This week’s North West appointments

Five appointments, Equilibrium Asset Management

Chester firm Equilibrium Asset Management has welcomed five new client managers to its team.

Carl Hayes, Laura Stewart, Clare Hamilton, Charlene Love and David West have all joined the chartered wealth management company’s Wilmslow headquarters.

Carl has eight years’ experience in financial services, specialising in pensions and investments.

Laura, who has worked in both Vietnam and the Middle East, is bringing nine years of financial sector experience to the role. She has previously worked on complaint handling projects for a number of financial institutions.

Clare is working towards a Diploma in Financial Planning and said she decided to join Equilibrium because of the firm’s “great reputation” in the industry.

Charlene worked in investment management for five years at Brewin Dolphin and holds a degree in International Business, Finance and Economics from the University of Manchester. She also has the CISI Level 7 Diploma in Wealth Management.

Lastly, David West has experience managing a portfolio of clients’ defined contribution pension schemes and focused on pension scheme lending. Equilibrium believes his background has equipped him with valuable insights into retirement planning.

Equilibrium managing partner Gaynor Rigby said: “After coming fifth in The Sunday Times’ 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2017’ we were keen to grow our team of experts.

“Carl, Laura, Clare, Charlene and David are all important hires as we look to continue to improve what we offer both current and potential clients.”

She added: “What’s also good is that we have now grown into all the space at our Wilmslow headquarters, with 63 staff now on our books.”

Richard Dean, Knight Knox

Knight Knox, the property investment consultancy, has appointed a new land director.

In his new role, Richard Dean will work alongside Knight Knox’s joint venture partners as he identifies, assesses and acquires suitable development sites across Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield.

His remit also includes working with architects and planners to secure planning consent for the schemes.

Richard has more than 20 years’ experience in the property industry. He previously worked as a land director for McCarthy and Stone, Elan Homes and David McLean.

He commented: “Having built up a strong track record of sourcing and acquiring land suitable for development, I’m excited to have joined the Knight Knox team and look forward to applying my skills to the buzzing private rented sector.

“The company has helped deliver some truly landmark schemes in major UK cities so I’m proud to now be assisting them with their ambitious plans for growth.”

Knight Knox commercial director Andy Phillips said: “The Knight Knox service starts at the pre-planning stage of the development process, so it’s vital that we have a senior consultant in place to work with our trusted partner developers from the off.

“Richard has demonstrated his expertise in identifying appropriate land and managing the process through to acquisition, so we’re certain he’ll thrive in his new role and help take us to the next level.”

Alasdair Mackinnon, Hill Dickinson

Commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has appointed a new partner in its growing banking team.

Alasdair Mackinnon, who joins the company from DWF in Manchester, will head up Hill Dickinson’s banking and finance operation in the city.

He will also work within Hill Dickinson’s national banking team, which is led by head of banking and finance Richard Capper.

Alasdair said: “I have been practicing in the banking and finance sector for over 14 years, providing legal advice to a wide range of clients including both high street banks and alternative lenders, local corporates and private equity houses.

“The opportunity to join and to lead such a fast-growing and dynamic team was a real draw for me. I am delighted to be working with Richard and the team in Liverpool and London to continue to grow the banking business and provide exceptional service to our clients.”

With Hill Dickinson, Alasdair will deliver the full range of non-contentious finance work for lenders and borrowers, including real estate finance and general corporate banking matters.

Richard Capper commented: “Alasdair joins us with a huge amount of experience in this sector and is also extremely well connected within Manchester’s banking and finance community.

“He was clearly the right person to lead our delivery here in the city and to support the wider team in Liverpool and London. We are delighted to have him on board.”

Four appointments, Cushman & Wakefield

Real estate services giant Cushman & Wakefield has announced four promotions at its Manchester office.

The following have all been promoted to partner: Chris Brown, who works in industrial agency; James Lockwood, of residential; Neal Riley, public sector advisory; and Andrew Teage, planning.

The promotions are part of the firm’s annual review cycle across its Europe, Middle East and Africa business.

John Keyes, head of Cushman & Wakefield’s Manchester office, said: “I’d like to congratulate Chris, James, Neal and Andy for taking this significant next step in their careers.

“They are trusted partners and future leaders who excel both in generating and executing business and in inspiring and supporting their teams.”

He added: “Each new partner is being recognised for consistent excellence and their readiness to play a vital role in the future growth of our business.”

Craig Wilson, Sweco UK

Engineering, environment and design consultancy Sweco UK has added to its buildings team with the appointment of a new building services director for the North.

Craig Wilson is bringing 35 years’ experience in the engineering industry to his new role, having worked as a director for several of the industry’s consultancy practices.

His work to date has focused in particular on design management, leadership and technical delivery for large-scale projects in the UK and overseas.

