This week’s North West appointments

Rachael Leather and Daniel Strode, PWA Planning

Lancashire planning consultancy PWA Planning has announced two new appointments.

Rachael Leather and Daniel Strode have joined the Preston-based firm in the roles of planning technician and graduate planner respectively.

Southport resident Rachael has a degree in Geography from the University of Manchester. She joined PWA Planning from fuel management services provider Fairbanks Environmental.

Daniel, who moved to Preston from Yorkshire, completed a masters in Urban Design and International Planning at the University of Manchester in 2016, having graduated with a degree in Town and Country Planning the year previous.

PWA Planning director Paul Walton said: “Rachael and Daniel coming on board brings new energy and ideas to the practice.

“They will provide vital planning support to our senior team, allowing us to continue providing an excellent service to our clients.”

Paul Cleghorn, ResponseTap

Salford-headquartered marketing tech firm ResponseTap has taken on a new head of development.

Paul Cleghorn will now lead the firm’s 15-strong development team, bringing over 22 years of experience to the role.

In his previous positions, Paul has worked with a host of international brands, including auto giants Nissan and Rolls Royce and software company Atmos International.

At ResponseTap, his remit will include doubling the size of his department over the next year.

CTO Richard Hamnett said: “Following six months of beta iterations, we launched Insight Hub - the industry’s most agile reporting platform - back in late 2016.

“We also announced new ‘Go’ pipelines to allow our developers to deploy product changes in minutes, and the release of our Integrations Centre came shortly after, to better facilitate a single customer and campaign view.”

He added: “Like many of the leading SaaS companies in the marketing space, we will continue to introduce new platform capabilities on a monthly basis, which is why we need the best talent and leadership in our team.”

Paul commented: “I was particularly impressed that this is a fast-paced company which has maintained its start-up ethos, but already has a solid product on which to build.

“The development team is empowered to ensure a very fluid delivery of new call intelligence functionality, and I look forward to further improving the efficiencies and effectiveness of the department as we advance along the product roadmap.”

He continued: “For me, it’s about making smarter decisions regarding what to develop and when – that way, we can give marketers and contact centres even savvier tools to do better business.”

Image: John Chesworth (left) with Gavin Wright

Gavin Wright, Harrison Drury

Harrison Drury, the North West law firm, has appointed Gavin Wright to the newly created role of chief executive officer.

Gavin formerly served as the senior director of professional services firms Deloitte and BDO. He has joined Harrison Drury after working at Forbes Solicitors for three years as CEO.

Gavin will head up the management team in his new role as he seeks to improve the way services are delivered.

Following the appointment, managing partner John Chesworth is now executive chairman.

John said: “This appointment is about leading Harrison Drury into the future and putting in place a management structure to enable growth.

“Gavin’s record in the professional services arena speaks for itself. He has extensive experience of law firm management and developing growing businesses.”

Gavin commented: “Harrison Drury has grown through having a strong and clear vision and a culture to match.

“I’m looking forward to helping the firm enjoy continued success. My role is to make it possible for John and the board to deliver this next period of growth in line with the excellent values for which it has become known.”

Ben Roberts, Riddelltps

Investment and asset management company Riddelltps has welcomed Ben Roberts to its Manchester team.

In the role of consultant director of investment, Ben will aim to develop and expand the business as he works alongside directors Gareth Riddell and Andy Crompton.

Ben is the former Manchester office head and capital markets partner at commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

Riddelltps founding director Gareth said: “With Ben’s support, we have an opportunity to grow Riddelltps into the future by creating new services and building a team.

“We have worked with some great clients on ground-breaking transactions and managed some excellent assets and Ben coming into the business, as well as being a real coup, means we can start to realise our ambitions.”

Ben commented: “I’m really excited about joining a well-respected, niche Manchester practice to develop its client-base and help grow the team.

“I’ll be actively seeking new investment opportunities across the commercial property spectrum as well as the ever expanding ‘Build to Rent’ sector.”

