People on the Move: The Know Group; Douglas Scott; Newgate Communications; Champion Accountants; Sentinel

Liverpool-based hospitality company The Know Group has made a raft of new senior appointments following a period of rapid expansion.

Chris Evans has been appointed revenue manager and Marian Cotter business development manager, strengthening the group’s senior management team – in addition to Catherine Peers, the new head of brand and marketing.

Steven Hesketh, chief executive of The Know Group, said: “It’s a very exciting time for The Know Group, with our slew of recent openings and more opportunities in the pipeline.

“We’re delighted to welcome all our new staff members and are looking forward to seeing how they contribute individually to taking the company from strength to strength.”

Catherine Peers comes from Hill Dickinson, where she was responsible for marketing communications and brand management. Prior to that she was on the team at Marketing Liverpool, working across the Visit Liverpool and Liverpool Convention Bureau brands.

Marian Cotter’s CV boasts industry giants Radisson Blu, Baa Bar and Holiday, as well as heading up events and sales at Liverpool stalwart Hard Day’s Night Hotel.

Chris Evans joins from Giant Hospitality, where as managing director he oversaw the opening of three new hotels and the acquisition of three further operations.

Steven added: “These additions to our workforce will be vital in the coming months and years as we continue to grow.”

The Know Group has experienced phenomenal success in 2018, having opened the Chester Townhouse & 1699 Brasserie, expanded its Liverpool “poshtel” concept Sleep Eat Love, and welcomed its third Love thy Neighbour eatery to the Hatton Garden area of Liverpool.

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Manchester Legal recruitment expert, Douglas Scott, has welcomed back former employee Lisa Spink as she returns to head up the firm’s in-house contract desk.

Benefiting from more than 15 years’ experience, which most recently includes two-and-a-half years at recruitment agency Rullion, where she held the position of business manager, Lisa re-joins as a managing consultant.

In her previous role at Douglas Scott Lisa established the private practice locum desk.

She now returns with the remit of continuing to build up an in-house contract and compliance desk for clients – typically large commercial organisations with legal teams – looking for contract, interim and compliance roles.

Lisa Spink

This could range from heads of legal to commercial and corporate lawyers and compliance, governance and risk.

Lisa said: “Locum and contracting was – and still is – a growing sub-sector and it’s fantastic to see how the desk has thrived.

“In-house contract recruitment is continuing to grow within the in-house community with clients turning to contract lawyers with hands-on operational experience who are subject matter experts within their field to assist them with their current projects, maternity leave a resource gap in the business that needs covering.”

Managing director Kathryn Riley said: “It’s brilliant to have Lisa back on board – a real vote of confidence in both the sector and in us as a business.

“Lisa is a highly-regarded colleague who has built a stellar reputation with long-standing clients. We’re confident that as we launch this new desk, her vision and expertise will provide the backing to support our ambitious growth plans over the coming years.”

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Newgate Communications has boosted its ranks with the appointment of three new members of staff.

Joshua Bell, Chris Midgley and Matt Williams have joined the Newgate North team, based in Manchester, following a series of client wins and growth of existing accounts.

Chris Midgley joins the company as account director. He has several years’ experience in political lobbying, public relations and community consultation, having advised clients right across the North and Northern Ireland.

From left: Matthew Williams, Chris Midgley, Joshua Bell

He has worked across several sectors including property, retail, sport and energy, advising clients such as Aldi, McCarthy & Stone, Peel and Liberty Properties.

Joshua Bell has joined Newgate as an account executive after working in the National Assembly for Wales for a number of senior Labour politicians.

In particular, he worked for the Minister for Environment (Wales), Hannah Blythyn, in her Assembly Member capacity, as a speech writer, researcher, and communications assistant.

Matt Williams joins as an account executive following his graduation from the University of Liverpool with a degree in Business, Communications and Media.

Matthew offers a fresh, young perspective to the Manchester offering at a time when many clients are looking to target a younger, harder to reach demographic.

Zoe Ensor, partner at Newgate North, said: “I am delighted to welcome Chris, Josh and Matt to the team at a time of exciting growth for Newgate.

“We have a strong, established client base in the North for our consultation, energy, planning and property offering, but increasingly we are seeing clients come to us for corporate communications, brand development, place marketing and reputation management.

“Today is a big day for Newgate as we have announced another addition to our national stable as Redleaf becomes Newgate.

“We understand the value of a truly networked and innovative consultancy to our clients and look forward to announcing more appointments in the very near future.”

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Champion Accountants’ Manchester office has welcomed group tax planning associate Martin Frain into its specialist research & development (R&D) team to support the growth in tax relief claims.

Martin played a key role in Champion Contractors’ expansion into Scotland earlier this year and spent the past six months coordinating the opening of its new Falkirk office.

He first joined Champion Contractors in March 2010 and moves to the group’s specialist tax division to support its R&D clients and manage the growing number of tax relief claims, as well as focusing on wider tax planning projects.

To date, Champion Accountants has helped SMEs across the UK claim more than £21m in R&D tax relief, with a 100% success rate.

Martin Frain

Having completed his AAT with Champion Group, Martin is now working towards his ACCA qualification. He said: “Now that the Contractors’ Scotland office is up and running, I’m ready for a new challenge.

“My focus will be on our SME clients, ensuring that claims are dealt with professionally and that we maximise each claim’s full potential, whilst continuing to build Champion’s reputation as the go-to source in R&D tax relief.”

Group tax director, Gill Molloy, added: “It’s great to welcome Martin on board. The continued success of our R&D service is down to our team of qualified, professional and committed tax advisors.

“Despite the rise in claims, R&D tax relief is still under-utilised by many SMEs and recruiting Martin lays the foundation for further growth, allowing us to provide tax relief and specialist tax planning to a larger portfolio of businesses.”

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Sentinel, international provider of best practice products and services for heating and hot water systems, has made a key hire at board level to support the continued, profitable growth of the company.

David Barrett has been appointed as commercial director and will be responsible for the strategic direction and development of Sentinel’s UK operations.

He will work closely with the team to continue the promotion of the successful Vortex300 filter and other existing products within Sentinel’s portfolio, as well optimise sales of a number of significant upcoming product launches.

Having previously held senior positions at Baxi Heating and Kingspan Environmental, David brings with him a wealth of experience from years working in the plumbing and heating industry.

David Barrett

He said: “Sentinel has a fantastic reputation in the industry and it’s great to be coming on board at such an exciting time for the business, with several significant new product launches imminent.

“From my dealings with customers in previous roles, I’ve heard nothing but positive things about Sentinel’s products and service, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in the continued success and growth of the business.”

Steve Goodwin, chief executive at Sentinel, said: “David is joining us at a highly exciting juncture. The Vortex300 filter has continued to drive excellent sales and we have a number of exciting new products in the pipeline which are sure to make a mark on the industry.

“David will play a key role in optimising results for both existing and new products, and we’re delighted to have him on board as we strive to continue our impressive international growth.”