People: Cassidy + Ashton; Scarborough Group International; DLA Architecture; Time Finance; Summize
North West architectural, planning and building surveying practice, Cassidy + Ashton, has strengthened its architecture and design team with the appointment of architect Matthew Thompson.
Matthew joins the practice from Firth Architects in Lytham, where he specialised in the design of luxury residential developments, bespoke ‘one-off’ high valued houses and working on residential projects including house extensions, renovations and new builds.
Based at Cassidy + Ashton’s Preston office, Matthew will cover a wide range of residential and commercial client projects.
With a keen interest in heritage and listed buildings, Matthew has extensive experience in designing renovations involving the adaptation of old commercial buildings for residential use or to provide a more contemporary purpose.
Alistair Baines, chairman of Cassidy + Ashton, said: “Matthew is a valuable addition to our architecture and design team, and we all welcome him to the practice. Not only does he have experience in the residential sector and working on historic properties, Matthew has a highly technical background which is a great attribute to an architect’s profession.
“I am confident, with his impressive professional background, that Matthew will help to strengthen our design expertise and will support our continued growth and success across the region.”
Matthew has significant knowledge in conservation work, in particular working on residential projects in the Lake District National Park. His passion for working on old properties includes completing the renovation of his own home, a 200-year-old cottage in the Trough of Bowland.
After qualifying as an architect in 2020 following completion of Part 3 of the RIBA’s Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Architecture, Matthew now aims to achieve his goal of becoming an accredited conservation architect. He also has a keen interest in expanding his experience in commercial property design.
He said: “I am really pleased to have joined the team at Cassidy + Ashton and feel extremely fortunate to be a part of a supportive and established practice with a very high standard of design.
“I take great pride in appreciating the precision of detailing and craftsmanship in my role as an architect and value the success of breathing new life into old buildings.
“I’m always learning and developing my knowledge across a variety of different sectors and disciplines and working at Cassidy + Ashton will give me the opportunity to expand my skillset and my experience as I further my career as an architect.”
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Scarborough Group International (SGI), the UK real estate developer and investor, has further strengthened its project management team with two new recruits, as it looks to ramp up its development activity across the Northern Powerhouse.
Andrew Udall has been appointed as head building inspector and will be working with the various construction teams principally responsible for examining and reporting on all of SGI’s current and future construction projects to help maintain the highest quality standards and mitigate any potential risk.
Andrew Udall
Having spent the majority of his career in the building control team at Sheffield City Council, Andrew has a wealth of experience in ensuring that construction projects comply with the latest building regulations. He has also had stints as head of operations at Sheffield United Football Club and chair of the Safety Advisory Group at Sheffield City Council.
Joseph Udall joins as project manager and will be responsible for overseeing the planning and delivery of SGI’s construction projects across the UK in a timely and cost effective manner.
He brings with him more than 15 years’ experience in the construction industry, having run a successful building company, which he set up in 2010 after securing a start-up grant from the Prince’s Trust.
The newly-created positions enhance SGI’s in-house project management capabilities following the recent appointment of Jon Anderson as project director and apprentice project manager, Jake Hall who joined the group earlier this year.
Joseph Udall
Not only do the appointments reflect the group’s strategic growth plans to become the leading developer across the Northern Powerhouse, they also support its ambition to drive up safety standards across the UK construction industry, said the business.
Chief Executive, Simon McCabe, said: “The property industry is coming under increasing scrutiny in respect of construction standards, and rightly so given the level of risk involved. We want to ensure that all of our projects not only meet but exceed the health, safety, environment and quality requirements placed upon us so that we can continue to deliver transformational developments for people to interact with.
“Given the scale of the projects we have under way and, as we move forward with our ambitious growth strategy, we felt that now was the right time to continue our expansion of our in-house project management capability and I’m very pleased to welcome Andy and Joe into the group.”
Andrew and Joseph will both be based in the group’s Sheffield office but will work across its projects at Thorpe Park Leeds, Sheffield Digital Campus, Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and Middlewood Locks in Salford and a variety of other projects where the group operates throughout the UK.
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DLA Architecture, a top 100 UK architectural practice, has promoted Paul King to head of sustainability across all three studios in Leeds, Manchester, and London. This promotion is a natural progression for Paul who has been leading the development of DLA’s expertise in environmentally-conscious architecture for the past several years.
As head of sustainability at DLA, Paul will operate across all office locations and drive the sustainability ethos within the practice, taking the lead in promoting a more integrated environmental design culture across the business, and developing the practice’s ability to deliver net zero carbon architecture across all work sectors.
Paul, who is also a Passivhaus Certified Designer, joined the practice in 2009 and has worked extensively within the higher education sector. He has contributed considerable leadership through several high profile projects, including the Esther Simpson Building for Leeds University Business School which is due to complete this summer.
