People: Key hire for Berg; new boss for Marketing Manchester & more
MANCHESTER law firm Berg has made a key strategic hire in luring Richard Clark, operations director at national firm Irwin Mitchell, as its managing director.
Clark is a specialist in operations management, business strategy and organisational development, along with programme management. He holds an MBA from the Bradford University School of Management and a postgraduate Diploma and Certificate in Management from the Henley Business School.
He said: “I know I am joining a firm which has serious ambition for significant growth. The senior team at Berg have made the firm renowned for its championing and campaigning for the interests of independent business.
“I want to now contribute to being part of a truly modern professional services law firm recognised for sound and imaginative advice.”
Senior partner Reuben Berg added: “This appointment is a clear demonstration of our intent to be a leading professional services firm looking after the interests of independent business. Our way of doing business, like many successful industries in the past which came from the North West, is founded on integrity, resolve, hard work and the constant desire to get the best for our clients.”
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MARKETING Manchester has made a raft of senior appointments, including the hire Sheona Southern as its new managing director.
Southern joins the publicly-funded agency, part of the Manchester Growth Company, from strategic marketing consultancy Cairn. She has 20 years’ experience in senior management roles across several sectors including media, retail and tourism. She has previouslty worked for Cumbria Tourism, Teamtalk Media Group and the BBC.
She takes over from Andrew Stokes who stepped down in November 2015 after 17 years with the organisation.
Meanwhile, former Manchester City Council assistant chief executive Sara Tomkins has has been appointed to a new role as destination director. She will be responsible for the creation of marketing, communications and digital strategies to help improve the international perception of the city region and boost the awareness of Greater Manchester’s strengths in the priority sectors of digital/creative and tech, science and manufacturing.
Also, Axel Kullick has been appointed to a new role as head of sector marketing. Previously director of strategic marketing at Germany Trade & Invest, Axel will lead sector focused marketing plans that promote Greater Manchester as a place that excels at doing business in priority sectors within key international markets.
Stephanie Newton has been appointed to the role of head of business tourism. Previously business development manager at Marketing Manchester, Stephanie is tasked with managing the promotion and positioning of Manchester as the UK’s leading international conference destination.
Mark Hughes, chief executive of the Manchester Growth Company, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome these new appointments to the company. The coming year is set to present a unique set of opportunities and challenges for Greater Manchester, and so it’s important that senior management be well structured. Marketing Manchester’s reorganised team places it in a strong position to achieve these.”
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MAG Property, the property and development arm of the airport group, has announced appointment of Emily Speak as asset manager.
She will be responsible for property management across MAG Property’s core portfolio at its Manchester and London Stansted airports, which includes airport properties from lounges and ticket desks to staff and crew accommodation, including airside offices and engineering rooms.
Speak, pictured right, joins the team from building supplies company Travis Perkins where she was responsible for its North England, Scotland and Northern Ireland property portfolio..
MAG property chief executive Lynda Shillaw said: “We are continuing to develop the MAG Property business by strengthening the team with high-calibre recruits with specialist expertise and broad experience, which is really important for us as we move into the next phase of our growth.”
“MAG Property is well placed to capitalise on its knowledge and expertise gained as a leading property company within the aviation sector.”
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PWC’s tax practice in Manchester has continued to grow its corporate team with the appointment of partner Kit Dickson, who joins the firm from Deloitte.
Dickson has more than 15 years’ corporate tax experience, largely based in the North West.
He spent the last four years as a partner at Deloitte, based in London, where he helped grow the national financial services team.
He returns to the North West, and the firm, having originally trained at PwC in Manchester.
In his new role Dickson will work closely with PwC’s tax leader for the North, Martin Hodgson, to continue to expand the firm’s corporate tax practice.
Hodgson said: “This appointment reflects our strategy of building the right team of specialists so that we can continue to help our clients be successful.”
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BEATTIE, the creative communications group, has strengthened its digital team with the appointment of Jessica McAndrew as digital communications director.
McAndrew will work with managing director Laurna Woods and digital marketing director David Reid to further develop the agency’s digital communications offering.
Siobhan Chesher, head of Beattie’s Manchester office, said: “Our Only Digital brand is well-established in the field of search, web design, data and marketing tech. As well as working with existing digital clients, Jessica’s remit will be to grow the digital content side of our business.”
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OBI Property says Oliver Thomas and Mamad Majedi have joined the building consultancy team taking the number of people employed at the Manchester-based firm to 18.
The building consultancy team at OBI is working on a number of major project management and construction schemes.
These include refurbishing 175,000 sq ft of office space at 30 Brown Street; 73 – 75 Mosely Street and 79 Mosely Street for Boultbee Brook; 65,000 sq ft at St James’s House for Tesco Pension Fund and a 70,000 sq ft office fit-out for rentalcars at Sunlight House.
Thomas will specialise in project management and contract administration while Majedi will be responsible for monitoring and auditing on-site construction activity across OBI’s building and fit-out schemes.
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MANCHESTER-based accountant Bennett Verby has appointed marketing manager Tori Wastnedge to head the company’s business development strategy.
The move is part of a plan to proactively grow the size of the rapidly-expanding business in the next three years.
“The practice has always been fortunate to see steady year-on-year growth,” commented the firm’s chief executive and founder, Bernard Verby.
“Our next challenge will be to unlock the possibilities for that growth through a more structured approach to marketing and business development, doubling the size of our business in the next few years.”
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LINDER Myers Solicitors has appointed Kerry Blackhurst as an associate in the health and social Care team at the firm’s Manchester office.
Blackhurst was previously a founder and director at Castle Keep Law, part of the private equity backed One Advice Group. Prior to that, she worked at Pannone.
In her new role, Blackhurst will specialise in legal issues relating to the provision and funding of healthcare and social care, with a specific focus on providing legal services to elderly clients who may need care in their own home or within a residential or nursing home.
She will be working closely with both the Court of Protection team and the Trusts and Estates team, under the leadership of Andrew Cusworth and Richard Ashton.
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LIVERPOOL-based social enterprise PSS has appointed a new head of quality and compliance to further enhance the innovative services it provides.
John McLean will work with staff from a wide range of services across the UK.
These include health and wellbeing initiatives as well as projects with women suffering from post-natal depression, families with a relative in prison, support for people with dementia and Shared Lives.
He joins PSS from Bury Council where he led on insight and performance, spearheading a project to encourage more girls and women to take up sport.
