This week’s North West appointments

Stephen May and Cat Lewis, Liquid

Liquid, the Liverpool-based creative agency, has made a number of new appointments to its account management and design departments.

Stephen May has joined Liquid after working for the company previously as a freelance designer. Before that, he was part of the team at Loaf Creative, where he worked for clients such as Merseyrail, Liverpool ONE, and The Crabbie’s Grand National.

Cat Lewis, meanwhile, has been hired from Cheshire-based Event Marketing Solutions. At Liquid, Cat will work on a range of projects and key accounts, including Warburtons, CSM Bakery Solutions and Ariston.

Her experience includes roles with the Department for Education and IT firm EMC.

Liquid’s executive creative director, Steve McGauley, commented: “Liquid has experienced real growth throughout 2016, with a number of new clients joining us for a multitude of services. It is fantastic that we have been able to attract candidates of such a high calibre.

“We want to see this our current growth continue, so we’re delighted to be bringing Ste and Cat on board.”

He added: “We’re confident they will both be huge assets to our team and bring with them varied experiences and new ideas which will add value to our offering as an independent creative agency.”

Martin McKenna, Horwich Farrelly

Horwich Farrelly, the insurance industry law firm, has taken on a new partner.

Martin McKenna, who has experience in complex and high-value personal injury claims in liability and motor, has joined the company from law firm Keoghs.

Bringing over 20 years of legal and technical experience to his new role, Martin will primarily focus on developing Horwich Farrelly’s defendant capabilities.

Rob Barrett, the managing partner of Horwich Farrelly, said of the appointment: “We are delighted to have Martin join the team, underpinning the continuing growth of our business.

“He is passionate about the quality of service provided to clients, and always endeavours to ensure the client remains at the heart of the claims process at all times.”

He added: “Martin is a natural fit for Horwich Farrelly, as he always seeks innovative solutions to any challenge, as well as having extensive industry knowledge and being a friendly and approachable colleague.”

Martin commented: “I worked at Horwich Farrelly as a solicitor early in my legal career, around 15 years ago, and am very pleased to have returned now as a partner.

“The firm has grown enormously in the time I have been gone, and particularly within the past two years, having invested heavily in raising its profile and solidifying its position as a market-leader in claims handling.”

He continued: “This is a very exciting time for the firm as a whole and I am excited to be back on board at such a time.”

L-R: Alex Colton, Kate Hopkins, Adam Bradshaw, Kyla Murphy, Carly Smith

Five appointments, Napthens

Law firm Napthens has welcomed five new faces to its residential property team.

Solicitor Kyla Murphy and conveyancing executives Kate Hopkins, Carly Smith, Adam Bradshaw and Alex Colton have been hired to help the department meet a growing demand for its services.

Kyla Murphy will work at Napthens’ Kendal office, having joined from Cumbrian law firm Temple Heelis.

Adam Bradshaw has been hired from DC Law and will be based at Napthens’ Southport office.

Kate Hopkins, Alex Colton and Carly Smith, meanwhile, have all joined Napthens’ Preston office.

Kate peviously worked for Vincents Solicitors and Alex for DC Law. Carly has joined Napthens after completing her training contract at law firm Barker Booth & Eastwood.

At Napthens, the newcomers will advise clients on residential conveyancing matters such as freehold, leasehold, re-mortgages, sales and purchases.

The company’s head of Residential Property, Sarah Barnes, said: “Opening new offices in the last year in Southport and Kendal has given us expanded opportunities for business, and these appointments are vital to help meet demand from clients in these areas and in our existing offices, including our head office in Preston.

“Despite the Brexit vote and uncertainty in the marketplace, we have seen the department grow steadily in recent years, and we are committed to ensuring our clients continue to receive the excellent level of service they expect.”

Paul Muers, BTC

Automotive consultancy firm BTC has added to its senior management team with the appointment of Paul Muers in the role of global business development manager.

Bringing nearly 30 years’ experience in the automotive industry to BTC, Paul will support the company’s continued growth across international markets.

Prior to his appointment, served as the European digital owner experience manager for Ford Europe, which made him responsible for overseeing the owner’s website and app development, as well as customer data collection and management.

At BTC, Paul will create and implement non-UK growth strategies for BTC and its associated firms, including supporting manufactures in their expansion and development of automotive services.

BTC chief exec Guy Allman said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul Muers to BTC. Paul brings with him a wealth of experience in the automotive sector and will prove to be an asset in the expansion of our digital portfolio.

“With a strong background in aftermarket operations, Paul will help us to strengthen our position as a leading supplier of customer-focused automotive solutions.”

Paul Muers said of his appointment: “The automotive sector is going through a period of transition, with customers demanding a more flexible approach to both sales and aftersales processes.