Chris Levett, board director and head of the London office at DLA, said: “Paul’s skills, experience, and passion for integrating net zero carbon are vital to DLA’s contextual, narrative-led architecture and this dedicate role will make carbon reduction a more integral part of the design process within the practice.”
Paul King
Paul King, said: “I am delighted to take on this role at DLA and excited to continue developing some of the exciting, carbon-focused design solutions we have explored in recent years. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and clients across the business as we confront the challenges of the climate emergency.”
DLA Architecture has been established for more than 40 years with offices in Leeds, Manchester and London. The award winning practice employs more than 75 architects, landscape architects, architectural technologists and graphic designers.
In January DLA announced its succession strategy with a rebrand and has streamlined its core architectural services to focus on core growth sectors. While its HQ remains in Leeds, it has committed to grow its North West presence with larger premises in Manchester city centre.
DLA is recognised nationally for its award winning work which includes the sensitive, £21m PPP delivered community project at Hackney Gardens in London and the transformation of the iconic Majestic building in Leeds city centre. Its expertise covers a broad range of sectors, including learning, sport, industry, care, workplace, housing, retail, conservation and re-use.
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Time Finance is pleased to announce it has appointed Abbie Mosley as broker manager in the asset finance division.
Abbie joins with more than two years’ industry experience, having spent her career working in both client facing and supplier management roles at Bluestone Leasing. In her new role at Time Finance, which has operations in Warrington and Manchester, Abbie will be responsible for building and maintaining strong broker relations in the North of England and helping their clients access the vital pieces of equipment they need to innovate and grow.
Abbie said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Time Finance at what continues to be a crucially important time for UK businesses. As government support schemes begin to wind down, more SMEs are turning to asset finance solutions to facilitate their long term investment strategies. I’ll be using my experience to continue building strong broker relations and helping their clients to invest in new equipment which will keep momentum high in their continued recovery.”
The announcement follows a number of recent appointments and promotions within Time Finance, including Ed Rimmer to permanent CEO, Rebekah Middleton to head of hard and soft asset and Joe Ralphs to head of operations, further demonstrating the firm’s commitment to investing in their people as well as delivering a strong asset finance solution to brokers and their clients.
Carol Roberts, director of asset finance said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Abbie to our growing team. It comes at an opportune time where demand for finance is high and with a national sales presence we can react to opportunities swiftly, ensuring businesses get the funding solutions they need to grow and thrive. We’re positive Abbie will be a great addition.
Abbie Mosley
“With new data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showing that the UK economy grew by 4.8% in the second quarter of 2021, there are some really promising signs that our economic recovery is gathering pace. It’s a pivotal time for businesses and investment for growth has never been more important. Our asset finance team are well placed to help brokers and those clients capitalise on those opportunities and continue to grow.”
Time Finance’s asset finance solutions can help business owners to access the equipment they need to take their business to the next level. By spreading the cost of investment into manageable, monthly payments, accessing new equipment becomes affordable and, in turn, helps generate new lines of revenue.
Time Finance also specialises in the provision or arrangement of invoice finance, loans and vehicle finance solutions. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been working hard to help its customers through this turbulent period with its portfolio of solutions. The CBILS accreditation that it received back in May 2020 and its latest RLS accreditation provides an additional opportunity to instil reassurance and confidence back into British business through asset finance and loan facilities.
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Legal technology firm Summize has appointed Ben Audley as its new chief revenue officer.
Formerly the CEO and founder of cyber security training firm, Purplephish, Ben joins the Manchester-based team to lead its sales and marketing functions. He will also be responsible for delivering against the firm’s international growth plans.
Prior to Purplephish, Ben worked at Avecto and was instrumental in the growth of its sales team across both EMEA and US regions. The growth trajectory created in both organisations led to both Avecto and Purplephish’s advantageous acquisitions.
Established in 2018, Summize provides an intelligent software solution to legal professionals that makes contract creation, management and review easy.
Ben Audley
Ben said: “Legal technology is revolutionising the way legal teams manage their day-to-day activities. Its application across the wider business community could be transformational for productivity and efficiency.
“Joining Summize is an exciting opportunity. I’m looking forward to driving the revenue functions and continuing to expand the firm’s global footprint.”
Tom Dunlop, Summize CEO, said: “Since we launched Summize, we’ve had our sights set firmly on expansion both in the UK and across new markets. We’re looking forward to bringing Ben on board to help deliver on our long term goals.
“His experience and relevance within the technology industry makes him an asset to Summize and our scale-up plans. I’m thrilled to have such a forward thinking individual as part of the executive team.”
