People on the Move: Baldwins Group; Equity Release Supermarket; Elaghmore; Excello Law; CG&Co
Baldwins Group, the North West-based accountancy and business advisory firm, has appointed Kirsty Giddins as managing partner of its Bolton office.
Kirsty was previously a partner at Baldwins’ Preston Office.
She brings a wealth of experience, having spent close to three decades at Montpelier Chartered Accountants, advising clients across a range of accountancy and business-related issues. Montpelier was acquired by Baldwins in 2019.
Kirsty is supported by a management team consisting of Emma Birchall and Scott Lees.
Emma, who has been with the firm nearly nine years, manages the accounts and business services team and has a keen interest in cloud accounting and software.
Scott manages the tax department and has a mixed portfolio consisting of both corporate and personal tax clients. He started with the firm in October 2010 and is keen to expand on his strong client relationships and will also look to grow the portfolio of the office in a business development role.
David Travis, regional managing partner of Baldwins, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Kirsty as managing partner of our Bolton office. Her profound knowledge and expertise will be a great addition to the office.
“Kirsty is supported by an experienced management team, which has been at the heart of our work there for some time, and we are looking forward to seeing the Bolton office prosper under their leadership.
“This is a further example of the outstanding people within Baldwins, and a demonstration of our commitment to our future within the region.”
Kirsty Giddins said: “I am very excited to be joining the Baldwins team in Bolton as we look to continue to strengthen our offering in the region.
“I look forward to working with an experienced and dynamic management team who are very engaged with our client base, and I believe my expertise in advising clients on key, business-critical issues, will only add to our service.”
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Ellis Hansborough is to join Equity Release Supermarket as an equity release adviser this month.
Birchwood-based Equity Release Supermarket (ERS) is continuing to gear up for expansion and this new appointment takes the company’s tele-advice team to 10 people, with an adviser network of 52 in total.
The company already announced a record-breaking year in 2019, despite the relatively unchanged industry performance figures, surpassing the industry standard and reporting a rise in the value of their applications to 37% year-on-year, along with the value of issued business up 29%.
Ellis Hansborough
Mark Gregory, founder and CEO of Equity Release Supermarket, said: “We’re delighted to have Ellis joining the team.”
Ellis got her start at HSBC before beginning work at Age Partnership, where she became one of their top equity release advisers having worked there for nearly seven years.
Mr Gregory said: “We never rest on our laurels and Ellis is certainly reflective of our mission to have only the best of the best working for us.
“Ellis is a rising star in the field, and the fact that she’s chosen to join Equity Release Supermarket speaks volumes for what we’re building here. We have big ambitions and are continuing to grow our expert team. I’m really looking forward to her getting immersed in the business.”
Ellis said: “I’m looking forward to being part of a growing, innovative company that is both enjoyable and flexible to work in.”
Ellis gained industry attention when she became the 2019 Retirement Adviser of the Year at the Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Awards.
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UK private equity fund Elaghmore has appointed Jon Rawlings and Michael Rice as investment directors.
Elaghmore now has a team of nine as the business looks to continue to grow.
Jon and Michael will focus on deal origination and working with Elaghmore’s portfolio companies. Michael will concentrate on Yorkshire and the North West, and Jon on the South West.
Both Jon and Michael bring significant relevant experience to their new roles at Elaghmore. Jon spent more than 15 years at KPMG, working across a number of divisions in both commercial director and COO roles. Jon’s background also includes identifying underlying performance drivers in businesses and implementing changes to drive productivity and growth.
Michael Rice
In addition to Jon, Michael brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge. Michael previously spent nearly 10 years, latterly as a director, at private equity investor Endless, based in Leeds. The two join Elaghmore at an exciting time as its investment companies continue to implement their growth strategies.
In February, Alucraft acquired the assets, including a 3,000 sq m manufacturing facility, of Rotherham-based Façade and Glazing Solutions. Alucraft has plans for further expansion as well as it looks to grow its operational capacity.
Andy Ducker, founding partner at Elaghmore, said: “These two appointments fit perfectly with our value creation strategy.
“Both Jon and Michael bring a wealth of real-world experience and skills that will be invaluable as we continue to grow our businesses both organically and through future acquisitions. All our companies continue to perform well, and we think the future is bright.”
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Property development and real estate lawyer Peter Marsden has joined national, new-model firm Excello Law in the North West.
He joins from his role as legal director and board director at Harrow Estates, a wholly-owned subsidiary of FTSE 250 housebuilder Redrow, where he was responsible for all legal aspects of property development, acquisitions and disposals.
In addition, Peter was also a board director at Bridgemere UK, dealing with all day-to-day legal affairs for Bridgemere, a group of companies controlling land and assets throughout the UK and Europe.
Peter qualified in 2003 and spent a number of years in the commercial property teams at Aaron & Partners and Brabners before moving in-house to FTSE 100 housebuilder Taylor Wimpey.
Peter Marsden
As well as acquiring land for immediate development, Peter’s experience includes the acquisition of strategic land including options, promotion agreements and hybrid arrangements, together with collaborative working where sites are shared.
He said: “Excello Law provides me with a platform to provide a more personalised and agile service to developers, housebuilders and landowners alike. I am excited to have joined a firm with such a progressive and modern approach to the delivery of legal services.”
Excello managing director George Bisnought, said: “Peter is joining a first-class commercial property team and will bring valuable additional expertise from his in-house roles with major housebuilders and landowners. We’re delighted to welcome him to the firm.”
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Manchester-based CG&Co has established its own in-house legal team.
The firm, which specialises in property receivership, has appointed insolvency and restructuring lawyer Amy Crighton as its first in-house solicitor.
CG&Co’s partners took the decision to create the new department to provide clients with specialist legal guidance as swiftly as possible to prevent interest on bridging loans accruing more than is absolutely necessary.
In addition, CG&Co has witnessed a 40% increase in demand for its property receivership services over the past year which resulted in it engaging costly external lawyers with greater frequency.
“I leapt at the opportunity to be a part of such a thriving and fast-growing business as CG&Co when it arose,” said Crighton, who is now in post.
“After meeting with the partners, I realised that this newly-created role would be exceptionally rewarding, both professionally and personally, given the diversity of the work that’s undertaken here.
Amy Crighton
“Building CG&Co’s in-house legal team from scratch is undoubtedly going to be a challenge – but I know that it will ensure we can provide clients with the right service at the best price.”
Prior to joining CG&Co, Crighton worked in the insolvency and corporate recovery team at law firm DWF, where she was recognised by the independent Legal 500 ranking guide as a “key lawyer”.
During her career, Crighton has advised a wide variety of clients in connection with high profile insolvencies and receiverships – including the administrators of a Formula One team.
She brings substantial experience of acting for the receivers of property developers to her new role as CG&Co’s in-house solicitor.
CG&Co partner, Daniel Richardson, said: “We knew as soon as we met Amy that she would be a perfect fit for this role and have tasked her with creating our own legal team.
“Her expertise and experience enhance the service we provide clients by allowing us to provide legal input more quickly and cost-effectively than if a third party solicitor needed to be appointed.
“With the volume of property appointments handled by CG&Co constantly increasing, having an in-house legal team means that we’re able to provide a comprehensive service that’s totally responsive.”
