People on the Move: ITS; Shoosmiths; Positive Cashflow Finance; Lloyds Bank; Women in Property

Philip Lee

Alternative full fibre and hybrid network operator, ITS has strengthened its wholesale team with the appointment of Philip Lee as partner development manager.

Lee joins from Daisy Group where he spent a significant chunk of his career building its partner offer.

The rest was spent at Virgin Media Business where he played a pivotal role in launching its indirect partner channel in the North for which he was recognised with a ‘Virgin Challenger Award’ in 2016.

Daren Baythorpe, chief executive, ITS said: “This is a really important appointment in terms of taking our wholesale offering to the next level.

“As we continue to build and grow our full fibre and hybrid footprint we need likeminded partners to come on board. I am absolutely thrilled that Philip has joined us. His track record is impressive, and he will bring a lot to the table.”

Philip Lee said: “This is an exciting role that allows me to be part of a team that is developing a dedicated service for partners which gives them what they need to be able to sell gigabit services to their customers.”

Chester-based ITS launched a partner recruitment campaign in late 2018, following the appointment of Dave Hudson, former managing director of wholesale at Zen Internet, as business development director. It has since added more than 20 new partners.

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Law firm Shoosmiths has announced two new partner promotions in its Manchester office.

James Brodie and Kirsty Black, both from the Manchester real estate team, have been promoted to partner as part of the company’s May promotions round.

James Brodie

Across the country, Shoosmiths has promoted 13 new partners– the biggest number of partner promotions it has made in recent years.

The promotions – seven men and six women – cover a wide range of practice areas, including real estate, business advisory and corporate, as well as at eight locations throughout the country.

Shoosmiths chief executive, Simon Boss, said: “This is an exciting time for everyone at Shoosmiths, having launched a bold new strategy aimed at taking the firm towards even bigger success.

“We are in no doubt that these new partners will play an important role in driving this forward.

Kirsty Black

“I’d like to personally take the opportunity to say a big thank you to those individuals who have been promoted, in recognition of the contribution they have made to the firm’s success over the years and look forward to working with them in the future.”

In a recent partner gender split report by Aspirant Analytics, Shoosmiths said it was one of only two firms to have exceeded the goal of a 30/70 split at partner level.

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Manchester-based invoice finance specialist, Positive Cashflow Finance, has announced the appointment of Chris Rimmer as business development manager.

Chris joins with more than six years’ experience within the invoice finance sector at Bibby Financial Services, where he gained invaluable experience within the field.

His work has included invoice, asset and trade finance within the SME market, creating bespoke funding solutions within a wide range of business sectors across the country.

Covering the Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire regions, Chris will be supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) requiring funding facilities between £10,000 to £1m.

Chris Rimmer

Chris said: “Positive has an excellent reputation for developing long-standing relationships with its clients, and I am excited to join such a dynamic and hard working team.

“I look forward to the challenges ahead – expanding its portfolio further and increasing the company’s presence in these regions.”

Phil Chesham, sales and marketing director at Positive Cashflow Finance, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to the business development team.

“He brings with him a fantastic attitude and a wealth of experience, which we hope will help drive both growth and awareness of Positive Cashflow Finance across the North West.”

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Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking has strengthened its real estate offering in the North West with the appointment of Neil Hughes as relationship director.

Neil joins Lloyds Bank after more than a decade with Santander UK and will work alongside directors Rob Leaman and Steve Atwell to support commercial property investment in the region.

Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking provides tailored finance and guidance to mid-tier developers and property investors across the North West with borrowing requirements of up to £12.5m for investment and £6m for development.

Based in Lloyds Bank’s Manchester office, Neil’s role will see the real estate team distribute an additional £100m of funding this year to support ambitious projects in the region.

Neil Hughes

Martyn Kendrick, North West regional director for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “You need only look at the levels of development in cities like Manchester and Liverpool to see that real estate in the North West is thriving.

“For ambitious developers to further this trend and continue to invest, it’s vital that they have access to flexible funding on a long-term, relationship-led basis.

“It’s for this reason that we’ve committed to providing £1.3bn in tailored funding to businesses in the North West this year.

“With Neil’s experience supporting SMEs across the region, I’ve every confidence that he will prove a valuable asset and partner for North West developers for years to come.”

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Women in Property has announced its new North West chairman.

Emma Richman will lead the Manchester-based branch of the national property and construction industry lobbying and networking organisation with immediate effect, until February 2020.

Emma, a director of assets with Great Places Housing Group, has been a member of Women in Property for more than seven years and is committed to its ethos of support and encouragement, not only for peers in the workplace but for girls and young women considering a career in the property and construction industry.

This is particularly important given the current skills shortage across the industry.

Emma said: “Over the coming year, as an organisation, we will be focusing our attention on the skills shortage that is already evident and which will be exacerbated in a post-Brexit Britain.

“This means getting into schools to talk about how great it is working in this industry, the variety and the opportunities out there. Inspiring children at a young age is particularly important.”

Emma Richman

She added: “The industry must also retain women already working in the built environment sector, who might be struggling with anything from a lack of flexibility in their working hours, through to needing advice on being more ‘visible’, for their own career development.

“We can’t afford to lose these skilled women at a time when the country really needs them.”

Matt Harrison, chief executive at Great Places Housing Group, said: “Emma has built an excellent reputation in her field and we are delighted to support her in the role as chairman of Women in Property North West branch.

“She has been a huge asset to Great Places since she joined us in 2017, and her professionalism and commitment to the property and construction industry in the region make her an excellent choice for the role. We wish her every success for the year ahead.”

Women in Property adopts a 360-degree approach, across the pre- and whole career spectrum focusing on school visits, careers fairs and talks, together with the 2019 National Student Awards for built environment undergraduates, which are already well under way across the UK.

Members can benefit from the organisation’s well-respected cross-discipline mentoring programme and attend a wide range of professional development events, including training for panel and conference debates, workshops and site visits to new schemes. Recent events with the North West branch have included site visits around Greengate and Circle Square.

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