“BTC’s range of software solutions and services are well placed to meet these demands and I look forward to working with dealerships across the world to improve customer experiences and drive associated revenue.”

Michael Vivona, Social Communications

PR and planning consultation agency Social Communications has appointed Michael Vivona, a former council majority group leader.

Michael, who is the Manchester-based company’s ninth new hire of the last six months, has experience working in public affairs in the South East with a number of companies in the housing and regeneration sectors, such as Berkeley Homes, Willmott Dixon, Crest Nicholson, Miller Homes and Redrow.

Prior to entering public affairs, Michael was elected as a councillor and served for two years as the Leader of the Conservative Group on Reigate & Banstead Borough Council.

Pete Wrathmell, Social Communications’ group director, said: “Michael has a proven track record of delivering results for clients and his appointment seriously strengthens our political expertise and national public affairs offer.

“Michael’s appointment is part of our long-term growth plan for the company which has already seen us open an office in London on the back of major recent client wins including National College for High Speed Rail, Manchester Enterprise Academy and Liberty Retirement Places.”

Michael commented: “I’m delighted to be joining Social Communications, an agency that not only punches above its weight in the region, but also continues to expand a holistic and integrated agency option which can cater for clients’ public affairs, PR and creative needs.”

Hilary Heap, EY

Professional services giant EY has taken on a new head of valuations and business modelling at its offices in Manchester.

Hilary Heap has joined the company from the corporate finance team at KPMG, where she worked for 18 years.

In her new role, Hilary will lead on commercial and intellectual property valuations, such as those required under the new UK GAAP regulations, in addition to corporate transactions, joint ventures, reorganisations and shareholder disputes.

Hilary holds experience across a number of sectors, including chemicals, life sciences and technology.

Simon Allport, EY’s North West senior partner, said: “Hilary has exceptional experience of valuations for companies across the UK – from emerging technology app developers to established aerospace conglomerates.

“I am pleased that she has joined the team here at EY to head up our valuations and business modelling team.”

Hilary commented: “I am thrilled to take on this role at EY. At a time of uncertainty and change, being able to assess new market opportunities, as well as understand where a company’s value truly lies is something that all businesses can benefit from.

“I look forward to developing the team here in Manchester and working with clients across the North.”

Gareth Beardsworth, Asons Solicitors

Bolton law firm Asons has hired Gareth Beardsworth as its new head of finance.

Gareth previously worked for Macclesfield-based pet food manufacturer MPM Products, where he served as the firm’s financial controller for more than six years.

Before MPM, Gareth was a corporate finance manager with global auditing and accounting firm RSM UK.

Discussing his plans following his appointment, Gareth said: “I’m very excited to be joining the great team at Asons at this point on their journey so far.

“As head of finance, my initial focus will be to maximise both efficiency and profitability within the practice but also, and as important to me, provide assistance to the fantastic work that the Asons Foundation is currently doing and help them enhance the amount of lives they can change.

“You can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Dominic McGinn, Hillyer McKeown

North West law firm Hillyer McKeown has announced the appointment of sports lawyer Dominic McGinn.

Dominic, who specialises in sports law and all aspects of commercial dispute resolution, was recommended by the Legal 500 and represents a range of clients, including Premier League footballers and football agents.

Hillyer McKeown’s head of litigation, partner Paul Marsh, said: “Dominic brings with him a wealth of experience providing clients in the sporting and wider business world with outstanding dispute resolution services.

“He led the sports law team at his previous firm and will play an important role in helping Hillyer McKeown grow both our sports law and commercial litigation teams.”

Commenting on his appointment, Dominic said: “I am looking forward to providing clients not just with my own legal services but also with those of others within the firm.”

Linda Avan, DWF

Legal business DWF has invested in its national counter fraud team with the appointment of Linda Avan as it continues to tackle fraudulent activity and bolster its fraud intelligence capabilities

Liverpool-based Linda has joined the company as an intelligence consultant from Liberty Insurance, where she held the role of specialist investigator.

Linda, who holds 20 years’ experience working with insurers, specialises in identifying and gathering intelligence on complex fraud rings, from initial detection to reporting for enforcement and providing court evidence.

The CEO of insurance services at DWF, Paul Berry said: “DWF’s national fraud team is fast becoming one of the UK’s strongest due to the truly market-leading telematics and predictive analytics systems we leverage to prevent insurance fraud.

“We continue to invest in the growing team to diversify our expertise across the insurance and commercial sectors for clients impacted by fraud in order to meet increasing demand.”

Elsewhere, DWF has further strengthened its national counter fraud team by hiring Jacky Cattini, a new head of financial risk, at its London office.