People on the Move: Glaisyers Solicitors; KPMG; Napthens; GMLEP; Fluid Digital

Liliana Armitage, Max Murphy, Emma Green, Dean Lawson

Manchester and London-based Glaisyers Solicitors has made five new hires to support its strategy for rapid growth. The new recruits are all based at the firm’s Manchester headquarters.

These appointments have bolstered the firm’s corporate, commercial property, personal injury and private client practices.

The new staff have been recruited in pursuit of Glaisyers’ strategic aim to increase headcount by 25% during 2019, following the firm’s acquisition in December 2018 by Equity Partners David Jones and David Marlor, backed by the international professional services group ETL Global.

Eli Pawlowski has joined the commercial property team as a solicitor.

He qualified as a solicitor in 2015, having studied law at Manchester Metropolitan University and completed his Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law in London.

Mr Pawlowski specialises in the purchase and sale of commercial property, sale and leaseback arrangements, finance and bridging finance, and landlord and tenant work.

He is joined by post completions executive Dean Lawson, who is responsible for matters including the drafting and submission of stamp duty land tax returns and land registry applications.

Mr Lawson has more than five years’ experience in this area, having previously held similar roles at other Manchester city centre law firms.

The firm’s property practice has grown rapidly since being taken over by partner David Marlor following last year’s acquisition. It continues to recruit actively, with a view to adding five new fee earners by the end of the year, significantly increasing the team’s capacity.

Solicitor Emma Green, meanwhile, has been taken on permanently in the firm’s private client department, following a nine-month period providing maternity cover. Her role at Glaisyers involves a varied caseload including preparing wills, administering estates, drafting lasting powers of attorney, and Court of Protection work.

Ms Green qualified as a solicitor in 2015, having achieved a first class degree in law from Lancaster University and completed her LPC at the University of Law in Manchester. She works alongside head of private client Chris Burrows, legal director Malcolm Abel and associate Charlotte Hardie, and is currently studying for the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Diploma.

Liliana Armitage has joined the corporate team as a paralegal. The firm’s Corporate practice, headed by Akbar Ali, has grown from two to six since last Autumn, and is targeting a headcount of 10 by the end of the Summer.

Ms Armitage is currently studying for her LPC and will begin training with Glaisyers next year to qualify as a solicitor. She supports the corporate team in fields ranging from company restructuring work to acquisitions and incorporations, and has experience in residential and commercial real estate that enables her to analyse corporate matters of a property nature.

Max Murphy has been recruited to the firm’s personal injury department, where he takes on the role of paralegal, specialising in employers’ liability, occupiers’ liability and public liability claims. He is currently studying for his LPC, with the aim of qualifying as a solicitor with Glaisyers, and has previously worked as a paralegal at a Manchester-based personal injury specialist.

Equity partner David Jones said: “When David Marlor and I invested in Glaisyers alongside ETL Global last year, we did so with a mandate to grow the business rapidly and become the go-to firm for owner-managed businesses and their shareholders.

“These latest recruits form part of that strategy and are testament to the speed with which we have been able to implement our business plan.

“I would like to welcome Eli, Dean, Emma, Liliana and Max on board at this exciting time. I know they will make a really valuable contribution to the service we provide to our clients and I look forward to seeing them grow and develop their careers with us over the years ahead.”

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The Liverpool office of KPMG has grown its deal advisory practice with the appointment of Charlie Berry as a corporate finance associate.

Charlie’s appointment will strengthen the team as it continues to support local businesses on a range of mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus on disposals, management buyouts and refinancing deals.

The Wirral native joins KPMG’s Princes Parade office from Grant Thornton’s transaction services practice in Manchester, where he specialised in vendor due diligence for private equity and corporate transactions.

Charlie Berry

Charlie’s appointment is the latest in a series of investments by KPMG in its Liverpool corporate finance team and follows a strong period advising clients on a range of transactions, including the sale of ATG Access to Hill & Smith Holdings and the sale of Brookes Bell to Thomas Miller.

Mark Booth, head of KPMG’s deal advisory practice in Liverpool, said: “The corporate finance market in the North West continues to perform strongly, despite political and regulatory headwinds, with quality businesses still achieving great outcomes in the face of this uncertainty.

