People: RBS; NatWest; NorthEdge Capital & more
THE Royal Bank of Scotland has announced the appointment of Liam Kane as regional director of commercial banking for the North and Scotland.
Kane will head up the commercial banking team responsible for supporting SME customers across the North West, Yorkshire, North Derbyshire, North East and Scotland.
He has 10 local directors of commercial banking reporting into him along with their respective relationship management and specialist sector teams.
Kane will be based at the bank’s Mosley Street office in Manchester but will also work across the North.
He has more than 28 years’ experience in banking having started his career at NatWest in 1988 and worked his way up to his most recent role of regional director for Yorkshire, Humber and North Derbyshire at NatWest.
Liam’s appointment demonstrates the Royal Bank of Scotland’s continued commitment to strengthening their management team and driving forward their support of local businesses.
Across the Manchester region Kane will work closely with his team of directors including Chris Salt in Manchester, Mike Lamont in Greater Manchester, Philip Pugh in the real estate team, Gault Picken in Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales, Anne-Marie Jones in the North West healthcare team and Stephen Ford in Preston and Lancashire.
Kane said: “I am excited about working with my colleagues to support a wide range of local businesses to facilitate their growth strategies. We have a vision to be the favourite commercial bank and as a team we are focused on putting people at the heart of modern banking, supporting customer ambitions, providing outstanding customer service and growing our business.”
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NATWEST has made Jamie Grimshaw senior relationship manager in its Bolton-based commercial banking team.
His role will be to support a range of SME customers across the area.
This includes providing proactive support, bespoke funding solutions and great customer service to SMEs with revenue of between £2m to £25m across the region as well as developing business relationships with new customers.
Grimshaw has been working for NatWest for more than 16 years and has most recently served as a relationship manager in Wigan and Greater Manchester.
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NORTHEDGE Capital, the private equity house that invests in businesses in the North of England, has hired Ben Wildsmith as portfolio director to help deliver new deals across the North of England.
Wildsmith has more than 15 years of corporate finance experience. 
He joins NorthEdge from EY where he was corporate finance director responsible for leading the regional debt advisory business.
Before to that he specialised in business reorganisations and operational change gaining expertise in advising family and owner managed businesses.
The appointment follows the successful close of NorthEdge’s Fund II, which at the beginning of March hit its hard cap of £300m. With total funds under management at the firm now in excess of half a billion pounds, Ben will be responsible for growing and developing the firm’s existing portfolio as well as looking for new investments.
Wildsmith said: “The new role represents an excellent opportunity to work in a thriving environment at a progressive, growing firm.
“The greater scope for responsibility, opportunity, and influence in a business’ decision-making process is an exciting prospect. I look forward to working with the team to achieve NorthEdge’s ambitious growth strategy and am delighted to join the firm.”
Dan Wright, partner, chief operating officer and head of portfolio at NorthEdge, said: “Our commitment to providing a diligent, extensive service to both our existing portfolio businesses and potential clients is a key principle of our mission at NorthEdge.
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BLACKPOOL-based All in Property has boosted its senior management team with the appointment of Elizabeth Wade as client services manager.
Wade will oversee delivery of services, while driving efficiencies and process improvements throughout the business. 
She joins All in Property from personal finance company Rockstead where she was operations manager and was tasked with helping to develop and grow the business.
Wade previously spent 13 years as head of litigation and asset management at Kensington Mortgages, where she managed a team of five, working to ensure full adherence to the robust service level agreements.
She said: “I’ve joined an enthusiastic and passionate team which thrives on delivering results in what can often be a challenging market.
“All in Property is a long established business with a wealth of experience and I’m looking forward to working alongside talented and driven people who have a real appetite to develop and expand into new markets.”
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THREE new partners have been appointed at Manchester and Cheshire-based law firm Slater Heelis.
Hannah Al-Shaghana, Georgina Bradshaw and Phillip Rhodes have all been promoted to partner level.
Al-Shaghana is a commercial property lawyer whose expertise encompasses all aspects of commercial property work including acquisitions and disposals, secured lending and all landlord and tenant matters.
Rhodes is a resolution-accredited family lawyer and mediator. He specialises in complex issues that arise following the breakdown of a relationship, divorce and civil partnership dissolution.
Bradshaw is a private client team lawyer specialising in areas involving mental capacity and Court of Protection work.
Chris Bishop, managing partner of Slater Heelis, said: “I’m delighted Hannah, Georgina and Phillip have all accepted the offer of partnership here at the firm. We’re committed to rewarding talented lawyers and this shows that we’re a firm keen to invest in the future of the practice in multiple disciplines.”
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INTERNATIONAL law firm Trowers & Hamlins says Lynn James will return as partner to its Manchester-based property litigation and dispute resolution team.
James initially joined Trowers & Hamlins in 2009, leading the property litigation group in Manchester. She joins from DWF where she worked for a number of years supporting both private sector and social housing clients across the North West and Yorkshire.
She brings technical expertise not only in residential leasehold practice but also mortgage risk management work for a broad range of UK banks.
James said: “It will be a privilege to return to the team in Manchester as we look to grow this part of the business with registered providers, private sector landlords and financial institutions. Trowers & Hamlins has always added significant value to its clients.”
Anthony Yates, partner from Trowers & Hamlins, said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome Lynn back to our expanding Property Litigation Team. Her breadth of experience in a number of areas including leasehold management, commercial property litigation and social housing litigation will be of significant value to our clients and a great asset to us as we continue to grow in the future.”
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FIONA Flint has joined CBRE’s Manchester office as senior planner in a move from Savills.
Her arrival follows on from a series of senior promotions as part of an ambitious expansion and strengthening strategy for the North West planning and development department.
Harry Bolton has recently been promoted to director, Emma Warren to associate director and Edward Harvey to senior planner, with further appointments anticipated in the forthcoming months.
