This week's North West appointments

Elisabeth Williams, Beyond Corporate

Manchester law firm Beyond Corporate has added to its real estate division with the appointment of director Elisabeth Williams.

Commercial property specialist Elisabeth previously worked with Beyond managing partner Matt Fleetwood at boutique law firm Heatons.

Her most recent role was legal director within law firm TLT’s real estate arm.

Prior to qualifying, she studied at the University of Central England and the Inns of Court School of Law.

Elisabeth said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be working once again with my former colleagues.

“It’s extremely exciting to be focusing primarily on entrepreneurial real estate clients, not only in the North West but also nationally.”

She added: “I believe that we have a unique offering here, one that clients and those in the industry recognise as being very special.”

Partner James Flynn said: “Our real estate division pipeline of work is in excellent health, as we work on various deals worth in excess of £500m, with more to come.

“Elisabeth’s appointment, together with other impending arrivals, gives us greater strength and depth, as together with Tom Orton and myself we offer a genuine alternative in the marketplace. Our ever-increasing client portfolio bears that out.”

Ferghal O’Hanlon, BNY Mellon

Financial services firm BNY Mellon has appointed Ferghal O’Hanlon as its Manchester site executive.

Ferghal, who has worked with BNY Mellon for the last nine years, is also the company’s global head of embedded risk for client service delivery.

He said: “BNY Mellon established a presence in Manchester more than 13 years ago, and since then, has built a reputation for organisational excellence and exceptional client service.

“The site has grown its operations and cemented its position as one of the city’s leading employers – major achievements I’m keen to build on in my new role.

“It is an exciting time for us here as we expand and grow the business with a wide variety of jobs on offer, and I am looking forward to leading the team on the next leg of our journey.”

L-R: Nik White, Jon Close and Phil Sheard

Five appointments, Brabners

Law firm Brabners has announced a raft of appointments in its North West corporate and litigation teams.

Commercial litigation partner Phil Sheard joined the company from the Liverpool office of legal practice Hill Dickinson.

Phil was accompanied in the move by his finance litigation, debt recovery and enforcement team, made up of associate James Stephenson and paralegals Kelly Wood and Justine Chea.

Also appointed is corporate partner Jon Close, who specialises in M&A and private equity transactions.

Jon joined Brabners’ Manchester office from Knights, before which he was a partner at TLT.

Phil said: “[Brabners] offers a complementary fit for our practice and by working together we will not only have a strong platform to continue to do what we do best – provide high-quality, cost-effective legal advice and litigation services to all of our clients, whatever their size and industry focus – we will also have an opportunity to broaden our scope and support more businesses across the region.”

Jon commented: “The calibre of deals the [Brabners] team works on reflects its commitment to commercial advice, a human approach to client service and an entrepreneurial culture, and I’m looking forward to working with the team as we continue to develop the firm’s corporate offering together.”

Brabners managing partner Nik White said of the appointments: “We have an ambitious growth strategy and a vital part of that is investing in talent to ensure we have the right people on board.

“These appointments mark the further growth and diversity of our corporate and litigation teams and I’m looking forward to working with Jon, Phil and team as we continue to fuel our future development.”

Three appointments and six promotions, JLL

Property advisory business JLL has announced three appointments and six promotions across its teams in Manchester.

JLL’s cost management business unit hired Joe Evers (pictured) in the role of assistant cost manager, while Yvette Black joined the planning and development team as a graduate planner.

Elsewhere, Rob Bursnoll was appointed as a graduate building surveyor within the building consultancy team.

The promotions are: Tom Robinson, to senior planner in the planning and development team; Andy Allen to senior surveyor in the building consultancy team; Natalie Harrison to senior surveyor in the residential advisory team; and Henrietta Daniels (senior surveyor), Christine Arnold (surveyor) and Kirstin McIntosh (assistant surveyor) in the property and asset management team.

The lead director for JLL in the North West, David Lathwood, said: “On top of these thoroughly well-deserved promotions, we welcome three new members, adding further on the ground talent to JLL in the North West.

“The growth of our cost management team reflects the service’s success, and the strong pipeline for new build and renovation projects across Manchester, which require trusted advisors.”

Sally Raw, Exponential Advisers

Neston-based business consultancy Exponential Advisers has taken on a new finance director.

