This week’s North West appointments

Sarah Conroy, Chris Grady and Liam McGuire, Weightmans

Law firm Weightmans LLP, which has its headquarters on Liverpool’s Old Hall Street, has made a trio of promotions.

Sarah Conroy from the business’ CDR team, Chris Grady from real estate and Liam McGuire from motor have all been made partners.

Managing partner John Schorah said of the changes: “These promotions are very well deserved. We have talented and dedicated people across every area of the business and we are delighted to recognise their contribution.

“Our clients are a priority, so it’s important for us to continue to grow and invest in the diverse mix of skills within our teams, to enable us to provide the best possible service.”

He added: “We welcome Sarah, Chris and Liam to our partnership as their efforts have been considerable and we are sure that they will continue to develop as partners as we continue to grow as a firm.”

Elsewhere, Weightmans welcomed two new partners in its Equity Partnership, Rachel Kneale of London Healthcare and Pete Wake from local government.

All of the promotions will come into effect as of May 1 2016.

Ben Moorhouse, CBRE

The Manchester office of real estate advisory firm CBRE has appointed a new director in its asset management team.

Ben Moorhouse, who will split his time between CBRE’s operations in Manchester and London, previously held the role of national head of asset management at GVA.

At CBRE, Ben will handle the firm’s asset management client portfolio, which will include providing asset and property management services for the Harbert UK Industrial portfolio, covering locations such as Trafford Park and Heywood Distribution Park.

Commenting on his appointment, Ben said: “CBRE’s strength throughout all the UK regions provides a strong platform to deliver a coordinated Asset Management service on portfolios and complex property assets.

“I am delighted to be joining a team whose unrivalled market knowledge across all sectors ensures that it is well placed to advise on all aspects of property strategy and provide the resources to implement recommendations in order to generate added value for investors.”

Mark Ingram, GHD

GHD, the international engineering and construction services firm with operations in Cheadle, Frodsham and Sutton Weaver, has taken on Mark Ingram as its new general manager for Europe and the Middle East.

Cheshire-based chemical engineer Mark, who will also take responsibility for managing the company’s UK business in his new position, was appointed after GHD’s former Europe and Middle East leader, Ashley Wright, assumed the role of CEO.

GHD, which has close to 500 employees across Europe and the Middle East, increased its presence in Cheshire last May after acquiring consulting engineering business GHA Livigunn, which was rebranded as GHD Livigunn.

Mark first joined GHD in 2015 as part of the GHA Livigunn deal, having served as the firm’s MD since it was founded in 2005.

He commented: “I am excited by the opportunities in our region. GHD has been present in the UK and Middle East for many years but it’s only recently that we have been able to develop these operations into a platform for future growth.

“The biggest change has seen us transition from a primarily transport-based business in the UK to being able to offer services across all of GHD’s market sectors: water, energy & resources, environment, property & buildings, and transportation.”

Mark continued: “The UK has a strong infrastructure-led economy and we are pursuing growth in regional areas with a network of offices close to our clients.”

Tracy Thompson, Paul Crowley & Co solicitors

Liverpool-based Paul Crowley & Co solicitors has announced the appointment of Tracy Thompson as managing partner.

Tracy has been promoted from the role of operations director. Since joining the firm in 2011, Tracy has helped Paul Crowley & Co implement new systems and managed its corporate business planning and marketing activity.

Founded in 1991, the firm today has offices in Anfield, Walton and West Derby. Tracy’s fellow partners include founder Paul Crowley, John McKenna and Michael Fogarty.

Senior partner Paul commented: “I am delighted to announce Tracy as our new managing partner.

“Over the last five years Tracy has been an invaluable member of the Paul Crowley & Co management team, helping to direct and guide our ongoing development.”

He added: “I cannot wait to see where this new partnership will now take the firm as we look to continue our growth.”

Discussing her new role, Tracy said: “It’s an honour to have been made a partner in Paul Crowley & Co, a firm which I have been able to build a strong relationship with over the past five years.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with our incredible team and am fully confident that the coming years will see yet more impressive results.”

Paul Hughes, Seddon

Building firm Seddon is targeting growth across the North, Midlands and Wales with the appointment of a new director.

Paul Hughes has been taken on as development director in Seddon’s housing partnerships division, bringing with him 30 years’ experience in the housing sector.

