People on the Move: Broadstone; Napthens; Pearson Solicitors & Financial Advisers; Aaron & Partners; Farleys Solicitors
Peter Searle, one of the foremost experts in Europe on staffing recruitment and outsourcing labour supply, has joined ‘labour-as-a-service’ staffing platform Broadstone as a non-executive director.
Searle’s extensive experience in scaling businesses and his wealth of knowledge about the temporary staffing industry will help Broadstone as it grows and plans to take on traditional high street staffing agencies.
Broadstone has also made two new senior hires – Manish Dev was recently appointed CFO, while Tracey Kitchen joined as head of compliance.
Searle has more than 30 years’ experience in the recruitment sector.
He previously held the position of CEO of UK and Ireland at Adecco for more than 10 years, as well as CEO of Spring from 2006-2009.
In 2015, he joined Airswift as CEO, and was subsequently appointed executive chairman in 2018.
Searle also holds a string of awards from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) including a lifetime achievement award for services to recruitment.
In addition to his extensive expertise in the recruitment industry, Searle is also highly skilled at scaling large international businesses. He also brings start-up expertise from his role as a non-executive director of the Government-backed Start Up Loans company.
Searle joins Broadstone at an exciting point in the company’s journey. Broadstone was part of the 2018 PWC Scale Manchester cohort in 2018 and has grown revenues by 470% so far in 2019.
Likewise, the size of the worker community using Broadstone has grown by more than 700% from 3,285 in August 2018 to 26,890 in August 2020.
To support this rapid growth in revenue and the worker community, Broadstone has also appointed Tracey Kitchen who will be responsible for ensuring all workers registered to the platform have the right permits and checks as the community continues to grow. Manish Dev, in his role as CFO, is responsible for growing the long-term value of the company.
Tom Pickersgill, founder and CEO of Broadstone, said: “We’re thrilled to have Peter on board. He is a seasoned recruitment professional and knows the temp industry inside out.
“He’s also very experienced in scaling businesses which will be crucial for us as we continue to experience rapid growth as a company, and look to expand into new geographies and new sectors.
“Peter’s role as a board member and an investor in Broadstone is a huge stamp of approval and his knowledge will be invaluable in helping us establish our technology-focused, ‘labour-as-a-service’ approach to temporary staffing as the default in the future.
“We’re also delighted to have Tracey and Manish join the team. Broadstone has really taken off as a new way to recruit and we’re making waves in the temporary staffing industry. We have an experienced and high-performing team in place to ensure we can continue on this path.”
Peter Searle said: “I’m delighted to be joining the Broadstone board. This company is really making waves in the temporary staffing world and it’s great to be involved and to join at such at an exciting time.
“Broadstone is changing the face of temporary recruitment and challenging the high street staffing agencies that haven’t adapted to cater to the modern workforce and its needs.
“They’ve already seen huge success in the security market and have big plans to expand their tech-focused approach across the board. I’m looking forward to helping them on this next stage of their business journey.”
As well as holding senior roles at Adecco and Airswift, Searle is also heavily involved in educational government initiatives and has appeared on the Government’s Select Committee for Education. He was also vice chair of the Deputy Prime Ministers social mobility project, Opening Doors.
::
Regional law firm Napthens has invested in the next generation of solicitors by appointing five new trainees.
Three new recruits, Bethanie Crawford, Stacy Kinsey and Ashleigh Green, have joined the firm, while Charlotte Bee and Emily Forrester, who were previously paralegals at Napthens, also join the trainee programme.
The firm, which operates from offices across Lancashire, Cumbria and Merseyside, recruits new trainees each year, offering on-the-job training in a variety of its legal teams with a view to the employees graduating as fully-qualified solicitors with a range of experience behind them.
From left: Bethanie Crawford, Emily Forrester, Shru Morris, Stacey Kinsey, Charlotte Bee, Ashleigh Green
Shru Morris, Napthens chief executive, said: “We are committed to ensuring that Napthens not only delivers a professional service to our clients but also that we are at the forefront of recruiting and developing young talent in the North West.
“Napthens continues to go from strength to strength and the quality of our staff is key to that growth. This year’s intake of trainees will play an important part in the expansion of the practice and I am keen to see how they develop over their time with us.”
Meanwhile, three lawyers have been promoted within the firm. Probate dispute specialist Nicola Turner becomes a senior associate, while commercial property lawyers Farhan Saleh and Matthew Parr are both promoted to associates.
Shru Morris added: “All three promotions are well deserved and are recognition of their ambition and hard work. The promotions also reflect our commitment to support and develop our people in their careers with Napthens.”
::
Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers have appointed a new commercial litigation solicitor to its commercial team based at Hollinwood Business Centre near the M60.
Usman Anwar was born in Bolton and moved to Manchester as a child. He then studied law at Manchester Metropolitan University and completed the Legal Practice Course at the University of Law, Manchester.
