People: IBI Group; Vincents Solicitors; Wates Construction & more
IBI Group has restructured its UK and Ireland leadership team after announcing Paul Hewes as regional director supported by newly appointed deputy regional directors Neil Lewin and Graeme Scott.
As a member of the international leadership team, Hewes will be focused on advancing the continued transformation and growth of the 250-strong UK practice, part of the $300m global design and technology firm.
Manchester-based architect Neil Lewin, will be responsible for developing IBI’s contribution to urban development in the UK. This will include building on the portfolio from North America, and further growing the multi-disciplinary infrastructure business.
The team will be based in three offices across the North West in Liverpool, Handforth, Cheshire, and Rochdale and comprises 120 professionals dedicated to place making, including health, education, residential and town centre developments.
Lewin said: “We have an expert team of architects, urban designers, planners and landscape architects with an excellent reputation for private sector and social infrastructure development across the UK and Ireland.
“We are dedicated to bringing sustainable urbanism to the Northern Powerhouse and the Greater London market place, deploying our highly successful multidisciplinary team.”
Scott, who joined IBI Group’s Glasgow studio in 2001, will be responsible for creating synergies across IBI’s services for the benefit of our clients.
Scott said: “IBI’s strength lies in our ability to fuse design and technology to provide our clients with unique solutions. We are looking to significantly develop this value-added offering over the coming months to improve the way we design connected urban environments.”
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VINCENTS Solicitors is investing heavily in its personal injury department, expanding across all three subdivisions with new fee earners and support staff.
Cath Pearson has been appointed head of the RTA division, overseeing the seven-strong team that deals with claims involving road traffic accidents.
Formerly a PI solicitor with Lancashire firms Inghams and Scott Rees, Pearson was most recently running a legal training consultancy, which she left to take on the Vincents’ role.
She said: “Vincents is dealing with more and more PI work, with clients coming from our across the country and even overseas to get support with claims regarding accidents and injuries sustained while in the UK.
“Helping victims of RTAs has long been my area of expertise and I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to put together a hand-picked team of specialists to help grow the department further.”
Among Pearson’s team is Eva Slater, a recently hired litigation executive with more than six years’ PI experience. Originally from the Czech Republic, Slater speaks five languages, including Polish and German, which are particularly useful when acting for foreign clients injured while visiting or working in the UK.
Growth in the PI department workload has also seen the expansion of the clinical negligence division, under director Carlos Lopez, with the arrival of trainee solicitor Rachel Simms from Birchall Blackburn Law.
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WATES Construction has made a move to enhance its strategic project delivery across the Midlands and North with the appointment of Tom Rice as design director.
Reporting to Wates Construction’s managing director for the Midlands and North, Phil Harrison, Rice will be responsible for developing Wates’ design management function in the North and for the implementation of the group design strategy.
He will be advising on factors such as design supply chain, scope of service, compliance and design risk management. He will also take a hands-on approach in the delivery of the business’ major projects in the North, maintaining Wates’ high standards in design and build quality.
Rice joins Wates from Laing O’Rourke where he was head of design management for construction North and Scotland. He is a chartered architect with 25 years’ experience in the construction industry with an impressive portfolio that includes the Trinity Retail development in Leeds and Manchester Town Hall and Central Library.
Harrison said: “Tom’s extensive experience in cultivating high standards in the design and delivery of high profile projects will further enhance our client offer. His strong leadership skills and ability to foster close relationships with clients are a perfect fit for the Wates business. I’m delighted to have him on board.”
Tom lives in Liverpool and will be based from Wates Construction’s North West office in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
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THE Manchester office of CBRE has appointed Peter Linstead as a graduate surveyor within its North West Industrial Agency team.
He joins from Ball & Percival where he held the position of property adviser.
In his new role, Linstead will be involved in a number of new instructions including; Stockport Trading Estate, Chesford Grange in Warrington, Astra Business Park at Trafford Park, Ringway Trading Estate in Wythenshawe and Premier Park in Winsford.
