People: Barclays Wealth Management; MC Construction; Dining Club Group; BIMBox; DSG Chartered Accountants

Richard Clark

Barclays Wealth Management is continuing its growth plans across the UK following the appointment of Richard Clark as director.

Clark, a Chartered Wealth Manager, has recently been promoted to director in the North of England, joining two existing directors, Michelle Steggles and Alison Probert covering Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester offices. The trio will continue to offer wealth management, wealth planning, banking and credit services and report in to Kat Johnson who took over as the head of North for Barclays Wealth in January this year.

Kat Johnson said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to promote Richard to director level and to extend Richard’s responsibilities across the North. Richard’s notable industry knowledge and experience will prove invaluable as we continue to strengthen both our leadership and advisory teams across the whole of the UK.”

Richard Clark said: “I’m excited to have been promoted in the Northern team as we continue with our growth ambitions. At Barclays Wealth Management we are extremely passionate about the future of our clients’ wealth and we have the best teams in place to provide incomparable services to the families, individuals, charities and entrepreneurs we serve.”

Clark has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services, having joined Barclays Wealth Management in January 2011 as a wealth manager focused on providing the bank’s comprehensive wealth management solutions to private clients, companies and trusts.

Prior to joining Barclays, he was a manager at Bond Dickinson, a top 50 law firm where he spent more than 10 years specialising in wealth management and financial advice.

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Salford-based MC Construction has strengthened its board with the appointment of a vastly-experienced industry professional as a non-executive director. Nigel Rawlings has joined the company to provide strategic advice to its executive team.

He is the founder and chief executive of RISE Homes, formerly Housing Capital Property, an award-winning Stockport-based residential property developer of sustainable homes for rent across the North and Midlands.

He is also a non-executive director of Rowlinson Constructions group, Supportive Care (UK), which provides specialist support and advice to clinicians involved in complex medical cases, and renewable technology business Aquanovis Holdings.

Nigel co-founded the FTSE250 healthcare property group Assura Group and later served as its chief executive. He has also acted as a director for the Westbury Property Fund, which developed and invested in commercial and residential property across the UK.

Nigel Rawlings

David Lowe, managing director of MC Construction, said: “Nigel has vast experience gained over many years at the forefront of the property and construction industry, including the commercial, residential and healthcare sectors.

“He has also been a pioneer in the build-to-rent sector with RISE Homes, whose developments, such as the Tribe Apartments scheme in Manchester and The Mailbox in Stockport, have won global recognition for their sustainable features.

“Nigel brings a wealth of knowledge to our board and will play an important role as we shape our business for the future to take it to the next level. There are great synergies with his other business activities and interests which also provide a tremendous fit for the company.”

MC Construction, which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, undertakes building projects throughout the North West with a focus on the commercial, education, heritage, hospitality, industrial, local authority, social housing and healthcare sectors.

Founded in 1971 by Charlie Lowe and John Purcell, the business remains family-owned and employs nearly 60 staff.

Nigel said: “MC Construction is a long established construction company which has a great reputation and wins substantial repeat business.

“I’m looking forward to playing my part as a member of its board of directors to help it develop further over the coming years.”

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The Dining Club Group, soon to become Ello Group, is to recruit at least 40 new team members in 2021, following a year of substantial growth for the Manchester-based business.

The technology, data and subscription business, which specialises in customer engagement and loyalty products, has already grown its team by more than a third in the past 12 months, to 158.

Richard Jones

Included in its most recent recruitment drive were a number of senior hires, such as head of product and delivery, Richard Jones, who joined in May 2021, bringing experience from roles at MoneySupermarket, OpenMoney and Vaultex UK. Richard will be leading the group’s product strategy, with a core focus on transforming it into a product-led, agile business.

Head of data and growth Matt Lacey, joined the team in May following previous roles at Code Computerlove and Econsultancy. He’ll be responsible for driving the business’s focus on insight, research and experimentation and brings a track record of building and leading teams that focus on improving customer experience and delivering business impact.

