People: MSB; Essar; Bring Digital; Solomon Commercials; KOMI Group; Gulliver’s World
Liverpool-based law firm, MSB has added four new partners to its team, taking the total number to 18 across the business.
The promotions come in response to growth across the firm, with these individuals helping to drive the business forward.
New partners include Pippa Tudor, one-time trainee of MSB’s managing partner, Emma Carey, and senior associate solicitor in the firm’s family team, whose strong network in Cheshire and North Wales has allowed for the expansion of MSB’s private family offer.
Jack Medlicott, senior associate solicitor in commercial property has been made partner after developing the firm’s secured lending offer, as well as Andrew Moore, head of anti-social behaviour and leasehold and solicitor, who will be playing a large role in MSB’s growth across the North.
Also in the firm’s social housing team, Phillip Coburn, head of market rents and solicitor has been promoted to the position after making great strides in developing MSB’s recently introduced private landlord team.
Emma Carey said: “Becoming a partner of a firm is making a commitment to the future of that business, and it’s fantastic to have these new partners coming through who are able to bring energy and new ideas to the existing team. It’s also really important for our junior lawyers and trainees to see the progression opportunities that exist within the profession, and to have these partners who will support the next generation on their journeys.
“All of these individuals have proven themselves to be huge assets to MSB during their time at the firm. They are more than just amazing lawyers, they are the driving force to help take our business forward.
“We have grown the firm organically over the years and we continue to do so, with plans to recruit more trainees, expanding across the North and establishing a career progression programme so that everyone, from paralegal to partner, has a clear pathway to achieving their true potential.”
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Oil refining group Essar has appointed Michelle Lewis as corporate affairs director. She will also join the company’s executive leadership team.
Michelle brings more than 20 years’ of experience in delivering value and managing risk in challenging regulatory and political environments. A corporate communications specialist, she has a strong track record of developing and articulating clear purposes, which transform businesses, engage customers and build stakeholder trust.
Michelle Lewis
With a career that started in the power sector at Yorkshire Electricity, Michelle has had executive and senior leadership roles in the utility and retail sectors, including as director of corporate communication at Yorkshire Water. Most recently, she worked at Electricity North West, where a core focus of the role was building effective relationships to support the delivery of the region’s net zero ambitions.
She has a Degree in Politics and Parliamentary Studies and has undertaken internships at both the UK House of Commons and US Congress. Michelle also chairs Behind Closed Doors, a charity which supports people affected by domestic violence and abuse, and that acts to prevent it.
Essar chief executive, Deepak Maheshwari, said: “This is an important appointment to a senior position within the company. Michelle has huge experience working in highly regulated industries and will play a key role in communicating our vision for the low carbon transformation of the business over the coming years. Michelle will also work closely with our local communities to further strengthen those relationships.”
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Manchester agency Bring Digital has added eight new recruits to the business following record growth for the business in 2021.
The hires come after a year that saw revenues surpass the £4m mark for the first time. 2021 also saw the agency’s move to a new central Manchester office space after almost doubling its headcount to more than 40 digital experts.
The eight new hires joined across Bring Digital’s SEO, affiliates and PPC teams. They will strengthen the eCommerce proposition for brands such as American Golf, Cotton Traders and Studio.
From left, top: Michael Scowcroft, Stacey Purdie, Jamie Mitchell. Seated: Melanie Walker, Justin Young
Joining Bring’s client services team as senior account director is Chris Walton, along with Chelsea Henderson who is a senior account manager.
Additions to the SEO team include Rebecca Pennington as SEO strategy manager, Cleo Chaisty as senior digital PR executive, and Neoma Toersen as content executive.
Josh Wardle-Paylor joins the company as senior affiliates account manager and Giorgia Reffo joins Bring’s growing paid media team. Lucy Aldridge joins as Bring Digital’s executive assistant.
This growth has continued into 2022, with the agency currently hiring for five further roles in quarter one.
CEO Justin Young said: “We’re so pleased to see the Bring Digital family continue to grow.
“What’s most exciting is that we’re not just growing in number, we’re growing in quality, too. The staff we’re able to attract and retain in 2022 are, without a doubt, amongst the best in the industry.”
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Solomon Commercials, a manufacturer of temperature controlled-vehicles, has appointed Matt Hilton as the firm’s new head of procurement.
Matt Hilton
Matt, who has more than 33 years of experience in procurement, will now lead the five-strong team at the Haslingden head office and has been tasked with helping build strategic partnerships with Solomon’s suppliers.
Matt said: “Solomon Commercials has a fantastic reputation in the industry. For more than 40 years the business has been built on helping its clients get their products from A to B quickly, efficiently and safely. Working as part of the senior management team here, we have a vision to make sure Solomon Commercials is industry-leading and to ensure we achieve our objectives we need to have excellent partnerships in place.”
Solomon Commercials has recently invested £2m in its headquarters to increase production capacity and opened a new 35,000 sq ft production facility in Darwen.
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KOMI Group, the Manchester-based social media, marketing, and licensing business, has grown its team by 10 since the start of the year. The new appointments are spread across the business and increases its total headcount to 62.
Aban Mechti joins as a social media manager from LadBible where he worked for two years. Aban’s focus will be on working with the firm’s network of social and viral content creators to manage the flow of content from submission through to client delivery.
From left: Bailey Sadler, Phoebe Johnson-Bird, Hannah Green, Abbery Lam, Jodie Giblin, James Farrington
Abbey Lam, James Farrington, Luke Hampson, Bailey Sadler, and Phoebe Johnson-Bird have all been appointed junior video editing coordinators. Their roles involve every part of the video creation process including ingesting, syncing, and editing footage as well as graphics and audio elements.
Hannah Green has joined as a junior graphic designer from Stonegate Group, Lewis Rattigan is a new gaming streamer, and Lucy-Kate Green is the company’s newest junior community coordinator. She joins from ASDA.
The final new starter is Jodie Giblin, KOMI’s new business development manager, whose last role was at MediaBodies in Leeds.
KOMI managing director, Andrew Trotman, said: “2022 is going to be a pivotal 12 months for the business as we capitalise on the growth that we have achieved over the past couple of years. Our success is as a result of the talent, creativity, and strategic thinking of our team, so we are delighted to welcome each of these new starters as they all bring some fantastic experience that I’m sure will add real value to our offering.”
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Warrington theme park Gulliver’s World has strengthened its leadership team after appointing a new resort director to oversee the resort.
Craig Clews, 41, from Preston, joins Gulliver’s from Blackpool Pleasure Beach, where he was assistant operations director.
He previously worked at Crealy Theme Park and Resort in Devon, including as assistant general manager, and as a Thomson Holiday rep in resorts all over the world.
Craig Clews
As resort director, which is a new role at the park, Craig will oversee the whole business operation across the resort, supporting teams working in areas including ride engineering, hospitality and management.
Craig said: “Gulliver’s World in Warrington was my very first day out with my family that I can remember, so coming back 30 years later brings back great memories.
“I’m excited to be part of this journey and to support the leadership team as we continue to grow the business. We already have a fantastic team in place who are really customer-focused and I’m really looking forward to working with them.”
Julie Dalton, managing director at Gulliver’s Theme Parks Resorts, said: “Our team is a vital part of what makes a visit to one of our resorts so special and we will continue to invest in good people with a passion for delivering first-class service.”
