People: Tosca Debt Capital; APS Group; Cassidy + Ashton; Exchange Chambers; GHP Legal

Manchester-based independent debt fund Tosca Debt Capital (TDC) has appointed Mat Deering as a partner to further develop and grow its investment portfolio.

He will be working alongside founding partners Gary Davison and Richard Williams to strengthen the firm’s presence in the market and unlock growth for UK SMEs and lower mid-market corporates.

Mat joins TDC having had a successful career in both corporate advisory with EY and as a partner and original team member with Endless. During his time at Endless Mat led the Manchester office and was responsible for a number of successful investments including Moda Furnishings, Bright Blue Foods (BBF) and EVO Group.

More recently, Mat has acted as executive chairman of TDC portfolio company, EDAM Group as well as undertaking a number of other non-executive and board advisory roles via his advisory consultancy Remedy.

Mat’s new role will focus primarily on the natural extension of the TDC proposition, which is centred around the deployment of secured debt capital into UK corporates. He will be supporting transactions which require a broader approach to financing potentially involving equity participation and subordinated debt investment.

TDC has recently received total commitments of £182m into TDC Fund III, with a final close due in the autumn. To date, the firm has deployed £340m across 40 UK borrowers and has achieved 10 successful exits, including the recent exit of Lomond Group to Linley & Simpson, an LDC investee company in the property rental and estate agency sector.

Gary Davison, managing partner at TDC, said: “We’re delighted to have Mat on board at an important time for our business.

“As we embark upon closing TDC Fund III and considering our options in terms of future fund raising, we are committed to deploying increasing volumes of debt capital across the region’s ambitious businesses. With this in mind, Mat will be a great asset in terms of his experience and network and will help drive the continued development of our product portfolio and remit.”

Mat Deering said: “I am genuinely excited at the opportunity to join such a dynamic and unique business as TDC and support its continued expansion and development. TDC has significant funds available to deploy across regional businesses and as the economy recovers from the impact of COVID, I believe there will be many opportunities to support strong management teams.”

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Global marketing services business APS Group has further strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of industry veteran David Herridge as executive director of its customer communication business.

This follows the recent hire of Tony Massey to a similar position for the Cheadle Heath-based group.

David brings more than 30 years of experience in the transactional print, marketing services and outsourcing industry and is one of the most experienced senior executives in the customer communications space. David’s industry experience includes eight years in financial services at Lloyds Banking Group, where he was the group business services director.

David Herridge

David has held a number of board positions managing UK, USA, European and offshore companies delivering predominantly customer facing services. His most recent role was managing director of Communisis.

He joins after a raft of investment in the APS Group customer communications offering including the recent opening of the Preston Brook secure facility, a 100,000 sq ft production and warehousing site.

Nick Snelson, APS Group managing director, said: “Having recently secured the services of Tony Massey on the APS board we’re delighted to welcome a similar industry heavyweight in David. His unrivalled knowledge of the customer communications industry will be a huge asset to help our expansion in this area.”

David Herridge said: “It’s a great time to be joining the APS Group, working alongside a brilliant executive team that is already in place alongside some new familiar faces. This, coupled with the ongoing investment to the customer communications business, shows a real commitment in the current climate from the group.”

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North West architectural, planning and building surveying practice, Cassidy + Ashton, has promoted experienced architect, Dan Thorpe, to head of architecture at its Chester office.

Dan, a RIBA-qualified architect who joined the practice as associate director in 2018, is tasked with growing Cassidy + Ashton’s Chester office.

The Chester team has worked on a number of high profile built environment projects for clients such as Chester Zoo, Halton Borough Council, University of Liverpool, Airbus and Anwyl Partnerships.

Dan said: “We already have an excellent client community and talented team in Chester which is known for delivering exceptional standards of work, so we have a strong foundation to build on.

“My vision for the office is to be recognised as one of the leading practices in the region by empowering our team to deliver architecture, planning and surveying work that has a lasting impact on communities.

“The practice is very busy at the moment and we are currently in the process of expanding our team. We’re looking to invest in up and coming talent to give us a team for the future.”

Dan Thorpe

Cassidy + Ashton’s Chester team is located at Hunters Walk in the city and includes specialists across disciplines in architecture, planning and building surveying.

Chairman, Alistair Baines, said: “Chester is a key strategic North West location for the practice. It allows us to serve many of our clients across the Cheshire and Merseyside region.

“With a strong team and a genuine multi-disciplinary property consultancy offering, the office has great potential. Dan is a natural leader, great with clients and people and has a clear vision. We feel he is the perfect person to lead the office.”

Cassidy + Ashton was founded in 1960 and has additional offices in Preston, London and Mold.

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Paul Johnson, from Exchange Chambers in Manchester, has been reappointed to Sport Resolutions’ Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for a further three years.

Sport Resolutions is an independent, not-for-profit, dispute resolution service for sport based in the UK.

Its Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators includes many of the top legal, financial, medical, safeguarding and sport administrator professionals working in sport.

Paul Johnson

All are appointed to the panel in accordance with criteria set by the Panel Appointments and Review Committee. As one of the leading mediators in the UK, Paul has been on Sport Resolutions’ Panel of Arbitrators and Mediators for the past 14 years.

Having mediated in excess of 900 disputes, Paul has a wealth of experience in many types of disputes across a wide range of areas.

He has been listed as a Leading Mediator in Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 since 2008 and is presently ranked as one of the top barrister mediators in the UK, having been named in the Legal 500’s Hall of Fame for the past three years.

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GHP Legal has announced the appointment of an additional solicitor with a special interest in domestic abuse cases at its Wrexham head office.

The firm, which also has offices in Oswestry, Llangollen and Chirk, says the appointment of Sean Rolinson reflects an increase in the number of enquiries relating to family matters, and in particular domestic abuse cases, since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Originally from the West Midlands, Sean Rolinson studied law at the University of Aberystwyth before going on to complete his LPC at the College of Law, Chester. He qualified as a solicitor in 2019 and a year later was a nominee for Cardiff Law Society Junior Lawyer of the Year.

Nathan Wright, partner and head of Family Law at GHP Legal, which ranks among the top 500 law firms in England and Wales, said: “We have a versatile team of solicitor-advocates, solicitors, a solicitor mediator and legal executives who deal with the full spectrum of family and associated matters.

Sean Rolinson

“Since the COVID pandemic began a year ago they have all seen a rise in cases, particularly domestic abuse cases. With a special interest and experience in this area of work, Sean’s appointment could not have come at a more apt time.”

Sean Rolinson said: “Relationship breakdown under any circumstances can be both distressing and confusing, but for victims of domestic abuse it is especially important to have a lawyer on your side who is compassionate and sensitive as well as having the knowledge and experience to provide the best advice and a safe way forward. With that very much at the forefront of what I do, I am looking forward to being a member of the GHP Legal family team.”