He added: “I will also be focussed on winning new asset management/property management mandates to build upon Riddelltps’s already well-established management portfolio.”

Darren Hughes, Gray Scanlan Hill

Manchester-based building surveying firm Gray Scanlan Hill has appointed a new director.

Darren Hughes has joined the company from property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), where he worked for more than 13 years, primarily as a director in building consultancy.

In 2016, he moved to Liverpool to re-establish LSH’s building consultancy presence in the city.

Gray Scanlan Hill director Simon Hill said: “We’ve known Darren for a number of years and it’s a real coup that he has decided to join us.

“He has a wealth of experience and expertise that only someone that’s been in the industry for more than 25 years can offer.”

He continued: “Darren’s appointment is very timely and provides us the opportunity to continue to resource complex consultancy instructions with senior time served practitioners.”

Darren said of his new role: “Gray Scanlan Hill is a well-established Manchester-based building surveying practice focussed on providing high service levels and crafted independent advice to some impressive clients.

“The business is conscientiously evolving with its clients firmly in mind and holds exciting potential for further development.”

He added: “I am pleased to be joining a first-class team and look forward to making an effective contribution to what the company has to offer.”

Steven Appleton, Brabners

Brabners, the commercial law firm, has appointed partner Steven Appleton to lead its Manchester-based private client practice.

Having specialised in this field for over 11 years, Steven has experience in all aspects of private client law, including wills, trusts, lasting powers of attorney, tax planning, probate and court of protection work.

Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at law firm Laytons.

Steven said: “Private client work can be both complex and sensitive in nature and it’s vital that we work in partnership with clients to achieve the best result.

“Only by working together can we fully identify and understand the issues a client is facing, which is essential to finding a solution that effectively meets their needs.”

He continued: “Brabners’ private client team has an enviable reputation, both for the quality and breadth of its work, and is highly regarded as one of the best in the North West. This is largely down to its client-first approach and I’m looking forward to working closely with the team as we continue to build on this further.”

Brabners’ national head of private client, Duncan Bailey, commented: “Steven is well respected within the industry and his experience of building long-term relationships with clients ensures he is in a strong position to lead our team in Manchester.”

Andy Thompson, SDL Auctions North West

Property auction house SDL Auctions North West has chosen Andy Thompson for the role of residential auction valuer covering Manchester and the wider North West.

Andy joined SDL from Stockport-based auctioneers Edward Mellor, where he worked for over 12 years in regional property auctions.

Following his appointment, Andy is now busy securing entries for SDL’s first Manchester-based auction, taking place on July 13 at the AJ Bell Stadium.

He said: “Anyone with properties to sell in the region should definitely join our North West auction on July 13 as I’m sure we’ll quickly become the ‘go to’ auction in this area.”

SDL Auctions’ chief executive, auctioneer Rory Daly, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Andy Thompson to our team and we’re sure his in-depth experience across the north west will help us to make a real impact.”

The appointment follows news of SDL Auctions North West’s move to larger premises in Manchester, after the success of its first auction in Bolton last month.

Image: Paul Nugent (left) with Wayne Pontin

Wayne Pontin, Nugent Santé

Lancashire-based health insurance business Nugent Santé has appointed Wayne Pontin as its new non-executive chairman.

Wayne has over 40 years’ health and wellbeing sector experience.

In 2012, he was elected chairman of the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries, a position he held for three years.

Wayne said: “I accepted the post of non-executive chairman to help develop and guide Nugent Santé through its formative years, but more importantly because I believe in the ethos and ambition of the board of directors and can testify to the professionalism of the staff and advisors.

“I have ambitions to lead this company by example and have no doubt we will achieve all objectives we set ourselves both domestically and through an exciting development in the international private medical insurance arena.”

Paul Nugent, managing director at Nugent Santé, commented: “Having Wayne as our chairman is a significant achievement for our rapidly developing company.

“The health insurance market is evolving and he will be crucial in ensuring we do everything correctly under the regulation of the FCA.”

He added: “Wayne brings vast experience to the business and will help us provide training, governance and strategy.”

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