People: Bentley; Cityheart; Roland Dransfield; Hilton Smythe; DWF; Weightmans; Vermont; NWBLT
Construction consultancy, Bentley, has bolstered its presence in the industry, and the North West especially, through the senior appointment of industrial and logistics director Sonia Desloges.
Sonia joins Bentley’s senior team with more than 20 years of experience in quantity surveying and project management across a range of sectors. In recent years, Sonia has honed her skills in the industrial and logistics sector, with her expertise set to be pivotal to Bentley’s further growth into the space.
Taking her place to support the strategic aims, development and presence of Bentley’s team in the North West from its regional base in Manchester, training is also set to be a key characteristic of her directorship, having experience as the former chair of the RICS QS & Construction Professional Group (Greater Manchester) and as an Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) assessor.
Sonia said: “Every project needs a 360-degree view, from start to finish, to be truly successful. Both through its headquarters in the East Midlands, to the expanding team in the North West, it was clear to me that this holistic approach that is engrained at Bentley is something I wanted to be a part of, and would allow me to utilise my expertise across sectors, and specifically the industrial and logistics sector, to support growth even further.”
Managing director, Jonathon Bentley, said: “To have Sonia join our team is the result of over a decade of hard work to place ourselves as the top contender in the cost consultancy and project management space.
“The opening of our Manchester office over a year ago started a new chapter for the range of our offering across the country.”
::
Penny Langton
North West regeneration business, Cityheart, continues to grow its senior leadership team with the appointment of Penny Langton as marketing director.
A new role for the business, which has bases in Wilmslow and Chester, Penny will be working with the team to help deliver its ambitious pipeline of national regeneration and place making projects.
She joins the business with more than 25 years’ marketing experience, developing brands and bringing them to new audiences to drive growth.
Penny said “I’ve joined the Cityheart team at an exciting time. The projects we’re now delivering are place-defining, creating lasting value for communities and I’m really proud to be part of that.”
Jonny Wrigley, Cityheart CEO, said: “Penny joins us at a really important time for the business, as we’re working on a £750m GDV pipeline of regeneration projects across the UK.
“Her expertise in marketing and bringing brands to life will be fundamental in helping to drive our residential marketing programme and in positioning Cityheart as we expand our activities through collaborative procurement and partnership working with a wide variety of public bodies.”
::
Miri Thomas
Manchester-based PR and communications agency, Roland Dransfield, has appointed Miri Thomas as head of public affairs and stakeholder engagement.
Miri brings more than two decades of experience in business journalism, event hosting, content strategy and place-related storytelling.
She said: “I’ve spent years telling the stories of the businesses powering Greater Manchester – now I get to help shape those stories from the inside. Although I’m an ‘adopted Manc’, Roland Dransfield has always had a deep-rooted commitment to this city. I’m excited to join Lisa and the team to build on that legacy and take it to the next level.”
Founder and CEO, Lisa Morton, said: “Her strategic insight and strong understanding of Greater Manchester make her an invaluable addition to our senior team as we scale up our mission to help purposeful businesses make a lasting impact.”
::
Muhammad Mustafa
Manchester-based business brokerage and financial advisory firm, Hilton Smythe, has strengthened its corporate finance team with two strategic hires.
This comes as the firm expands its corporate finance services and positions itself for growth in the North West.
Muhammad Mustafa joins as corporate finance director, bringing more than a decade of experience from global firms like BDO, Interpath and KPMG.
Joining Muhammad is Mei Yan, formerly of Huajin Corporate Finance in Hong Kong, who takes on the role of M&A associate.
Gareth Smyth, CEO at Hilton Smythe, said: “We’ve worked hard to build our reputation as a hands-on, results-driven brokerage that delivers with care and attention. Now with these new appointments we’re applying that same approach to the wider financial services space.
Mei Yan
“Muhammad brings the senior experience we need to grow our advisory offering and Mei adds international expertise that strengthens our transactional capability.
“These strategic appointments add real firepower to our team as we accelerate growth in corporate finance and support clients through complex deals.”
Muhammad Mustafa said: “What drew me to Hilton Smythe is its clear commitment to doing things differently, a service-led model that prioritises long term relationships over short term wins. The team has built a strong track record in advising SMEs and small-cap businesses, which is where bespoke, hands-on support really makes a difference.”
Muhammad will now lead Hilton Smythe’s Manchester office, helping to shape the firm’s growing corporate finance and advisory offering.
With nearly seven years’ experience in investment banking and advisory, Mei Yan played a key role in the initial public offering of Chinese fintech firm Linklogis Inc, one of the largest in China’s supply chain finance sector.
Mei will support clients through the transaction process, including valuations, financial due diligence and deal structuring.
