People on the Move: Colliers; Leonard Curtis; HRC Law; Fastsigns; ICAEW; Cloud Technology Solutions
Jim Gallagher is joining the Manchester office of real estate advisors Colliers International as a rating director from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA).
With more than 30 years’ rating experience, including litigation in the Lands Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, he was most recently head of commercial leisure and civics in the national specialists unit at the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), where he was responsible for overseeing properties for non-domestic rating purposes, running a team of 20.
Prior to that he headed the specialist rating unit for the North and was group valuation officer for the North West.
Throughout his career Jim has obtained specialist experience in advising the sports industry, most notably through his involvement in lengthy negotiations in respect of the Etihad Campus and its City Football Academy.
Until recently, he carried out most of the rating work for Premiership football grounds and training grounds in the North and agreed a scheme of valuation for rugby grounds with shared pitches for the RFU.
He brings specialist litigation experience to Colliers, having been involved in important cases around the valuation approach to be taken on niche assets including doctors’ surgeries, ATMs and places of religious worship.
A career highlight includes his work on Gallagher v Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is still the leading case on religious exemption – a topic on which he lectures to RICS rating diploma candidates.
He was named the VOA’s outstanding leader in 2017 in their annual people awards.
John Webber, head of rating, Colliers International, said: “Businesses are crying out for decent advice on how to deal with their rate bills given the fallout from the 2017 revaluation, where sudden increased bills have hit many companies for six.
“This appointment will help keep Colliers at the forefront in looking after our clients and lobbying the government for reform.
“We now have over 90 rating professionals in our team, working from nine offices across the UK. I welcome the expertise that Jim brings to our already experienced team and look forward to working with them as we continue to strengthen our offering and provide quality all round business rates advice in these difficult times.”
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Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group (LCBSG) has made a number of appointments to its Manchester headquarters. They take its national team tally to 185 across its network of 15 offices.
Richard Cole joins as a director in the group’s business rescue and recovery division to help meet North West SMEs’ increasing demand for positive restructuring options.
In his new role Richard will be working with SMEs, their financial advisors and asset-based lenders to increase awareness of – and access to – many of the exciting options available.
He brings 13 years’ experience to LCBSG – a blend of finance, banking and business expertise. With a background in chartered accountancy – and a qualified insolvency practitioner – Richard also has considerable invoice finance experience gained during a secondment with a mainstream bank.
He said: “Leonard Curtis business solutions group is innovative, fast-paced and flexible in its approach. I am delighted to become part of the team here.”
Daniel Booth, director at LCBSG, said: “At a time when insolvency statistics seem to be increasing, it is important to provide full support to business owners and their advisors. We are delighted that Richard has joined LCBSG. His experience and approach will fit very well with our culture and ethos.”
Also new to the LCBSG Manchester team is Ben Saunders. He joins corporate strategies (CS) – LCBSG’s debt advisory division for SMEs – as an analyst.
With combined commercial experience of business change projects and banking – along with a BSc in mathematics – Ben provides the most robust data analysis to support the CS client base and their advisors.
He said: “It’s great to be able to play such an important role in supporting SME businesses, very often back from the brink of financial distress to growth and prosperity.”
Further appointments to the Manchester office are: Jinty Seaton, office and events manager; administrators Gemma McClaughlin and Anne Jack and insolvency manager Jane Carey.
Daniel Booth said: “We’re fast becoming the go-to specialists for an ever-increasing number of SME owners and their advisors in need of very specific advice and support at every stage of their business’ lifecycle. It’s great to have Richard, Ben and the other new team members on board to do that.”
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HRC Law, the full service commercial law firm, has seen its corporate team expand further, welcoming William Ngan as corporate associate.
A corporate law and tax specialist, he brings with him a unique blend of knowledge that will add significant value to HRC Law clients.
Mr Ngan, who was recently named a ‘Next Generation Lawyer’ by the industry-renowned Legal 500, joins HRC Law from Jolliffe & Co LLP, prior to which he spent two years at Addleshaw Goddard and more than 10 years with Brabners.
The appointment follows a particularly active period for HRC Law’s corporate team, which has cemented its position in several sectors, such as nursery, healthare and ecommerce.
