People on the Move: Arvia; urbanbubble; Redrow; FRP; Crowe
Runcorn-based water and wastewater treatment specialist, Arvia Technology, has appointed Donald Ning as technical lead in China as the firm continues to expand.
Having worked in both the US and China, Donald has extensive experience in environmental engineering, water/wastewater treatment and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs).
In his new role Donald will support Arvia’s process plant design, build and installation operations, managing the team in the delivery of treatability trials, pilot plants and overseeing plant build, installation and commissioning.
He said: “It’s an exciting to time to be joining Arvia Technology and I’m looking forward to continuing our expansion to China.
“At the moment Europe and the US are leading the way in regard to wastewater treatment technology, but China is making significant steps towards fighting the problem.
“Fortunately, the nation has extremely strict wastewater regulations which Arvia can play a vital role in helping organisations meet.”
Arvia recently undertook a treatability roadshow in China, testing the wastewater of companies in three key industries of chemical, paper and the petrochemical.
Chief executive Mike Lodge added: “Regulation is still the main driving force in China and businesses are quickly realising the importance of effective wastewater treatment.
“Any businesses seen to be polluting the environment with their wastewater will be hit with either heavy fines, or in some instances, directors will be given jail sentences, so the time to act is now.
“In recent months the Chinese government has been paying closer attention to less developed cities in China, issuing local governments with fines and penalties, when previously it had just been focused on Shanghai. This offers a huge opportunity for Arvia to grow our business in this area.”
Arvia’s Nyex solution is applied in both the industrial and municipal markets. The company has supported customers with the treatment of challenging wastewaters in the agricultural, chemical, electronics, oil/gas and pharmaceutical industries across Europe and Asia.
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Former Greater Manchester Police superintendent Nadeem Butt has joined residential property management specialist urbanbubble as head of build to rent (BtR) operations.
Nadeem is one of six new senior appointments made by urbanbubble as it continues to grow its presence around the UK.
The Manchester-based business celebrates its 10th anniversary by expanding from its North West origins thanks to a partnership with institutional investor Legal & General to manage Legal & General’s BtR residential schemes in Manchester, Salford, Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London.
Nadeem was a manager at Bradford-based student accommodation provider Malik Halls following numerous senior roles in the police service, including being a superintendent at GMP headquarters, force liaison head for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies, and Fire and Rescue and Peer Review Lead at the College of Policing in London.
Joining Nadeem at urbanbubble are: Gavin Carson as general manager of Spring Wharf, Bath; Leo Glass, general manager, Blackhorse Mills, Walthamstow, London; Samantha Richardson as general manager of West Tower, Deansgate Square, Manchester; Sofie Haig-Smith as general manager of Anco & Co, Ancoats, Manchester; and Rebecca Whitehead, general manager, The Whitmore Collection, Birmingham.
From left: Nadeem Butt, Steve Austin, Sofie Haig-Smith, Gavin Carson, Stuart Henshall, Leo Glass and Samantha Richardson
Steve Austin has also been promoted internally to general manager at the local Blackfriars scheme developed by Salboy in Salford.
They join a workforce of about 180, a headcount forecast by urbanbubble to increase to around 300 by the third quarter of 2020 to accommodate the growth of the business.
Michael Howard, founder and managing director of urbanbubble, said: “Nadeem, Leo, Gavin, Samantha, Sofie and Rebecca bring with them a wealth of experience in property management and other sectors, such as Nadeem’s time at GMP, and will prove to be invaluable additions to the urbanbubble team at an exciting time as we grow our business outside of our North West heartland.
“We’re a values-led business and that runs through everything we do, especially when recruiting new colleagues to deliver our vision of making our cities better places to live.”
In a separate partnership with a leading property investor, urbanbubble manages Anco & Co in Ancoats, Manchester on behalf of DTZ Investors.
The firm also manages residential schemes in Manchester and Liverpool for developers Salboy, Elliot Group, PAG, Capital and Centric and Mulbury.
With a focus on customer care and service, urbanbubble has a total of more than 8,000 residential units under management across 80 UK sites – including 4,500 units in Manchester – and forecasts that figure to rise to more than 15,000 by 2021.
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Housebuilder Redrow has taken on two new commercial apprentices to work at its North West regional headquarters in Daresbury, Cheshire.
Charlie Mcloughlin, 19, and 18-year-old Michael Kimberley, are the latest apprentices to have joined Redrow as part of the commercial team, where they will assist the quantity surveying and buying teams.
They are in addition to five new construction trade apprentices who joined the Daresbury-based business in August.