“We are committed to investing in and supporting the next generation of dealmakers. Charlie’s arrival will further strengthen our corporate finance practice’s leading position in Liverpool and help the city’s business community take advantage of the regional M&A market’s buoyancy.”

Charlie Berry added: “KPMG’s deal advisory practice is well known throughout the region and I’m looking forward to working closely with the team and colleagues from across the network.

“Liverpool is a vibrant place to do business and its management teams are increasingly looking for specialist deal support and sector expertise to help them through every aspect of the dealmaking process.”

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Specialist in immigration law, Angela Barnes, has joined the employment & HR team at regional law firm Napthens.

Angela joins Napthens from a role as employment solicitor at Cumbria County Council, where she held responsibilities including managing the authority’s employment tribunal claims, working with trade union representatives, and providing training and advice to the council, fire service and more than 250 schools.

She also spent time advising the Royal Mail on trade union issues arising from its privatisation, and in 2012 worked as part of the team advising several London bus companies on the Olympic Bonus Strikes.

Angela Barnes

At Napthens Angela will advise businesses on all aspects of employment law including drafting contracts and reviewing company policies, as well as specialising in business immigration and industrial relations, and handling a caseload of tribunal claims.

As a business immigration specialist, Angela advises on issues including the prevention of illegal working, carrying out right to work checks and obtaining permission for applicants to live and work in the UK.

Chris Boyle, head of the employment & HR team at Napthens, said: “The team here at Napthens continues to go from strength to strength.

“Angela’s appointment brings specialist expertise in immigration law which will only become more relevant in coming months and years.”

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Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GMLEP) has appointed two new members to its board.

They are Amanda Halford, SVP sales, service and commercial operations, GE Healthcare Life Sciences, and Chris Oglesby, chief executive, Bruntwood.

Amanda Halford

GMLEP is a board of figures from the public, private and university sectors.

It enables local business leaders to share their expertise and knowledge so that they can help set Greater Manchester’s economic strategy, determine local priorities, drive growth, create jobs and reform public services.

Mike Blackburn, chair of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership said: “I am delighted to welcome our new members to our board. Amanda and Chris bring a wealth of experience and knowledge, which will strengthen our ability to set Greater Manchester’s economic strategy.

Chris Oglesby

“Overseeing the implementation of the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy will be an important role for the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership and our new members will help us on this journey, enabling us to deliver the jobs and growth the people of Greater Manchester need.”

Two retiring members of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership Board are Michael Oglesby and Monica Brij.

Mr Blackburn added: “I would like to thank Mike and Monica for their contribution to the board, which has been central to its success and which has strengthened our ability to achieve our shared ambitions for Greater Manchester.”

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Manchester digital agency Fluid Digital has appointed a marketing manager, a newly-created position with the aim of helping it to achieve its ambitious growth plans.

Joshua Hobson’s responsibilities at Magento specialist Fluid will be developing relationships with partner agencies and external promotion of Fluid’s services.

He will deliver Fluid’s marketing strategy and will aim to increase clients, which already include Whispering Smith, Moda Furnishings and Chlobo, from the B2B, home and garden and fashion sectors

By the end of Fluid’s current financial year the agency will have achieved 25% year-on-year turnover growth.

However, next year it hopes to increase this further after the benefits of moving its headquarters from Bury to Hilton Street in Manchester city centre in August last year, recruiting more specialist staff and the appointment of Joshua to drive the marketing strategy are fully realised.

Joshua Hobson

Fluid managing director Adam Hindle said Joshua will play a vital role in helping the agency to achieve its aims.

He said: “A drive on marketing has always been part of our plan to achieve the growth that we want to see.

“However, other parts of our strategy, such as launching the new Manchester city centre HQ and the appointment of more highly-skilled Magento developers and PPC executives now we have access to a wider labour pool, had to take priority.

“But we are excited to now be taking this step. It’s a first for Fluid and we are excited to see where Joshua’s input and marketing expertise could take us.”

Joshua has more than five years’ experience in ecommerce, retail and tech marketing gained at agencies Ampersand and Statement. He said: “There’s a great team in place at Fluid which has a clear and strong vision for the future. I’m joining at a really exciting time in the agency’s story and I can’t wait to make my mark and contribute to the growth plans.”

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