People on the Move: LDC; Beever & Struthers; Harrison Drury; Safer Sphere; Quantuma

Dale Alderson and Aziz Ul-Haq

LDC, the mid-market private equity investor, has strengthened its team in Manchester with two senior hires.

The appointments of Dale Alderson and Aziz Ul-Haq as directors creates a nine-strong team in Manchester and underpins the firm’s pledge to invest £200m in businesses across the North of the UK over the next 12 months.

Dale joins the team as a director and makes the move from LDC in Yorkshire, where he held the position of investment director. He has worked at LDC since 2012 and has played an integral role on a number of LDC’s most successful investment partnerships.

This includes LDC’s successful partnership with global games developer and publisher Team17, helping the management team to acquire a complementary development studio and then list on London’s AIM market in 2018. Before joining LDC, Dale spent more than 10 years in professional services with Deloitte and EY.

Aziz Ul-Haq joins as director from Deloitte, where he was partner in the firm’s M&A advisory team.

With more than 20 years’ experience in corporate finance and private equity, he specialised in preparing businesses for investment and supporting buy-and-build activity, and advised businesses across a range of sectors including support services, travel and energy.

Aziz brings extensive international experience having led Deloitte’s M&A team in the Middle East for three years and, more recently, worked with its US firm across different client and investor groups.

In his new role, Aziz will work closely with the team in Manchester to identify opportunities to expand LDC’s portfolio in the North West and support the growth ambitions of management teams across the region.

Jonathan Bell, Head of LDC in the North West, said: “The North West is home to some of the UK’s most dynamic and ambitious organisations, and we’re pleased to welcome Aziz and Dale to the team as we work with businesses across the region to help them expand and drive growth.”

Dale Alderson said: “Our team in Manchester has a strong track record for establishing partnerships that drive growth and value, and I’m looking forward to working closely with the team as we further strengthen our relationships with management teams across the North West.”

Aziz Ul-Haq added: “LDC’s portfolio in the North West is recognised as one of the most diverse and dynamic groups of private equity-backed businesses in the region, making this an exciting time to be joining the team in Manchester. I’m looking forward to building relationships with the team’s existing portfolio, as well as new management teams to help them realise the full potential of their business.”

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Lee Cartwright is joining Manchester-based accountants and business advisors Beever and Struthers today (May 1) as an audit partner within the firm’s social housing sector team having spent 24 years at Mazars, where he was most recently UK head of housing and Birmingham office managing partner.

Alongside 24 years’ experience of internal and external audit, Lee is a well-respected thought leader in the social housing sector and provides specialist consultancy in the areas of governance, regulatory compliance, risk management and risk appetite, and business assurance frameworks.

Lee Cartwright

He said: “I’m joining Beever and Struthers at this incredibly exciting time for the firm and am thrilled to be working with a great team of partners and staff to help create a truly national footprint building on their already excellent reputation in the housing sector”.

Maria Hallows, head of social housing and executive partner at Beever and Struthers, said: “We are pleased that Lee has chosen to join our team at Beever and Struthers. We are very proud of our reputation and standing within the social housing sector, and Lee joining us will only enhance that further. We truly believe that we can provide a service offering to rival others, whilst retaining that personal contact we feel is so important in looking after our clients.”

Formed more than 100 years ago, Beever and Struthers has a strong not-for-profit reputation based on the provision of high quality, tailored services to the UK social housing sector. The firm is one of the UK’s leading independent accountancy practices with offices in Manchester, London and Blackburn.

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Preston law firm Harrison Drury has made another senior appointment within its private client team with wills and inheritance expert Victoria Cross joining the firm.

Victoria joins as associate solicitor having previously been at Napthens for eight years.

She has expertise in inheritance tax planning as part of the preparation of wills for business owners and high-net-worth families.

As a member of Solicitors for the Elderly and the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners (STEP), she also undertakes estate and trusts administration and Court of Protection work.

Victoria Cross

Her appointment comes just a few weeks after Elizabeth Fletcher also joined the firm’s private client team.

