People: Grant Thornton; MPD; DWF & more
FINANCIAL and business adviser Grant Thornton UK has appointed two new leaders within its northern local government advisory team based in Spinningfields, Manchester.
Philip Monaghan becomes the regional advisory lead and will be supported by Simon Hardman who assumes the role of manager.
In addition, Andy Singleton has been appointed as executive within the team.
They are the latest additions to the dedicated national team offering advisory services to local authorities, police bodies and fire and rescue authorities across the North of England.
The local government advisory team is part of the firm’s wider public sector assurance practice, which delivers external audit services to NHS bodies and local authorities.
It assists clients with the provision of financial management and accounting advice, supporting the review and development of medium-term financial plans and strategies, financial resilience health checks, finance department “fit for purpose” reviews, governance reviews and supporting elected members in their scrutiny roles.
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MPD Group, a parcel delivery company, has appointed John Crowther as its non-executive chief technology officer at its Trafford Park, Manchester site.
He joins the board following an extensive career in the ecommerce industry.
Currently digital transformation officer at VictoriaPlum.com, Crowther previously spent eight years at Bolton-based AO.com where he oversaw the build of the AO.com website and developed AO’s warehouse and delivery systems.
As a non-exec director, he will play a pivotal role in the continued development of the Electio Delivery Management Platform.
He will also oversee the recruitment process as Electio’s in-house tech team continues to grow.
MPD chief executive David Grimes said: “John brings a wealth of experience from many years working at the heart of the ecommerce industry. His understanding and knowledge of fulfilment technology is an invaluable asset to the company. I’m thrilled to welcome him into the board.”
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LEGAL business DWF has appointed projects and infrastructure specialist James Lupton from Eversheds as a partner in its public sector team based in Manchester.
DWF says Lupton’s his expertise in advising public and private sector organisations on procurement, major infrastructure projects and public law will add further strength and depth to the firm’s growing North West public sector team.
With more than 15 years’ experience, Lupton specialises in providing advice on public procurement, public law and commercial issues that arise in delivering public private partnerships.
His experience includes significant projects include the procurement and completion of a number of complex waste PFI and PPP schemes, including the £4bn Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority and Merseyside Waste Disposal projects, and advising the National Park on the procurement and completion of the Snowdonia Summit Café.
He also advised the Cleveland Police Authority on its strategic outsourcing partnership which saw the Authority achieve approximately £50m in savings and was the first service improvement of its type in the police sector.
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EMPLOYMENT law specialist Emma Swan has joined professional services firm Knights, and will work out of its offices in Chester and Staffordshire.
Swan has more than 12 years’ experience specialising in employment issues for both public and private sector clients.
A School of Law Chester graduate, she has spent her entire career working for clients in the North West. Hailing from the region, she is pleased to be joining the team at Knights.
“I am delighted to be joining such a forward thinking firm,” she said. “Knights is focussed on the clients’ need, an ethos I have always adopted in my career.
“There is a very strong leadership team in place which allows partners to focus their resources on delivering effective client services. Working in this business model is a really exciting prospect.”