As the group continues to grow, supported by a brand and digital transformation, it is actively recruiting for several new roles in its product and digital departments, including the pivotal roles of head of technology and head of culture. The latter is a brand new role, responsible for the creation and execution of its strategic culture roadmap and delivering this into the group’s dynamic and fast growing business.

Matt Lacey

Anwar Sultan, chief digital & strategy officer at the Dining Club Group/Ello Group, said: “As we grow quickly, the last thing we want to do is lose sight of our people, who are at the heart of everything we do. So, our recruitment drive all comes back to our wider focus of prioritising culture and people alongside growth.

“As we look to the future, we want to continue growing as an agile, platform-first business that builds brilliant products and strategies, driven by data and insight. We’re delighted to welcome all of our new team members on board and to continue recruiting more great thinkers over the course of the year.”

Ello Group currently works with partners including Vue, Vodafone and Compare the Market. It offers a portfolio of loyalty products and rewards across various sectors including cinema, fitness, retail, attraction and dining – including the tastecard.

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BIMBox, which says it is known for its clarity-conscious approach to digital construction, has enjoyed notable success and expansion despite pandemic-era challenges, with a steady influx of top talent joining the fast growing consultancy over the past year. Since the beginning of 2020, the Manchester-based BIM-led organisation has more than doubled its workforce from seven to 15, upgraded its office space, plus worked across more than 40 construction projects nationwide while supporting the strategic BIM development of a dozen organisations.

The expanding consultancy is continuing to recruit through the final quarters of 2021.

Managing director, Chris Crookes, identifies industry trends combined with BIMBox’s broad client base and defined service offering as success factors behind the BIM consultancy’s recent growth. He said: “As a business that operates within the digital realm, we’ve been fortunate to not only weather the last 18 months, but to grow ahead of our projections. Our defined service offering, acting both as project BIM consultants across sectors, plus strategic development partners for a wide range of organisations, has brought both returning and new clients to our door.”

The BIMBox team

Recent recruits to join the business have come from a range of specialisms, from architecture, M&E and structural engineering, to interior design and construction backgrounds, as well as graduates from dedicated BIM-courses at The University of Salford.

Chris explains that promoting collaboration between diverse team members has been at the forefront of BIMBox’s growth strategy: “We knew that we wanted to build a multi-skilled, dynamic team and create a bespoke space that would help to bring the best out of them.

“In 2020, of all years, we relocated into a larger office space at 70 Spring Gardens, Manchester and it’s great to see everyone now able to make the most of the tailored space, in person. We hope it will continue to support our unique service offering and attract the best up-and-coming BIM talent to the business.”

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Liverpool-based independent accountancy practice DSG Chartered Accountants has seen annualised revenue grow by more than five per cent since March as demand for the firm’s services grows following the pandemic. As a result of this recent success, the firm has made 10 new hires across its audit, accounts and tax teams in the past four months, which brings the total headcount to 95.

From its headquarters in Liverpool and an office in North Wales, DSG provides independent audit, accountancy, and advisory services to a variety of small, medium and larger businesses. The firm is a member of DFK International, a global association of accounting firms, that provides the firm’s clients access to knowledge on a global scale in matters such as tax planning, expanding overseas and regular compliance.

This recent growth follows the completion of a transaction in 2019 when DSG secured the transfer of the Liverpool audit practice of international accounting firm Mazars. The deal included most of Mazars’ audit clients and staff in the city, including directors Neil Kelly and Angela Harrison, bringing an additional eight team members to DSG and creating the largest independent audit team in Liverpool.

Andrew Moss

Angela Harrison, corporate director at DSG Chartered Accountants, said: “Transferring from Mazars to DSG was a great move for the team at the right time, and the results of this year are evidence of how seamless the integration has been, even whilst most of it took place during the pandemic.”

The firm has also recently committed to a year-long sponsorship with the Institute of Directors (IoD) in the Liverpool City Region to further add value to its clients with relevant events for business owners.

Andrew Moss, partner at DSG Chartered Accountants, said: “As the country returns to normal, we have been able to continue to provide practical advice to help our clients achieve their commercial objectives, and I look forward to seeing our team continue to grow and support the SME community in the Liverpool City Region.”

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