People on the Move: Bermans; TSK; KR Group; Champion; Hidden Retreats
North West law firm, Bermans, who have offices in Liverpool and Manchester, have recently appointed two new recruits in their litigation and corporate departments.
The business recently relocated its Manchester office to One King Street.
The first of the new recruits, solicitor Gareth Farrelly, joined the litigation team in March 2018.
Gareth is a former professional and Irish international footballer having played at Premier League level for Everton FC, Aston Villa FC and Bolton Wanderers FC.
He joined Bermans after spending time as a commercial litigation lawyer in London and has accrued a wealth of experience in a wide range of white-collar crime matters including SFO investigations and corporate compliance, including complex high value tax fraud litigation and associated negligence actions as well as claims for restitution from mis-sold financial products.
Building on his extensive practical experience in the sporting industry he has acquired a substantial sports law practice and has joined Bermans to develop a specialist sports law department, building on the existing links the firm has.
Bermans already act for a number of Premiership footballers through its links with the Stellar Group.
Stephen Jarman, the second of the firm’s new hires, joined the corporate team as a partner in April 2018, having previously worked at a number of North West regional law firms following his return from London.
Stephen has 25 years’ experience of advising regional and national clients, ranging from sole traders to large listed companies and institutions in many different fields, including clients involved in leading edge technology, precision/large scale engineering, and recruitment and private equity.
His expertise includes a wide range of corporate and commercial areas including company formations, acquisitions, mergers and takeovers, disposals, MBO/MBIs, restructuring, private equity (from the point of investor and investee), software licensing and hosting agreements, agency and distribution agreements, as well as general commercial contracts and advice.
Nick Harvey, partner and head of litigation, said: “We are delighted to welcome both Gareth and Stephen on board and believe their experience and knowledge will bring many benefits to the firm and our clients.
“We are always on the lookout for like minded lawyers who share our culture and are looking for a different working environment. We believe our hard work in recent years has given us a strong platform for the future.”
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Workplace specialist TSK has further strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Simon Guest as construction director.
He joins TSK following 22 years with Claremont and will be based at the business’s Manchester office.
He brings with him significant experience which will be invaluable to TSK as the company further builds its capabilities in the coming months.
He said: “TSK is a well-respected business that has seen consistent growth thanks to the strength of its vision and ambition, its established position within the market and its talented team.
“I look forward to utilising my expertise to extend TSK’s capabilities, providing clients with the very best service, from in-depth consultancy right through to delivery.”
Iain Holden, joint managing director at TSK, added: “Simon’s appointment is a real coup for the business – his expertise in the industry will be hugely valuable as we continue to develop our offer. With our ambitious growth targets in place, we are focused on attracting more top talent during the coming months.”
This appointment comes on the back of a number of achievements for TSK in the past 12 months, during which it has delivered several landmark projects including Swinton Insurance’s HQ at 101 Embankment and the new Kellogg’s HQ at MediaCityUK.
The business has also recently been appointed to deliver Irwin Mitchell’s new Manchester office at One St Peter’s Square.
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Key Retirement Group (KR Group), the specialist provider of financial solutions to the over-55’s, has appointed Lee Blackwell as director of public relations and public affairs.
Prior to joining Preston-based KR Group Lee was Head of pr and media relations at the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) and head of pr at FTSE-250 insurer, Partnership.
She brings 18 years of experience in financial services communications which spans both stints in-house as well as agency.
As part of her new role Lee will be responsible for building a cohesive strategic approach to group communications, public affairs and media relations with a particular focus on educating key audiences as to the benefits of equity release.
Lee Blackwell
She will report to chief marketing officer Chris Bibby, who said: “The equity release market is growing faster than ever, but there is still a significant amount of education and engagement needed to ensure that customers and stakeholders fully understand the potential of our products to improve lives.
“Therefore, we are delighted to welcome Lee. She will focus on using her considerable experience in this market to not only build understanding of Key Retirement Group and its companies, but also help to engage with key influencers.”
Ms Blackwell added: “The Key Retirement Group story is an extremely exciting one – made even more interesting by its £208m sale to Partners Group in 2017.
“When you add this to the fact that this is an area of financial services which really interests me it was a truly compelling reason to join this fast-growing company.”
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Business advisory group Champion Accountants has recruited a new accounts assistant to join its Preston office.
Rahul Parmar, 20, from Leyland, joins the office and brings two years’ financial experience.
Currently studying for his Level 3 AAT at Preston’s College, he is the second new starter this year to join the Preston office.
His role includes reviewing financial information, preparing VAT returns, bank reconciliations, management accounts and liaising with the group’s SME client base.
Stephen Robinson, director at Champion Accountants, said: “It’s an exciting time to join our Preston office as we’ve recently strengthened our senior team.
“We’re pleased to welcome Rahul on board. He’s a bright and ambitious individual, who brings a commitment and willingness to learn, as well as fresh ideas and thinking to the business.”
Rahul said: “Champion is a very well respected and established accountancy practice in Preston and they have great opportunities for me to continue learning.”
Champion Accountants has four offices across the North West in Manchester, Preston, Chester and Blackpool, employing around 100 business and financial advisors.
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Bramhall-headquartered Hidden Retreats, the luxury branch of travel expert Inspire which specialises in tailor-made experiences to luxurious destinations, has appointment a new head of sales.
Patrick Hart will be focused on positioning Hidden Retreats as the leading brand in the high end, bespoke holidays market through new marketing and consumer-focused initiatives, as well as the development of a network of home-based luxury travel advisors.
Launched 12 years ago, Inspire has established partnerships with thousands of travel providers worldwide, including Simply Luxury, Pure Luxury, If Only and Kuoni.
Mr Hart has nearly 30 years’ experience in the travel industry, having started his career at Thomas Cook before owning his own business for 20 years, Handforth Travel which became Travel-ism.
Inspire Group managing director Keith Herman said: “Patrick’s appointment will be a game-changer for the Hidden Retreats brand, with his three decades of experience and his personal passion for quality, luxury experiences – his knowledge and expert views are unrivalled.”
Mr Hart said: “Having left the travel industry for a short time to teach, the opportunity of working with a brand like Hidden Retreats was too good an opportunity to miss.
“Travel has always been a personal passion for me and I’m looking forward to sourcing and experiencing the newest destinations to ensure Hidden Retreats offers the best possible holidays for its customers.”
The Inspire group currently operates The Inspire Travel Card, a physical card or e-voucher pre-loaded with credit that can be spent on travel or holidays through Inspire’s travel agency call centre.
The cards are used by businesses as part of their employee benefit schemes or can be purchased by customers direct.
