People on the Move: Northedge Capital; LCR; Cowgills; UHY Hacker Young; Savills

From left: James Marshall, George Potts, Greg Holmes and Jon Pickering

NorthEdge Capital has announced a series of promotions as the firm continues to strengthen its presence in the regions following an active period of investments.

Jon Pickering takes on the role of head of new business, while both George Potts and James Marshall have been promoted to investment directors and Greg Holmes has been promoted to investment manager.

Jon Pickering joined NorthEdge in 2013 and has been involved in the majority of the firm’s North West investments and exits to date.

He will retain his role as head of the North West, while also overseeing the new investment activity regionally from both NorthEdge’s buyout and SME funds.

Having joined the firm in the Manchester office as an intern in 2011, George Potts was one of NorthEdge’s first employees.

He has since been involved in eight new investments, two exits and seven board roles, as well as taking responsibility for the firm’s award-winning approach to ESG.

Fellow investment director James Marshall, based in the firm’s Leeds office, has worked on a number of transactions since joining in 2014, including Helplink’s exit and investments in East Coast Concepts, Belfield, Platinum Stairlifts and iPortalis.

Greg Holmes joined NorthEdge’s Manchester team from PwC in 2016 and has worked across a range of deals including Future Industrial Services, Cubic Motion, Prohire and the exit of DW3.

The appointments follow an active 2018 for the lower mid-market private equity house, which completed nine transactions with a total value in excess of £200m.

This includes the investment in Manchester-headquartered Cloud Technology Solutions (CTS), the European cloud transformation and infrastructure specialist; investment in Keighley-based stairlift designer and manufacturer Platinum Stairlifts; and the sale of Stoke-based premium door and window systems provider DW3 to Masonite International Corporation.

Ray Stenton, managing partner at NorthEdge, said: “These promotions highlight how invaluable each member has become to the NorthEdge team, being integral to many of our most high profile and successful transactions.

“Our business continues to grow, and I am delighted that we have been able to develop such exceptional talent within our team.

“These promotions are richly deserved, and we look forward to seeing what the next chapter of development at NorthEdge brings for Jon, George, James and Greg.”

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Developer and placemaking expert LCR has hired two new development managers at its newly-launched Manchester office as it expands its UK-wide development portfolio.

The company, which is a member of the Mayfield Partnership, bringing forward the £850m Mayfield regeneration project, has appointed James Howard and Alex Bowker.

James joins from the Cayman Islands Government where he worked for two years as a graduate validation officer.

Key responsibilities involved providing valuation and property services to key government departments and ministries, as well as other statutory authorities across the Cayman Islands. He previously held surveyor roles with Kier Group and Ardent Management.

Alex brings six years’ experience in property development and surveying, and joins from Beech Holdings, where he was development surveyor.

Here, he worked to assess the development potential of key sites, working with key stakeholders to bring forward regeneration schemes.

Adam Wisher, senior development manager and head of Manchester for LCR, said: “There has never been a more critical time to accelerate the provision of housing and top quality infrastructure in the North West, and the expansion of our team reflects our commitment to championing creative placemaking and unlocking regeneration opportunities across the region.

Adam Wisher

“Our unique position as a bridge between the public and private sectors means we are ideally placed to bring together and collaborate with key stakeholders, bringing forward developments that help towns and city centres reach their full potential.

“Our new recruits bring with them a range of vital skills and expertise in land assembly, master planning and development, and we very much look forward to welcoming them to the team.”

LCR is a commercial developer and the UK Government’s placemaking expert, with a track record of creating exciting new destinations for people to live, work and experience.

It worked with Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester to form the Mayfield Partnership and assemble land for development, before forming a public-private joint venture with developer U+I to deliver the scheme.

It also holds partnerships with local authorities in locations including Leeds, Sheffield and Nottingham, where it is helping to bring forward regeneration projects around the cities’ transport hubs.

The £850m Mayfield project, delivered by the Mayfield Development Partnership, will see the disused 24-acre site transformed into a thriving new city district.

The development is set to provide 1,500 new homes, more than 1.67 million sq ft of office space, a 650-bed hotel, and 347,000 sq ft of retail and leisure facilities. It will also feature a new park, the first to be developed in Manchester for more than a century.

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Business advisory and accountancy firm Cowgills has appointed Lynne Martland as head of people to lead the firm’s focus on employee development.

Lynne, who joins from The Original Factory Shop, has more than 40 years’ experience in HR, communication, operations and business management, including roles with leading North West companies such as Granada TV Rentals and as HR director for logistics and supply chain services provider ANOVO UK.

This is the first time Cowgills has appointed a head of people and it comes as part of the company’s commitment to invest in building its team across its offices in Bolton, Manchester and West Yorkshire.

Lynne said: “The people in the business are its greatest asset and my role will be to ensure we get the best out of everyone and to enable them to thrive and grow in their roles.”

Paul Stansfield and Lynne Martland

Lynne will be providing advice, support and guidance within a number of areas focusing on colleague communication and inclusion, health and wellbeing, delivering excellence, personal performance and development, staff retention and candidate attraction.

Paul Stansfield, Cowgills managing partner, added: “We are absolutely committed to investing in our staff and have made a number of significant senior hires in the last 12 months.

“We also have an ongoing relationship with The Bolton School through our Future Stars programme which gives pupils an early opportunity to experience life in the workplace.

“Lynne will be helping to ensure we create the best possible workplace environment for all of our employees and this is an important focus for us as we nurture the future leaders of our business.”

Cowgills has recently undergone a full re-brand, dropping the name Holloway which has been associated with the company for more than 35 years.

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Manchester accountancy firm, UHY Hacker Young, has promoted Zoe Duffy to partner.

Zoe began her career with UHY as a trainee accountant in 1996, progressing through qualification as a chartered accountant to audit manager, senior audit manager and then to director of audit.

She works on a mixed portfolio of audit and accounts clients, including national and international corporate groups, owner-managed businesses and companies in the automotive and oil & gas sector.

Zoe Duffy

Zoe said: “Working for over 20 years at such a well-respected firm has been an amazing career pathway for me.

“Being promoted to partner at a firm where I began my accountancy training is a great feeling.

“As UHY Hacker Young continues to grow in the North West and across the UK I look forward to being a part of this team and the direction we are going.”

Mark Robertson, managing partner at UHY Hacker Young Manchester, said: “Zoe is a great example of UHY’s commitment to promoting talent from within.

“She has contributed significantly to the success of our team during her career with us and has built up an extensive client base who look to her for advice and support.

“I am delighted to extend my congratulations to her on this promotion, and to welcome her as a partner.”

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Savills has announced a promotion in its Carlisle office, where rural chartered surveyor Jennifer Dixon has been promoted to associate within the team.

Jennifer has more than four years’ experience in Cumbria carrying out all aspects of rural professional work including estate management for private and institutional clients and property valuations for a variety of purposes, including loan security, accountancy and taxation assessment.

She also carries out sales and lettings of rural properties and is a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers.

Charles Baker, head of office at Savills Carlisle, said: “I would like to congratulate Jennifer on her promotion.

“Not only is it well deserved, but it also recognises the vital contributions she has made to both the success of Savills’ rural division and the Carlisle office as a whole.”

Jennifer Dixon

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