People on the move: Mitchell Charlesworth; University of Manchester; Boughey Distribution; JMW Solicitors

North West accountancy firm Mitchell Charlesworth has made two new appointments and three promotions.

Chris McEnaney has been appointed assistant manager in the audit and accounts team in the Liverpool office.

He joins the firm from ERC Chartered Accountants and has experience of both financial and management reporting having worked in practice and industry.

At Mitchell Charlesworth McEnaney provides audit and accounts services to a mixed portfolio of businesses and is involved in the rollout of cloud accounting software Xero to clients in the Liverpool office.

He said: “I wanted to join a progressive firm with a good reputation in the city and Mitchell Charlesworth is well known for providing great client service. I was also attracted by the firm’s vibrant and dynamic culture that encourages career development.”

Anne Griffiths has joined the firm as PR manager from law firm Brabners. A specialist in PR and communications, Griffiths has more than 15 years’ professional services marketing experience having previously worked in the legal, property and accountancy sectors.

In her new role, she will be responsible for planning and delivering the firm’s strategic communications activity across its five North West offices.

She said: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to help Mitchell Charlesworth build on its reputation for outstanding client service and look forward to addressing the growing firm’s communication needs.”

The appointments coincide with a number of promotions at the firm.

Sarah Guppy has been promoted to audit and accounts assistant manager in the Liverpool office.

She trained at PwC while studying Accounting Studies at Newcastle University and joined Mitchell Charlesworth in 2013 on completion of her degree course.

Also recently promoted to audit and accounts assistant manager is Mike Faragher from the Widnes office and Chris Nanson, who works in the Warrington office.

Paul Wainwright, managing partner at Mitchell Charlesworth, said: “We are undergoing a strong period of growth at Mitchell Charlesworth and, as this latest round of appointments and promotions shows, we are continuing to invest in the brightest and best talent that enables us to deliver the highest-quality service to our client base.”

L-R Sarah Guppy, Chris McEnaney, Anne Griffiths and Paul Wainwright

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Maria Balshaw, who left The University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery in June to become the director of Tate, has been appointed as an honorary professor by the University’s School of Arts, Languages & Cultures.

Balshaw was the director of The University of Manchester’s Whitworth and Manchester City Galleries, and was at the very forefront of the city’s arts and cultural scene for 11 years.

She has played an integral part in its cultural reinvigoration, helping to secure Manchester’s place as an internationally significant home for the arts.

Alongside her role as director of two major Manchester institutions, Balshaw also held the post of director of culture for Manchester City Council, and was awarded a CBE in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to the arts.

“The University of Manchester and the Whitworth has been an extraordinary place to work this past decade, and I’m proud that the gallery is recognised for its innovation, scholarly knowledge and its dynamic approach to broadening audiences,” she said. “I am delighted to be able to continue my association with the life of the campus, its students and its research community, as I move to London as Director of Tate.”

Nick Merriman, the director of Manchester Museum and interim director of the Whitworth, has also been made an Honorary Professor.

Merriman is recognised for his contributions to the development of public archaeology and museum studies, and for influencing the heritage sector around issues of cultural diversity, sustainability and the future of collections.

Both Balshaw and Merriman have had a longstanding involvement with the School of Arts, Languages & Cultures, and more specifically with the Institute for Cultural Practices and Arts History and Visual Studies.

“I’m delighted by the award of this Honorary Professorship, which cements the relationship between the University’s cultural institutions and the School even more strongly,” said Merriman.

“We are delighted to welcome Maria and Nick,” said Professor Alessandro Schiesaro, the school’s head. “They have a passion for the arts, and will both unquestionably be inspirational to our students and staff. We are looking forward to working with and learning from them both in the years to come.”

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Nantwich, Cheshire-based Boughey Distribution, an ambient grocery distribution and storage specialist, has announced the promotion of internal candidate Danny Earp to the position of warehouse operations director.

Earp joined the company almost 13 years ago straight out of university, as a warehouse clerk. Initially an eight-week role, he rapidly secured a permanent position within the business.

His progression through Boughey has encompassed a number of roles within the warehousing operations side of the business.

He has also spent some time as Boughey’s IT manager, following the successful SAP implementation, in which he took a leading role. The experience he has gained and his approach to work has cumulated in his promotion to warehouse operations director.

Earp said: “As the warehouse operations director I am eager to continue to focus on quality and productivity. Our customers are demanding an ever-more responsive service, so we need to continue to improve the way we do business to meet these needs efficiently.”

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Samantha Blackburn has joined the commercial real estate team at Manchester-based full service law firm JMW Solicitors.

Blackburn joins JMW from Slater and Gordon and previously Pannone where she has been for a total of 21 years, more recently as a partner and principal lawyer.

She specialises in all areas of in commercial real estate including dealing with financing and refinancing of retail, industrial, office and development portfolios, drafting documentation for mixed use schemes, dealing with the property aspects of large corporate acquisitions and acting for a number of social housing providers.

Blackburn joins the team at JMW after an exceptional few years of growth. Commercial real estate now comprises 40 lawyers having grown from eight lawyers just five years ago.

In the past 12 months 12 new lawyers have joined the department. Meanwhile another partner and five other lLawyers are set to in the next three months.

Fee income for the department is likely to exceed £4.5m from £1.7m in 2013 and since that time the team has broken the £1 billion barrier for the value of the deals they have handled. In the last financial year fee income for the commercial property team rose by 15% with total files opened increasing by 11%.

JMW senior partner Joy Kingsley said: I am delighted to welcome Sam to the commercial real estate team at JMW especially as I have known her for many years whilst we were both at Pannone. Sam brings a wealth of experience and expertise in all areas of commercial real estate work. It has been an exciting few years for our Commercial Real Estate team enjoying exceptional growth in numbers and quality of clients.

“Our decision to invest in Commercial Real Estate means we are well placed to capitalise on the many opportunities that have presented themselves both with lawyers and clients which has led to strong financial performance in Property and at JMW.”

Blackburn said: “I have known Joy Kingsley for many years from Pannone and when I decided to leave Slater & Gordon, JMW was the obvious choice for me.”