People on the Move: Sigma; Mills & Reeve; RBIG Corporate Risk

Manchester-based urban regeneration and PRS (private rented sector) specialist Sigma has announced the appointment of Michael (“Mike”) McGill to the board as group chief financial officer.

His appointment takes immediate effect.

As well as taking executive responsibility for the overall financial management of the group and its subsidiaries, Mike will be specifically responsible for financial matters relating to The PRS REIT plc, including leading a dedicated finance team that has been established to support the REIT’s ongoing growth.

Malcolm Briselden, finance director of Sigma, remains in operational charge of Sigma’s finance team, working closely with Mike, although he has stepped down from the board. Malcolm is focusing on Sigma’s activities outside the REIT, including London.

Mike, 52, has mre than 20 years of experience in senior financial roles at listed and private companies.

He has worked across a range of sectors, including residential property, and has specific expertise in supporting and implementing growth strategies.

He was previously group CFO at Baxters Food Group, the international food processing company, CFO at Lomond Capital, the residential asset management company specialising in the UK private rental sector, and group finance director at Murray International Holdings, the property and metals group.

He qualified as a chartered accountant with Coopers & Lybrand in 1991.

Graham Barnet, CEO of Sigma, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Mike to the board as group chief financial officer.

“He brings significant additional experience to Sigma that will be invaluable as the company continues to develop.

“Mike will have financial oversight of all of our activities, with a particular focus on our delivery for the PRS REIT. Mike has been working with us previously and is, therefore, well known to the team.”

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Mills & Reeve real estate partner Caroline Hanratty has been elected to the CBI North West Regional Council.

Caroline, a partner in the firm’s Manchester office, has been appointed to the business lobbying group’s regional council following a vote by CBI members across the North West.

Caroline has more than 25 years’ experience in the real estate sector and specialises in development work with an expertise in hotels and residential development.

During her three-year term, Caroline will join fellow business leaders across the North West in ensuring that the needs and views of North West companies are heard to help shape CBI policy and change the business landscape on a regional and national level.

Caroline Hanratty

Caroline said: “I’m pleased to have been voted on to the council by fellow CBI members.

“The regional council, which is made up of leading figures from a broad range of sectors, is a powerful voice across the North West.

“At this extraordinarily difficult time for business, the CBI is a great source of support and information for businesses across the region. I am looking forward to working with council members to help tackle the issues facing companies and influence policy to ensure the North West remains an economic and commercial powerhouse.”

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RBIG Corporate Risk Services has appointed Warren Dickson as its non-executive chair as the long-established Manchester commercial insurance broker gears up for growth.

A highly experienced boardroom executive, Dickson is former chief executive officer of Chase Templeton, the private equity-backed private health insurance specialist since acquired by The Ardonagh Group.

Prior to that he was managing director of Fish Insurance, the specialist disability broker whom he joined after leaving Carole Nash Insurance Consultants where he was sales and marketing director.

In his new role he will draw on his broad experience to advise RBIG’s board on its growth and marketing strategies.

Warren Dickson

RBIG’s commercial director, Stephen Hodgson, said: “Warren brings not just high-level strategic and board room expertise, but a proven track record for securing sustained and profitable growth within highly competitive markets.

“Warren is a great fit for our business and will play a key role in facilitating the RBIG board as it pursues ambitious growth aspirations.”

Founded in 1981, RBIG arranges a wide variety of commercial insurance risks. These include a broad range of business insurances policies as well as sector-specific specialist lines for, logistics and distribution, manufacturing, recycling, motor trade, self-storage and other industries.

The broker is keen to build on its reputation for client service to drive new business: “We are proud to have clients who stay and grow with us for many years. That extraordinary loyalty has in recent years been key to our own growth,” said Hodgson.

“Going forward we want to leverage a rightly-deserved reputation for service excellence to significantly build new business.”