People on the move: PwC; AECOM; Gas Tag; Calderpeel Architects; JustUs
PwC, the leading professional services firm, have appointed Steve Feery as the finance partner for the North West.
Feery is a highly skilled finance director and CEO with a proven record of achievement and over 25 years’ experience in senior management accountancy and director roles leading successful enterprises, including PLCs, in the technology, construction, commercial property and IT sectors.
He has also been the CEO of a mid-range construction group, a software business and managed his own modular housing company.
Feery’s experience includes debt and equity fund raising, the sale and acquisition of businesses, international expansion, business turnaround and strategic planning and he has a wealth of financial and management experience in the SME space.
Based in Manchester, he will be responsible for PwC’s MyFinancepartner proposition, the flexible, outsourced accounting and business support service, across the North West. Freery will support SME’s with accounting, management information, tax, interim CFO and part time FD meetings.
He said: “I am looking forward to be able to work alongside the many SMEs across the North West helping them to maximise growth opportunities, providing sustainable strategic solutions and helping them improve competitive performance, increase revenues, market share and profits.”
Tony Price, leader of the My Financepartner service and PwC partner added: “My Financepartner was developed to support businesses to grow by giving them the tools and insight they need to make better decisions.
“Whilst our ability to harness the latest in cloud-enabled technology and management information reporting has always been a core part of how we do that, we set ourselves apart from our competition with the quality of advice and support these businesses receive from experienced finance professionals; hence the name ‘My Financepartner’.
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AECOM, the global infrastructure services firm, has hired Becky Mather as fegional design director in the North of England.
Mather’s focus will be on Scape’s Perfect Circle Built Environment Consultancy Framework and the Homes and Community Agency Surplus Public Sector Land Framework.
Mather, a landscape architect by background, joins AECOM from IBI in Manchester where she served as discipline lead, focusing largely on master planning constrained schemes.
She said: “AECOM’s reputation both locally and globally is exceptional. I plan to grow my passion for advocating a truly multi-disciplinary approach to placemaking at AECOM. I have a particular interest in unlocking difficult sites, which aligns well with the frameworks I will be focusing on.”
Richard Green, business unit lead, buildings and places (North of England), said: “We are ambitious to attract the best in the industry so that we can continue our exciting growth journey in the North of England and keep improving our integrated offer to our clients. With Becky’s extensive experience, she will be a wonderful addition to our team.”
Mather will be based in AECOM’s Manchester office, working closely with Bob Perkins, economic director, and Alan Houghton, planning lead.
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Liverpool-based tech company Gas Tag has appointed John Roche as operations director as it gears up to officially launch its innovative gas safety product to the consumer market.
Roche, formerly Head of consultancy and analytics at Callcredit Information Group, will be responsible for overseeing and developing the operational structure in order to enable the significant growth aspirations of the business.
He has 29 years’ experience in the UK and European financial services marketplace working in senior management positions for Barclays Bank and then Europe’s largest debt purchaser, Aktiv Kapital.
His most recent position has included working across multiple financial and non-financial sectors offering help and support to businesses on their operational structure, strategies and data optimisation throughout the whole of the customer lifecycle.
Roche said: “I am very pleased to be joining Gas Tag at such an exciting time. Throughout my career, I have always sought opportunities to drive innovative change and be involved in start-up environments – Gas Tag ticks both of those boxes and also many more.
“The pioneering Gas Tag solution will revolutionise the gas safety industry and ultimately save lives through the intelligent use of technology; that is something I want to be a part of.”
The appointment brings the number of Gas Tag employees to 16 and marks the first of a further five posts to be recruited over the coming months as they expand into the UK consumer market.
The company is also in partnership talks with housing associations and private landlords who collectively own or manage 1.5 million homes across the UK, and are already well underway in getting the Gas Tag system to cover all of their properties.
Stephen Ullathorne, chief executive of Gas Tag, said: “John will bring huge knowledge and experience to Gas Tag as we cement our moves into the wider public and private sector markets. I’m sure that he will be instrumental in helping to take Gas Tag forward in revolutionising gas safety and efficiency in the UK.”
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Cheshire-based Calderpeel Architects has welcomed two new architects aboard after they have both passed their final exams.
Patrick Taft and Adam Granby have now passed the advanced diploma in professional practice in architecture, known in the industry as Part 3, to become fully-qualified architects.
After more than eight years of study and industry experience, both are now professionally recognised as architects by the Architects Registration Board and can now legally be called an architect. They have also become chartered members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Taft, who lives in Liverpool and joined Calderpeel in 2015, said: “After all the studying, it’s a huge sense of satisfaction to have finally completed my Part 3. I’m looking forward to really getting stuck into more exciting projects as a fully-qualified architect.”
Granby, who lives in Widnes and joined the Altrincham, Greater Manchester-based practice in 2014, added: “I’ve always wanted to be an architect, but it’s a long hard road to becoming professionally qualified. It feels great to have reached that goal, I’m looking forward to progressing my career here.”
Ewen Miller, managing director of Calderpeel Architects, said: “I’m proud of Patrick and Adam. It’s important to us as a practice to keep the next generation of architects coming through and It’s great to see them growing and developing their careers with us.”
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Mike Moroney has been appointed as chief operating officer at the financial adviser JustUs office in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.
Moroney joins from Santander where he has spent the last nine years supervising financial advisers throughout the North West as part of the FCA senior manager regime.
He is Mis well known to the JustUs team and the mortgage community at large, having spent thirteen years working closely with Lee Birkett, JustUs CEO, as a director of the specialist lending division for Prestbury Holdings between 1995 and 2008.
Birkett said: “Mike is one of the most competent mortgage professionals in the UK – with our growth plans about to get into full swing, a leader of Mike’s ability is a key appointment to kick start our exciting business plan.”
Moroney said: “I’m delighted to be joining the JustUs team and relish the opportunity to support the ongoing growth of the business. This is a huge and exciting opportunity to make a significant difference in the current market. The priority is to now build on the already strong team to deliver excellent customer service and implement the focussed expansion of the business.”
