Partner Article

This week’s North West appointments

Stephanie Duchak, Zsusanna Szelle, Bali Health Lounge

Bali Health Lounge has appointed Stephanie Duchak as Spa Manager, with Zsusanna Szelle to take on the role of Head Therapist. Established in Manchester’s vibrant Chinatown in 2011 and spearheaded by entrepreneurial brothers Andrew and James Pitayanukul, Bali Health Lounge provides a haven for busy and stressed individuals to escape and relax.

Duchak, former Assistant Spa Manager at The Lowry Hotel, with 14 years’ experience in spa management, has been appointed to oversee day-to-day operations and drive the spa’s new monthly membership programmedesigned to help everyone have access to high-quality treatments on a regular basis at affordable prices.

Andrew Pitayanukul, Commercial Director at the Bali Lounge said: “Attracting someone of Stephanie’s calibre is a testament to Bali Health Lounge’s great reputation and future prospects. Her experience will be invaluable as we roll out our membership programme and enter the next stage of our expansion.”

Zsuzanna Szelle, Head Therapist, also joined Bali Health Lounge at the start of May, having previously worked at Gentlemen’s Tonic in Mayfair. Zsuzanna is responsible for the training of the spa’s 11 professional therapists, teaching them to deliver the high quality and result delivering treatments that the Bali Health Lounge is renowned for.

Julie Cranny, Acumen Financial Partnership

West Lancashire based Acumen Financial Partnership has further expanded its team with the appointment of a paraplanner to work with the firms’ financial advisers.

Julie Cranny, from Crosby, joins Acumen from Charles Stanley Financial Partnership where she worked for 15 years.

Angela Maher, managing director of Acumen Financial Partnership, said: “The people who support our financial advisers play a key role in ensuring our clients get the best possible service.

“Many people are getting in touch looking for impartial advice particularly around the issue of pensions.

“Getting the right team in place with the right skills means we can give the right advice to our clients to help their future financial planning.”

Ian Sturgeon, Wetrok-Jigsaw

Ian Sturgeon has joined the new venture between cleaning system specialist Wetrok and Preston-based distributor-training organisation Jigsaw Cleaning Systems.

The new Wetrok-Jigsaw partnership offers innovation and expertise for the UK cleaning market built around a network of distributors offering systems that will address productivity, cost, the environment and training.

As sales director of Jigsaw responsible for Wetrok, Ian will be in charge of further developing the brand in the UK, building the partnership’s distributor network and targeting all sectors for cleaning across the UK including FM, healthcare, contractors, government, leisure, hospitality and education.

Ian, from Hertfordshire, joins the company with more than 20 years’ experience working for a manufacturer of chemicals and machinery which offered a one stop shop approach to supporting customers’ needs and offering training support.

He said: “The plans for the Wetrok-Jigsaw partnership and what the future holds presented a great opportunity and something I wanted to be involved in. It is exciting to be working with Jigsaw and equally exciting to be working again with Wetrok.

“This new partnership is about much more than selling a machine, it’s selling a system. Wetrok is a premium brand offering innovation in the products we promote and Jigsaw is known for its exceptional service level. By joining forces the partnership aims to help improve the standards within the cleaning industry wherever possible.

“I am looking forward to working with the team and to demonstrate to end users the benefits of using the Wetrok systems which in turn will help build businesses for the distributors chosen to become part of the Wetrok-Jigsaw network.”

Shelley Jeffries, Paul Bain, Lynne Elliott, adept4

IT services company adept4, has continued to expand its fast-growing team with three new hires who will be based at the firm’s Daresbury head-quarters.

The appointments follow sustained and progressive growth over the last 12 months, and will position the business for further growth and enable it to continue to expand without compromising on its offering or customer experience.

Shelley Jeffries joins the firm as Central Project Manager. Shelley has extensive experience in project administration and resource management; working in managerial roles overseeing teams in various technical sectors. Her position will be key to the Project Management Office and will involve overseeing and managing projects and supporting professional services revenues.

Paul Bain has been appointed as a Technical Architect. With over 17 years’ experience working in the healthcare IT sector, Paul has wide-ranging expertise in a variety of software-based technologies.

Lynne Elliott has joined adept4 as Back Office Manager, a role which will see her manage workflows procedures and policies across adept4. Lynne has worked in admin for 20 years and has been an office, operations or admin Manager for over 10 years across varying sectors including medical, legal, manufacturing and security.

Peter Birkett, adept4 CEO, said “Ensuring we win the talent battle by hiring experienced experts is a key part of what makes adept4 the great business it is. We’re focused on hiring the best possible people and I’m very pleased to be welcoming our latest cohort of recruits to the business.

