People on the Move: Kuits; Wates Construction; Big Partnership; LEP Network; Make Events
Manchester commercial law firm Kuits has a new head of construction, engineering and energy after recruiting partner Charlie Tomlinson.
A specialist in all aspects of construction and engineering procurement, Charlie has more than 20 years’ experience in the legal sector, having previously worked for national law firm Weightmans for 18 years before taking in-house roles with Manchester City Council and Pennon Group.
Experienced in advising on major construction and infrastructure projects throughout the UK, including commercial developments, retail and leisure, Charlie also has established expertise in the delivery and management of renewable energy projects, including waste to energy, biomass, wind farms and heat networks.
Notable projects Tomlinson has provided construction advice on include high-profile Manchester commercial developments at First Street, Greengate Exchange and The Factory arts centre. He also negotiated for the delivery of a state-of-the-art £250m waste-to-energy scheme at Avonmouth.
Charlie Tomlinson said: “Kuits is a law firm with a renowned property offering and it’s a pleasure to have joined such an established and dynamic team. I’m looking forward to using my breadth of experience to supplement the high quality work they are already doing for regional and national developers, as well as growing our roster of construction sector clients.”
Steve Eccleston, Kuits managing partner, said: “Offering a strong commercial advisory service to our clients has always been a key priority for the firm and to welcome somebody new into the partnership of the calibre and experience of Charlie will undoubtedly reinforce our property sector expertise.”
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Contractor Wates Construction has appointed Claire Bennett as business development manager for the North West and North Wales, becoming the latest in a line of team changes as the business eyes continued growth.
Claire joins the business from MDA Consulting where she was business development executive responsible for exploring new markets and developing new client relationships across Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
The appointment comes just two months after Dave Saville took the helm as business unit director for the region, which was closely followed by the internal promotion of Sarah Seabright to the role of framework manager.
Claire Bennett
In her new role with Wates, Claire will be responsible for identifying new opportunities in the business’ core public and private sector markets, including education, commercial and high rise residential.
A journalism graduate of Liverpool John Moores University, Claire has held a number of publishing, journalist and brand building positions for a range of media and production companies.
Dave Saville said: “Claire’s diverse career has given her a wealth of experience in identifying a business’ strengths, understanding clients’ needs and objectives and ensuring that both of these things align to form a robust business development strategy.
“Relationships are king in our industry and their strength is fundamental to creating an environment for collaborative working and I very much look forward to the success Claire will bring to our business as we move forward with our regional growth strategy.”
Claire added: “Wates has a longstanding reputation as a trusted and expert contractor in the region, which makes my new role one that I can embrace with confidence and enthusiasm. I am very proud to join such a strong team and look forward to the emerging opportunities available to us and to contributing to the business’ ongoing success.”
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Creative communications agency Big Partnership has appointed two new senior members to its Manchester team as it continues its impressive growth across the region.
Chris Olley has joined as account director, heading up the agency’s regional corporate PR team and Emma Pearson will join the agency’s consumer team as senior account manager.
Chris previously worked at Manchester-based Citypress where he was responsible for formulating and delivering strategic communications campaigns for clients in the property and construction sector.
Senior account manager Emma has joined from Red Havas after spending the past four years supporting its consumer accounts and leading on influencer outreach strategies for clients in food and drink, retail and fashion sectors.
From left: Chris Olley, Sarah Lawless, Emma Pearson
Sarah Lawless, director and head of Big’s Manchester office, said: “Chris and Emma join us at a great time as we celebrate our most successful year to date here in Manchester. They will both be instrumental in the continued growth of the agency.
“Winning more integrated accounts, which combine digital, marketing, design and PR, will be a key growth area for the business over the next 12 months. Chris and Emma have hit the ground running with our existing clients, who are already seeing the benefits of their combined expertise.”
Big’s Manchester team now boasts a staff of 12 and has just recorded its best year to date, doubling profit and securing income of around £750,000.
Clients include Royal Bank of Scotland, Peel Ports, Turley, Graham Construction, Stewart Milne Homes and North West Cancer Research.
Big Partnership employs more than 120 people across PR, marketing, digital, public affairs, design and events with offices in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
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The Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has announced that Mark Livesey, chief executive of Marketing Cheshire and deputy chief executive of the LEP, will be leaving at the end of November to become the chief executive of the national LEP Network.
At a crucial time for the UK economy Mark will be working with all of the LEP chairs and chief executives, Government Ministers and senior Whitehall Officials on behalf of all of England’s 38 LEPs to ensure the local economies have the resources they need to adjust to life after Brexit.
Mark Livesey
Mark said: “I am delighted to have been given this opportunity at such an important time. This is such a critical time for local economies, and Local Enterprise Partnerships have a fundamental role to play in ensuring local partners work together to unlock local growth and respond to the changes that Brexit will bring.”
LEP board member and chair of Marketing Cheshire, Angie Robinson, said: “Mark has done a great job for the LEP, and more recently Marketing Cheshire, helping to establish both as amongst the best performing in the country. We will be sorry to lose Mark, but it is great to see the experience he has gained in Cheshire and Warrington propelling him into a key national role.”
LEP chair, Christine Gaskell, said: “Mark will be a hard act to follow, but we will be launching an immediate search for his successor. Until an appointment is made, Andy Farrall, formerly deputy chief executive of Warrington Borough Council and member of the audit committee of Marketing Cheshire, will replace Mark from the beginning of December on an interim basis.”
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As Cheshire-based agency Make Events continues on its growth trajectory and settles into a new HQ, House of Make in Wilmslow, it has announced a restructure in line with the growing needs of the business.
Helina Thompson
Helina Thompson has been promoted to head of events. Since joining more than a year ago Helina has been instrumental in her role as senior creative producer, creating events for clients such as Tatti Lashes and Allied London.
Helina will now manage the event design and delivery team.
Heather Ridge has been promoted to senior events producer.
Heather has been with Make Events for 4.5 years and is recognised as an integral part of the team, developing and growing successful client accounts in her previous role as events producer, such as LNER, Autotrader and SIG Distribution.
Heather Ridge
Emily Hume is promoted to events producer after a year in a secondment role as events and marketing assistant, owning all of the firm’s internal and client marketing events.
Emily came to Make Events as events assistant and has grown in the two years by building client relationships and developing her creative eye with clients such as Sports Tours International and Radius Payment Solutions.
Emily Hume
As part of this continual growth, the firm is recruiting a finance assistant, head of venue finding sales and a further senior events producer.
Commercial director Alex Morrisroe said: “Make Events is a special place to work, so promoting internally means our values stay intact and we truly do practise what we preach.
“Our own employee engagement conference encouraged the team to take control of their own development and by doing so have been considered for these opportunities.”