Mark Traynor, corporate partner at HRC Law said: “William joins at a time of huge opportunity for the firm; we continue to grow at a rapid pace, with a strong client base that values our fresh, clear approach as much as our knowledge and specialist sector expertise.
William Ngan
“We continue to focus on attracting the most talented legal professionals – at all levels – and we’re pleased to have William on board. I’ve no doubt he’ll be a real asset to the firm.”
Mr Ngan said: “HRC Law is a highly entrepreneurial – and ambitious – firm, which was a significant draw for me; the firm really embodies the beliefs that I also share and, coupled with a solid reputation and a talented team, presented a great opportunity. I look forward to using my expertise to support both new and existing clients as the firm continues to grow.”
HRC Law has recently set its sights on international reach, joining LawPact – an international association of independent business law firms.
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Fastsigns Manchester is honing its customer offering by welcoming Allison Bingham to the team.
She will be taking on the company’s first inside sales & customer service role, designed to ensure that new and existing clients continue to get what they need.
Having already built a reputation for providing fast, high-quality signage solutions with a complete service that includes design and installation, Fastsigns Manchester created the position to take their customer service to the next level.
Allison arrives with a background in education, retail and publishing. As the company grows, she will be playing a key role in directing its commercial strategy, as well as fine-tuning the support of and contact with the branch’s customers.
Of the appointment, director Richard Wedgwood said: “We are delighted to welcome Allison to the team. Continual improvement of our customer service levels is a key component to our core offering.
“Allison will provide support to the sales team whilst being a key point of liaison between them and our marketing and production departments.”
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Julie Radcliffe, audit director for KPMG in Manchester, has been appointed President of ICAEW Manchester, taking over from Anthony Woodings who held the post for the past year. She now heads the 5,500-strong membership group across Greater Manchester.
ICAEW Manchester is the local society of the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), a leading worldwide professional membership organisation. The role of the society locally is to represent the views of GM members to the national body and connect members locally through various activities.
She said: “I am looking forward to the next 12 months. We’ve done some in-depth work over the past year of how we best serve our membership locally and I’m eager to embed this and get out to meet our members.
“It’s an exciting time to be representing Manchester’s voice, with Andy Burnham pledging to see Manchester as the modern industrial capital of the UK once again, it’s a great time for our members to be supporting business and enterprise to thrive.”
ICAEW Manchester’s membership is divided evenly between chartered accountants in practice – including the Big Four – and those working in industry, representing around 80% of SMEs in Greater Manchester.
Julie trained with BDO Stoy Hayward, formerly Elliott Templeton Sankey, in Manchester before joining KPMG in 1997.
She leads the pensions assurance practice for KPMG in the North. Julie will be supported by newly-appointed Vice President Mark Blakemore, finance director at BLM, an insurance risk and commercial law firm.
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Growth is on the horizon for Manchester-based Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS) as it announces the appointment of two new senior recruits to boost its leadership team and support business expansion.
Erica Yates joins as head of people, and Katie McLean takes on the role of director of brand and marketing.
Erica Yates
Erica brings with her 13 years of HR experience within start-up and corporate digital organisations and will play a key role in supporting the continued growth of CTS, driving recruitment and employee engagement while supporting the company’s unique working culture.
She will work to position the company as a hub for some of the North West’s best tech talent.
With a wealth of marketing experience, Katie has worked as a strategic lead with brands such as L’Oréal, AO.com and Spectrum Brands, making her well-placed to drive best-in-class campaigns, content and communications for CTS.
She will be responsible for growing brand, service and product awareness while driving lead generation and direct sales via new and repeat business.
James Doggart, chief executive and co-founder of Cloud Technology Solutions, said: “As we expand and develop the company further it’s essential we continue to focus on our people, our brand awareness, and our business proposition.
Katie McLean
“We’re delighted to welcome Erica and Katie to the team at this exciting time, as cloud technology really takes off among businesses of all sizes. They will strengthen our management structure, lead their respective teams, and play a vital role in our expansion plans.”
CTS provides cloud transformation services in the UK and software solutions to businesses worldwide, including Yahoo!, Netflix, RSPCA and Manchester City Council.
The business employs more than 100 staff across its Manchester, London, Belfast and Edinburgh offices.
