This week’s North West appointments

Nykki Giannico and Alistair Barclay, Genting Club Queen Square

A casino in Liverpool has made two key appointments to boost its appeal as a social and leisure venue in the city.

Genting Club Queen Square has taken Nykki Giannico and Alistair Barclay on board as gaming manager and hospitality manager respectively.

Nykki, originally from the Wirral, has travelled around the world working on board cruise ships during a gaming industry career spanning 24 years.

Nykki said: “Joining Genting is a great opportunity and I’ve been made very welcome at Queen Square by colleagues and customers. I’ve always loved the variety and excitement of working in casinos and now there’s much more of a social aspect where people come out to enjoy a meal and a drink in attractive surroundings as well as the gaming experience.”

Alistair hopes to develop the business’ hospitality side. He has previously worked in hotel management and as an assistant restaurant manager.

He said: “This is a great venue and I’m keen to raise wider awareness of how much it has to offer through its restaurant and the stylish 1880 Bar. There is a real focus on providing outstanding customer service and great food and drink, such as freshly made cocktails. I’m delighted to be part of the team here.”

Genting Club Queen Square’s general manager, Carole Poulson, said: “We are always keen to recruit talented people with a passion for what they do and in Nykki and Alistair we have hit the jackpot.”

Ken Salmon and Natalie Scott, Slater Heelis LLP

Manchester-based legal firm Slater Heelis LLP is has launched a new construction, engineering and projects team.

Ken Salmon has come aboard as a consultant, having moved from a similar role at Liverpool-based Weightmans LLP. Ken has more than 40 years’ experience, including in health and safety at work and other regulatory work related to the construction industry.

Another newcomer is Natalie Scott, who is now an associate in Slater Heelis’ construction team and litigation department. Like Ken, Natalie previously worked at Weightmans. Her role will see her providing specialist advice on the IT and construction sectors, in which she has more than 10 years of experience.

The launch of the new construction team is part of Slater Heelis’ ongoing expansion, allowing the firm to invest further in the sector.

Commercial property lawyer Anne Irwin, who is the managing partner of Slater Heelis, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new construction team, and to welcome both Ken and Natalie to the practice.

“In order to provide the highest level of service to our growing client base, and to ensure a sustained expansion of our service offering, we need the best people in place. We’re looking forward to seeing the new team thrive.”

Carolyn Burns and Karen Lee, Utiligroup

Software solutions provider Utiligroup has made new senior hires for a dedicated Data and Communications Company (DCC) team, which it has established ahead of the mass smart meter roll-out, which gets underway next year.

Utiligroup has taken on Carolyn Burns as head of smart programme.

With more than 16 years of industry experience, Carolyn has previously worked at npower Business Change, where she served as the lead on various projects.

In her new role at Utiligroup, she will be managing the overall smart programme, which includes responsibility for business design and development.

Utiligroup has also welcomed Karen Lee, who joins the company as a senior DCC consultant. Karen has over 23 years of experience in the utilities industry and joins from the DCC itself, where she worked to support independent suppliers and other users as they prepared for 2016’s ‘go-live’ date. Before that, she was with First Utility as a business analyst and smart project manager.

Karen Lee said: “I’m delighted to have joined Utiligroup at such an exciting time – not only in the company’s evolution, but a crucial period in the implementation of the smart meter roll-out. Utiligroup has specifically developed a suite of systems to work with the Smart DCC, complying with the requirements of DECC’s Smart Energy Code.

“These systems will be used by suppliers, network operators, registered supplier agents (MOPs and MAMs) and other users, to interact with smart metering devices installed in homes across the UK.”

Peter Barkley, Dow Schofield Watts

Dow Schofield Watts, an advisory and equity finance company with operations in Cheshire and Leeds, has bolstered its corporate finance offering by hiring Peter Barkley as a corporate finance executive in Daresbury.

After obtaining a BSc in Accountancy from Hull University, Peter then completed his ICAEW Chartered Accountancy qualification. Peter is joining Dow Schofield Watts from BDO LLP, where he worked at the Manchester office in the mergers and acquisitions department.

