People on the Move: Grant Thornton; I-COM; Forward Role; WEPA

Business advisory firm Grant Thornton has strengthened its North West practice with the appointment of Gareth Hitchmough as partner, based in Liverpool.

Audit specialist Gareth, 44, has worked in the North West for all his 20-year career.

He said: “I am incredibly excited to be embarking on the next stage of my career with Grant Thornton – I already know a number of the partners in Manchester and Leeds very well and I can’t wait to get started. I know the firm has great opportunity to grow its client base in the North West and North Wales, but nationally, too.

“I have worked in the North West for all of my career and it’s an outstanding place. There is a rich seam of international companies, long-established family businesses and a very exciting cohort of fast-growing businesses in the tech and digital space.

“Most of all, regardless of sector, we have an outstanding entrepreneurial spirit which I think sets us apart.”

He added: “While 2020, of course, represents an element of uncertainty with Brexit, I am very enthusiastic about the prospects for this region and Liverpool and Manchester in particular, which are riding the crest of a wave in terms of investment and development.”

Carl Williams, North West practice leader at Grant Thornton, added: “Gareth is a first class addition to our North West partnership group. He has deep knowledge of the region and of Liverpool in particular – where we are already the largest firm of business advisers.

“We are incredibly pleased that he’s joining us and I’m looking forward to working with him as we continue to grow.”

Alongside Gareth’s appointment the firm has promoted the following Manchester-based associate directors to director: Joe Pollard in corporate finance advisory, Rob Dawes in transaction advisory services, Michael Lowe and Karen Hancox (audit) and Claire Hamlin (tax). Meanwhile, John Farrar from the public sector advisory team in Liverpool has also been promoted to director.

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Manchester digital marketing agency I-COM has announced the expansion of its business development and marketing team with three new appointments.

Joining Dan Beardshall as business development managers are Andy Edwards and David Gascoyne, who have more than 30 years of marketing experience between them.

Andy comes to I-COM with a background in e-commerce having worked at Visualsoft for a number of years, and David joins the team from Property Stream.

Completing the hat-trick of new appointments is Liz Walmsley, who has been promoted to marketing manager after two years at the company as brand marketing strategist.

From left: David Gascoyne, Dan Beardshall, Andy Edwards

Alongside her new marketing role, Liz will continue to work with key clients with whom she has a strong relationship.

Mike Blackburn, managing director at I-COM, said: “2019 was an extremely busy year for I-COM and it was time to expand the team in order to keep up with demand. With 2020 now well under way, we’re delighted to welcome Andy and David onto the business development team.

“They bring with them invaluable experience, knowledge and a passion for digital marketing. Andy’s experience will complement our e-commerce strength and expertise while David joins us with a background in property as this sector is a new strategic focus for us this year.”

Mr Blackburn added: “We’re also excited to have Liz move up to the role of marketing manager. As an employee-owned business, we have a fantastic team of ambitious and creative marketing professionals and we’re proud to provide opportunities for personal development in line with people’s particular skills.”

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Marketing and digital recruitment agency Forward Role has appointed Brian Johnson as its new managing director.

Johnson, who has been a director since 2014, has taken on more responsibility of the firm over the past two years, leading the daily management of the 35-strong team and driving a culture of learning and development.

Forward Role founder Steve Thompson said: “When Brian joined the business there were five of us, based in Bolton, mainly recruiting for a couple dozen regular clients.

Brian Johnson and Steve Thompson

“Fast forward six years and Forward Role is the biggest marketing and digital recruiter in the North of England, and one of the largest in the UK.

“Brian has put the pillars of growth in place that have allowed us to roughly double in size every two years and this promotion is testament to all of that hard work. I’m delighted to appoint him as Forward Role’s new managing director.”

Brian said: “Forward Role has continues to go from strength to strength and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve all achieved. We finished 2019 in a fantastic position, having focused on the structure of the team and taking control of the businesses finances, with the help of our two non-executive directors. I’m grateful to Steve for giving me the opportunity to further drive the business forward and excited for the months ahead.”

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After 11 years in other business roles at WEPA UK, Carl Mitchell has been newly-appointed as sales director for the Bolton-based business.

Carl joined WEPA UK – which claims to be Europe’s leading private label household paper manufacturer – back in 2008 as national account manager.

In 2013, he assumed the role of business manager, and over the past seven years he has occupied roles including business unit controller and business unit director – most recently for the Tesco account.

Carl’s responsibilities as sales director will include the strategic planning of new product launches and overseeing WEPA UK’s customer service offering, to ensure the business maintains a standard of excellence at all times.

Carl Mitchell

Carl will also be responsible for helping reach business-wide sales targets.

This promotion comes after the company’s previous sales director made an internal move to lead on sustainability projects.

Carl said: “My years of experience at WEPA UK stand me in good stead for the challenges and responsibilities which come with this position. WEPA UK is a brilliant company to be a part of, and I’m excited to continue supporting clients and driving improvements in the years to come.”

Mike Docker, joint managing director at WEPA UK, said: “Carl is the ideal person for the job, heading up our sales team as we set ambitious targets for 2020 and beyond.

“He’s been an asset to the business for over a decade, and as WEPA UK continues to grow, we need our best talent leading the way. We look forward to everything Carl is set to achieve in his new role.”