People on the Move: Glaisyers Solicitors; Health & Life Sciences Board; Influential; William Turner; Napthens

Akbar Ali

Manchester law firm, Glaisyers Solicitors, headed by joint managing partners Nicholas Johnson and Harvey Cohen, has appointed Akbar Ali as joint head of its corporate division.

The father-of-two has worked in the legal industry since 2011 and qualified from Liverpool John Moores University with an LLB Hons in Law, Legal Practice Course and an LLM in International Business Corporate and Finance Law.

His areas of expertise include transactional mergers and acquisitions and providing expert direction and oversight in complex negotiations.

Ali advises clients from owner managers and SMEs to large corporates.

His role at Glaisyers extends beyond representing clients. He has been tasked with developing a more integrated offering at the St James’ Square-based firm and identifying opportunities where Glaisyers can provide more holistic support to their clients.

Ali said: “The opportunity to join the team at Glaisyers appealed to me on a number of levels.

“The firm has great equity with some long-standing established clients. Its knowledge of the SME market in the North West is impressive, and I believe the company has excellent foundations on which to build and continue to grow.”

Ali is also a board member at the Family Housing Association (Birkenhead & Wirral) and a visiting lecturer at the University of Law.

Established more than 40 years ago, Glaisyers now has 60 dedicated employees, including six partners and in excess of 24 lawyers.

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Four healthcare professionals have joined the Health and Life Sciences Board for the Liverpool City Region.

Managed by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the board sets out the development and direction of the sector, as well as driving forward the sector’s economic growth. They also support the growth of regional companies and help attract inward investment.

The new members are: Dr Dawn Lawson, chief executive, Liverpool Health Partners; Dr Steven Powell, chief diagnostic officer, Rutherford Diagnostics; Nicola Wilson, chief of staff, Northern Health Science Alliance; and Cliff Kirby, chief executive, CAL International & NeedleSmart.

Dr Dawn Lawson

Dr Lawson has a PhD in health psychology and a Masters in Public Administration. She has a wealth of experience working in research and innovation across academia and the NHS.

Dr Powell previously had a successful career as a doctor at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, and has progressed through several medical leadership and healthcare management roles. He is now developing diagnostic services across the UK.

Ms Wilson is a qualified cognitive behavioural therapist, with 15 years’ experience of service design and leadership of further and higher education mental health and wellbeing services.

She has also previously led a team of NHS health professionals working in collaboration between the North of England and regions across Europe.

Cliff Kirby

Mr Kirby has spent his career in the world of engineering, innovation and product development.

He has several business interests across the Liverpool City Region. He began his career as a design engineer.

The Health and Life Sciences sector is critically important to the Liverpool City Region and is one of the key growth sectors identified in the city region’s growth strategy, which is central to driving sustained development of the economy over the coming decades.

The sector currently contributes around £4.5bn to the local economy and provides jobs for more than 125,000 people – 20% of the city region workforce.

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Integrated communications agency Influential has continued its growth in Manchester with the appointment of Tom Carlin, a seasoned property and construction specialist, to its B2B PR team.

Tom joins the 30-strong agency, which has its Manchester base on Oxford Road and headquarters in Liverpool, having spent eight years gaining experience during stints with SKV Communications, The Scott Partnership, and most recently, Truth Creative.

He will work on the account teams of several of Influential’s high-profile B2B clients operating in the built environment, including Bruntwood, Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure and Ainscough Crane Hire.

Tom said: “Influential is rightly known as one of the most dynamic agencies in the North West, and I’m exceptionally pleased to join the team.”

Chris Hulme, head of Influential Manchester, said: “We have worked on a number of projects that Tom has been involved with over the years, including the International Festival of Business, and always felt he’d be a good fit for Influential. It’s a pleasure to finally get him on board.”

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William Turner, the Stockport-based manufacturer and supplier of premium quality ties and accessories, has appointed Mike Humble as head of sales.

He brings with him more than 20 years’ teamwear experience working for a raft of leading sports brands including Samurai, Kukri, Puma, Umbro and JJB.

He joins from the Behrens Group where he established stock and bespoke teamwear solutions for trade customers and sportswear brands.

William Turner, left, and Mike Humble

The third generation family business supplies some of the world’s most highly-esteemed names in the schoolwear, club and corporate markets.

As it prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, William Turner will be embarking on ambitious growth plans.

The appointment of Humble to lead their club and corporate wear division into the exciting new era will be a key part of this future success.

Managing director, Daniel Turner, said: “The appointment of Mike shows our commitment to growth as we celebrate reaching 50 years and look to the future.

“Mike’s background means he is well placed to steer the new direction for our club and corporate wear division.

“He’s got an enviable understanding of the marketplace and he knows intrinsically what sports clubs and corporate clients need.”

Mike said: “I am really thrilled to be joining William Turner, an established brand that I have known and admired for many years.

“They’re at a really exciting stage of their journey. They have a proud heritage as a family business and UK manufacturer and an enviable reputation in the schoolwear sector.

“I am hugely excited to build on that pedigree to attract more sports clubs, associations and corporate clients with our growing club and corporate wear offering.”

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Grahame Love has joined regional law firm Napthens as head of the business recovery team.

The experienced partner joins from Taylors Solicitors, having spent more than 10 years in Manchester specialising in insolvency and business recovery matters.

Grahame’s expertise covers all legal aspects of business recovery. He acts for insolvency practitioners and other stakeholders, such as directors, shareholders and creditors.

He advises on the sale or purchase of assets and businesses from formal insolvency processes, as well as on contentious issues arising from insolvency.

Grahame Love, left, and Keith Melling

Grahame also advises individuals in need of specialist support on insolvency issues, including director’s duties and disqualification proceedings.

Keith Melling, head of the corporate team at Napthens, said: “Grahame is highly regarded in the business recovery field and brings a wealth of experience to our team.

“Grahame’s expertise and his experience of working with insolvency practitioners, businesses and other stakeholders, enables him to provide strategic support and to offer practical solutions that help deliver the best possible outcome for those involved.

“We’re delighted that he’s going to be assisting our clients and intermediary contacts across the region.”

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