People: Appleyard Lees; Harrison & Hetherington; Orchard Care Homes; CBRE; CloudM

John Kushnick

Appleyard Lees has appointed John Kushnick as its chief operating officer.

John is based in Manchester and is a qualified solicitor who joined the intellectual property firm earlier this month, bringing a wealth of operational management experience, having spent many years in successful law firms.

On his first week, John said: “Everyone I’ve met throughout the interview process at Appleyard Lees has been enthusiastic about the opportunity to build on the great foundations already in place.

“This is a dynamic and exciting firm which, vitally, remains friendly and welcoming. It is with this understanding that they can remain human and personal whilst demanding the highest standards, that appealed to me.”

John will work to advance a firm strategy that fuels further growth, based on clients’ requirements now and in the future.

Appleyard Lees is an intellectual property law firm with more than 50 patent and trademark attorneys and litigators.

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Harrison & Hetherington, the Carlisle-based livestock trading company, has appointed David Carruthers into a newly created facilities manager role.

This strategic move for the company aims to guarantee a safe and efficient level of service for both staff and customers, and further build on current operations.

Working primarily from the Harrison & Hetherington Borderway site, David will monitor daily operations and multi-disciplinary teams of staff to help develop key skills and performance.

With a wealth of experience across operations and compliance management roles, David will be responsible for maintaining current knowledge of health & safety practices, and ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation across the company. With a keen eye for detail and a track record of operational excellence, David has acquired an extensive understanding of what is needed to successfully oversee and facilitate staff development.

David said: “Harrison & Hetherington is a highly respected organisation within the industry, and I am really looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in and helping to continue their success from an operational level. To do so, within my new role I will strive to carry on ensuring all staff functioning and facilities are up to spec, meeting the current legislative standards.

David Carruthers

“Moving forward, I will also be looking to identify potential new measures and best practices from an environmental and sustainable perspective. If Harrison & Hetherington is to remain at the forefront of its industry, looking into ways our carbon footprint can be further reduced will be so important. I am really excited to play a part in helping make sure we remain fit for future.”

In order to first develop a comprehensive understanding of Harrison & Hetherington and its operations across sites, over the next few months David will work very closely with David Pritchard, a former managing director of the company.

Scott Donaldson, managing director of Harrison & Hetherington, said: “David has a wealth of experience which will meet the demands of this challenging new position, and we are absolutely delighted to welcome him to the team. The enthusiasm and determination he has demonstrated so far will stand him in great stead, and I look forward very much to seeing how he can continue building on our strong operational foundations.

“This new facilities manager role was created at a time when we are seeking to continue driving our business presence and performance. David’s appointment really will be integral to Harrison & Hetherington’s future growth, not only to solidify our place in the market, but additionally to make sure we can guarantee up to date awareness of safety practices within this new COVID-19 context.”

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Orchard Care Homes has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Tracy Johnson as the operations director for the North West.

Tracy brings more than 30 years of experience in the health and social sector working at both strategic and operational levels, with her clinical expertise in operational leadership and strategic management.

Tracy’s strong leadership will focus on embedding high quality standards.

Tracy Johnson

In welcoming her to the organisation, chief executive Hayden Knight said: “I’m delighted to welcome Tracy back into the Orchard family team. She shares my passion for raising the profile of the care profession and with her knowledge of the sector, I am confident she will support the homes to deliver high standards of quality, person centred care.”

Tracy said: “I’m excited to be re-joining the Orchard family with its strong reputation for being the ‘local’ provider in the heart of the community.”

Tracy will be responsible for four specialist homes in Orchard’s portfolio including Green Park, Penwortham Grange & Lodge, Thornton Hall & Lodge and Three Bridges.

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CBRE’s Northern residential valuation team has appointed two new positions in the Manchester and Leeds offices to increase the capacity and satisfy the growing demand for residential valuation work across the North of England.

Beckie Ashall has been appointed as assistant surveyor in the Manchester office in a relocation from CBRE’s Liverpool office, while Emma Kirk joins the Leeds office as senior surveyor, transferring from the CBRE Central London valuation team.

The two new roles will provide support to service the continued activity generated by the residential sector from both clients and investors.

The Northern valuation team continues to grow in response to the current strength of the residential market.

Becky Ashall

Both the Leeds and Manchester valuation teams, which now equate to a total of 19 staff, have performed well over the past 12 months as a result of the increase in the Build to Rent and Single Family housing sectors, leading to further expansion of the team.

Throughout the pandemic the residential sector showed its resilience with sustained investment levels into institutional rented property. Total residential returns for 2020 were at 2.4% just behind those of industrial at 2.7% and the current trend is expected to continue throughout 2021.

Siobhan Fraser, head of valuation advisory North, said: “We are delighted to welcome Emma and Beckie to the Northern residential valuation team. The residential sector has remained resilient throughout the pandemic, outperforming a number of other sectors and we have seen increased demand from clients, reflective of the current strength of the market.”

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Manchester-based cloud software specialist CloudM has strengthened its growing senior team with the appointment of two new directors.

James Smith has been appointed as the company’s first customer experience director and Daniel Ackers takes the reins of sales director.

With a combined history of more than 14 years working at CloudM and sister company CTS, the duo bring a wealth of experience to the senior team from within the company and in previous roles.

James Smith

James Smith has held six positions during his tenure at CloudM, working with organisations such as Google, BBC, UK Gov, and Ofsted.

At CTS, he oversaw people and processes as operations director and later, at CloudM as head of sales engineering and then head of technical services, steering the ship through a rapid change, growth, and acquisition programme.

Having previously held the title of the top Google Workspace seller in Europe, and recipient of the Partner Champion Award in 2019 award, Daniel Ackers’ step up to sales director comes as no surprise. The appointment spells continued growth for CloudM with his stellar experience in strategic and enterprise cloud migration and management deals.

Daniel Ackers

The appointments come amidst a host of forward momentum as part of CloudM’s wider ambitious strategy to more than double the business’s turnover in each of the next three years.

Managing director Gary Bennion said: “The experience, passion, and technical know-how make James and Daniel irreplaceable assets to the business.

“These are promotions they have earned and massively deserve, and I’m confident will drive the business forward in new and exciting ways.

“James and his new team will now spearhead the experience of our customers, who are the cornerstone of everything that we do. Daniel’s sales leadership will open new doors to commercial growth and I’m looking forward to the future.”

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