People on the move: KPMG; PwC; Rethink Group; Savills; RIBA; Canning O’Neill

THE Liverpool office of business advisory firm KPMG has strengthened its local corporate finance team in response to a buoyant M&A landscape and a strong pipeline of transactions.

Philip Sarthou joins the team as an associate from Dow Schofield Watts Corporate Finance where he spent two years advising shareholders and corporates on disposals, acquisitions, MBOs and refinances.
 
Since establishing a permanent presence in the region, KPMG’s Liverpool deal advisory team has worked on some of the highest profile deals, including the sale of Sykes Cottages to Living Bridge, Equistone’s MBO of Wealth at Work, the sale of Aimia Foods to Cott Corporation and recently, the sale of a portfolio of pharmacies to The Hub Pharmacy.

Mark Booth, head of deal advisory at KPMG Liverpool, said: “We’ve seen a strong appetite for North West prospects from both UK and international trade buyers and private equity.

“Investing in the next generation of corporate finance talent is integral to our ongoing success. Adding Phillip to our team of experienced advisors will let us take full advantage of opportunities and continue providing truly local support in the region.”

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PWC North has appointed two new partners – Emma Suchland and Phil Storer. Both join from BDO and are already well known across the North West business community.

Suchland and Storer will continue to work very closely together at PwC and further strengthen PwC’s private business team, who are passionate about supporting private businesses through their life cycle.

Suchland, a tax partner, has more than 15 years’ experience of advising North West businesses and their owners as they grow whether organically, through acquisition or international expansion; as well as supporting them with succession planning, managing people and risk.

Storer has been an audit partner for 12 years and has more than 20 years’ experience of working with North West businesses.   

He has worked with some of the region’s largest and best known businesses during his career and is experienced in advising privately owned, listed and private equity backed businesses.   

Graham Parsons, PwC’s North assurance business unit leader, said:  “I am extremely pleased to welcome both Emma and Phil to PwC’s North West practice.

“These appointments further signify the ongoing commitment to invest in our people and increase our capability by bringing in key specialisms.

“Our ongoing strategy is to build the right team of specialists so that we can continue to help our clients be successful. This strategy is designed to benefit our clients and shows our commitment to recruit the best talent.”

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GLOBAL recruiter Rethink Group has announced the appointment of Sally Strutt as its Manchester-based HR manager.

Strutt joins the organisation following an eight-year tenure at Ticketmaster where she managed the HR team in Manchester.

Her new role will see her implement HR policy and colleague guidance across Rethink Group’s international brands including ReThink Recruitment, which is located around the UK, Digital Gurus which is based in London, Manchester, the UAE and Australia, Global operator RTM, Cognita and Ireland-based Berkley.

Strutt said: “I am thrilled to be taking on a new challenge with Rethink; this was absolutely the right time for me to move and work with an organisation that’s growing globally.”

She will work directly with Rethink Group CEO Andy Lord to formalise Rethink’s generous employee flexible benefits package which includes; paid time off for charity work, personal training sessions, a generous enhanced maternity and shared parental leave policy – including a £5,000 bonus offered to parents returning from maternity leave – plus a flexible approach to working hours and location, enabling employees to find a true work life balance.

Rethink CEO Andy Lord said: “It’s brilliant to have Sally on board. As well as ensuring our colleagues are engaged and rewarded she’ll also be working with me on Next Destination – an initiative that ensures everyone in the business is being developed, invested in and working to their greatest ability.”

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INTERNATIONAL real estate adviser Savills has expanded the team at its Manchester office by welcoming six new graduate surveyors.
 
The appointments include Camilla Reece-Trapp who graduated from the University of Oxford in 2013 and has since studied abroad at the Japan University of Economics and the University of Leuven in Belgium, as well as undertaking property placements at JLL and Colliers International in Bristol.
   
The new recruits also include Jay Duffield, who gained a first class honours degree in estate management at Northumbria University encompassing a placement year as part of the business space team at Legat Owen in Chester.  

They are joined by Jonathan Williams who studied a real estate degree at the University of Reading, including an eight-week internship at DTZ in 2015.

Chris Keen has joined the building surveying team as a graduate whilst also studying MSc commercial building surveying at LJMU.  He previously worked at Westfield Europe Limited in London, overseeing temporary retail fit outs for five years.
 
Additionally, James Robertson and Ricardo Gutierrez-Inostroza have joined the Manchester office as graduate surveyors within the last 12 months and form part of the 2016 intake.

James Evans, head of Savills Manchester, said: “We are pleased to have welcomed these six individuals as graduate surveyors, who will continue working closely with our experienced teams to develop their skills and knowledge.  Many senior directors across the Savills business began in graduate roles and we are proud of our commitment to nurturing talent through the graduate scheme.”

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JONATHAN Falkingham, the Liverpool-based co-founder and creative director of regeneration company Urban Splash, has been appointed as a Fellow of the RIBA.

He is one of just 30 professionals to receive the accolade; bestowed in recognition of RIBA’s inspirational Chartered members, who have shown real contribution to architecture, the profession and the community.

“It’s a real honour to receive this recognition from the world’s leading architecture organisation,” said Jonathan.

“The work RIBA does in raising the profile of the profession, nurturing those who choose this incredible career path, and waving the flag for excellence in architecture is fantastic. The 29 other Fellows are hugely admirable in their diversity and accomplishments and I am thrilled to be chosen on a par with them.”

Architect Falkingham, who co-founded shedkm architects in Liverpool in 1991 with Dave King (another recipient of the award) and Urban Splash with Tom Bloxham in 1993, has been responsible for the transformation of many of the UK’s derelict heritage buildings and Brownfield sites – using great design to turn them into modern homes, workspaces and communities.

Notable high profile projects include Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, Sheffield’s Park Hill and ‘hoUSe’ – Urban Splash’s modular concept which offers a fresh, design-led approach to modern housing.

In 2013 he was awarded an MBE for services to architecture and urban regeneration; a year later, he received an Honorary Fellowship from Liverpool John Moores University, in recognition of his services to entrepreneurship and regeneration.

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MANCHESTER-based office property consultancy Canning O’Neill has announced the promotion of John Nash to director, bringing all four of its fee-earners up to director level.

The announcement coincides with the news that the consultancy, which next year celebrates its 20th year in business, is to partner with construction and property consultancy BWP to widen its service offer for clients.

Nash joined Canning O’Neill in 2013, having worked for Bruntwood and run his own agency prior to that. Since joining Canning O’Neill, he has built up a solid client base counting CEG, MCR, Canada Life, Bruntwood, GGM Properties and Urban Splash among some of the organisations he represents.

Mark Canning, director at Canning O’Neill, said: “John has been instrumental in helping us grow our business over the last few years and it’s only fitting that we should be celebrating his promotion at the same time as reaching this company milestone.
 
BWP took space at Canning O’Neill’s offices earlier this year.  The company provides professional advice on a range of building surveying and construction related issues from strategic dilapidations advice through to project management of office fit outs.

To further enhance the professional services offered, John Valentine, formally of Dunlop Heywood has recently joined Darren Bailey and the team at BWP as director.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the office sector, Valentine previously project managed a number of high profile office fit-outs in the North West including the new Autotrader Headquarters on First Street and Avecto’s offices at Trident Business Park.

Canning continued: “As an independent, transactional agency, we need to constantly evolve and widen our service offer in order to compete with the larger firms. Partnering with BWP has and will help us maintain our agility and independence which comes with being a small firm, yet enable us to provide a wider service from under one roof.”

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