This week’s North West appointments

Adam Granby and Patrick Taft, Calderpeel Architects

Altrincham-based architecture practice Calderpeel has welcomed two new architects to its team.

Patrick Taft and Adam Granby passed the advanced diploma in professional practice in architecture, known as Part 3 in the industry, and are now fully qualified architects.

Following over eight years of study and industry experience, both are now professionally recognised by the Architects Registration Board as architects.

The two have also become chartered members of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Patrick, who joined Calderpeel two years ago, said: “After all the studying, it’s a huge sense of satisfaction to have finally completed my Part 3.

“I’m looking forward to really getting stuck into more exciting projects as a fully-qualified architect.”

Adam, who has worked with the company since 2014, commented: “I’ve always wanted to be an architect, but it’s a long hard road to becoming professionally qualified.

“It feels great to have reached that goal, I’m looking forward to progressing my career here.”

Calderpeel Architects’ managing director, Ewen Miller, commented: “I’m proud of Patrick and Adam.

“It’s important to us as a practice to keep the next generation of architects coming through and It’s great to see them growing and developing their careers with us.”

Mike Mounfield, Signature Living

Liverpool hotel business Signature Living has appointed former executive chef Mike Mounfield as director of food operations.

Mike has worked for a number of hotel groups in London and Chester and cooked in a number of destinations all over the world, including Chicago, Prague and Malibu.

Since then, Mike has spent several years working in further education, having created the Lakes Hotel School in Cumbria and L20 Hotel School in Merseyside, and served as assistant principal at City of Liverpool College.

With Signature Living, he will oversee the group’s food operation across Cardiff, Liverpool and Preston.

Mike said: “It only felt like a matter of time before I joined Signature Living.

“Working closely with the owners Katie and Lawrence and managing director David Hughes over recent years has made joining the company an easy decision.”

He added: “The role I have is not only exciting but very varied and every day feels like a new project is generated.”

Stuart Glendinning, Digitonomy

Chester-based fintech company Digitonomy has taken on Stuart Glendinning to help drive its push into the prime loans market.

Stuart is the former managing director of the money channels of comparison firm Moneysupermarket.com.

With 17 years of experience in the price comparison sphere, Stuart has spent recent years working to drive the growth of price comparison in Asia, where it is still relatively new expanding rapidly.

Prior to his appointment, Stuart was chief sales officer for CompareAsia Group, which is headquartered in Hong Kong.

Stuart said: “There is no bigger fan of price comparison sites than I but after 17 years in the sector no-one knows their weaknesses better!

“When it comes to personal loans they do not offer the consumer a good experience because they show typical interest rates and the customer does not know which lender will accept their application.

He added: “Our latest venture will focus on giving customers a much better experience and improve their chances of finding the best deal.”

Natasha Booth, Paul Crowley & Co

Liverpool law firm Paul Crowley & Co has bolstered its private client offering with the appointment of a new department head.

The company has chosen Natasha Booth as its new head of private client.

Natasha is joining the firm from Ormskirk-based Ice Blue Legal LLP, where she worked as litigation manager.

With Paul Crowley & Co, Natasha’s remit will cover wills, probate and lasting power of attorney matters.

Senior partner Paul Crowley said: “I am delighted to welcome Natasha into our private client department, and I am confident that she will be a valuable asset to the team as we look to grow and develop our private client offering.

“Looking ahead to 2017 I am confident that we will now build upon this foundation and continue to grow our services.”

Natasha commented: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Paul Crowley & Co.

“I believe a client-focused approach is the key to success and the firm is renowned for delivering a professional and quality service to its clients, and so I am keen to build on this foundation and lead the private client team to further growth and success.”

Steve Feery, PwC

The Manchester office of professional services giant PwC has appointed Steve Feery to the role of finance partner for the North West.

Steve has worked for more than 25 years in senior management, accountancy and director roles in sectors such as technology, construction, commercial property and IT.

He has also served as the CEO of a mid-range construction group and software company, and managed his own modular housing business.

