Administration Manager, Tina Parry, have joined the successful lender.

The new, highly experienced Lending Managers will provide one point of contact for introducers and assist them with cases from initial enquiry to completion. They will be able to manage transactions and offer updates as the cases progress.

Steve Heaton has been in finance for over twelve years with roles at brokerage HFS/Capital One Homeowner Loans and latterly 8 years at secured loan lender Paragon. His experience includes Underwriting, Customer Relationship Management, Business Development and Operations.

Marley Clarke joins from Aldermore Bank where he was a BDM for the growing number of buy to let brokers and he managed key introducer partnerships. With over six years in finance he has also worked at Barclays Bank as a Premier client relationship manager.

Daniel Hill was recently promoted to Lending Manager and continues in that role.

Tina Parry joins in a new position as Office Administration Manager, having previously worked in a variety of professional services role at solicitor’s practises in Manchester.

Scott Marshall, Operations Director commented: “This is a very exciting time for Roma Finance as we build for the future and make strategic appointments to manage the increase in our lending. All of the new team have excellent experience in the finance and business sectors and they will be able to provide a first class service to introducers and their clients.”

Sophie Magee, DTZ

DTZ announced the appointment of Sophie Magee as Senior Surveyor in to its Manchester-based Education, Residential and Investment team.

Previously with Bilfinger GVA working within their Valuation Consultancy department, Sophie joins DTZ’s growing Education, Residential and Investment team to work with clients such as Southampton University, PWC, Maplegrove Developments and DTZ Investment Management.

Mike Mitchell, Senior Director and head of the Education, Residential and Development at DTZ in Manchester said: “I am delighted that Sophie has chosen to join us at DTZ.

“As activity levels and opportunities increase in the sector, Sophie’s appointment will add additional breadth to the existing team and help us with our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional service to our growing client base.”

Oliver Shore, Bilfinger GVA Manchester

Bilfinger GVA Manchester has strengthened its Building Team with the appointment of Oliver Shore as Building Surveyor.

With five years’ experience in the property industry, second-year graduate Oliver joins the firm’s growing Manchester Building team in a role that will see him add valuable resource to cater for an increasing workload on a wide range of both public and private[-sector appointments.

Oliver, who previously worked for A1 Housing and SDA Consulting LLP, acted as part of a lead consultancy team and as an administrator using various JCT contracts, working on a range of education-sector projects including the University of Manchester, the University of Lancaster and The Barlow RC High School in Didsbury.

Steve Martin, Director at Bilfinger GVA, said: “We are pleased to welcome Oliver to the team. As a second year graduate, Oliver’s experience, particularly in the education sector, will stand him in good stead to work on the range of projects we’re involved in whilst strengthening our client offering.”

Roy Baldwin, Smith & Williamson

Smith & Williamson, the accountancy and investment management group, continues to grow and expand its North West service offering, with the appointment of Roy Baldwin as National Head of Sport.

Roy has many years’ experience in the firm’s established sports team. He has worked alongside household names in the industry, helping a large profile of sports stars with their finances both throughout their careers and afterwards.

Roy will help lead the sports group as it continues to expand its profile working with football academies across the UK, offering an NVQ accredited educational programme to improve younger players’ financial awareness.

As well as football clients, the sports team also specialises in working with international players in Cricket, Rugby, Equine, Athletics and more, offering expert tax advice, financial planning and investment management services.

Roy’s appointment as Head of Sports follows shortly after Karl Rosedale joined the firm as Director last month. Karl will work alongside Roy in the sports group at the Manchester office, which is based in Spinningfields.

On Roy’s appointment, Andrew McKenna, head of the Manchester office of Smith & Williamson, said: “Roy’s appointment as Head of Sport is a testament to the work he’s done for the firm over the years. This, teamed with our recent appointment of Karl Rosedale as director who also works closely with the sports team, will mean our office now has a lot to offer with a number of opportunities moving forward.”

Binding, Amy Flynn, IF

IF – the Manchester based creative agency - is continuing to grow its account management team following the appointments of two new members of staff. Amy Flynn has joined IF from McCann Birmingham as a senior account manager. She has worked in the creative industries for five and half years and will oversee the day-to-day running of the MBNA, Chef & Brewer and Paddy Power accounts. Amy is joined by James Binding; IF’s newest account executive. James holds a degree in Business Management from the University of Plymouth. His last position was with The Office Group. He will be working across several clients and will be supporting the senior team. Christian James, managing director at The IF agency, commented: “We know that our success is based on the abilities of our people. Amy and James both have an infectious enthusiasm for creativity and client service that I’m sure will inspire the best in all around them.”

