People: ServicePower CFO; new LEP deputy; Bilfinger GVA; K& and HRC Law

STOCKPORT-headquartered ServicePower, the listed provider of mobile workforce management software, has announced Simon Evans as its new chief financial officer, with the change taking effect from May 3.

Evans has over 20 years’ experience working in finance roles in the technology sector. He oversaw growth at Colt Telecom, before spending 10 years at Rochdale-based Zen Internet, where he was responsible for leading the various Finance and Administration teams.

Most recently, he was chief operating officer for Purple Wifi in Ashton-under-Lyne. Purple is a software company providing B2B WiFi access, where Evans had responsibility over the finances.

Evans succeeds Tajinder Sandhu, who has been chief financial officer since December 2013 and a member of the board since June 2014. Sandhu will step down from the board and leave the Ccompany in June, to ensure a smooth handover.

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CHESHIRE and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has appointed Mark Livesey as its new deputy chief executive.

Livesey, who will take up the role in July, joins the LEP after a long career in Westminster.

He joins from the Department for Communities and Local Government, where his civil service career has included serving as the private secretary to the leader of the House of Lords and successive housing and planning ministers.

More recently he has been responsible for Coastal Communities, High Streets and Town Centres, during which time he set up and launched the Great British High Street Competition, which saw Hoole in Chester go on to win the Best Newcomer Award only last year.

Livesey is currently heading up the government’s £2.3bn Starter Homes programme, which aims to deliver 200,000 starter homes by 2020.

Philip Cox, chief executive of Cheshire and Warrington LEP, said: ““We have an ambitious and challenging vision of delivering a £50bn economy by 2040, with a wide range of work already underway to support our aims, and Mark’s skills and experience will be crucial in helping to drive this forward.”

Livesey said: “As one of the strongest economies in the North, Cheshire and Warrington has huge strengths and assets to build on, along with an exciting agenda for growth, and I’m looking forward to playing a part in bringing these plans to fruition.”

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PROPERTY company Bilfinger GVA has promoted one director and six employees in Manchester as it continues to strengthen its client facing teams.

Gurminder Manak is now a director in the investment team. Manak joined Bilfinger GVA as a graduate surveyor straight out of university 14 years ago and has climbed the internal career ladder.

Other internal promotions include Ian Lane who has been promoted to an associate, Emma Smyth and Sarah May to principal surveyors, Hollie Bryant to principal planner and Hannah Cross and Tom Quinn to senior surveyors.

The promotions are part of a UK-wide push that has seen 17 of Bilfinger GVA’s 23 national service lines strengthened through a total of 39 senior promotions spanning all 12 of its offices.

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INTERNATIONAL TV trends consultancy K7 Media has invested in its team with two new hires following a series of new business wins and a restructure of accounts.

Tom Burton joins as marketing manager and Danny Kershaw as international research manager.

Burton, a former sales executive with Twofour Rights (part of ITV Studios), further underpins the agency’s media credentials, with experience of top British production companies. His new role will support K7’s new business strategy throughout its expansion.

Kershaw will be responsible for K7 Media’s expanding range of territory insight reports, including ‘Understanding Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan: Current Trends in the TV Market’; which was produced in conjunction with MRM Ukraine and launched at MIPTV in April. His appointment will further enhance the company’s knowledge of global television trends. Prior to joining K7 Media, Kershaw previously worked with UK Global Risk Solutions as a senior account manager.

K7 Media’s managing director, Keri Lewis Brown, said: “This not only strengthens the business but also brings in new and exciting ideas for further growth. We look forward to seeing them develop and flourish in K7 Media throughout 2016.”

This latest appointment adds to Manchester-based K7 Media’s team of experienced media professionals, including former head of entertainment development at ITV Clare Thompson.

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COMMERCIAL law firm HRC Law has continued expanding the team with its appointment of Kulzinder Garcha.

Garcha joins the commercial property team as an assistant solicitor, working alongside partner, Helen Marsh. She joins from Edward Hands and Lewis Solicitors where she acted as a commercial property solicitor.

Garcha has worked in the sector for almost ten years, starting as a paralegal, before taking a focus on commercial property.

She said: “I was looking for a role in which I felt I could be as much a part of building a business as providing legal advice for my clients and as soon as I met the team at HRC, I knew it was the firm for me.”

Marsh, a partner at HRC law said: “HRC only launched as a firm three years ago and the commercial property team is only a year old. We’ve been very active and grown quickly in response to our ambitious client base.”