People on the Move: Barton Grange Hotel; No Brainer; Run2; CandidSky; Aggressive Growth Marketing; Aaron & Partners
Joseph Henry has been appointed as the new general manager of the privately-owned four-star Barton Grange Hotel in Preston, Lancashire.
His role will include overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the 51-bedroom hotel, as well as managing the team of 100 staff.
Sitting in the heart of the beautiful Lancashire countryside, the hotel boasts extensive, refurbished conference and event spaces for up to 300 people and the walled garden, a restaurant renowned for its showcasing of Lancashire producers.
Joseph will be working to ensure the hotel carries on with its reputation for providing the highest level of accommodation and guest service, as well as excellent local food and drink.
He started his career in hospitality on the De Vere graduate management programme, which gave him first-hand experience and training in hotel management.
From there his career in the industry has flourished and he has spent more than eight years working across a number of management roles with the De Vere Group and Q Hotels.
Joseph is already familiar with the Lancashire area having previously completed a BA Honours in Business and Management at the University of Central Lancashire.
From there he went on to study at Manchester Metropolitan University where he completed a Master’s Degree in Business Management with Events.
Guy Topping, managing director of the Barton Grange Hotel, said: “Joseph brings with him a wealth of valuable experience from some of the UK’s most well know hotel chains, as well as completing high level management training.
“This combination means that Joseph is bringing a wealth of new ideas and fresh opportunities for us to grow the hotel’s business.
“We are very excited and know that, under Joseph’s management, the next 12-months will see great developments.”
Joseph said: “It’s a real honour for me to join the team at the Barton Grange Hotel.
“The hotel has so much to offer both corporate and leisure guests, and, importantly, has an incredible team for whom great, genuine guest service is a must. I am delighted to be working with them and look forward to the challenges ahead.”
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Cheshire PR, social media and content marketing agency, No Brainer, has strengthened its account management teams for 2019 with two new hires.
Having welcomed new clients at the end of 2018, including Optionis, a market-leading professional services provider and FMI, a specialist brand engagement agency, No Brainer is reinforcing its position as an emerging force in North West PR.
Adding to its existing account management team, the agency has hired 30-year-old Jonathan Touhey.
After spending five years with a national construction company and four years at a leading UK telecoms firm, his appointment adds a wealth of B2B experience to the agency.
Anna Williams and Jonathan Touhey
Anna Williams, 21, has also joined as an account executive, having previously spent two years at Shoetique, an online shoe retailer, and time with Character World, a European bedding and textile supplier.
The new hires take the headcount at No Brainer to nine employees and follows another strong year of growth for the agency since it was founded in 2015.
Director and co-founder, Gary Jenkins, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the calibre of talent we have across the business and our latest recruits will certainly bolster the account teams, gearing us up for further growth and development.
“2018 was an amazing year for No Brainer, with an office move, a host of new clients and new team members joining us.
“Now, this year is already shaping up well with a fantastic team in place, some entertaining campaigns planned for our existing clients, and exciting ideas for progression in the pipeline.”
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Run2, the Manchester-based digital marketing agency, has expanded its team with the appointment of Laurence Hebberd as social media manager.
The business has grown its headcount from 12 to 20 in the past three years due to continued client acquisition.
Laurence, a social media specialist from London, has joined from Cubaka and will work alongside Dave Nicoll who is head of social at Run2, who said: “His experience in community management, strategy and organic growth in social agencies is something we’re excited to be adding to the Run2 social team.
“His past clients include Clipper Teas, Mercedes-Benz, GoCompare, Hager Group, Virgin Trains, Whole Earth, Adecco and Orange.”
Laurence said: “I was really impressed by the calibre of clients Run2 is working with and the results the team is generating.
Laurence Hebberd
“All too often in our industry, agencies make bold claims about boosting clients’ businesses with digital marketing, but the substance isn’t there. At Run2, the team’s work speaks for itself.
“It’s a brilliant time to be joining the ever-growing Run2 team, where possibilities to be creative within the agency are endless.”
Managing director Christian McGinty added: “The agency started with search and digital marketing at its core. As we’ve expanded our remit to provide a full-service to clients, it’s great to have talented individuals like Laurence on board as part of the team.
“His past experience is a welcome addition, as is his energy and enthusiasm.”