From left: Michael Kimberley, Charlie McLoughlin and Neil Howard
Neil Howard, commercial director at Redrow Homes (NW), said: “Both Charlie and Michael’s initial apprenticeship will be for two years and in that time they’ll gain vital knowledge about working in a commercial team.
“They’ll visit sites with surveyors and develop relationships with site managers and sub-contractors as well as working with suppliers and the buying department to further strengthen their learning.”
He added: “Redrow is fully committed to apprentices and gives them the support and ability to develop as part of the commercial team. I started out as a trainee myself and went through a similar process and it helped me progress to where I am today.”
During their apprenticeship, both boys will also be studying at Coleg Cambria for a BTEC Level 3 in the Built Environment and an NVQ that is sponsored by Redrow.
Michael, from Wigan, attended St John Rigby College, and says that the apprenticeship has helped him feel more engaged with the tasks he works on: “In doing an apprenticeship, you’re learning on the job so I’ve developed so much better at college because I’ve been out and about and not stuck in lectures all day long. I’m getting to experience everything first-hand and visiting sites is such an eye-opening experience as to what goes on within all the different teams.”
Charlie, who lives in Garston, Liverpool, attended St Francis Xavier College, and says he is enjoying working on the buying side of things: “It’s a fast-paced role and I’ve had to learn to prioritise tasks to ensure everything is done efficiently.”
Redrow Homes (NW) is building new homes across Cheshire and parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Flintshire.
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Specialist business advisory firm FRP has announced a senior promotion in its Manchester office following a period of significant investment in the firm’s people and services.
Rachel Heighington has been promoted to director in the restructuring team.
She has 15 years’ experience and specialises in corporate restructuring and personal insolvency, working across a range of sectors including leisure, construction, manufacturing, retail and professional services.
Since joining FRP in 2010, she has advised a wide range of stakeholders on restructuring options, including raising debt, accelerated sales processes, and supporting management teams with managing cashflow to preserve and maximise value for all stakeholders.
Ben Woolrych, partner at FRP in Manchester, said: “We continue to invest in and develop the talent within our business, and over the last year we’ve significantly enhanced our practice in the region.
Rachel Heighington
“In the nine years she has been with us, Rachel has demonstrated exceptional client service and an ability to generate the best outcomes for our clients, and I have no doubt she will continue to play an important role in the next stage of our growth journey and I’d like to congratulate her once again on her new role.”
Rachel added: “I’m delighted to have been part of the firm’s impressive growth journey since it was founded in 2010, both across the North West and nationally, and I look forward to working with the partner and director team to further develop our practice as we move into our 10th year.”
The news comes as FRP announces a further four promotions, which includes two director-level promotions and two manager-level promotions across its London, Birmingham and Bristol offices.
FRP now employs more than 340 people across its network of 19 offices in the UK. It provides clients with the full suite of business advisory services including corporate finance, corporate restructuring, forensic services, pensions advisory and debt funding.
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National audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe, has appointed Dave Riley as partner to further bolster its corporate business offering.
Dave Riley joined Crowe’s rapidly-growing corporate finance team on November 5, and will be leading on mergers and acquisitions, debt advisory and due diligence in the firm’s Manchester office, a region that has a vibrant and thriving private equity community.
Bringing with him more than 30 years of experience in professional services, Riley has held a number of senior roles as an advisory specialist in the Big Four, financial services and private equity businesses.
More recently, he has been working directly with a variety of businesses where he has supported them in a mixture of M&A and refinancing projects.
Dave Riley, left, and Michael Jayson
His broad knowledge is supported by a successful portfolio of delivering substantial growth to clients and businesses, and a career that spans across service lines and industries.
Based in Crowe’s Manchester office, Riley will work alongside Manchester office managing partner Michael Jayson and the rest of the corporate finance partner team, nationally.
Nigel Bostock, chief executive of Crowe UK, said: “I am excited to announce Dave’s appointment to our partnership.
“His diverse background, knowledge and skill-set will make a valuable contribution to the firm’s advisory offering as we continue to grow as a national firm with global reach and local expertise.”
Michael Jayson said: “Dave’s background and experience is a great fit for us that will strengthen and grow our support to clients across the Northern Powerhouse cities.
“Dave’s experience in niche areas such as debt advisory is a welcome addition that will further enhance our national team. It is great to see that Crowe continues to attract and retain the best quality advisors.”
He added: “Our national presence and global reach make us large enough to attract the very best specialists who really understand the markets in which they operate, while continuing to be agile and responsive to help our clients succeed.”
Dave Riley said: “The opportunity to grow the Crowe advisory business is substantial and the North West marketplace is a hot-bed of corporate finance activity.
“My focus will be to provide services across the whole breadth of the advisory spectrum, including lead advisory, debt advisory, and performance improvement.”
