People on the Move: Zut; Exponential Advisers; BWM; Nelson Hotels; Kidscan

From left: Kate Davenport, Rian Shafi, Lasma Veigule

North West video agency, Zut, has appointed three new members of staff following a raft of business wins which include new briefs from PZ Cussons, Liverpool Football Club and Betfred.

Kate Davenport joins Zut as an account manager, bringing a wealth of experience to the team.

Former sponsorship manager for the International Business Festival, Kate has worked with a number of high profile clients including Holland and Barrett, John West, Dunelm, HSBC, BT, Google and Virgin Trains.

Rian Shafi, who has worked on content for Channel 4 and Adidas, joins Zut as a camera assistant.

Digital film production graduate Lasma Veigule joins the team as a junior motion designer.

Zut director, Mark Hancock, said: “As client demand for video and animation content continues to spiral, it is essential for us to keep investing in talented young specialists to enhance our production and post production teams.

“Client satisfaction is the bedrock of our business and Kate’s newly-created role reflects our commitment to staying focused on delivering the highest service levels as our client base continues to grow.”

Zut works with national and international clients from its headquarters at Liverpool Innovation Park.

The agency’s portfolio of work includes video content for Betfred, The Jockey Club, The Hut Group, Knauf, Brabners, Russell Hobbs and the NHS.

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Cheshire-based Exponential Advisers has appointed Sally Raw as finance director.

She has worked in senior finance roles for a number of scale-up businesses in the UK, Middle East and North America.

Most recently she worked with Neston-based Exponential Advisers’ chief executive Jon Wyles as finance director of the self-storage business, Stop & Store, which has nine sites across the US and Canada.

Exponential Advisers was launched earlier this year to provide entrepreneurs with the strategic support to accelerate business growth and build value in their enterprises.

Its core services cover operations, finance, marketing and human resources. The company is working with a range of businesses in Cheshire, North Wales and Merseyside.

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

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Liverpool accountancy firm BWM has unveiled a raft of new starters as it rebrands and looks to the next stage of its growth.

Formerly known as BWMacfarlane the firm, which specialises in charities, owner-managed businesses and high net-worth individuals, is now known as BWM.

The practice has also recruited six new team members, several from other firms in the city, including four new starters in the audit and accounts department.

From left: Anita Mason, Tony Stanley, Leslie Malkin, Gearoid Hennessy, Peter Taaffe, and office pooch Emer

Tom Pickering joins from Mazars; Ryan Bingham from ERC; Libbie Burns from Mitchell Charlesworth; and Gemma Ellison, who was previously at Butterworth Barlow and Additions. All four are currently studying for their accountancy exams.

In BWM’s payroll department Jayne Lancaster has joined from John Kerr, and Anna Cummings joins as an admin and marketing apprentice via the Chamber of Commerce apprenticeship scheme.

There have also been three key promotions within the business – Anita Mason becomes director of audit while Tony Stanley and Gearoid Hennessy are promoted to audit managers.

BWM’s accounts and audit team is now 25-strong and serves a wide range of clients – numbers of clients are increasing with recent tender wins.

The firm says it has also established itself as one of the most forward-thinking accountancy practices in the Liverpool city region with its ongoing adoption and implementation of new technology. It has developed particular expertise in areas such as virtual FD services and cloud accounting.

Managing partner Peter Taaffe said: “Accountancy has been seen as a staid profession but we believe it is vital that we keep changing and evolving – getting ahead of the many industry and technology changes allows us to put business advisory at core of what we do.

“To implement that strategy successfully we need to have the right people in our team. That means investing in the development of our current team and continually looking to bring new people into the firm.

“With the rebrand now compete – which is in line with our modern and straightforward approach – we are ready to take BWM onto the next level.”

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Dion Jones, the first Briton to win the prestigious International Escoffier Challenge, has joined Cheshire-based Nelson Hotels as head chef of their newest venue, the Palm Court Restaurant, Bar & Piano Lounge, set to open in Chester this Summer.

Mr Jones, from Valley on Anglesey, kickstarted his career working in his mother’s cafe which is when he first realised his love for cooking.

Dion Jones

From there he went to Coleg Menai Bangor to complete three years’ training after which he went on to work for several prestigious Cheshire hotels and restaurants, including Carden Park, Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa, Earle, by Simon Rimmer, and Crewe Hall.

Speaking of his new appointment he said: “I am thrilled to return to Nelson Hotels. Having previously worked for Nelson Hotels at the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa and for the launch of the Fishpool Inn, being selected to lead the team at their newest venue is an honour and a privilege.

“I’m looking forward to working with the award-winning team, and delivering delicious cuisine to all the guests of Palm Court Restaurant, Bar & Piano Lounge.”

Nelson Hotels company executive chef Paul Prescott said: “We’re delighted to welcome this talented chef back to the Nelson Hotels team.

“Appointing Dion demonstrates the importance we place on recruiting the best people the industry has to offer, so in turn we can offer the best customer experience.”

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Jack Mason, chief executive of Manchester-based award-winning app development agency Dreamr, has been appointed as a Trustee for Kidscan, a Salford-based children’s cancer research charity.

Jack will take a hands-on role, working with the team to help raise the charity’s profile and generate support for their work.

Research into new and improved treatments, specifically for children, is a hugely underfunded area of cancer research.

Kidscan relies entirely on donations from the public to fund development of new treatments that not only cure children with cancer, but crucially also prevent the damaging side effects of current treatments, such as organ damage, mobility issues and infertility.

On his appointment, Jack said: “Joining the board of Trustees for Kidscan is a very proud and poignant moment for me.

“Not only does the charity do amazing work, but it also means an awful lot to me personally. I am a childhood cancer survivor and was diagnosed with skin cancer after finding a lump in my chest when I was just 16-years-old.

“I endured two operations within 12 months before being given the all clear, however, six months later, during my first year at university, the cancer returned, and it took another operation to remove it all.

“My story is now a positive one, as I have been cancer-free for eight years, but not everyone is as lucky as I was.

“Charities like Kidscan need as much support as they can gain so that we can fund more research to help find treatments and cures to eradicate this devastating disease.

“Cancer affects and claims so many lives, and so this role will enable me to hopefully make a positive difference as part of a great team.”
Martin Keelagher, chair of Kidscan said: “Kidscan is absolutely delighted to welcome Jack onto our Board of Trustees, bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise which will be invaluable to the charity.

“His passion and commitment to the cause will undoubtedly help raise awareness and support for our vital research into safer, more effective treatments for children with cancer – ultimately ensuring more children not only survive, but thrive.”

From left: Dave Pye, Martin Keelagher (Kidscan), Jack Mason

 

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