People on the move: Pozzoni Architecture; Sourced; Barclays Wealth Management; BDP; Hill Dickinson; Myerson Solicitors

From left: Brady O’Donnell, Josh Broomhead, Ashley Maxim, George Lucas and Tianna McCormack

Pozzoni Architecture has welcomed five new starters at its Altrincham studio, four of whom have come through the company’s academy programme.

Joining the growing team are four trainee architectural technologists and one graphic designer, with the technologists working in Pozzoni’s specialist sector teams.

Ashley Maxim will be working on commercial projects, while Josh Broomhead becomes a member of the leisure team.

George Lucas and Tianna McCormack both join the living team and will be working on housing, PRS and senior living projects.

Brady O’Donnell has joined Pozzoni as a graphic designer and will be working across sector teams.

Nigel Saunders, director at Pozzoni, said: “As a practice, it’s hugely important that we invest in the future, not just of our business, but of the industry, too, and this significant number of new starters reflects this.

“We have a range of exciting projects coming up across our specialist sectors and I’m sure our new young team members will be eager to hone their skills within the teams.”

Pozzoni’s Academy was set up in 2006, with a view to nurturing the next generation of architects, designers and technologists.

Each year the Pozzoni academy is committed to training young people, many of whom choose to remain with the firm, in both the Altrincham and London offices, post qualification.

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Widnes-based property investment platform Sourced has appointed a new director of training and development.

Chris Kirkwood joins Sourced with 10 years’ property experience, having previously run his own property training consultancy and held the position of director at Holly Homes, a specialist HMO letting agent.

He joins the business to drive and develop Sourced’s franchise training offer and to deliver HMO/rent to rent training for first time investors.

Chris Kirkwood

Stephen Moss, managing director of Sourced, said: “Chris’ appointment is very significant for Sourced as training underpins our whole business and, in particular, the franchisee experience and the returns they secure.

“We have always viewed training as an ongoing concern and a means to build relationships with our clients and Chris very much shares this vision. Appointing Chris as a director fortifies our senior management team and gives training the board-level focus and commitment it deserves.”

Sourced offers UK-wide investment advice and property sourcing through a network of 28 franchised offices and is expected to achieve its first year target of 35 franchises by the end of 2018.

Sourced was founded by directors Stephen Moss, Ryan Brown and Paul Rose and employs eight people at its head office in Widnes.

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Barclays Wealth Management has appointed Graham Nicoll to lead the newly-merged ‘Midlands, North & West’ market covering all teams outside of London and the South East of England.

A new role created following a period of continued growth for Barclays Wealth Management, Graham will manage and drive forward the wealth management business across the Midlands, North, West and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The role will also see Graham work to deepen both existing and new customer relationships, ranging from charities to entrepreneurs and families.

Commenting on the appointment, Andrew Houston, head of Barclays Wealth Management, said: “I am delighted to welcome Graham back into the wealth management leadership team. Graham’s reappointment demonstrates the strength of our culture at Barclays, and his notable industry knowledge and experience will prove invaluable as we continue to strengthen both our leadership and advisory teams across the whole of the UK.”

Graham Nicoll

Mr Nicoll said: “I am re-joining Barclays at a really exciting time for the Wealth Management business.

“There is huge potential within this market owing to the ever-expanding universe of entrepreneurs, tech hubs and family wealth.

“Barclays Wealth Management is perfectly positioned to help both businesses and individuals looking to protect, grow and nurture their wealth.”

Graham re-joins Barclays Wealth Management from KPMG, where he spent three years advising entrepreneurs and SME management teams across a range of industries about how to combat both operational and strategic challenges.

Prior to this, Graham held various senior roles at Barclays Wealth Management over the course of a nine-year career at the business, which saw him most recently heading up mid-corporate banking across the Midlands and North Wales.

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Architect Sue Emms has been appointed as principal at Manchester-headquartered BDP, one of the world’s largest inter-disciplinary design practices.

Sue leads the practice’s education sector in the North of England and is currently working on projects for universities at Coventry, Keele, Sheffield Hallam and Warwick.