Following his appointment, Craig will work with Sweco’s buildings teams across Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Geoffrey Palmer, operations director and business unit manager for buildings at Sweco, said: “Craig’s appointment to the buildings team in Manchester will further strengthen our already growing buildings business and enhance our offering, particularly in Northern England.

“I am pleased Craig has joined the business, as his relationships with many of our colleagues, and ability to provide truly joined-up thinking in multidisciplinary projects, will help with the continued success of our buildings team.”

He added: “We are also looking forward to expanding and diversifying the clients we work with and the projects we deliver.”

Craig, who will operate from the company’s Manchester office, commented: “Having come from a multi-disciplinary engineering background I am delighted to be joining Sweco and to be part of the company’s ambitious plans for growth.

“It is exciting to be joining a company with the technical excellence and drive Sweco has to diversify clients and projects throughout the UK.”

He continued: “I know from experience that Sweco’s buildings team works in partnership with its clients to deliver innovative and industry-leading projects and I am looking forward to further enhancing this reputation.”

Allan Sumner, Harrison Drury

Lancashire firm Harrison Drury has chosen Allan Sumner as the head of its Lancaster office.

A commercial property and development law specialist, Allan will now spearhead the company’s growth in the city and wider region.

Harrison Drury MD John Chesworth said: “Our Lancaster office has grown rapidly in the last five years, going from one lawyer when we opened here in 2014 to a team of eight lawyers and support staff.

“We’ve big plans for further growth in the area and wanted to formalise the role of ‘office lead’ in Lancaster. Allan is a hugely experienced lawyer who is used to leading teams and building relationships with the business community at all levels.”

He added: “He is a natural choice to head up our Lancaster office.”

Commenting on his appointment, Allan said: “It’s an honour to be given this opportunity to build on the success we’ve already had in improving the depth and breadth of commercial legal services in the Lancaster and Morecambe region.

“These are exciting times for the region and the Bay Gateway in particular offers massive potential for investment and growth. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship with local professionals and business groups to make the most of these opportunities.”

Gareth Holmes, Building Surveyors Ltd

Building Surveyors Ltd, the Newcastle-headquartered multidisciplinary chartered surveyors, has hired a new senior chartered surveyor as part of its UK expansion strategy.

The company, which recently opened an office in Manchester, has hired Gareth Holmes to help drive its presence in the North West and elsewhere across Northern England.

Gareth’s remit includes providing building consultancy and project services, in addition to developing and maintaining client relationships.

He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, with experience spanning the public and private sectors. Previous roles include positions with a university, a local authority and several large building consultancies.

Gareth said of his appointment: “Building Surveyors Ltd has a fantastic reputation across the industry and they have a professional yet personal approach which really appeals to me.

“To be part of establishing the business across the North West is a brilliant opportunity and I’m looking forward to growing the client portfolio and further cementing its reputation for delivering a high-quality service.”

Building Surveyors Ltd MD Chris Jude commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Gareth to the team. We’re experiencing a high demand for both our commercial and residential services and he is joining us at an exciting period of growth in our business.

“Gareth’s expertise in surveying combined with his knowledge of the local property markets and contacts will be invaluable as we continue to build our presence in Manchester and the surrounding area; he’s a fantastic addition to the team and will play an integral role in helping us to achieve our ambitious UK expansion plans.”

Four appointments, Irwin Mitchell

National law firm Irwin Mitchell has made four partner promotions at its office in Manchester.

Emily Williams’ experience covers all aspects of planning law with a focus on both instigating and defending planning litigation. She has worked at Irwin Mitchell since April 2013.

Paul Barnard has experience in all aspects of non-contentious real estate. He provides landowners and occupiers with advice on property portfolio management, with particular focus on strategic land projects.

Nathaniel Groarke, a family lawyer, joined Irwin Mitchell in 2011. His practice focuses on high net worth divorce cases and private children work, for clients ranging from the professionals and entrepreneurs to sports stars.

Lastly Glen Walker, who works for Irwin Mitchell’s Ascent subsidiary, has been promoted to associate director. The position is the partner-level equivalent for non-lawyers at Irwin Mitchell.

He joined Ascent in 2016 on the back of a long career in the debt recovery industry. Glen currently leads Ascent’s conduct and risk teams.

Roy Beckett, Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester-based regional managing partner, commented: “These promotions are deserved recognition of the talent each of them bring to our business and the contribution we are sure they will make in continuing to drive forward our Manchester based offering.”

Irwin Mitchell group chief exec Andrew Tucker said: “Promotion to partner level is a huge achievement which demonstrates the incredible hard work and dedication that each of these people has shown across their time at Irwin Mitchell.

“Each and every one of our new partners thoroughly deserves their promotion and I am proud to congratulate all of them on their success.”