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Manchester-based digital agency CandidSky has started 2019 with a new hire as it continues to grow its ever-expanding talent pool.
Hannah Wray has joined the content team as a content assistant and follows recent expansions to the agency’s paid and organic search departments.
David Beharall, managing director, said this would help the organisation continue to provide more relevant and useful content: “This recent expansion will further strengthen our capabilities within content marketing and grow our service offering. Moreover, it will fuel more successful cross-channel marketing campaigns for clients.”
Hannah Wray
A former social media and marketing executive, Hannah impressed CandidSky with her solid understanding of marketing principles and eye for excellent design.
Furthermore, her positive attitude really helped her stand out from the more than 200 individuals who applied for the position.
She said: “I decided to work with CandidSky as I’ve been looking to move into an agency for a while now and they seemed like a perfect fit. Not only did they have an amazing company culture, their focus on staff wellbeing was really appealing.”
Content lead Scott Bampton was enthusiastic about Hannah’s appointment to the content team and felt it represented exciting times for the department: “We’ve been lucky enough to celebrate some big new client wins, as well as some increases to retainer work from our existing clients.
“Content is at the very heart of these campaigns, and expanding the team means we can further raise the high standards of work our clients enjoy.
“Those opportunities are only going to increase in 2019, so we’re expecting our clients to continue reaping the financial rewards that come with investing in great content.”
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Rapidly expanding growth marketing firm, Aggressive Growth Marketing, has appointed Daniel Hargreaves as digital marketing specialist.
The Preston-based firm, which also has offices in London, appointed Daniel after being impressed by his track record and commitment to personal development.
The 22-year-old from Preston initially approached the firm in response to a recruitment drive, but lacked sufficient workplace experience to secure a position.
Following feedback from the firm, Daniel embarked on a digital marketing skills training course with Nominet and re-applied for the position once qualified and secured the job.
Kelly Bolton and Daniel Hargreaves
Founded in 2014 by chief executive Kelly Bolton, Aggressive Growth Marketing moved to headquarters in Marshall House, Preston in May 2018, and now employs seven staff members.
With global blue chip clients ranging from private jet firms and cosmetic dentistry practices, through to diamond dealers, the firm focuses on growing business revenue for clients and consistently drives sales.
Kelly said: “The best part of our job is helping talented individuals and businesses to reach their potential.
“Daniel won us over, as he recognised that he didn’t have the necessary experience in the first instance and then went out and got it.
“This persistence is appealing and he has also proven himself to be a very hard worker. As one of our younger employees, he brings a lot knowledge of his generation, for instance he has an affinity with fashion companies and is very skilled with Instagram, which is essential for many of our consumer-orientated clients.”
Daniel said: “Currently I am focusing my time on growth marketing for our range of local and global clients, content writing and making GIFs.
“I’m a creative, motivated and hard-working person who always enjoys working as part of a team. I am constantly looking to push myself, whether it’s learning new skills or setting myself a challenge.”
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Legal practice Aaron & Partners has announced two new appointments to strengthen its Chester-based wills, trusts and tax team.
Following increasing demand from private clients, experienced solicitors Alison Wright and Paul Caslin have both joined the department, which is ranked as one of the best in the country by the highly-regarded Legal 500 directory.
Alison Wright joins the team as a solicitor with more than 20 years’ experience. Much of her career has been spent within the North West and North Wales, where she has worked at several large practices, most recently held head of department and partner roles.
Joining Alison is Paul Caslin, an experienced solicitor specialising in private client work.
Alison Wright, Paul Caslin and Clive Pointon
Having graduated from The University of Law in Chester, he has worked at legal practices across the North West and will now use his experience to support the team across a number of key areas.
“We’re delighted to be continuing to grow our wills, trust and tax team in Chester as we keep up with the demand of new instructions and additional work for our existing clients,” said Aaron & Partners’ head of wills, trust and tax, Clive Pointon.
“Securing your wealth and assets for the future has never been more important, and in these uncertain economic times we’re seeing greater demand from private clients who want considered advice to ensure their finances are being looked after in their best interests.
“Alison and Paul bring a wealth of experience, skills and knowledge to the team and there’s no doubt their appointments will provide our clients with even more added value.”
