People: Store Group; Integritas Property Group; Bank North; Clockwise; Suttons Tankers; Ringley Group
Manchester-based independent retailer and hospitality specialists, Store Group has made two strategic new hires as it looks ahead to a year of expansion following a 100% growth in turnover over the past 12 months.
Lee Rhodes joins the team as chief operating officer, bringing with him a wealth of experience from the senior leadership team at Sainsbury’s Supermarket. An experienced retail leader, Rhodes progressed within Sainsbury’s, working in store operations, developing customer offers and experience and leading change.
He was also heavily involved in developing and growing the convenience presence, leading the development of the convenience range to match the demands of the local market. Lee heads up the entire operation at Store Group, shaping and developing the internal and external offer to support the continued growth and development of the brand.
Kevin Boyle is Store Group’s new chief financial officer, appointed to help achieve growth plans and build strong internal controls, systems and processes. Kevin is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant and brings excellent financial and commercial awareness to Store Group. He has led teams in both SME and large corporations and was working as director of investments in his previous role bringing experience in mergers and acquisitions to the table.
The business, which has gone from strength to strength over the past two years, now owns and operates eight venues across Greater Manchester, having launched three new sites in 2021.
Mital Morar, Store Group founder, welcomed the new additions, saying: “They bring with them the perfect blend of experience to take the business to the next level. Together we are looking forward to delivering a considered expansion plan that will take the company in the right direction in a post-pandemic retail world.”
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Integritas Property Group (IPG), the Manchester-based property developer, is expanding its team of experts with the appointment of a new development director, David Mason.
David brings more than 22 years of experience in the construction industry, having previously held senior posts within national building and development organisations.
David Mason
Working closely with the operations team, David will be heavily involved with planning and design, construction management and ensuring the full safeguarding of all stakeholders’ interests. His role will include a strong emphasis on safety and quality, he will be responsible for managing all on-site issues and overseeing operational management.
David has previously led successful projects for organisations such as HM Ministry of Justice, Riverside Housing Group and the Wales & West Housing Association.
Mitchell Walsh, managing director, said: “David has worked on huge national projects, valued up to £20m, across sectors including affordable housing, education, health and care facilities, commercial and leisure projects.
“David is set to bring a wealth of knowledge, passion and business leadership to Integritas and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.”
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Bank North, the Manchester-based regional business bank, has appointed a range of key hires.
Chris Weights joins as head of valuations, Adam McNichol as head of financial reporting and financial control, Andrew Gornall as head of underwriting, and James McCulloch as acting treasurer. Also joining are Raja Abdullah, data & business intelligence manager and Tom Shillito, lending associate.
Chris Weights will be a crucial player in ensuring fair loans to SMEs while managing Bank North’s risk portfolio. Before joining Bank North, Chris served as commercial property risk manager at Aldermore Bank and has experience at real estate multi-national CBRE, and UK commercial property consultants Matthews & Goodman.
Andrew Gornall
After training as a surveyor, Chris now has 20 years of experience in the valuation industry and has worked on some of the largest landmark property deals in the Midlands and North West, further strengthening Bank North’s regional knowledge as well as bringing vast valuation experience.
Andrew Gornall joins after a successful 38-year career at banking giant Barclays, most recently serving as head of ESHLA leading a national portfolio of education, social housing, and local authority clients. After joining in 1983, Andrew rose through the ranks, holding a variety of regional managerial roles, including head of business relationships for the North West, Scotland and Northern Ireland and head of SME for Merseyside, North Wales and the Shires, in which Andrew led a team responsible for supporting around 6,000 SMEs.
Andrew brings unrivalled senior banking experience and has a track record of building and developing new teams and talent while delivering high client satisfaction. He will play a key role in developing Bank North’s underwriting teams as the bank continues to grow.
Adam McNichol is responsible for leading a team that ensures the accuracy and integrity of Bank North’s key financial systems. Adam joins from Skipton Building Society, where he had initially worked in the treasury capital markets team on the execution of wholesale funding transactions, with a later role as the head of financial control. Prior to his time at Skipton, Adam spent the first 12 years of his career in London where he qualified as an accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers before working in investment banking and fund management.
James McCulloch will provide the leadership team with overall financial oversight. James previously served as deputy head of treasury for the Cumberland Building Society, after spending more than a decade working in various planning roles in the Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence.
Chris Weights
Raja Abdullah will support the team by producing regulatory and insight reports, as well as streamlining Bank North’s reporting structure. Before joining, Raja was a senior management information analyst (capital & planning) at The Co-operative Bank, with previous experience at fashion brand Misguided and Habib Bank, as well as inspiring the talent of the future as a visiting lecturer at The University Salford.
Tom Shillito will work with the Manchester Pod team to ensure swift and fair delivery of loans to SMEs. In his previous role, Tom worked as a junior broker at professional services giant, Aon. Tom joins with a lot of energy to explore the theory he gained through his Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from Newcastle University and apply it in the real world.
