People on the Move: Galliford Try; Positive Cashflow Finance; Brennan Consult; Forbes Solicitors; Scott Partnership Group

Galliford Try, the housebuilding, regeneration and construction group, has appointed Darren Parker as the new managing director of its Building North West business, succeeding Jim Parker, who has decided to retire.

Darren has worked alongside Jim and the team for the past three years, as the commercial director for the North West region, having joined from ISG plc.

Jim has decided to depart the business in June 2020, but will step aside from his current role with immediate effect to support his transition into retirement.

He will remain with the business as a director until next year, with specific responsibility for work with Manchester Airport Group.

Ian Jubb, managing director for Galliford Try Building, said: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Darren’s calibre to this key role in our senior leadership team. Darren has been the nominated successor for some time and has been working alongside Jim with this in mind, demonstrating the benefit of our succession planning and the depth of talent we possess within our business.

“We thank Jim for his invaluable contribution to date and I look forward to working with Darren to continue the positive progress the business has made.”

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Positive Cashflow Finance, the Manchester-based independent invoice finance provider, has announced the appointment of Ken Elms as business development manager.

Ken will be responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with introducers in the Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales region, while supporting SMEs across the UK access funding lines between £10,000 and £1m for growth.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for Positive which, as part of the 1pm group of companies, continue to expand and strengthen its team.

The firm has also recently announced a series of appointments including Phil Chesham as head of business and Andy Hume as head of sales.

Ken brings to Positive more than 13 years’ experience within the invoice finance sector having previously worked at Bibby Financial Services in both client relationship and business development roles.

He said: “Positive has an excellent reputation for building relationships with clients that exceed the industry average, so I am excited to join a dynamic and hard-working team.

Ken Elms

“Having already built long-standing relationships with introducers, I am looking forward to now growing Positive’s network.

“I believe we have a key role to play in supporting UK businesses in such uncertain times through providing access to finance. Joining Positive at this time means I can work alongside the 1pm group to provide access to financing the full spectrum of business assets.”

As part of 1pm plc, the AIM-listed independent provider of finance facilities to the SME sector, Positive also provide access to a multi-product range of business finance solutions to the UK market from asset finance, commercial loans through to vehicle finance.

Andy Hume, head of sales at Positive, said: “With a proven track record, we are confident that Ken will be a great addition to the team and support us as we continue to strive to deliver a market-leading service to both our introducer community and clients.

“At Positive we are committed to encouraging confidence and growth across the UK’s SME population and by investing in our business development team we can ensure that we have ability to respond to the funding needs of British businesses as they arise.”

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Stockport-based civil and structural engineering consultancy Brennan Consult has promoted Lee Meadowcroft to become the firm’s second director, alongside founder Colin Brennan.

Lee Meadowcroft

Lee, who has worked for the firm since 2016, will further develop the practice’s presence within the commercial, historic and insurance sectors. Brennan Consult was founded six years ago and now employs nine staff working on a variety of projects spanning all sectors including residential (high-end to volume housing), educational, retail, sports and leisure and industrial.

Colin said: “Lee’s promotion to director is in recognition of the commitment and contribution to the business that he has demonstrated from the first day he joined the practice.

“We continue to grow and we are currently working on some very exciting projects with more in the pipeline.

“Our growth plans include an office in the capital to better serve our London-based clients, whom we are being asked to support nationwide more frequently.”

Structural engineer Chris Askin has also joined the practice this week, with the further addition of another apprentice in September enhancing the firm’s commitment to nurturing and developing talent.

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Stuart Lowery has joined leading legal firm Forbes Solicitors as an HR business partner in the employment team.

Stuart’s role will support clients beyond the legal aspects of HR, providing advice and practical support on the implementation of different HR policies, practices and systems.

Based across Central Lancashire and Manchester, Stuart will work directly with clients, providing in-house support for employee investigations, hearings and appeals.

Stuart’s specialisms also include business change support for HR projects such as restructuring, contractual changes, redundancy and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006.

In addition to legal advice and support for which Forbes is already well-renowned, clients will now be able to benefit from dedicated on-the-ground support with these aspects of people management in their business. Stuart will also provide training and guidance to clients, supporting them to effectively and proactively deal with HR issues and strategic change.

Stuart Lowery

An associate member of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), Stuart has eight years’ experience in HR, most recently working as an HR consultant to businesses across various sectors including manufacturing, retail, construction and leisure and hospitality.

Prior to this he worked in-house in HR and commercial management roles within the retail sector.

Stuart said: “It is great to be part of a team with such a superb reputation for quality across all areas of employment work. I am looking forward to supporting our clients with the business challenges and opportunities that arise from people management.”

Emma Swan, partner and head of commercial employment at Forbes, said: “Stuart is a fantastic addition to our team and brings a wealth of experience to a team which already has a reputation for providing excellent support and advice to a wide range of clients.”

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Alison Owen has joined Cheshire-based The Scott Partnership Group as senior account director.

She brings more than 20 years’ experience in food and pharma, manufacturing, engineering and technology marketing communications from a strong b2b agency background including BDB, Roland Dransfield and Staniforth.

Louise Reid, managing director at The Scott Partnership Group said: “For more than 20 years clients have been relying on us for our passion for science, market insight, first class copywriting, flexible marketing programmes and proven results.

Alison Owen

“Our continued success is down to the strength of our team, which works tirelessly to exceed client expectations. Ali’s depth of experience in directing technical b2b campaigns, as well as her knowledge of digital marketing and online engagement, supports our international client portfolio and will help drive our planned growth.”

Alison added: “I’m excited to work with TSP’s global client portfolio, to return to my roots in technical communications and help shape the future of this successful and highly respected business.”

The Scott Partnership Group consists of five wholly-owned agencies, whose teams work together to provide marketing strategy, PR and content, inbound marketing, digital and social, branding and creative services. The group supports innovators involved in life science, materials science, industrial markets and technology across the world.