People: MHA Moore and Smalley; Prospect Homes; Steve Hunt Associates; Weightmans; Lichfields; Hall Brown Family Law

From left: Dan Coleman, Andrew Feeke, Sam Singleton

Accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley has added to its growing corporate finance team in Manchester with two new appointments.

Sam Singleton has joined from KPMG as corporate finance assistant manager while Dan Coleman has been recruited as corporate finance executive, also from KPMG.

MHA Moore and Smalley’s corporate finance team has grown rapidly since the firm opened its Manchester office on Mosley Street in 2019. In January 2022, MHA Moore and Smalley doubled the size of the Manchester office allowing it to double staff numbers from 35 to 70.

Andrew Feeke, head of corporate finance, said: “Since we opened our Manchester office, we have experienced rapid growth in demand for our corporate finance services as well as several other areas of expertise including compliance and advisory tax services.

“Our corporate finance team has grown significantly over this period. Sam and Dan will complement our strong expertise as we continue to establish MHA Moore and Smalley as a key corporate finance advisory practice in the Manchester and wider North West landscape.”

Sam spent six years at KPMG, joining the company as audit associate and progressing to become audit manager, leading on to a number of high profile large corporates across the North West.

He will work alongside senior members of MHA Moore and Smalley’s corporate finance team on business disposals, acquisitions, management buyouts, management buyins and refinancing transactions as well as a wide range of strategic advisory projects.

Sam said: “The conversations I have had with the MHA Moore and Smalley corporate finance team have showed me that the firm’s values and ambitions align closely to my personal views. I am excited to develop my career at a firm with a growing profile in the Manchester corporate finance market.”

Dan has worked at KPMG since completing his Masters’ Degree at Swansea University in 2018. His role will include working on all aspects of corporate finance including mergers and acquisitions as well as financial due diligence processes.

He said: “I am looking forward to transferring my finance and audit skills and experience to corporate finance, while learning from a growing team as well as colleagues across the MHA and Baker Tilly networks.”

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A former chef is swapping the kitchen for a construction site. Twenty-seven-year-old Charlotte Milburn has joined South Liverpool housebuilder Prospect Homes as an apprentice assistant site manager.

Established in 2000, Prospect Homes builds houses across the North West and Yorkshire and is part of The Riverside Group. All profits made from home sales at Prospect Homes are given back to Riverside to invest in social value work and communities across the UK.

According to figures by GoConstruct, around 14% of construction industry professionals are women, but these figures are rising with 37% of new industry entrants from higher education, being women.

Charlotte Milburn

Charlotte said: “The proudest moment of my career so far was walking on site for the first time. Previously I worked as a nursery kitchen chef, there was no opportunity for progression, and I felt that at this stage in my life I wanted a career whereby I can continue to learn and be successful in a rewarding role.

“Knowing that the percentage of women in construction site management is quite low, it drives me to want to do that little bit better every day, learn more, work harder and be the best version of me I can be and try to bring a different perspective to work,” said Charlotte, who is also studying for a HNC Level 4 Construction Site Supervisor qualification in her spare time.

Martin Caldwell, head of construction at Prospect Homes, said: “We are very proud of our apprenticeship scheme, which has been a huge success over the years, I know with guidance and leadership from her colleagues Charlotte will thrive in this role.”

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Liverpool City Region mechanical and electrical engineering firm, Steven Hunt Associates, has appointed four new directors as the company continues its growth across the North West.

Led by managing director and company founder, Steve Hunt, the expanded leadership team will help steer the company, which recently reported an annual turnover of £1.3m, to build on the momentum of recent years.

From left: Neil Baines, Dominic Sibbring, Steve Hunt, Anne King, Dave Kelly

Stepping up to the board of directors are the company’s current senior mechanical engineer, Neil Baines, senior electrical design engineer, Dave Kelly, senior business development manager, Anne King, and BIM manager, Dominic Sibbring.

All are long standing employees of the family business. The appointments mark a milestone in the firm’s 33-year history, with recent projects including Novotel Hotel in Paddington Village, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Training & Development Academy and Leyland town redevelopment.

