This week's North West appointments

Tom Creer, Legat Owen

Chester-based commercial property consultancy Legat Owen is supporting the continued expansion of its asset management department with the appointment of a new associate director.

Chartered surveyor and RICS registered valuer Tom Creer has spent the last 17 years working in private practice in Chester, advising clients on a range of commercial property matters across Cheshire, Wirral and North Wales.

At Legat Owen, Tom will provide bespoke asset management and property consultancy.

Director Stephen Wade said: “Legat Owen provides property management services to a diverse client base with assets nationwide.

“Our management brief continues to grow and it’s vital that we are able to offer the highest standards of client service.”

He continued: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Tom to the team. He is a skilled surveyor with an in-depth knowledge of commercial property asset management and has a track record of providing sound, client focused, advice.”

Tom commented: “This is an exciting time to be joining Legat Owen. The company has an enviable reputation in the market and I am looking forward to working with their loyal client base and the team to develop the asset management department further and drive business forward.”

Chris Fairhurst and Jonathan Casey, McAlister Family Law

Manchester-based McAlister Family Law has announced two appointments.

Chris Fairhurst (pictured right), joining the company as a partner, has over two decades’ experience.

He is one of a small number of dual-qualified Resolution and Children Panel accredited specialists in the country. Prior to his appointment, Chris held positions at Slater and Gordon and Stephensons LLP.

Solicitor Jonathan Casey (left) also worked for Slater and Gordon and, before that, Haworth and Gallagher in Birkenhead. He studied law at Liverpool John Moores University.

McAlister Family Law owner Amanda McAlister (centre) said: “I’m delighted to welcome our new recruits on board.

“Both bring particular specialisms that complement the already comprehensive offering here at McAlister Family Law, and both are dedicated to delivering a service to our clients that vastly exceeds their expectations.”

She added: “With Chris and Jonathan as key members of our team, our plan to position McAlister Family Law as one of the UK’s leading family law firms is fully on course.”

Guy Freeman, Gray Scanlan Hill

Gray Scanlan Hill, the Manchester-based independent building surveying practice, has appointed a senior associate director.

Guy Freeman (pictured centre) joined the company from Byrom Clark Roberts, where he advised on legal forensic cases and expert witness instructions.

Guy previously operated his own business, FPS Consult Ltd, and has held senior positions with Mace, Mansell and Chesterton.

He said: “I am excited to be working with Gray Scanlan Hill and the opportunity it presents. Over the past 30 years, I have had the luxury of exploring many aspects of the surveying industry and look forward to working with a team of dedicated building surveyors again.

“It’s also good to be back working with Simon Hill, having trained together with Bernard Thorpe in London in the late 80s.”

His appointment follows two others in recent months; building surveyor Michael Johnson (right) and Abbie Sizer (left), who provides secretarial, administrative and project support to the team.

Gray Scanlan Hill director Darren Hughes said: “This is an exciting time for Gray Scanlan Hill and we are delighted to have found some outstanding talent, capable of offering the quality of service we insist on providing to our clients.

“These are fantastic appointments which add a blend of further time-served experience and invention to the business and will broaden our expertise.”

Darran Lawless, Peel Land and Property

Peel Land and Property has chosen Darran Lawless as the new development director of its Liverpool Waters scheme.

Bringing over 28 years’ experience to the role, Darran will take over from Lindsey Ashworth when he retires in April following a 30-year career with the group.

Darran’s background includes establishing development consultancy Petre Properties and serving as the managing director of Engine of the North, Cheshire East Council’s wholly owned development company.

He said: “I’m delighted to join Peel Land and Property at such an exciting time and am looking forward to working with the Liverpool Waters’ team in building on the excellent progress made to date as well as delivering projects that continue to realise the ambitions of Peel and its partners.”

Peel Land and Property Group development director James Whittaker commented: “It’s been 10 years since Peel revealed its ambitions for Liverpool Waters.

“Lindsey has done an incredible job in obtaining planning consent, delivering residential development, securing Everton Football Club’s interest in relocating to the site, assisting Liverpool City Council in its plans to bring a new Ocean Liner terminal to the City and working with the Manx Government to secure the relocation of the Isle of Man ferry.”

He added: “Darran will build on this success as we enter the next exciting phase of Liverpool Waters development.”

Tony Pyper, Aztec

Liverpool-headquartered fit-out, refurbishment and construction business Aztec has taken on Tony Pyper as senior contracts manager.

Tony, an electrical engineer, will work closely with Aztec’s senior management team as he takes large-scale projects from prospect stage through to practical completion.

He said: “I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with several award-winning planners and designers during the last 20 years, on some incredibly exciting projects – it has allowed me to develop a well-rounded approach in terms of overall concept, scheme, costs and requirement, which will serve me well in my new role with Aztec.

“I’m very much looking forward to being back in my home city and joining the Aztec team at what is an exciting time for the business.”

Aztec’s founder and MD, Neal Maxwell, commented: “Tony brings with him extensive expertise, which will be of huge value to Aztec and our clients.

“Our business is built on providing our clients with outstanding service and delivering results that everyone can be proud of – Tony very much shares in our values, and we look forward to having him on board.”

Lisa Clarke, Clarke Nicklin

Accountancy and business advisory firm Clarke Nicklin has expanded its corporate finance team.

Lisa Clarke joined the company as a corporate finance and advisory senior. In her previous role she was a business partnering senior.

She commented: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the team at Clarke Nicklin and look forward to building excellent relationships with both colleagues and clients.”

Clarke Nicklin’s head of corporate finance, managing partner Andrew Baggott, said: “With our expanding workload in this area of the firm’s service lines, adding Lisa to the team will help to ensure we continue to deliver the highest level of advice and support for our clients.

“Lisa is a perfect addition to the team, and will help us continue to expand this service to help existing and new clients achieve their objectives.”

Paul Wogan, Infinity

Infinity, the Salford Quays-based Investment business, has appointed a group business development director.

Paul Wogan’s experience in sales and marketing is backed by senior roles, both in the UK and Canada, in areas such as research and media.

Daniel Finestein, who leads the business alongside partners Sarah Butler and Phil Vickers, said: “We recognise the need within Infinity to have someone entirely focused on business development and marketing.

“Paul brings hunger, enthusiasm and new ideas to the group, and his broad business experience fits well with our model.”

He continued: “We are confident he will be able to successfully utilise his specialist skills across our existing businesses and new ones which we are planning to launch.

“For 2018 the focus for Infinity is on growing our umbrella service, which we feel is a very attractive offering in the market.”

Paul commented: “I’m joining Infinity at an exciting time for the group and look forward to helping drive new partnerships and creating sustainable relationships to grow the business.”

Stacey Wynn, Bring Digital

Bolton marketing agency Bring Digital has appointed a head of affiliates to lead its newly launched Affiliate Marketing Programme for ecommerce businesses.

Stacey Wynn was previously search manager at online retailer AO.com.

Stacey said: ’Affiliate marketing is a powerful acquisition channel that drives sales, whilst helping you stay in full control of costs.

“We’ve partnered with Performance Horizon to allow us to provide our clients with industry-leading technology and reporting, and our growth strategies will allow our brands to access new customers and territories without any commercial risk.”

She added: “I’m excited about launching this programme and helping grow affiliate sales for our clients.”

Bring Digital MD David Ingram commented: ‘Hiring Stacey to head up the new service is a real win for us. She comes with years of experience with a prestigious ecommerce brand, and we’re confident she’ll deliver excellent results for our clients.

“In a very short space of time we’ve already seen initial successes, with one ecommerce client, running at over £100,000 a month of new affiliate sales.”