Sally Raw’s career includes senior finance roles with scaleups in the UK, North America and Middle East.

Prior to joining Exponential, she working with the firm’s CEO, Jon Wyles, as finance director of North American self-storage business Stop & Store.

Jon said: “Sally brings with her a wealth of experience of working with scale-up businesses in the UK, Middle East and, most recently, North America.

“No business can achieve sustained growth and profitability without a very strong handle on its numbers. Sound financial management is critical to long-term success of any venture.

He added: “Sally will be working with clients to help them put in place the robust financial management infrastructure necessary to achieve accelerated growth.”

Exponential Advisers was founded earlier this year to offer entrepreneurs strategic support in accelerating growth and building value in their businesses.

Jon established the company with Nick Mason, owner of North West PR and marketing firm Mason.

Matthew Brennan and Hannah Vachre, Glaisyers Solicitors

Manchester-based Glaisyers Solicitors LLP has welcomed two new faces to its team.

The firm hired Hannah Vachre, who specialises in commercial litigation, from Abacus Solicitors LLP.

Matthew Brennan joined the company in the role of conveyancing manager. He previously worked for Simpson Millar LLP, where he led the complex conveyancing team.

Hannah said: “Glaisyers is a trusted firm working with some long-standing clients which I think says a lot about the work the firm delivers.”

Matthew commented: “Glaisyers Solicitors LLP has a solid reputation for its honest approach and excellent client care and I am proud to be joining the team.”

Nick Johnson, joint managing partner, said of the hires: “We are delighted to welcome Matthew and Hannah to the team.

“Their appointments and our continued investment in our people at Glaisyers demonstrates our commitment to ensuring we provide the best legal advice to SMEs across the North West.”

Daniel Watson, Glendale

Green services company Glendale appointed Daniel Watson as contract manager.

The role will make Daniel responsible for overseeing various contracts in Glendale’s North West portfolio, as well as managing day-to-day operations and supervising staff.

He will also help explore new opportunities for business growth.

Before joining Glendale, Daniel was business development manager at Nurture Landscapes.

Glendale’s managing director for the North, Mike Brunskill, said: “Daniel has a vast amount of industry experience, making him the perfect person for this role and a fantastic addition to the team.

“His knowledge and passion will ensure we can continue to provide the highest standard in green services delivery and grow the business.”

Daniel commented: “Working within this industry is extremely rewarding, and no two days are ever the same.

“I am looking forward to becoming a part of the team and using my experience to make a positive contribution to Glendale.”

Image L-R: David Platt, Haydn Roberts, John Drape and Alistair Macintosh

Haydn Roberts, Shoosmiths

National law firm Shoosmiths has taken on Haydn Roberts, former head of player liaison at Manchester City, to lead its new team representing high net worth individuals in media, music and sport.

Speaking at the launch event for the Elite Advisory team, former England international David Platt said: “The pressures on high profile performers, whether in sport or music, are greater now than ever and they need 24/7 access to trusted, expert counsel.

“Haydn’s team and the team at Shoosmiths will be able to provide exactly this kind of service.”

Platt attended the gathering alongside Fulham FC chief exec Alistair Macintosh and others from music, media and sports.

Haydn Roberts commented: “We are working to grow our business with athletes, agents and other high net worth individuals across the full range of their personal needs.

“We will do this by growing and maintaining trusted relationships, working with our existing spectrum of experts and the client to ensure a great experience for all.”

Luke Varley and Jake Walker, Auger

Wallasey-based Auger, a drainage and water supply pipe specialist for the UK insurance industry, has appointed two new IT developers.

Junior developer Luke Varley (pictured) and apprentice developer Jake Walker will work on a range of internal and external projects.

Jake is the first apprentice taken on through the Auger Academy, set up last year to improve the skills of the Auger workforce and formalise training processes.

Neil Wilks, the company’s head of technology and finance, said: “Luke and Jake join Auger at an exciting time as we continue to expand.

“Their knowledge and skills will allow us to continue developing market leading software technology to benefit our clients, customers and workforce.”

He continued: “At Auger we recognise the significant benefits that emerging tech can bring to our business and by adopting machine learning and AI to complement our class-leading customer service, we can stay ahead of the curve.”