Steve Hunt said: “Collectively the new directors share my vision for this company, bring decades of experience in the industry, and are committed to dedicating their expertise to continuing to grow and shape the construction landscape in the region. They will ensure we remain relevant and ahead of the game. We are excited to make these appointments from within our existing workforce, recognising their expertise and strengthening our leadership as we move to the next level.”

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Liverpool-based national law firm, Weightmans, has promoted Stuart Whittle to chief innovation and technology officer, a new role for the firm with direct accountability for providing an increased service and product offering to its clients.

Based in Liverpool, Whittle joined Weightmans in 1993 as a trainee solicitor and worked as a professional indemnity lawyer until 2003 when he began working across the firm’s operational business. Since then, he has held roles including head of information services, information services and operations director, and most recently held the role of business services and innovation director, overseeing numerous operations, including IT, innovation and business change.

Stuart Whittle

In his new role, Whittle will now also be responsible for leading the day to day operation of the firm’s product and innovation functions to help provide new services, products and solutions while also improving the depth of services it currently provides.

Additionally, off the back of her success as innovation manager over the past four years, Catriona Wolfenden has been promoted to product and innovation director where she will be running a team of product and innovation partners, legal engineers and technologists, and product managers.

Stuart said: “We recognise that not every problem is a legal problem, and not every problem requires a technology solution, which is why our approach to innovation and problem solving is firming rooted in collaboration with clients.”

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Manchester planning and development consultancy Lichfields has announced several senior appointments as it continues to expand its operations and invest in services.

Andy McLaren, Imogen Zulver and Max Kidd-Rossiter have all been promoted to senior planner at the King Street-based firm, while Tamara Ettenfield has joined the team as a planner.

Andy and Imogen joined Lichfields in 2017 with Max joining in 2019.  All three have come through Lichfields’ graduate recruitment process and have helped deliver a number of high profile residential, commercial and energy projects over the past few years for a range of clients.

From left: Tamara Ettenfield, Maximilian Kidd-Rossiter, Imogen Zulver, Andy McLaren

Tamara joined the firm in December 2021, having previously worked at planning consultancies Zerum and DPP since 2018. Tamara is currently working on a range of projects including Crimble Mill in Rochdale which will see the restoration of the Grade II-listed Cotton Mill and the provision of more than 200 new homes.

Simon Pemberton, senior director and head of Lichfields’ Manchester office, said: “The recent promotions for Andy, Max and Imogen highlights the continued success and organic growth of the office and the opportunity for career progression at Lichfields. Their promotions are testament to their hard work and the value they have added for our clients on a number of high profile schemes in the past few years.

“We are also excited to welcome Tamara who will bring additional experience and expertise to the office. Tamara’s addition will add value to our clients’ developments and help to service our ever expanding portfolio of projects, in line with our agenda for growth.”

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Manchester-based Hall Brown Family Law has announced another senior appointment at its Sheffield office.

The firm has described how the recruitment of Louise Butcher as associate solicitor follows a substantial increase in work handled by its South Yorkshire team.

Partner Alison Fernandes revealed that despite the opening of Hall Brown’s office in Sheffield city centre coinciding with the start of lockdown, it had experienced “strong demand” for its services from clients ever since. She also said that the firm’s last 12 months had “comfortably eclipsed” the achievements of its first year of operations.

Louise Butcher, left, and Alison Fernandes

Ms Fernandes added that Ms Butcher – who will work within Hall Brown’s busy Children’s Law team – was a well known family lawyer who had commanded “great respect” from clients over the course of 16 years working across South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.

“Louise is another valuable addition not just to the Sheffield office but the firm in general and highlights how we have strengthened the resources of our specialist Children’s team.”

She said: “We are also well advanced with exciting plans to make further hires in the coming months.”

The Sheffield site became Hall Brown’s third office, adding to headquarters at the Grade II-listed Ship Canal House in Manchester and a London team based at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Last year, the firm, which employs a total of 50 people, including 38 of whom are fee earners, announced that its turnover had increased from £4.1m to £5.2m over the previous 12 months.

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