Director Eve Carter said: “Victoria is a welcome addition to our private client team. Her knowledge will further strengthen the specialist wills and inheritance advice we offer to wealthy families, individuals and business owners. Victoria will be working with our commercial teams to offer an enhanced service to our business clients.

“She will also support the specialist work we do with older clients, offering later life advice for high net worth clients which complements the complex Court of Protection cases we’re involved in.”

Victoria, who will be based primarily at the firm’s Preston office, said: “Harrison Drury appealed to me because of its strong commercial presence in the region and the work it does helping business and property owners, and many others, to protect their assets for the future.

“It feels good to be part of the team and helping to guide our clients through some of the most important decisions they will ever make.”

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Construction design and management (CDM) and construction safety specialists Safer Sphere has appointed a new director to assist managing director Mike Forsyth with the day to day running of the St Helens-based business.

Jonathan King, formerly head of safety management at WYG and head of project safety at Edmond Shipway, has been brought into the business to help with its growth strategy from the North West headquaeters, operating nationally across the firm’s three offices.

Jonathan has a wealth of experience in CDM and construction health and safety having worked on projects ranging from £20m to £750m across the UK.

Jonathan King

He said: “The business has seen growth year-on-year and what Mike and the team have achieved in this time has been exceptional. The company has started to get noticed, not only in the industry, but as a successful business which has been proven by the multiple award wins and nominations and by the key projects the business is working on.

“I am looking forward to working with Mike and the team and using my knowledge and experience from previous roles.”

Mike Forsyth said: “We are delighted to have Jonathan on board with us. He is an excellent fit for our business and brings with him the knowledge, experience as well as the skill-set to help us achieve our growth and office expansion plans.

“Jonathan will not only be assisting me with the day-to-day running of the business but will also be hands-on to support our clients with discharging their CDM duties.

“We have seen a period of change and growth for the business, from winning prestigious awards to implementing new systems. We are always striving for improvements as a business and for our clients and we want to ensure that we step up to the mark as a leader in construction health and safety.”

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Business advisory firm Quantuma has appointed a pair of directors at its Manchester office, with Mike Fanshawe and Franklyn Ofonagoro building on its full service offering in the region.

Mike is as a specialist in forensic investigations, acting as an expert witness in both forensic accounting and forensic technology assignments.

He is instructed on a wide range of commercial and personal litigation, as well as investigating allegations of theft/fraud and in relation to Proceeds of Crime.

He joins from Begbies Traynor where he spent more than eight years in its forensic accounting and technology department, with previous positions at RSM Tenon, Frenkels Forensic Chartered Accountants and the Insolvency Service.

As a restructuring specialist, Franklyn has spent the majority of his career undertaking financial and operational restructuring and refinancing mandates, both in the UK and internationally.

Franklyn Ofonagoro

He has more than 20 years’ experience of delivering projects in the restructuring, transaction services and corporate advisory spaces, which includes extensive financial due diligence expertise.

In his new role Franklyn will be responsible for delivering lead advisory and business restructuring mandates for SMEs across the North West.

He joins Quantuma from PwC, where he led the firm’s corporate simplification and exit offering in the North West. Prior to this he held senior roles at BDO and KPMG.

This appointment follows the opening of Quantuma’s new Manchester offering, bolstering the city’s booming financial and professional services sector.

From its base at No1. Spinningfields, the firm provides a full range of advisory services, including corporate finance, forensic accounting and restructuring.

Jeff Jones, managing director, North West at Quantuma, said: “Mike and Frank are high calibre professionals who are well regarded by professionals in the North West. I am delighted that they have chosen to further their careers at our fast-growing Manchester office.”

Franklyn Ofonagoro said: “I was impressed by Quantuma’s brand, the professionals they work with and the type of assignments they attract and I am looking forward to building upon this in the North West.”

Mike Fanshawe said: “I am delighted to be joining the leading forensic accounting team in the North West, as Quantuma continues to build momentum in Manchester. I am looking forward to connecting with my network in the coming weeks.”

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