Following his appointment, Steve will be responsible for PwC’s MyFinancepartner offer – an accounting and business support service for North West SMEs.

He said: “I’m delighted to have joined PwC and am looking forward to be able to work alongside the many SME’s across the North West helping them to maximise growth opportunities, providing sustainable strategic solutions and helping them improve competitive performance, increase revenues, market share and profits.”

The leader of the My Financepartner service, PwC partner Tony Price, commented: “My Financepartner was developed to support businesses to grow by giving them the tools and insight they need to make better decisions.

“Whilst our ability to harness the latest in cloud-enabled technology and management information reporting has always been a core part of how we do that, we set ourselves apart from our competition with the quality of advice and support these businesses receive from experienced finance professionals; hence the name My Financepartner.”

He continued: “Being able to welcome someone with Steve’s calibre and experience is a fantastic addition for our team and now we can extend our service to ambitious businesses across the North West.”

Tom Newbould, Cumbria Tourism

The official destination marketing organisation for Cumbria’s £2.72bn tourist economy has appointed a new managing director.

Tom Newbould will take the helm of Cumbria Tourism this July. A marketing professional, Tom has leadership experience across a variety of public and private sector position.

Tom most recently worked in senior roles in the consumer finance sector, with other posts including director of marketing and communications at not-for-profit education and training group NCG, and European digital marketing director for Attends Healthcare Group.

Eric Robson, chairman of Cumbria Tourism, said: “This is a new era for Cumbria Tourism, as the organisation continues to support and build our thriving visitor economy.

“Tom is an experienced, commercially-minded marketing professional with a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the county, and I have no doubt he will be a tremendous asset to the organisation and Cumbria as a whole.”

Tom said of his new role: “I’m thrilled to be taking the helm at one of the UK’s leading destination marketing organisations.

“I live in Cumbria and have a family history in the area, as well as a love of the beauty and unique character of the region.”

He continued: “Working together with tourism businesses, partners and the entire team at Cumbria Tourism, I’m looking forward to helping this truly world-class destination lead the way on the national and international stage, and derive maximum benefit from some of the exciting new opportunities for the county.”

Celine Goodier, Skout

Cheshire-based B2B PR firm Skout has announced the appointment of Celine Goodier in the newly created position of business development manager.

Skout said Celine, who boasts more than 12 years’ experience in B2B communications, has “a proven track record” of business development in various sectors.

The company’s managing director, Rob Skinner, said: “We’re delighted to have Celine join our team, particularly as her appointment is the start of an exciting future for Skout.

“Her passion and years of experience brings a fresh perspective to how we can achieve our future growth plans.”

Commenting on her appointment, Celine said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Skout team at this exciting time.

“I’m impressed by Skout’s clear vision to be the UK’s leading PR and content agency, particularly with its unique natural storytelling approach.

“Being part of such a fast growing company and having a key role to help it achieve its growth strategy is something that I’m really looking forward to.”

John Leung and Peter Beswick, ebb3

Manchester-based technology services business ebb3 has appointed senior sales employees John Leung and Peter Beswick.

John will cover business growth and strategic accounts across the architecture, oil & gas, construction and engineering sectors.

He joined the company from LIG Technologies Ltd, a business focusing on engineering, materials and biology, where he worked as managing director.

Peter, meanwhile, will be responsible for sales in automotive and manufacturing at ebb3. He previously worked for The Daisy Group.

John Leung said: “I’ve been lucky enough to have been involved in the development of some promising and innovative early stage businesses and I’m particularly excited to be joining ebb3.

Peter commented: “ebb3 is an innovative company. Its technology is truly disruptive, and scalable on an international level.”

The managing Director of ebb3, Chris Brassington, said of the appointments: “We are proud to welcome Peter and John to the team. Both John and Peter have exactly the right skills we need to sell our cutting technology.

“John and Peter have come on board as the first of many new appointments as we grow this year, and we look forward to watching the team grow with even more talented employees.”