People: Peel L&P; KOMI Group; Changing Streams; Appreciate Group; Jackson Lees
Manchester-based UK regeneration business, Peel L&P, has appointed Chris Capes as director of development for its Liverpool Waters project. Chris will take up his position in June.
Chris has more than 20 years’ experience working in regeneration and property development within local government, including periods with Cheshire West and Chester Councils. He is currently development team leader at Liverpool City Council, where he has worked since October 2019.
In addition to having led a range of strategic development projects, Chris has also helped shape key public realm and waterfront regeneration schemes.
Chris will join the Liverpool Waters team at an exciting time for the £5bn regeneration project.
Princes Dock is a thriving mixed-use neighbourhood that continues to grow, with Regenda’s Plaza 1821 completed in 2020 and Moda Living’s The Lexington doing the same in August this year.
The Central Docks neighbourhood is also moving forward. Key infrastructure projects are taking place, including the recent completion of a new link road, Jesse Hartley Way, and the new Isle of Man Ferry terminal, which is onsite now and expected to complete in 2022.
Important residential, commercial, leisure and public realm developments are also in the pipeline, including Romal Capital’s proposals for a new £100m neighbourhood.
Chris Capes said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Peel L&P at such an exciting time and looking forward to working with the Liverpool Waters team to build on the excellent progress made in recent years.
“The regeneration of the city’s waterfront, in line with the incredible vision for the Liverpool Waters site, is vitally important for the whole region and I look forward to driving its progress.”
James Whittaker, executive director of development at Peel L&P, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to Peel L&P and look forward to working with him to build on the recent successes and momentum achieved at Liverpool Waters. With a range of projects onsite, several in the planning stages, and the recent approval of the new Everton stadium, there has never been a more exciting time to lead the Liverpool Waters team.”
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KOMI Group, the Manchester-based social media marketing company, is continuing to grow after appointing three key new members of staff to its media and social teams. Their arrivals follow the news a few months ago that its turnover hit £1m for the first time and that it aims to double that figure in 2021.
The first new starter is Sian Broderick who joins as KOMI Media’s new head of editorial. Sian will be running and overseeing all aspects of KOMI’s editorial output across its pages and will be implementing a brand new editorial strategy as well mentoring and growing the team.
She joins from Global in London where she was a senior social editor running Capital FM’s social media channels. Sian has also worked at LADbible Group. She holds a BA (Hons) in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Salford and the National Council for the Training of Journalists Diploma in Journalism.
Sian Broderick
Emily Brewster has joined as KOMI’s new social media presenter and voiceover artist. She has a long standing passion for presenting and bringing stories to life so will be working across all KOMI social channels including It’s Gone Viral, Happiest and Ultimate to develop scripts and create engaging and original voiceover and video content.
She will also be working on in-house projects and, when COVID restrictions finally lift, will work with the team to create more original content including games and challenges. Emily has previously worked as a PR consultant for technology brands and as a broadcast journalist for Global.
The final new starter is James Wiles who is the firm’s new original producer. James’s new role will see him create original video content for KOMI and its partners. He started his career at Jungle Creations before moving to Electric House as a video producer for both branded and original content.
Andrew Trotman, managing director of KOMI Group, said: “2021 is set to be a big year for the group so we are delighted to be bringing in these three talented creatives. Each bring fantastic experience that I know will add value to the business and our clients as we continue to drive forward and grow.”
Sian said: “As a social-first editor, KOMI group felt like the perfect fit for me as it has amassed an impressive portfolio of highly engaged social channels. My focus will be on helping to ramp up their offering and reach millions of people with a whole range of engaging, interesting, targeted, and diverse stories.”
On average, the company delivers more than one billion views across its portfolio of pages each month.
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Changing Streams has appointed a leading environmental engineer to help support its mission to reduce the use of plastic across the construction industry.
Environmental consultant, campaigner and UNESCO special envoy, Georgia Elliott-Smith, has joined the expanding team to help develop a new series of programmes for members to support them in their ambition to reduce their plastic consumption.
Georgia started her career at Bovis in 1995 as one of the first environment managers in the UK construction industry. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the industry as an environmental engineer, chartered environmentalist and active campaigner for change.