Once qualified as a solicitor Usman worked in the commercial and property litigation department of a boutique litigation law firm in Hale, Cheshire for 2½ years. In this role Usman had exposure to property-related disputes such as residential and commercial landlord and tenant disputes, rent arrears recovery, break notices and forfeiture.
Usman then worked for a national law firm as a dispute resolution solicitor dealing with a range of contentious issues such as breach of contract claims, consumer disputes, professional negligence claims, construction disputes etc. He has vast experience in dealing with cases in the County Court and High Court in England and Wales.
Usman Anwar
He said: “I’m excited to be joining a full service law firm based in Greater Manchester with an excellent reputation in dealing with corporate and commercial disputes.
“I’m personally looking forward to developing the landlord and tenant dispute team which is an area of law I’m really passionate about.”
Christopher Burke, partner and head of commercial litigation welcomed Usman to the firm: “As a busy commercial team it’s great to have Usman on board. His experience in landlord and tenant disputes will be a great asset to us and our residential and commercial landlords in particular, but also to our clients as a whole.
“This appointment strengthens our growing litigation team and enable us to provide further specialist litigation advice for our existing and growing client base, as well as providing valuable support to our commercial property team in the area of landlord and tenant law. His arrival really strengthens our commercial litigation team.”
::
Chester-based legal practice, Aaron & Partners, has strengthened its offering by appointing construction and engineering partner Paul Donnelly.
With almost 30-years’ experience under his belt Paul is highly regarded within the industry, having been praised by the Legal 500 for his “excellent knowledge of construction contracts and disputes”, as well as being recognised by Chambers & Partners for his “practical client-focused approach”.
Paul is well versed in dealing with both contentious and non-contentious matters, acting on behalf of both public and private sector clients.
“I’m delighted to join Aaron & Partners and look forward to playing a leading role in developing this specialist area of law for the firm,” said Paul.
“Aaron & Partners’ property services and dispute resolution teams are very well regarded for their expertise and knowledge, as well as being completely focused on achieving the right outcomes for their clients. I’m pleased to bring my experience of construction and engineering to the team, which will enable us to offer the best legal advice and counsel to even more clients across the country.”
Paul Donnelly
His extensive industry experience will see him play a leading role in managing the resolution of construction disputes, including adjudication, court proceedings and arbitration. This will be in addition to preparing and advising on construction and engineering project documentation, drafting development agreements and undertaking due diligence.
David Harries, team head, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Paul to the firm. He brings a wealth of specialist construction knowledge and has a great reputation in the industry.
“There is a specific and growing need for specialists in this area of law, and Paul’s in-depth skills and vast knowledge will help strengthen the services and support we can offer.
“Paul is very capable, has a great reputation and is practical, clear and approachable. That is exactly what clients want and I’ve no doubt he’ll be a great addition to the team.”
::
Law firm Farleys Solicitors has welcomed its biggest intake of trainee solicitors as the firm continues to demonstrate its dedication to nurturing the talent of the future.
Five trainees will commence their training contracts across the firm’s six North West offices, including Preston, Manchester and Blackburn.
As a full service law firm Farleys will provide a well-rounded training programme offering the new recruits exposure to both commercial and private departments.
Farleys’ newest trainees include Jodi Oosthuizen, who began her career at Farleys as a commercial executive, gaining work experience within the corporate team before commencing her training contract.
Matthew Davis, from Manchester, gained his law degree from the University of Liverpool before completing the Legal Practice Course at BPP University in Manchester. He has previous experience in the insurance law sector and has taken up his first seat within the family department in Blackburn.
From left: Eric Roe, Ella Holden, Jodi Oosthuizen, Jade Jump, Matthew Davis
Ella Holden, a Salford University graduate who also holds an LPC with a commendation from the University of Law in Manchester, has joined the firm’s commercial department in Preston assisting the team on matters including commercial property, commercial contracts and corporate insolvency.
Eric Roe has taken up his first seat within the firm’s commercial property and litigation departments in Manchester. Eric has previously worked within the High Court Enforcement industry. He is now keen to offer his skills and understanding of enforcement law and the industry to Farleys’ clients.
Jade Jump is another recruit who already has experience of working for Farleys, having already spent 18 months assisting the personal injury departments in Blackburn and Accrington as a litigation executive.
Nick Molyneux, partner and training principal at Farleys, said: “Farleys has a long-standing reputation for providing an excellent, well-rounded training programme which equips the solicitors of the future with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to thrive in the industry.
“The large majority of our partners completed their training contracts at the firm, showing the fantastic long-term career prospects available to our new recruits.
“We are pleased to welcome our record intake of trainees as the firm continues to expand to meet the demand for legal services. We wish the best of luck to Jodi, Matthew, Ella, Eric and Jade.”
