People on the Move: MAG; Redwood Bank; Siemens; Irwin Mitchell; Haydock Finance; Mobica;

Jon Brown

A director at North West communications agency Influential is to leave his position to join the leadership team of a global humanitarian organisation.

Jon Brown is to take up a director role at the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a global humanitarian and advocacy organisation that finds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict.

Brown will assume his role at MAG, which is headquartered in Manchester and employs almost 5,000 people in 25 countries, before the end of the year.

He will continue to work on a number of Influential client projects until that time.

Influential is an integrated communications agency which employs some 30 people in offices in Manchester and Liverpool.

Brown said: “Influential has achieved significant year-on-year growth over the last five years, has a brilliant senior management team in place, great staff and represents some of the UK’s most dynamic businesses.

“The opportunity to join MAG was one I could not turn down. In the last 30 years the organisation has helped over 18 million people in 68 countries rebuild their lives and livelihoods after war.

“It is a huge privilege to be able to play a small part in that work and in the global push to consign these inhumane and indiscriminate weapons to history.”

Influential managing director Sara Wilde-McKeown said: “Jon goes with our very best wishes because we know this move represents the fulfilment of a personal vocation and is an opportunity for him to apply his insight in support of an issue about which he feels passionately.”

Jane Cocking, MAG chief executive, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jon to the leadership team at MAG. His passion for our cause, along with the depth and range of his experience, will be invaluable as we continue to push to save lives and build safer futures.”

Brown is a former deputy editor of the Liverpool Echo and head of multimedia for newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror, now Reach.

He will become part of an eight-strong leadership team at MAG – a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for its part in the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – and assume overall responsibility for engagement and fundraising.

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An experienced risk and compliance expert has recently been appointed to the board of a challenger bank based in Warrington.

Alan Brown’s executive director role is as chief risk officer, being responsible for Redwood Bank’s risk identification and mitigation activities.

He started working for the bank in April 2017 as director of risk & compliance, but quickly progressed, largely because of his extensive experience and attention to detail.

The chief executive and co-founder of Redwood Bank, Gary Wilkinson, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity and is well deserved. Alan is meticulous, methodical and takes pride in what he does. He always goes above and beyond, which is why we wanted to recognise him and the importance of the vital role he plays.

“Identifying, mitigating, and adhering to risk and compliance is vital within the banking industry and having Alan overseeing Redwood’s activities means we’re in safe hands.”

Alan Brown

Alan has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services, within both bank and building society sectors.

He has held several senior management positions in some of the larger financial institutions, responsible for risk and balance sheet management, operations, systems and controls and investment portfolios.

More recently he has worked for two challenger banks, first leading the development and operation of liquidity management in TSB during the building of the bank, leading to its separation from Lloyds Banking Group. He then headed the market risk function for Williams & Glyn as it prepared for separation from Royal Bank of Scotland.

Alan said: “It’s humbling to have been appointed as a board member. I take my responsibilities extremely seriously and this appointment confirms the importance of a strong risk and compliance function to the bank.

“I look forward to embracing my new role, guiding Redwood Bank through the continuous challenges of achieving high standards of risk management, compliance and governance.”

Redwood Bank was launched in August 2017 and provides individually-assessed mortgages for business owners and professional landlords, as well as a range of best buy savings accounts, which are offered to charities, clubs and associations as well as businesses.

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Global engineering business Siemens has bolstered its intralogistics expertise with two new appointments in Manchester.

Rachel Price and Nick Hughes join the group as business development managers.

Their arrival at Didsbury-based Siemens’ Digital Industries division reflects the fast growth within the sector.

The pair will be tasked with assisting businesses to digitally transform their logistical processes and increase their operational efficiencies.

Rachel has extensive experience in business development from her previous role in industry.

Prior to that she ran her own marketing firm and launched her own business, Garden Gopher, which appeared on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den.

She has spoken at key industry events such as roundtables and the International Festival of Business, as well as serving as a judge for both Made in the Northwest and Made in the UK awards.

Rachel Price and Nick Hughes

Nick, too, has significant experience within the intralogistics arena, having worked as a solutions manager for a leading systems integrator, prior to joining Siemens.

Brian Holliday, managing director for Siemens Digital Industries, said: “The intralogistics sector continues to grow at pace – it’s a great fit for our industrial technology, software and services and we have been building domain expertise and working more closely with our customers for some time.

“I am delighted to welcome Rachel and Nick to the team at a time of such customer innovation and I’m sure they will add tremendous value to our clients as we specifically strengthen our partnership-based approach.”