::
Philip Hendrikx
DWF, the Manchester-based global provider of integrated legal and business services, has appointed Philip Hendrikx as its chief operating officer.
Philip brings a wealth of experience to DWF, most notably having been a client-facing partner at PwC where he led teams providing advisory services to mid-sized, private equity-backed businesses.
Since PwC, he has been the group operations director for Mitie, and vice president for transformation at CBRE, focusing on transforming their businesses for their next phase of growth.
Nigel Knowles, group CEO of DWF, welcomed Philip, saying: “His extensive experience in leading operational transformations will be invaluable as we continue to drive excellence across our business. Philip’s strategic leadership will be instrumental in helping us to achieve operational improvements for the benefit of our colleagues and clients.”
Philip Hendrikx said: “Having spent many years of my career as an advisor to PE-backed companies, I am excited to now join such a firm in DWF. It is an ambitious business which has grown quickly in recent years, investing in technology solutions and processes that are supporting colleague productivity and operational efficiency. I am looking forward to working with the talented team here.”
::
Paul Luukas
Liverpool-based national law firm, Weightmans, has announced a raft of new partner appointments.
In the firm’s health sector, Damian Whitlam joins the Leeds team from Browne Jacobson. In addition, Neil Bhan joins the expanding pensions practice in London from Capsticks, with extensive experience of working with the NHS and other healthcare employers.
As part of plans to grow the firm’s private client practice in Scotland, Donna Brennan, formerly of Blackadders, joins the team in Glasgow.
Elsewhere, Douglas Marshall joins the energy and utilities team in Birmingham, Paul Luukas joins the insolvency and recoveries team based in Liverpool, and competition law specialist Angela Gregson joins the Manchester office, aiming to grow the practice and maintain the firm’s tier 1 status in competition law.
Sarah Walton, managing partner, said: “I am thrilled to welcome our new partners to the firm. Each brings years’ worth of experience that will be instrumental in driving our continued growth and evolution to top 30 and helping us further expand the services we offer our clients. I wish them all the best with their future careers at Weightmans, and I look forward to seeing their contributions.”
::
Mark Connor
Liverpool-based developer and contractor, Vermont, founded in 2004, has set itself on an exciting new path by announcing a new operational board and celebrating its previous move to Employee Ownership.
The new operational board for the construction business will be headed up by Chris Gallagher, supported by Gareth Blower and Paul McGowan, who have both been promoted to operational directors.
The operational board will provide oversight and coordination of the senior team across all construction activities to support the projected growth within the business over the next three years.
Gareth Blower
Chris Gallagher, who joined Vermont in April 2015, will continue his role as managing director of the construction business. Mark Connor will continue to head up Vermont Group’s executive board, together with finance director, Mike Huston, and construction director, Mark Colton.
Mark Connor said: “These changes represent a significant milestone for the Vermont business and will provide a strong platform for Chris Gallagher and the new operational board to grow the business, enabling us to deliver the very exciting pipeline with our clients across the North West.
Paul McGowan
“We have a very clear vision for the future and Chris and the operational board are in good shape to support the team in delivering our core business objectives – it’s a very exciting time for the business.”
Chris Gallagher said: “These changes mark logical steps in Vermont’s journey and we strongly believe this new business model will only help us on our current trajectory of growth.
“There’s a real buzz within the business about implementing our plans and we’re confident we have the right team, partners, stakeholders, and strategy in place to successfully deliver results for our existing and prospective clients in Liverpool and Manchester.”
::
Gill Newman and Martin Jones
The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has welcomed Martin Jones, of Homes Instead UK, and Gill Newman, of Lloyds Bank, as the organisation’s latest members.
As the CEO of Home Instead UK and International, Jones is responsible for leading the homecare provider’s entire UK operations and its 500-plus franchised offices in several international markets.
Jones is chair of The Care Workers’ Charity, a member of the Age UK board as well as former chair and now member of the Homecare Association’s board. He is also chair of the Homes Instead’s UK charitable arm, Homes Instead Charities.
Gill Newman is the deputy regional director for Lloyds Bank’s North and Scotland regions. She leads a team of banking professionals which support businesses with turnovers from £25m to £100m to deliver their strategies and growth aspirations.
Martin Jones said: “Providing job opportunities that are meaningful and which provide opportunities for additional training and upskilling so that we have an empowered care workforce is my passion.”
Gill Newman said: “My banking career began in the North West and has since spanned three decades and senior leadership positions in domestic and international banking in four continents.
“I love the region and its people and it is my privilege to support businesses here. I am looking forward to bringing my expertise and skills to the NWBLT.”
NWBLT chair, Simone Peppi, said: “Their expertise will bolster our team significantly as we seek to continue supporting the region’s economic growth.
“We are excited for their positive impact on our mission, as we continue driving innovation, collaboration and prosperity across the region.”