Commenting on Peter’s new position, a founding partner of Dow Schofield Watts, James Dow, said: “Our corporate finance business continues to develop in terms of deal volumes and complexity leading to a continued requirement for first class professionals like Peter.

“We will continue to invest in the best people to differentiate our business. Peter’s appointment takes the Corporate Finance team to 17, which I suspect is one of the largest teams in the North of England.”

Carl Enser, Delta Comtech

Delta Comtech, the IT consultancy based in Macclesfield, has promoted Carl Enser, its former technical account manager, to the role of sales director. Carl has been with the company for less than two years.

Carl has a background in technical consulting and cloud computing. Commenting on the news, he said: “I am delighted with the new position at Delta and am looking forward to the challenge I have ahead. It’s been an exciting 24 months, we have worked hard to raise the profile of the company particularly with the professional sector in the North West and our strategy is to continue to build on the foundations we have laid and increase the footprint of the company across the region.”

Geoff Barratt, Delta Comtech’s managing director said: “Carl has acted as a Director since his first day here, going above and beyond in all aspects of the job. He is a valuable member of the team and has played an integral role in the growth of the business so far.”

Richard Thorn, Quilter Cheviot (pictured above right, with Simon Walker)

The head of the Liverpool office of Quilter Cheviot, an investment management firm, is now responsible for the company’s offices all over the UK.

Richard Thorn’s new job title is head of regional offices, which also means that the Liverpool office’s new head is executive director Simon Walker.

The shift in Richard’s role is one of a numbe of promotions and changes on an executive level at Quilter Cheviot. Earlier this year the company was acquired by Old Mutual Wealth, the wealth management firm.

Richard worked as head of Liverpool office since 2006 and managed the team from its base in St Paul’s Square.

Commenting on his new role, Richard said: “These are exciting times for Quilter Cheviot and I look forward to managing our regional presence. The regional offices are a major part of our business, allowing us to integrate national expertise from the team in London and local knowledge to provide our clients with the best quality of service.”

Lorna Senior, Mulbury Homes

Mulbury Homes, a developer of specialist housing, has strengthened its technical expertise by taking on Lorna Senior as its engineering manager.

Lorna has joined the Lymm-based firm after working for Keepmoat Homes, where she managed and procured engineering elements. She has more than 10 years of experience with various national housebuilders, including Miller Homes and Bellway Homes.

Lorna hopes to guide Mulbury’s housing schemes all the way to completion, and will assess whether or not land is suitable for construction at the purchasing stage.

Lorna said: “Mulbury Homes is a flourishing housing developer so I was keen to get on board and take on a new challenge. I’m enjoying the diverse workload of the role so far and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in.”

Glyn Barrett, Mulbury Homes’ technical manager, said: “Mulbury Homes is seeing continued growth in both the social and private rented sectors so Lorna’s wealth of experience in the housing industry is just what we need. She is a welcome addition to the Mulbury family.”

Anthony Hull and Lou Tomlinson, Bespoke | Web Specialists

Bespoke | Web Specialists, a digital marketing agency in Lancashire, has taken on two new members of staff.

Anthony Hull has been welcomed as head of project delivery, while Lou Tomlinson has joined the team as a digital strategist, bringing the firm’s total workforce up to 14.

Hull has joined from Trueshopping Group, where he worked as a PHP Developer. Tomlinson, on the other hand, was formerly a social media executive at 65Twenty. Prior to that, she worked as a professional web apprentice for Lancashire County Council.

Steve Brennan, Managing Director at Bespoke, said: “This is an exciting time for the business as we continue to expand our digital offering. I’m extremely proud of the strong workforce we have here; both Anthony and Lou have a successful track record for delivering high quality work as well as getting client results and it’s pleasing to see the team grow from strength to strength.

“We also hope to see existing team members continuing their own progression too which will all aid our clients to get better results and help their businesses excel online.”