Working alongside development managers Chris Curtis and Ian Ridgway, Paul will head up the firm’s land-led schemes for social housing clients across the North West, as well as North Wales and the Midlands.

Paul commented: “I am delighted to have joined a company of Seddon’s calibre. The firm is well known for its financial stability, commitment to its people and its proud heritage of delivering quality work.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of Seddon as we focus on taking the business to the next level. I look forward to building the portfolio of land-led developments and joint ventures with affordable housing providers across the North West, Midlands and Wales.”

With a turnover of £190m, Seddon has its North West base in Bolton.

The company’s MD, Jonathan Seddon, said: “We are proud of being able to attract high quality talent into the team, as Paul’s appointment demonstrates.

“Our values are an incredibly important part of who we are. It is this that make us attractive to our clients, partners and to people working in the industry.”

He added: “The fantastic range of talent we have brought into the fold means we are well placed to deliver exceptional growth in the regions we operate in.”

Paul previously worked for manufacturer Emanuel Whittaker and, before that, building firm Bramall Construction, where he helped the business grow its takings from £8m to £120m as area director.

John Moth, Steven Heath and Craig Wright, KPMG

KPMG, the professional services firm, has made a trio of new partner appointments at its office in Manchester, with Steven Heath and John Moth promoted to the position and Craig Wright hired from BDO LLP.

As a partner at KPMG, Craig will specialise in internal audit, compliance, risk and advisory services, bringing over 17 years of experience to the role. Previously, Craig served as accountancy firm BDO’s national head of risk and advisory services.

Steven, meanwhile, has worked with KPMG since 1995, when he joined the firm’s Preston office. Today, he leads a 15-strong deal advisory tax team across the North, Midlands and Scotland.

John has become a partner in its transaction services team following his promotion. Since joining the company in 2002, he has advised on deals in the retail, healthcare and transport sectors.

KPMG’s Manchester-based senior partner, Jon Holt, said: “It has been just over a year since moving into our new home at One St Peter’s Square and the team we are building in the city has grown from strength to strength.

“These appointments reflect the hard-work, passion and accomplishments of our people in Manchester, but also our commitment to further invest in supporting our clients in the city and across the North West.”

Sam Jones, Simon Turner and Paul Sellars, Clothes2order

Personalised clothing firm Clothes2order has announced three appointments in its board of directors.

Sam Jones has taken on the role of commercial director, joining from sports retailer Kitbag, while Clothes2order’s former marketing manager Simon Turner is now the company’s marketing director. Additionally, Paul Sellars has been hired as operations director.

Sam, who worked at Kitbag for 12 years, will now be responsible for Clothes2order’s IT, customer service and e-commerce operations.

Simon, who joined Trafford Park-based Clothes2order in 2008, will oversee all of the business’ marketing strategies and brand development in his new role.

Paul, meanwhile, has been with the firm since last year, bringing with him 20 years of management experience.

MD Michael Conway said: “Sam, Simon and Paul add immense firepower to the board to help us deliver our ambitious growth plans.

“Sam is a vastly-experienced e-commerce professional who brings a host of attributes to the business, and Simon fully deserves his promotion after excelling in a variety of marketing roles.”

He continued: “Paul has impressed in his role after overseeing a doubling of our production capacity and premises.

“As the business has continued to expand rapidly, it has also become necessary to strengthen our management team to support this growth.”

Clothes2order has made five other appointments in recent months: Debbie Ross as HR manager, Michelle Harris as finance manager, Stephen Booth as operations and engineering manager, Phil Somerville as senior technical lead, and Pradeesh Geethanunny head of e-commerce.

Ian Marsh, Artorius Wealth

Wealth management business Artorius Wealth Limited has appointed Ian Marsh as its new CEO, following the death of founder and CEO Richard Algar earlier this year.

Ian has held senior roles at a number of companies, including Credit Suisse Private Banking, Fleming Family and Partners Asset Management and Stonehage Fleming.

Artorius chairman Christopher Carter said: “I am delighted that we have been able to attract an individual of Ian’s calibre and proven track record in the wealth management business.”

Commenting on his appointment, Ian said: “Artorius has the philosophy and business model that I believe is essential to best serve clients and families seeking advice from wealth managers.

“The quality of the people and platform, together with an ability to focus on client service as an un-conflicted advisor, is truly exciting.”

Ian added: “I look forward to working with the team to build a long term partnership, and helping clients preserve and grow their wealth across generations.”