Jonathan Thompson, co-founder and CEO of B-North said: “Chris, Adam, Andrew, James, Raja and Tom join Bank North at such an exciting time in our journey – and this bumper round of appointment announcements is testimony for the momentum in the business.
“Our new colleagues bring a huge range of experience from right across the banking ecosystem and I look forward to working with them as we look to open new lending pods and begin to welcome savers to Bank North. The success of Bank North depends on continuing to attract top talent to the business, and the range of experience on the CVs of our team shows the brightest and the best are keen to join our mission to deliver loans and savings accounts, closer, faster, fairer.”
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Flexible workspace provider, Clockwise, announces the appointment of new sales director, Heather Gray, as part of its business expansion strategy.
Previously head of customer development for Bruntwood Works, offering serviced and virtual offices, alongside office and retail space, Heather has a wealth of experience in the property and professional services industry. In her role at Clockwise, Heather will be responsible for leading the overarching sales strategy to support scale, with plans for a further 160,000 sq ft of flexible workspace to open this year across new UK locations and expansion into Europe.
Heather’s consultative approach allows her to manage existing relationships to maximise revenue, with a strong commercial mindset to identify opportunities to generate new business for Clockwise.
With an overwhelming list of achievements under her belt Heather will be instrumental to the success of Clockwise expansion strategy, the company said. Heather is committed to empowering and championing young women in business, she has advised at 10 Downing Street on how to better support female entrepreneurs.
Heather Gray
In 2016, she was named a Rising Star in the Manchester Young Talent Awards for her work building partnerships to better support fast growth businesses in the Manchester business community. In 2018, she was named on the Northern Power Women Future List, and in 2019 was awarded ‘Female Networker of the Year’ at the City of Manchester Business Awards. Active in the property and professional services business community, Heather is currently co-chair of pro-manchester’s property and regeneration committee and, was previously on the North West Women in Property Committee, a seat she has since passed over to a mentee.
Alexandra Brunner, Clockwise chief operating officer, said: “Heather joins at an incredibly exciting time for the business, with 11 openings in four countries over the last 18 months. Her experience in developing sales, marketing, and corporate partnership will aid in accelerating growth for businesses. We’re incredibly excited to have her on board.”
Heather said: “I am thrilled to be joining Clockwise. Their regional expansion strategy to gateway towns and cities across the UK and further afield is well placed with my own experience in the North of England. I’m really looking forward to bringing my expertise to Clockwise, particularly with its increasing its presence in Europe.”
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Suttons Tankers has appointed Nigel Hughes as head of fuels, based at Ellesmere Port, as part of its growth strategy.
The fuels sector has been identified as a significant area of growth for the Widnes-based logistics provider and Nigel’s appointment will support in aiding the development in this market.
With more than 12 years’ experience in the fuels sector, Nigel is strengthening an existing high performing team that has been very successful in growing Suttons’ position in the fuels sector to date.
Nigel Hughes
Nigel has extensive knowledge of the operation and industry, including expertise in creating and implementing growth strategies, as well as the day to day running of operations.
Suttons has a strong focus on recruiting and retaining a talented pool of drivers which has given them the capacity to support its contract customers in turbulent times. This same capacity has also been highlighted as an advantage to Suttons’ fuel sector customers who have reached out to them for additional support over the past 18 months.
Michael Cundy, managing director, said: “We have an ambitious growth strategy and Nigel’s experience within that sector strengthens our position. Nigel has a strong focus on providing our customers with the highest levels of service and safety which align to our core values in the business.”
Nigel Hughes said: “I am looking forward to growing the fuels sector within the tankers division and using my expertise to make strategic decisions to aid the growth of the business.”
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Asset management operator Ringley Group has announced the promotion of Anthony Kingdon to managing director of the North West.
In his new role, Anthony will be focused on driving Ringley Group’s presence in the North West and will report directly to Clive Greenwood, Ringley’s head of asset management.
Anthony will be working in Ringley’s Manchester office in the Northern Quarter.
He joined Ringley Group in August 2021 from Xenia Estates , a specialist student and residential block management company, where he was operations director .
Anthony Kingdon
Prior to his role at Xenia Estates, Anthony‘s property management experience includes working at Scanlans Property Management, a Manchester-based residential block and estate management firm, and with national portfolios at Mainstay Residential.
Anthony brings a renewed focus on customer experience to the sector, particularly following a number of years working to the high standards expected by the BMW Group, prior to returning to these roles in the property industry.
From its central London headquarters, Ringley Group manages in excess of 12,000 homes across the UK, with additional offices now based in Cardiff and Manchester.
Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director, said: “Anthony’s promotion comes at a time when we’re really focusing on the scale up of our North West division. His knowledge and expertise of residential real estate will play a crucial role in the growth of our business in the North West of England, where we have established a strong presence.”
Anthony Kingdon said:”I initially joined to assist Ringley with the opening of a new office in Cardiff, and I now look forward to building on my success with the group so far to grow Ringley’s business beyond London, working with new and existing clients in the North West.”