Kirsty Tinsley-Fenney, FDR Law

Full service law firm, FDR Law has appointed a new Commercial Property Partner Kirsty Tinsley-Fenney, as it continues to invest in its Commercial services division.

Kirsty joins the Warrington based firm from the Manchester office of Eversheds, where she has built up an impressive reputation in real estate practice, specialising in investment work and asset management on behalf of institutional landlords and local market clients.

Ranked by Chambers and Partners 2014 as ‘an associate to watch’, Kirsty recently took the lead role in the high profile sale of the SEGRO owned Project Orbital, a portfolio of six UK industrial estates to Orchard Street Investment management for £113.8m. A deal that was completed in less than three weeks.

Head of the twelve strong commercial property team at the firm, Stephen Woodall said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Kirsty to FDR Law and look forward to her playing a pivotal role in the continued growth of the business.

“Kirsty’s appointment, along with that of associate solicitor Lynne Cook who joined us recently from DWF, demonstrates our commitment to the booming commercial property sector and our ability to attract the best lawyers.”

Nathan McQueen, CRS Group

Debt Recovery specialists CRS Group has announced that Nathan McQueen MCICM, an expert in commercial debt recovery and credit control has joined them as a Director to help expand their range of services to Businesses, Insolvency Practitioners and lenders.

Tim Shore, Managing Director of CRS Group welcoming Nathan said “Nathan is an extremely highly regarded specialist in the areas of debt recovery and credit control. We are very lucky to have secured him and he will allow us to expand our range of services into commercial debt recovery and credit control.”

Nathan will be Managing Director of the commercial arm, CRS Debt Recovery Limited, as well as taking operational charge of the construction debt recovery business Contract Recovery Solutions Limited.

Phil Matthews , Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd

Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd in Wilmslow has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Finance Director Phil Matthews to the Main Board.

Phil, who joined Hilary Meredith Solicitors in 2014 from Poole Alcock Solicitors, takes his place as a Director with immediate effect.

Earlier this year, Hilary Meredith Solicitors further strengthened its Main Board with arrival of Mark Farrell as Operations Director and the promotion of partner Grant Evatt as a Director.

Commenting on Phil Matthews’ appointment, Hilary Meredith CEO at Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd said: “I am delighted to announce that Phil has been invited to join the Board of Hilary Meredith Solicitors as Finance Director. This reflects the impact Phil has had not only on the finance department but also in developing communication in the company and interaction with fee earners.”

Ros Jones, Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services LLP

The financial due diligence experts, Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services LLP (“DSW TS”), has expanded its North West team with the appointment Ros Jones.

Ros joins after spending a number of years gaining significant practical industry experience as a group financial accountant for Air Energi, a major global recruiter engaged in the oil and gas industry.

Ros is an experienced Transaction Services practitioner, having previously been a manager in the M&A team at Midlands based financial advisory firm, Hazelwoods.

Ed Brentnall, Partner of DSW Transaction Services LLP said: “We are delighted to announce the arrival of Ros as part of our growing team commitment to the region. Her appointment further reinforces our continued desire to deliver outstanding financial due diligence support to the investment community. We continue to welcome new talent, such as Ros, and will be strengthening the team further both in the North West, North East and Yorkshire regions.”

Sean Collins-Jones, Wright and Partners

Hitchcock Wright and Partners is expanding with the appointment of Sean Collins-Jones who joins the Liverpool agency as a graduate surveyor.

Collins-Jones, 22, joins the city centre team having studied for three years at Liverpool John Moores University, graduating this year with a BSc Honours degree in Real Estate Management.

Prior to his new role he gained experience at commercial property advisors Matthews and Goodman.

He will work across all sectors including office, retail and industrial.

Partner, Matt Kerrigan, said: “This latest appointment is testament to Hitchcock Wright’s growth in recent years. We’re pleased to have Sean on board as we grow our team and ensure we continue to strengthen our position in the North West marketplace.”

Paul Walsh, Hill Dickinson

International law firm Hill Dickinson has announced the appointment of Paul Walsh as partner, further strengthening the commercial litigation team at a senior level.