“These seasoned professionals bring a range of different skills and experience to their respective roles and they each will play a valuable role in the business. As we continue to grow and expand, ensuring that we have the right team in place in crucial. We look forward to adding more talented people to the team in the coming year as we position for further growth on the back of new contracts.”

James Lawton-Hill, Optionis

Professional services group Optionis has appointed James Lawton-Hill to the newly-created position of marketing director.

Lawton-Hill’s appointment comes as Warrington-based Optionis, the parent company of contractor employment firm Parasol and accountancy & business support provider ClearSky, invests heavily in its sales and marketing functions.

In his new role, Lawton-Hill will lead a 15-strong marketing department with expertise in digital, sales support, data analysis, email marketing, content creation and social media.

He joins Optionis from Manchester-based printer manufacturer Brother UK, where he progressed to the role of head of marketing and led the department to the 2014 team of the year title at the B2B Marketing Awards.

The 33-year-old has also been shortlisted for the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s 2015 Northern Marketer of the Year award, the winner of which will be announced at a ceremony in Leeds on 24th June.

Backed by private equity firm MML Capital Partners, Optionis employs around 350 office-based staff across six UK sites. Group turnover for 2013/14 was £316m.

Its companies provide support to tens of thousands of freelancers, contractors, small businesses and recruitment firms every year.

Derek Kelly, group managing director at Optionis, said: “James is a high-calibre marketer, and in a very short time has already demonstrated his value to the group.

“His experience of working with the likes of Vodafone, Hewlett Packard, BT and Microsoft will be invaluable as we look to raise brand awareness and achieve ambitious growth targets.”

Samantha Clifford, Bromleys

Law firm Bromleys has strengthened its family team with the appointment of solicitor Samantha Clifford.

Samantha qualified in 2010 and has previously worked at north west firms SAS Daniels, Stephensons and Southerns Solicitors.

She specialises in advising clients on financial aspects arising from separations, divorces and cohabitation disputes, as well as other family matters including children disputes.

Samantha joins a growing team at Bromleys led by partner Nicholas Clough. Her arrival takes overall staff numbers at the Tameside firm to 48.

Nicholas said: “Sam is an experienced practitioner and I am sure she will enhance our reputation as the premier family solicitors in Tameside.

“Her appointment brings the number of fee earners in the family team to nine, one of the largest in Greater Manchester outside the city centre.”

Georgina Rowley, Hill Dickinson

International law firm Hill Dickinson has bolstered its national health team with a senior appointment who will be working in the Manchester and Liverpool offices.

Georgina Rowley joins the firm as a Consultant. She previously worked at Hempsons, where she spent two and a half years as head of the healthcare advisory team specialising in healthcare law including consent and capacity, Court of Protection, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, commissioning, mental health and risk management issues.

Commenting on Georgina’s appointment, Richard Watson, Head of Health at Hill Dickinson, said: “Georgina is extremely well-respected in her field and will really enhance our offering. We look forward to welcoming her to the team.”

Georgina added: “I’m looking forward to joining such a well-established team, aligning my experience to that of the firm and contributing to its continuing growth.”

Tom Seabrook, Simon Tomlinson, Deborah Niven, Rebecca Kelly, gunnercooke

Manchester-based law firm, gunnercooke, has expanded its team of senior lawyers with the appointment of four new partners as part of its on-going recruitment drive.

Rebecca Kelly will be working from Leeds, with a focus on intellectual property, information technology and commercial law. She has over 14 years’ experience working with businesses both in-house and in private practice, including previous positions at Field Fisher and HLW Keeble Hawson.

Deborah Niven joins from HLW Keeble Hawson where she was Associate Solicitor. She will be based in Sheffield, bringing expertise in intellectual property, information technology and commercial law from her work at boutique IP practice Virtuoso Legal.

Simon Tomlinson has been appointed partner in the real estate and construction team. With 15 years’ experience in a range of commercial, secured lending and property-related transactions, he joins from Hamers, where he was partner, and will be based in Hull.

Starting out as a chartered surveyor before training as a solicitor, Tom Seabrook has worked in real estate and secured lending for over 25 years, including roles at Irwin Mitchell, Halliwells and Eversheds. He will be working from Manchester with a focus on dispute resolution involving real estate and banking.

gunnercooke is a full service corporate and commercial legal firm, comprising solely senior lawyers with a minimum 10,000 hours practising experience. The firm operates across the UK, with offices in Manchester and London.

Founding partner Darryl Cooke commented: “I’m pleased to be growing our team of partners with four such high-calibre individuals and their experience will add tremendous value to our clients’ work.

“The momentum of our expansion is testament to the success of our unique operational model, and we’re looking forward to continuing our recruitment drive across the UK.”

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