People on the move: Women in Property; Assura; White Rabbit Creative

Women in Property has announced its new North West Chairman for 2018/19.

Chithra Marsh, associate director at Buttress, takes on the role from March 1 for one year.

Marsh who has been a member of Women in Property for five years, is a qualified architect with more than 20 years’ post graduate experience in commercial practice.

During her career, she has worked on a broad range of projects in both the private and public sectors.

In early 2018, she joined Buttress, where in addition to delivering her own projects, she is responsible for developing and implementing the practice’s business development strategy.

She said, “This year marks 100 years since women were given the right to vote. It is also the year in which Manchester has been named one of seven Centenary Cities, selected for its strong link to the suffragette movement. Against this backdrop, it is a privilege to take up the position as North West Chairman for 2018.

“While we continue to make great progress in correcting the gender imbalance in the property and construction industry, challenges relating to diversity and inclusivity in the workforce still need to be overcome.

“The North West committee is made up of women from a range of disciplines, backgrounds and ethnicities, and I look forward to working with them to deliver a programme of events that champion diversity in the broadest sense of the word, helping us move towards a truly inclusive working culture.”

Gavin Sorby, managing director at Buttress, added, “We are proud to support Chithra as she takes up the role as Chairman. Having been an active and dedicated member of Women in Property for a number of years, she is well placed to drive the North West branch forward, and we welcome the positive impact she will make over the forthcoming year.”

In the North West area, Women in Property offers a broad range of networking, CPD and mentoring events, the majority of which are open to men and women.

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Warrington healthcare property investor Assura has welcomed four new additions to its team as 2018 gets off to a strong start.
The primary care building specialist has expanded its portfolio and development teams to keep pace with its pipeline of new GP premises around the country, and with improvement work for existing buildings to create more space and better infrastructure for practices.

Surveyors Lisa Grierson and Nathalie McCann join the portfolio team from Manchester Airports Group and DB Symmetry respectively.

Before MAG, Grierson worked across the North West as a property and acquisitions manager for Lidl UK, while McCann comes to Assura following earlier experience with Whitaker Horton in Manchester.

Also joining Assura in the development team are chartered surveyors Jonathan Webb and Ashley Seymour, who take on senior development manager roles.

Formerly directors of Matrix Medical – a specialist developer of medical centre buildings which has worked closely with Assura for many years – Webb and Seymour bring with them almost 30 years of joint experience on primary care developments for GPs and NHS trusts, and continue to support practices they have worked with.

Assura’s head of development, Simon Gould said: “Our partnership projects with Matrix Medical over the years have been some of the most rewarding, creating state-of-the-art infrastructure for practices who’ve waited many years for the space and facilities they need for primary care in the future.

“Bringing Jonathan and Ashley’s expertise on board completes the final stage of our ambitions to work together ever more closely and we look forward to some exciting results.”

Head of property Spencer Kenyon said: “Our relationships with our GP tenants is the heart of our business and it’s the strength of our portfolio team which delivers the bespoke service for practices. We’re delighted to have Nathalie and Lisa on board, who both bring an invaluable mix of experience to the table.”

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From a springboard of business growth and new client wins, Manchester-based branding and design specialist White Rabbit Creative has made three senior level appointments in the last three months.
White Rabbit’s new recruits, Laura Lancaster, Michael Nasralla and Nathan Ball, boost the combined experience of the team to more than 60 years in marketing, branding and design.

Design duo, Ball and Nasralla bring with them a stellar reputation in the packaging industry and add to the team’s international credentials.

Lancaster is tasked with acting as custodian of client experience, having led and successfully grown major accounts in previous roles.

Nasralla brings a wealth of experience, having worked closely with start-up brands and as lead creative on global pitch wins. His impressive portfolio spans household names including Next, Nisa, Walmart, Co-op and Sam’s Club account, where he oversaw an international team of designers and led on brand and packaging strategy.

Ball’s portfolio includes household brands such as Aquafresh, Cadburys and Wrigleys, covering all aspects from strategic brand positioning and design, through to conceptual NPD.

Lancaster joins White Rabbit from global agency Momentum Worldwide. She has worked with clients such as American Express and blu E-Cigarettes – and helped curate effective brand experiences for The London Film Festival, Manchester United and Concha Y Toro Wines.