People on the move: Halle Concerts Society; Gorton Monastery; Quint Group; Matthews & Goodman; Clearwater International; Dow Schofield Watts

Ruth Harkin

Manchester’s Hallé Concerts Society has appointed a new finance director to take over from long-serving Val Hawkin.

Hawkin’s successor is Ruth Harkin, who has more than 20 years’ experience of senior finance posts in the charity and public sectors.

Most recently, Harkin was director of finance and support services at St Ann’s Hospice.

Hawkin is continuing to work part-time with the orchestra to oversee the delivery of the Hallé St Peter’s project in Ancoats, Manchester.

The scheme will see a former church transformed into a rehearsal, performance and educational facility.

The search and selection process for the Hallé’s new FD was undertaken by Manchester-based MDM Resourcing.

MDM director Daniel Mesrie said: “Ruth’s qualities make her the ideal person for this pivotal role. She is very strong technically, has an excellent track record in the not-for-profit sector, and has superb leadership and people skills.

“It was a pleasure working with the Hallé’s senior leaders throughout the process to ensure we were able to select the right person.”

Hallé chief executive John Summers said: “Val has been our finance director for 16 years and has seen the orchestra through some turbulent times as well as outstanding international success. She has been a key part of the Hallé’s progress, and we are sad to see her move on.

“In Ruth we have found a fantastic replacement. The role of finance director is central to our continued success, and we are confident Ruth will be a huge asset to the Hallé.”

Harkin said: “I’m really excited to take up this role and join the brilliant team that supports the Hallé orchestra.

“It’s is an iconic institution in Manchester and it doesn’t stand still, which makes it a great organisation to work for. I’m really looking forward to working with the trustees and senior management team to ensure a successful and sustainable future.”

The Hallé employs over 80 full-time musicians from 14 countries, as well as administrative staff and freelance musicians, soloists and conductors.
It has an annual turnover of £9m and a board comprising eminent North West figures including David McKeith, formerly north west senior partner of accountancy giant PwC, as chairman, and Brandon Leigh, group FD of PZ Cussons, as deputy chairman.

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Gorton Monastery has appointed Ray Hanks as its first head of marketing.

He will oversee the marketing for Monastery Manchester’s corporate events and wedding business as well as the Charitable Trust, which raises funds to maintain the Grade II-listed building.

Hanks has a background in advertising and marketing having worked for three of the top ten advertising agencies in the UK before becoming managing director of Wunderman Worldwide, the biggest direct marketing agency in Europe.

Originally from London, he moved to Manchester in 2002 and became regional business adviser then head of creative and digital industries at the North West Development Agency, responsible for setting up the team that helped secure the BBC’s relocation and the creation of MediaCityUK in Salford.

He is an award-winning business adviser for creative and digital industries, and has trained over 1,500 people to set up their own businesses.  He’s also a Member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Member of The Institute of Consulting and an External Adviser to The University Of Salford.

Hanks became a Trustee of the Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust in 2010 and continues to be on the board.

Elaine Griffiths, chief executive of The Monastery Manchester said: “Ray just loves the Monastery and is probably the most creative person we know. We’re so excited that he will be leading us through this most important phase of the project as we re-launch the Monastery venue with all of the new build facilities at the same time as consolidating all of our arts, health, education and charitable work in the local community.”

Hanks said: “I have been involved with The Monastery for many years so it’s great to be able to give the marketing function my full attention. With the completion of the new Welcome Wing, there is no better time to tell the world about this magnificent building.”

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Macclesfield fintech giant Quint Group has appointed a new acquisition manager as it continues its digital-led expansion in the consumer credit market.

Digital marketing specialist Sangam Mishra joins Quint from fintech company Valour Group to head up the company’s paid channels and drive growth.

Mishra, 31, from Didsbury, brings 13 years of digital marketing experience into his new role, having occupied various roles at Valour Group after completing an MBA at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Having started out in a compliance role at Valour Group, who owns consumer finance company Savvy.co.uk, Mishra worked his way up to become digital marketing manager. At Quint he will lead on paid activity across all the Group’s companies, optimising processes and driving growth across all channels.

Quint owns and operates four mutually beneficial and strategically aligned financial technology businesses in the consumer credit sector including comparison site MoneyGuru.com which was launched last year.

Mishra said: “Having been at my previous employer for nearly a decade I was ready for a new challenge and when I met the team at Quint it was clear that the company was a perfect fit for me. I am very familiar with the finance market in the North West and have been impressed by Quint and its recent growth.”

Mike Ransom, managing director of Quint Group, added: “Sangam is very familiar with the market that we operate in and will bring a wide skill-set to our team. He brings great digital marketing experience in the consumer finance market and will be an important part of the growth across all channels for all of the Group’s companies.”

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Matthews & Goodman is investing in its operations in the North with the appointment of two new equity partners, Tim Austin and David Laws.

Manchester based David Laws has played a major role in building the firm’s National Business Space capability in the North West, as well as creating a higher profile for the team in Greater Manchester.

Laws, who has over 20 years’ experience of the commercial property market, joined the firm in 2010. He has been instrumental in introducing a more integrated multi-disciplined approach to developing and implementing acquisition, management and disposal strategies for local and national clients.

Austin, who splits his time between the Liverpool and Manchester offices, has proved a very successful catalyst for attracting new talent and winning a number of strategic accounts for the Property Management team. He joined the firm in 2015 and made an immediate impact – with both his effervescent character and a relentless drive to developing a business model which is now better placed to meet the specific needs of owners and occupiers in the North West.

James Routledge, and equity partner and head of the investment team, said: “Attracting new talent with the skills, enthusiasm, drive and infectious enthusiasm for building teams and the business is rare, therefore having done so twice bodes very well for our firm in the short, the medium and the long term.”

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Independent advisory firm Dow Schofield Watts has expanded its North West corporate finance team with the appointments of Dan Walker and Tom Dutton.

Both are award-winning recently qualified chartered accountants who join from KPMG Manchester. Their appointment brings the number in the corporate finance team to 18, making Dow Schofield Watts one of the largest corporate finance advisory businesses in the North of England.

Their appointment closely follows on from the recently launched angel investor network, DSW Angels.

James Dow, founding partner of Dow Schofield Watts, said: “Dan and Tom are both very talented young professionals and leaders in their peer group. Our strength very much lies in our people and our ability to attract the brightest and the most experienced professionals has made us the region’s leading independent advisory firm.”

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Clearwater International has appointed Mark Ward a an associate in its Manchester office as part of a raft of appointments in its debt advisory team.

Ward completed his degree at Bath University he joined PwC in 2012, where he worked with a variety of listed, PE-backed and private businesses.

Mark Taylor, Partner and Head of Clearwater International Debt Advisory, said: “Clearwater International identified debt advisory as a value-add service for our clients early on, and has continued to invest in and grow its team. This recruitment across the international offices shows the growing importance of debt advisory within the market, as the funding universe continues to become more diversified.”

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