People: Knight Frank; Haines Watts; Caddick Construction; Brabners; Eleven Marketing & Communications; Beswicks Legal
Craig Barton has joined the investment team at Knight Frank in Manchester as a partner alongside Matt Stretton.
Craig’s move comes after 25 years with Cushman & Wakefield, where he was senior investment partner and he said: “I was not looking to move but the opportunity to join Matt and work with David Porter was just too good to miss.
“Knight Frank is involved in some of the most transformational projects in the North and it is a really exciting time to join.
“We are seeing new entrants into the regional market and I expect to see more European funds heading here.”
David Porter said: “Craig brings with him a wealth of experience, trust and knowledge and he will be an integral part of the team from the off.
“We continue to see investment opportunities across all property sectors and see Craig’s appointment as a real advantage to capitalise on this.”
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Accountancy and business advisory firm Haines Watts has continued to strengthen its corporate finance offering in the North, having appointed Lee Jefferson to support its growing client base.
The new appointment comes as the team continues to expand its pipeline of corporate finance work across Manchester, Humber, Leeds, and the North East.
Chris Hird, left, and Lee Jefferson
Lee joins the team as corporate finance assistant manager and brings a wealth of experience having worked in the industry for more than 16 years. Lee is the second senior corporate finance appointment over the past 12 months, with Maria Mckenna having joined as manager earlier in the financial year.
Lee said: “Despite the ongoing restrictions of COVID, Haines Watts has put a significant amount of time and thought into welcoming new starters. This, along with a number of familiar faces from previous jobs, has made settling into new surroundings very easy.
“Having previously worked with both Chris and Maria, I have seen their drive and determination first hand. I am looking forward to finding new opportunities to build the service line further.”
Chris Hird, corporate finance associate partner, said: “His expertise will be invaluable when it comes to supporting clients in the months ahead.
“Now, we are looking forward to supporting business owners with the changing demands of today’s climate, whether that be with their growth plans, accessing new avenues of funding or planning for their exit.”
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Caddick Construction’s growing apprentice programme across the North West is going from strength to strength with the appointment of a further seven new faces over recent months.
The young recruits come from a variety of educational backgrounds as Caddick continues its commitment to bring through new talent to meet demand in the North West construction sector.
Nathan Crowther and Malachy Cefai join as apprentice quantity surveyors while studying for their degrees in quantity surveying at the University of Salford.
Nathan Worrall, from Liverpool, has joined as an apprentice administrator as he studies for his Level 3 in business administration at Warrington College.
From left: Nathan Crowther, Harry Young, Georgia Harper, Ian Guildford, Nathan Worrall, George King, Cameron Snow, Malachy Cefai
Harry Young, Georgia Harper, George King and Cameron Snow were taken on as trainee engineers while studying for their HNCs in civil engineering or construction in the built environment.
As well as studying at local colleges in Wigan and Leigh or Warrington, the apprentices are gaining live construction experience on Caddick Construction projects such as Guinness Point at Trafford Park, Gemini 8 in Warrington and AVIATOR at Ellesmere Port.
All have the opportunity to shadow team members on site and, as part of their qualifications, they also spend a number of days on site to embed their knowledge and understanding of the wider construction industry.
Ian Guildford, contracts manager at Caddick Construction, said: “We have a fantastic calibre of apprentices working closely with us on some high profile projects across the North West. It is essential we equip the future workforce with valuable construction skills, enabling them to work on live projects. Work readiness is key if we are to continue to bolster the economy across the region and prepare the next generation for the construction sector.”
Michelle Swarbrick, social value manager from Caddick Construction, said: “Having joined Caddick to help deliver social value across the North West, I’m delighted to recruit seven apprentices from across the region demonstrating our commitment to tackling future skills shortages in the industry.”
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Three members of the family team at independent North West law firm Brabners have been appointed to senior industry roles following a record year for independent recognition and accreditation at the firm.
Joanne Radcliff, partner in the family team, has been appointed chair of the Manchester Regional Committee of Resolution – a national community of family justice professionals which works with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way. Joanne’s colleague and chartered legal executive, Antonia Williamson, has been appointed to the equivalent position in Liverpool.
From left: Joanne Radcliff, Lindsey Knowles, Antonia Williamson, Leanne Instrall
In addition, Leanne Instrall, a senior associate within the team, has been appointed chair of Resolution Manchester’s YRes Committee – a subcommittee for family law professionals who have been qualified for less than 10 years.
The trio of industry appointments marks the first time all three positions have been held by individuals from the same firm.
In addition, Lindsey Knowles, a senior associate in Brabners’ employment team, has been appointed by the Lord Chancellor as a Fee-Paid Employment Judge of the Employment Tribunals (England and Wales), the special judicial body that decides employment law and workplace disputes.
Lindsey is also North West representative of the Employment Lawyers Association, as well as a director and chair of the Liverpool Law Society Employment Law Committee.
Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “We’re committed to providing all of our colleagues with opportunities to develop and further themselves and we encourage them to be active members of their professional communities, so it’s particularly rewarding to see this latest group of ambitious lawyers recognised and embracing their position as leaders within their specialisms.”
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Nantwich full service marketing agency, Eleven Marketing & Communications, has appointed Alex Moran as its new head of creative.
Alex joins the agency following an eight-year stint at healthcare communications agency Ashfield Digital and Creative – which merged with Cambridge Biomarketing and Pegasus in January 2021 to become Mind+Matter.
He brings a wealth of experience in developing compelling behaviour change campaigns. In his new role at Eleven, Alex will lead the creative team and oversee the agency’s entire creative output.
From left: Alex Tacey, Mel Hurst, Alex Moran, Rachel Oliver
The agency has also expanded its portfolio of clients in recent months with a number of new appointments and contract renewals, including the likes of the Prince’s Trust, Consumer Council for Water, the University of Central Lancashire, and Dorset Council.
To support this continued growth, Eleven has expanded its team with an additional three further appointments. Rachel Oliver joins as marketing strategist, Alex Tacey joins as operations executive and Melanie Hurst joins as account manager.
Clare Lydon, managing director, said: “We’re so happy to have Alex on board at Eleven. His capacity for strategic thinking and creative leadership has immediately elevated our work – for the benefit of all our clients.”
She added: “Every appointment we make brings added strength and depth to our team. And I’m really excited about what we can achieve together in 2022.”
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Law firm Beswicks Legal has appointed experienced sales professional Dan Beckett as the practice’s sales director.
Dan Beckett
Dan has a strong track record in sales having held senior leadership roles in a wide range of organisations across Staffordshire and the North West.
As a Keele University law graduate Dan has an understanding of the legal sector and the needs of clients in the legal space.
Group operations director, Ryan Yates, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Dan to the team. He joins us at an exciting time, following our expansion into Altrincham and Birmingham. We are confident that, with his experience, he is well placed to make a big difference across the whole of the group.”
Dan said: “This is certainly an exciting time to join the business. There is a clear growth strategy and it was immediately clear to me that there is a strong cultural fit.
“I’m committed to developing a true ‘client first’ approach, which, alongside Beswicks’ existing core values, will deliver market leading client experience.”