Sue, from Bramhall, Cheshire, has delivered some of BDP’s most innovative and award-winning educational projects and, aged 44, is the youngest of the seven principals at BDP’s Manchester studio.

She says she is passionate about supporting new talent into architecture: “I am heavily committed to nurturing new talent by supporting and mentoring the next generation into the profession,” said Sue, who is a visiting practice professor at the University of Sheffield and external examiner at the Manchester School of Architecture.

“We need to see new pathways to support the diversification of new entrants, so that we are a profession which reflects the society we design for,” she added.

Sue Emms

Her role includes supporting BDP as one of the Trailblazer group of practices, which have recently defined the standards for new architecture apprenticeships.

She said: “I am extremely passionate about the value of good design and will also be focusing on the maintaining and enhancing design quality, both of the profession and of BDP.”

The BDP Manchester studio is one of the most award-winning architecture design studios in the city over the past decade. Sue said: “I want to raise our bar even higher.”

She is an active champion of a holistic, sustainable approach to building, seen in her designs for the acclaimed St John Bosco Arts College and Enterprise South Liverpool Academy.

Sue has worked for BDP since graduating from Sheffield University in 1999 and won the Architect of the Year category at the 2015 Women in Construction Awards.

Chair of BDP’s Manchester studio, Gavin Elliott, said: “Sue is a superb designer and a fantastic communicator and I am convinced that her star will continue to rise, both nationally and in Manchester, as her role brings greater profile to her expertise and projects.”

BDP has also appointed Simon Thurstan, a building services engineer at the Manchester studio, as a director.

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International law firm Hill Dickinson has appointed Gareth Roberts as a partner within the firm’s employment team.

Gareth joins the firm from Turner Parkinson – where he was head of employment – and will be based in Hill Dickinson’s Manchester office.

He draws on more than 16 years’ experience in employment law to advise a wide range of companies, from large national corporate businesses to SMEs.

Gareth has a broad practice which includes regularly advising senior individuals on their exit from their employer.

Furthermore, he routinely provides wider HR services to the clients he works with, including collective redundancy exercises and carrying out internal investigations, having successfully completed his CIPD Qualification (Level 5).

Gareth has come to be considered by his clients as a ‘trusted business partner’ – establishing long term relationships with the individuals and businesses he advises.

Gareth Roberts

With Gareth’s appointment, Hill Dickinson’s employment team has grown to 31 members across the firm’s offices in Manchester, Liverpool and London.

Gareth said: “Hill Dickinson has an established reputation for delivering commercially savvy expertise to clients – which makes it a great fit for me.

“I look forward to working closely with Jeff Middleton to drive growth both in the North West and nationally as the firm continues to meet increasing client demand.”

Jeff Middleton, head of employment, education & pensions at Hill Dickinson, said: “Gareth has joined the Manchester employment team as part of the overall growth plans of the firm’s business services group.

“His experience and commercial acumen will bolster the team and complements the expertise that we already provide.

“Having previously worked with Gareth, I am pleased to be working with him again. I think he will prove to be a valuable and strategic appointment and complements our existing team as we continue to strengthen the expertise we are able to offer clients.”

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Altrincham-based Myerson Solicitors has appointed specialist trusts and probate litigator Eleanor Clarke to join its contentious trusts and probate team.

Eleanor is a member of the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Solicitors (ACTAPS), and specialises in complex, high-value cases and international disputes.

She joins from Linder Myers and her arrival will boost the size of the dispute resolution and commercial litigation department to 16 lawyers, including six probate litigators.

Eleanor Clarke

Helen Thompson, partner and head of the contentious trusts and probate team, said: “Eleanor is a highly-experienced probate litigator following an intensive course in this niche area.

“We believe we are now the largest and most qualified team that is solely dedicated to this specialism in the North West.

“The department’s turnover has increased 64% this year and we have enjoyed a 20% increase in instructions – many of those coming from other solicitors, which is the ultimate endorsement of our capabilities.”

She added: “We now have a team of six lawyers solely undertaking this specialist work. All our solicitors have either achieved, or are working towards, the ACTAPS accreditation and are supported by a sizeable non-contentious wills and probate team, all of whom have gained the respected Society for Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP) accreditation.”

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