Rachel added: “I work with customers to understand their pain points such as increasingly demanding delivery times and pressure to keep the cost to serve down, as well as advising them how to ensure they are maximising productivity.”

Nick said: “My goal at Siemens is to take the next steps by delivering Industry 4.0 and digitalisation to a market primed to take advantage of such technologies, showcasing the added value Siemens digital technology can bring to both system integrators and end users.”

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National law firm Irwin Mitchell has recruited a new solicitor to its growing will, trust and estate disputes team in Manchester.

Rachael Williams joins from Stephensons Solicitors, having qualified as a solicitor in September 2018. Rachael had experience during her training contract in handling commercial litigation and probate matters, and specialises in advising clients on Inheritance Act claims as well as cases involving capacity challenges.

Her appointment to the will, trust and estate disputes team marks the firm’s commitment to expanding its private client presence in the North West. The office already boasts a top-ranked family team, led by national head of family law Ros Bever.

Rachael Williams

The Manchester will, trust and estate disputes team was formed last year and is comprised of associate Heather Roberts, who joined the outfit in July 2018, and paralegal Lucy-Allena McIlroy.

Paula Myers, national head of the will, trust and estate disputes team at Irwin Mitchell said: “We are delighted to recruit another talented solicitor to the Manchester office team, which is going from strength to strength.

“The North West region is a key growth area for us and Rachael’s arrival will help us to further assist our expanding client base in the area.

“Rachael will also work as a part of the national team, which is one of the largest in the country, and will be a great asset to the work we do.”

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Blackburn-based Haydock Finance has appointed Carole Luck as broker relationship manager for the South West.

Carole is an experienced and accomplished finance professional and will nurture strong relationships with Haydock’s existing portfolio of partnership brokers and introducers while forging new relationships.

Market share of asset-based lending continues to increase for Haydock in line with the company’s strategic objectives.

This appointment forms part of that strategy to drive growth by developing a team of field-based broker relationship managers to further complement the existing service provided by its dedicated underwriters and office-based team.

Carole Luck

Andrea O’Brien, head of broker sales, said: “Without exception, Haydock’s intermediaries cite our unparalleled service levels as being the main reason why they choose to work with us.

“Carole shares our vision and has a true passion and appetite for building and developing long-lasting relationships to guarantee a great customer journey. She’s a perfect fit for our business and we’re delighted to have her as an integral member of our team.”

Carole said: “Haydock is really making its mark in the asset finance market.

“I’m really excited to be part of the company and to contribute towards its ambitious growth plans by expanding coverage and further improving service levels in the South West where I’ll be the first point of contact for brokers and introducers in the region.”

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Global software services company, Mobica, has strengthened its leadership team with three key appointments.

Current executive chairman, Simon Wilkinson, becomes permanent CEO as the Wilmslow-based company continues to develop its offering to some of the world’s leading organisations in silicon, automotive, media, FinTech and telecoms.

Simon Wilkinson

Simon joined Mobica’s board of directors in March 2017, and has since played a key role in strengthening the company’s customer footprint with a series of leading international brands, including Google, Facebook, Intel, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Arm and Jaguar Land Rover.

He has a successful track record in founding and investing in technology businesses, both in the UK and Silicon Valley, including Magic4, Myriad Group and Reality Mine.

Simon said: “At Mobica, we have great people and a rich heritage of delivering for our customers. We also have an incredible opportunity to build on our reputation as a world-leading software engineering firm, delivering technical excellence to our customers, who are, themselves, leaders in leveraging technology to drive change.”

Simon is joined on the board by Richard Haywood, who takes on the role of chairman.

Richard Haywood

Richard holds a number of advisory and non-executive roles within the technology and legal sectors. He is also chairman of Clarilis, the legal document automation software company, and a non-executive director of FinTech start-up, Asterisk Network Solutions.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Mobica at such an exciting time.

“The company has an impressive customer base and is carrying out world-class innovative work with a total commitment to helping customers achieve their business goals. I am really looking forward to working with the team.”

Completing the trio of recent appointments, Stefan Marxreiter joins the company as chief operating officer, responsible for further developing Mobica’s software delivery capabilities globally.

Stefan Marxreiter

Stefan brings more than 25 years’ experience of building and managing teams within global organisations, 17 of which have been spent within the automotive and services sector.

He was previously a senior director in automotive for both Luxoft and Wind River, and served as a board director at the GENIVI Alliance, an industry alliance committed to driving adoption of open source, In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) software and providing open technology for the connected car.

Stefan said: “Mobica works with some of the world’s leading organisations in some of the most exciting areas of technology being pioneered today.

“I’m looking forward to strengthening relationships with our existing customers and building new ones across our key sectors.”

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