Walsh, 33, joins the firm’s Liverpool office from DLA, where he spent 12 years. Paul has wide ranging commercial dispute resolution experience acting for a spread of international, national and regional corporate clients in relation to domestic and cross-border disputes. Paul’s expertise was recognized when he was awarded Insider North West’s Young Lawyer of the Year in 2013.

Paul joins the team following its success in winning the dispute resolution award at the Liverpool Legal Awards last month, upon which judges described the team as “demonstrating evidence of leadership, initiative, innovative thinking and excellent client service.”

Speaking about the growth of the firm’s commercial litigation team, Hill Dickinson’s Head of Business Services, David Chinn, said: “This announcement follows on from a number of recent senior level appointments across the business services group and demonstrates our ambition to grow the firm with the most talented lawyers in our field.”

Head of the firm’s commercial litigation team, Geraldine Ryan, added: “Paul is an extremely talented and well-respected lawyer and his expertise in managing legal risk and tackling disputes will further bolster the team’s existing capabilities. Our commercial litigation team now stands at 29.”

Martyn Walker, Ken Frackleton, Creative Capital

Creative Capital, an independent provider of short-term finance to SMEs, has strengthened its team with the appointment of Ken Frackleton as Credit Controller.

Frackleton joins the Tarporley head-quartered company with over 20 years’ credit control experience gained from working with large multi-nationals including Knauf Insulation as well as SMEs.

His role at the alternative lender will see him help manage Creative Capital’s portfolio across its selective invoice finance, trade finance and bad debt protection facilities.

The new hire follows the recent appointment of Martyn Walker as Business Development Director who is leading the businesses’ expansion in Yorkshire.

Dai Rees, Director of Creative Capital said, “These are key appointments which support the growth of the business in terms of expertise, capacity and geographical reach.

“Ken and Martyn will help us to meet the high demand for our facilities from businesses looking to quickly fund new expansion opportunities.”

Mike Allen, Damian Dunn, Zeus Capital

Investment banking boutique Zeus Capital has made a senior promotion to bolster its research team, with Mike Allen taking on the role of Head of Research.

Having joined Zeus Capital in September 2014 as Research Director, Mike is a public market analyst and has published research on some of the company’s most high profile deals. An expert in the automotive sector, Mike advised BCA Marketplace on its £1.1bn reverse takeover and Main market IPO in April 2015.

He also advised luxury hotel operator Elegant Hotels, which recently announced its intention to float on AIM, having completed a fundraise of £63m. Mike previously worked at Panmure Gordon, UBS and Numis Securities and was a top three Extel-rated analyst in the business services sector in 2010 and a top stock picker in the business and consumer services sector.

In addition to this, the firm has extended its research team with the appointment of Damian Dunn as Trainee Analyst. Damian joins the firm from Tilney Investment Management, where he held the role of trainee investment manager.

Mike Allen, Head of Research at Zeus Capital, said: “Zeus Capital has a team of outstanding analysts, many of whom are experts in their field. Research plays a critical part in any transaction, and in my six months at the firm, I’ve worked on some of the most high profile deals including in the automotive sector. With all markets open for business at present, I’m confident of further success for Zeus in the coming months.”

Paul Devitt, Richard Thomas, EY

EY has announced the appointment of two new partners to its expanding UK legal services practice.

Senior corporate lawyers Paul Devitt and Richard Thomas will both be joining EY as partners from Addleshaw Goddard next year. Paul and Richard will be based in Manchester and EY intends to grow a team around them.

These latest hires follow a number of recent appointments to EY’s UK legal services business. Since acquiring an ABS licence in December, the team has grown to over 25 people and is set to expand further over the next two years.

Commenting on the appointments, Philip Goodstone, head of EY’s legal services practice in the UK said: “This is a really exciting time to be joining EY. As we continue to grow our legal services practice, we remain focussed on finding the best talent and I’m confident that Paul and Richard will be fantastic additions to the team. They are both exceptional lawyers with outstanding reputations in both the North West and the UK more widely.”

Simon Allport, EY’s North West senior partner added: “The North West is a strategically important market for EY and we remain focused on continuing to invest in the region. This includes developing our legal services business here, and Paul and Richard’s experience will be vital in helping our clients to thrive and supporting our growth ambitions in the North West.”

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