Following a life-changing Antarctic expedition she was awarded the honorary title of UNESCO Special Junior Envoy for Youth & the Environment, a role that has led her around the world, speaking to young people about environmental issues.
She is currently working with MPs, activist groups and NGOs to drive a more circular economy, as well as leading a legal challenge demanding the UK Government upholds the Paris Agreement and effectively reduces industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
Her role at Liverpool-based Changing Streams will include supporting the team to develop a series of new programmes which will be rolled out to members to give them the insights and practical knowledge they need to make lasting change.
Georgia has a vast amount of experience working on-site with construction businesses and suppliers. By identifying practical measures, conducting workshops, auditing existing practises, reviewing designs and implementing recommendations she has rolled out successful programmes to help contractors significantly reduce carbon emissions and waste.
Georgia Elliott-Smith
Managing Director of sustainability consultancy Element Four, Georgia said: “As an active campaigner for circularity, carbon action and climate change, I am extremely dedicated to making strong, meaningful action in industry. When I met with Neal and the team at Changing Streams there was a clear synergy between the works we were doing and I am delighted to be able to play an active role in helping them deliver real change for the industry.”
Established by building entrepreneur Neal Maxwell, in partnership with The University of Liverpool, Changing Streams aims to reduce the use of plastics in buildings and throughout the built environment supply chain.
Neal said: “An important part of our growth plans is to engage with key figures from major organisations within the sector and Georgia coming on board is a major milestone. She is perfectly suited to be a valuable and vital part of our team and we are very excited to start devising and implementing new programmes to existing members, which will help us in our bid to eradicate the use and abuse of plastic materials within the construction sector.”
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Gifting and rewards company, Appreciate Group, has underlined its commitment to digital growth by appointing highly experienced insight professional, Steven Keyes, as its new head of insights.
The Liverpool-based home of Park Christmas Savings, Love2shop and highstreetvouchers.com, will benefit from his more than decade experience of providing strategic data and customer insights analysis to blue-chip firms such as The Co-op and Iceland Foods.
This latest appointment is part of the group’s ambitious plans to lead the market in digital gifting and rewards solutions.
Steven’s role will focus on analysing customer and commercial insights to help shape the evolution of the group’s digital approach and product offerings.
Steven Keyes
Steven said: “I’m excited to be helping Appreciate Group progress leading-edge data and insights to shape and evolve solutions that help bring joy to its customers.
“The company recognises the opportunity to use insights to inform its digital approach and solutions, in line with the changing needs of its customers.”
Interim chief marketing officer, James Poole, said: “It’s important to constantly adapt and respond to the evolving needs of our customers. We’re confident that Steven will help us delve deeper and better understand our customers, ensuring we are shaping our approach to precisely match their preferences when it comes to digital gifting and rewarding.”
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North West law firm Jackson Lees has announced the appointment of a new civil litigation solicitor to specialise in contentious probate issues.
Danielle Blaylock has joined the firm to build a team that will act for clients who are challenging or disputing wills.
With more than 13 years’ legal experience, Danielle has spent her career focusing on civil litigation, having initially started her journey in personal injury and spending the last 11 years working within civil and commercial litigation, equipping her with the skills necessary to specialise in this niche area.
Now, she will help to bridge the gap between the civil litigation and wills, trusts and probate departments at Jackson Lees.
Danielle Blaylock
Danielle, who is based at the company’s Liverpool office in Walker House, said: “I’ll be building a team of experts to support me in helping clients challenge wills for the best outcomes for all parties, working closely with the wills department.”
She added: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be on board with the Jackson Lees team – it was clear that it’s a firm committed to building the profile of individuals as well as the wider brand, so this really stood out to me.
“The idea of the Jackson Lees Foundation – set up to support disadvantaged groups within the community get access to justice – greatly appealed to me, too, so I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and seeing how I can support the initiative.”
Esther Leach, managing director at Jackson Lees Group, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Danielle to the team and we’re confident she will be a true asset to the firm. She brings with her an abundance of experience and industry know-how, making her the perfect fit to build a strong team within the civil litigation department.”