Paul Cook, senior director for the Industrial Agency team in Manchester, said: “We are delighted to welcome Peter to CBRE’s Manchester office. We are confident that he will be a real asset to the Industrial Agency team, which continues to expand following a number of key successes in 2015 and a positive outlook for the year ahead as the market continues to gather momentum.”
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MELANIE Cheung-Turner has been appointed marketing director at Citation, a specialist in health & safety, employment law, HR and ISO providers.
She joins Citation from Morrisons Supermarket. In her new role, Cheung-Turner will head up the marketing team of 13, driving the department forward and ensuring that customer-centricity is at the heart of everything it does.
Her objective is to develop and deliver a fully integrated multi-channel marketing strategy which focuses on acquiring clients through new routes to market along with retaining existing clients by introducing them to innovative products provided by Citation.
Cheung-Turner, from Liverpool, has enjoyed a successful 18 year career in marketing, holding senior positions at a number of well-known retail brands, including Morrisons, Johnson Cleaners and Shop Direct.
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BUSINESS lender Reward Finance Group has appointed experienced financier Russell Holt as business development director for the North West, as the company looks to secure further deals within the region as part of a continued growth strategy following a record 2015.
Having worked in both the business advisory and asset based lending sectors for more than 20 years, Russell brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise from previous jobs including a partner role at UHY Hacker Young’s Manchester office and National Head of Sales for Catalyst Finance.
Holt said: “I am delighted to be starting my new role at Reward and I am looking forward to developing the client portfolio in the North West. Reward is an innovative financier whose speed of delivery is a real differentiator within the finance sector, and it is exciting to be working with such a dynamic and successful team.”
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SIGNATURE Living co-founder Lawrence Kenwright has been appointed a City of Liverpool College Governor.
Kenwright, the driving force behind Signature Living, an emerging force in the hotel and accommodation sector which has a string of top city centre hotels and apartments such as the Grade II 30 James Street and the Shankly hotel, will bring his expertise to the current board on construction, digital and social media.
The entrepreneur, who set up Signature Living in 2008 with wife Katie, started out with just one apartment. After just seven years, the company now boasts an impressive property portfolio that includes two luxury hotels, student accommodation as well as an array of serviced apartments situated across the city.
kENWRIGHT said: “It is an honour to join the College’s board of Governors.
“I am proud to have been appointed Governor to offer my expertise within the different industries I am involved in.”
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THE management team in charge of new family attraction Mattel Play! Liverpool has been appointed.
Graham Dentith is the general manager and Jessica Edwards takes the role of commercial manager at the Albert Dock-based attraction which is due to open this spring.
Dentith has around 30 years’ experience managing family-focused attractions across the UK including working with United Cinemas International (UK) Ltd to launch children’s film clubs throughout the UK and Ireland.
Other career highlights for Graham include being deputy chief executive for High Peak Theatre Trust in Buxton, general and commercial manager for The Lake District National Park Authority at Brockhole and as general manager for The Clarence Dock Company in Leeds.
Edwards brings to Mattel Play! Liverpool her experience working in various children’s play centres across the region and as a resort team manager for Thomson Holidays.
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INTEGRATED PR and communications agency Influential has made two new appointments to its team.
Chris Bradley has joined the company as an account manager and Robert Jenkins has been appointed as a senior account executive.
Bradley is an award-winning former national newspaper journalist, who joins the agency from a role as news editor at press agency Mercury Press and Media.
He will be working across a range of accounts at Influential, including The Beatles Story, Liverpool ONE, developer Downing, and law firm Kirwans.
Jenkins’ PR and communications experience spans the digital, anti-fraud, fin-tech, gaming, retail and finance sectors.
He is working across Influential’s B2B portfolio on clients including the International Festival for Business 2016 (IFB2016), UK construction plc Morgan Sindall, and wealth management company Quilter Cheviot.
Sara Wilde-McKeown, Influential’s managing director, said: “It’s great to be welcoming Chris and Rob to the team. They’re both very credible operators, with clearly defined strengths which complement and build on the agency’s existing areas of specialism.”
