People on the Move: Falconer Chester Hall; Innovative Alliance; St Modwen; Jones Melling; Livingbridge
Jenna Fife (30) has joined the Liverpool studio of Falconer Chester Hall architects following five years in London with Sheppard Robson, where she was responsible for a number of high profile residential projects.
She will spend three months in FCH’s London studio before her full-time relocation to Liverpool.
As a project architect she will be responsible for a number of the firm’s large student and residential projects.
“Jenna brings first rate experience and creativity to bear on a key market sector for us,” said managing director Adam Hall.
“The London residential market is tightly regulated and her eye for detail and design rigour are real positives that come from working in the capital. We’re delighted to have her on board.”
Liverpool-born Jenna studied architecture at the University of Liverpool before moving to the capital in 2009 for the first of two stints with Sheppard Robson.
She says she’s delighted to be heading back North: “Liverpool has changed enormously since I’ve been away and the opportunity to join the practice that is in the thick of the city’s re-development was a major attraction.
“My wider experience designing residential and hotel projects also fits in neatly with FCH’s workload and I’m looking forward to contributing as much as I can.”
Falconer Chester Hall’s Liverpool studio now employs 75 staff.
Current projects on-site include the 34-storey Lexington residential tower at Princes Dock for Moda Living, the 39-storey Infinity development for Elliot Group, and the £80m Parliament Square project for Legacie Developments.
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Innovative Alliance, the Liverpool-based training and staff development organisation, has appointed Ian Green to a new role as chief executive.
Ian, 49, joins the business to drive its continued strategic growth plans which will heavily focus on training and up-skilling individuals across the country.
He was previously head of operations at a national training provider, delivering training and apprenticeships to schools throughout the UK. Before that, he was head of work-based learning at The City of Liverpool College.
Ian’s role at Innovative Alliance, part of the Progress to Excellence Group of companies, was created as part of its current growth strategy.
Ian Green
He said: “The challenge is huge as the training landscape is once again amid significant change with the advent of Liverpool City Region’s devolution agendas.
“The work Innovative Alliance undertakes will continue to add that economic boost to the local, regional and national economies.”
He added: “We are operating in a fast-paced environment and opportunities are opening up every day to work in partnership with employers to supply and train a workforce of people from varied backgrounds, some of whom may be socially and economically disadvantaged.
“Increased social mobility is at the heart of what we do, working to drive ambition and give everyone a chance and, for the likes of Armed Forces veterans and prison leavers, a second chance to learn and get employment.
“It’s an exciting time to be taking on this new post, to make an impact on people’s lives by getting them into jobs, training, re-training and developing them to make change for the better.”
Training at Innovative Alliance includes its kick-start programme which targets the complex needs of benefit claimants of Employment Support Allowance, Job Seeker’s Allowance and Income Support who take part in activities for confidence-building, team-building, self-awareness and professionalism, job searching and CV writing.
Its work academies support job seekers and operate in partnership with employers to deliver selection, up-skilling and introduction of new talent, while its job club helps people to search and apply for jobs best suited to their abilities and goals.
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Developer and regeneration specialist St Modwen has made two key appointments, bolstering its planning team in the Midlands and North.
The Birmingham-headquartered company welcomes Matthew Stafford as senior planning manager and Rebecca Palmer as planning manager.
Stafford, who has 17 years’ experience in development planning, joins St Modwen from Peel Land & Property Group, having previously spent six years heading up the planning team for the Co-operative Group’s commercial and investment property division, where he was responsible for asset management and value generation across its UK portfolio.
Rebecca Palmer and Matthew Stafford
In his new role, he will assist in the planning promotion of commercial, residential and major projects in the North West.
Palmer, who has 11 years’ planning experience, joins St Modwen from Jaguar Land Rover, where she led the planning team.
She will be responsible for planning promotion and will oversee the delivery of a portfolio of residential and commercial projects across the Midlands.
Palmer will be based at St Modwen’s headquarters in Longbridge, Birmingham, while Stafford will be located at St Modwen’s North West office in Warrington.
The new appointments signify St Modwen’s commitment to expanding its commercial portfolio in the region, as well as strengthening its capability in bringing forward land for residential development.
Guy Gusterson, property director–Midlands and North, said: “The planning team plays an invaluable role in delivering against our growth objectives and we’re pleased to welcome Matthew and Rebecca on board.
“Their extensive experience means we’re well positioned to continue accelerating our residential and industrial and logistics development pipeline in the Midlands and North.”
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Property and construction advisory firm Jones Melling has appointed its first non-executive director.
Experienced business advisor and accountant Phil Hawthorne has joined the Preston, Chester and London-based firm.
He brings more than three decades of experience in the finance, property, pharmaceuticals, leisure and engineering sectors. Previous roles include senior positions at PwC and Proctor & Gamble.
Ken Jones, co-founder and director of Jones Melling, said: “We’ve expanded quickly in the last few years and it’s important we continue to manage this ongoing growth in a structured way.
Phil Hawthorne
“Phil has been there and done it all before. He can draw on huge reserves of experience and insight, bringing a fresh pair of eyes to the big decisions we take.”
Fellow director, Gary Melling, added: “Phil has strong expertise in management accounting and forecasting, so can add to our knowledge in this area.
“He will also be a great sounding board for the business. His experience outside the property sector also means he can bring an alternative perspective.”
Phil, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, added: “Mentoring up-and-coming professionals is something I enjoy immensely. I’m looking forward to helping Gary and Ken develop their business.”
Jones Melling, founded in 2009, has 16 staff with teams in building surveying, quantity surveying, residential surveying and project management.
It acts for commercial landlords and property owners, architects, agents, law firms, investors, funders, developers and builders.
Clients include Fairhome Group, Topps Tiles, Debenhams, London & Scottish Investments, M7 Real Estate and Renaker Build.
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Livingbridge, the independent private equity firm, has announced the appointment of Vernan Richards to its Manchester office.
Vernan Richards
Vernan joins the team from Alantra Corporate Finance, where he was a vice president in their M&A team.
Since joining Alantra in April 2014, he worked on a number of transactions, focusing on business services and TMT. These included the £41m sale of Dealflo to OneSpan in May 2017, Inflexion’s MBO of PCMS in November 2017, and Livingbridge’s investment in Efficio in January 2016.
Prior to his time at Alantra, Vernan spent six years at PwC, working in their audit and transaction services teams.
Livingbridge spokesperson Wol Kolade said: “We’ve known Vernan for some time, thanks to his work on our investment in Efficio, and we’re thrilled to have him join our team in Manchester.
“His wealth of experience in PE transactions makes him a great addition to our Northern team.”
