People: Buttress; Redrow; Clearwater International; Vincents Solicitors; Fearless Adventures; Six & Flow; Harrison Drury
Architectural practice, Buttress, has promoted David Coulson and Kimberley Corrall to the role of associate.
David joined the Manchester-based practice as a graduate in 2002 and has since worked on a diverse range of projects across a broad range of sectors. Most recently, he has led the delivery of The Depot, a major mixed tenure, multi-generational scheme on Manchester’s Princess Parkway, and the development of proposals for Birkdale Retirement Village.
In his new role, he will be responsible for growing the practice’s senior living portfolio, working with clients to develop design-led solutions to support later in life living.
Kimberley, a RIBA-registered conservation architect, joined the practice’s heritage team six years ago. Over the past couple of years, she has developed expertise in community engagement and heritage-led high street regeneration and has been instrumental in the development of several Future High Street and High Street Heritage Action Zone projects. As associate, Kimberley will continue to develop this stream of work across the North West and Cumbria.
In addition to their architectural roles, David and Kimberley are both part of a cohort of coaches within the practice and work with colleagues across the studio to support their personal and career development.
Managing Director, Gavin Sorby, said: “David and Kimberley’s promotions are testament to their ongoing hard work, appetite for growth and invaluable expertise.
“They have each delivered fantastic work across their key sectors and have made a significant contribution to driving the success of the business. I would like to congratulate them both on a very well deserved promotion and look forward to seeing them develop in their new roles.”
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North West housebuilder Redrow has announced that Adam Sumner, 25, is now working as a trainee assistant site manager, in Hartford, Cheshire, after completing a two-year programme.
Adam Sumner
He began working in the sales and marketing department at Redrow NW, in Daresbury, in 2018, after studying Business Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Chester. He then joined Redrow’s Rotational Graduate programme.
Adam said: “I opted to go into the build department as this is what I enjoyed the most throughout the department rotations.
“In my role as a trainee assistant, I’m gaining as much experience as I can with the management team and the tradesmen on site. This involves me inspecting plots at various stages, organising the next stages of build, checking quality and focusing on after care for customers who move into our homes.”
Jason Newton, managing director at Redrow NW, said: “This is yet another example of our commitment to valuing people and nurturing talent. Adam has worked hard since joining the team and is deserving of this promotion.”
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Clearwater International welcomes Tom Barnwell to the partnership within the Debt Advisory team
Tom Barnwell
following a sustained period of growth for the service line.
The team experienced an ‘impressive year of deal activity’ during 2021, whereby they completed more than 50 transactions and raised c.€2bn (£1.7bn) of funding for clients.
The latest appointment follows a period of growth for the team, which saw a number of hires during the last 12 months.
Debt Advisory is an integral part of Clearwater International’s strategy and an area the firm is committed to expanding in order to continue supporting clients faced with a breadth of funding options.
Based in Manchester, Tom has been appointed to Partner following more than eight years with the business, having joined as Associate Director in 2014. He has played an integral role in developing Clearwater International’s debt advisory strategy and has become a leading player for private equity backed businesses across the UK.
Tom has built a reputation for delivering efficient debt raise and refinance processes that yield highly tailored debt packages, centred around shareholder and management aims. In addition, Tom has alsobeen instrumental in the development and recruitment of the Financial Modelling and Data Analysis team which he leads in the UK.
The service provides clients with bespoke tools to support business planning, forecasting and transactions.
Mark Taylor, Managing Partner, Clearwater International said: “Tom’s appointment is a great opportunity for us to continue expanding our Debt Advisory team and shows our commitment to investment in the service offering.
“The Debt Advisory team is an integral part of Clearwater International and Tom’s expertise will enable us to continue to support more great businesses.
“He holds established connections with the private equity community and his leadership will enable us to broaden both our Debt Advisory and Financial Modelling service lines.
“Tom has been an important member of the team since he joined and we are delighted to welcome him to the partnership.”
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Lisa Lodge has been formally appointed head of the private client department at Preston-based Vincents Solicitors. Lisa was previously number two in the department under Chris Mathews who has stepped down from the position as he looks towards retirement.
A director of the firm and head of the Garstang branch, Lisa has been a member of the senior management team for seven years. She has also headed up the firm’s Court of Protection work and is the senior court appointed Deputy and Professional Attorney.
She takes over as department head from Chris Mathews who was in charge since 2013. He is still working from Vincents’ Lytham office on a part time basis as he plans for retirement in the coming years.
Director Lisa Lodge with Chris Mathews (centre) and the Vincents Solicitors private client team
Phillip Gilmore, Vincents’ managing director, said the firm wanted to thank Chris for his service and was delighted to formalise Lisa’s appointment: “We have an extremely successful and growing private client department which has flourished under the joint leadership of Chris and Lisa. I’d like to thank them and acknowledge the tremendous contribution Chris has made to the firm over the last nine years, and we are delighted that he will still be available to clients as a valued member of the team for some time to come.”
Lisa will lead a team working across each of the firm’s locations in Preston, Garstang, Lytham, Chorley and Penwortham. These include experts specialising in wills, trusts and probate, contentious probate, lasting power of attorney and Court of Protection work.
She will continue in her capacity as a professional attorney and deputy, directly managing the health and welfare, and property and financial affairs of clients who have lost their capacity due to illness or injury. Lisa will also remain a key mentor and resource for the private client’s in-house training programme, and is embarking on a social media campaign to raise awareness of legal issues affecting people’s everyday lives.
She said: “I’m thrilled to be leading this fantastic team and must thank Chris for all of his support, we really are delighted he’s staying around for a while longer.”
Chris Mathews said: “While I’m not retiring quite yet, I have passed the mantle of department head to a valued friend and colleague. Lisa has been a thoroughly excellent deputy and I have no doubt that will continue under her leadership. I am very proud of the team we have built together, providing our clients with an extremely knowledgeable and compassionate group of specialists working on their behalf.”
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A fast-growing investment platform for e-commerce entrepreneurs, Fearless Adventures, has made two senior appointments to its management team in newly created roles.
Oli Connolly joins the Wilmslow-based company as investment director, responsible for all of the Fearless Adventures deal flow origination, from curation to execution, accelerating the business’s coverage and capacity. Across his career, Oli has worked with high growth start-ups and private equity-backed firms across the North, having previously served in senior deal origination roles with prominent corporate law firms in the North West.
From left: Rachel McDonald, Oli Connolly, Emily Smithies
Simultaneously, Emily Smithies joins as investor relations director. This will see her manage relationships with Fearless Adventures’ growing investor community. She will support stakeholders, drive growth plans and work with the financial community to deliver efficient and successful fundraises. Previously, she held senior positions in the North West at Coutts Bank and Natwest.
Rachel McDonald, managing director, said: “In addition to the strength in depth that Emily and Oli bring, our new hires reinforce our commitment to senior female leaders in business. We support female founders, our senior management team is majority female and we’re a recent signatory to the Investing in Women’s Code, which means we support the advancement of female entrepreneurship in the UK. I’m super excited to work with them, and I know our investors and partners will benefit hugely from their experience, expertise and enthusiasm.”
Emily Smithies said: “I joined because we’re bringing a fresh approach to the investment space. From the way we model our investments to the support we provide for our founders, it’s something I’ve not come across before.”
Oli Connolly said: “We’ve turned the traditional investment model on its head and built a proposition that adds founder muscle memory and digital marketing resources alongside capital.”
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As part of its latest round of promotions, Six & Flow, the Manchester-based growth agency, has made three promotions in its growth team.
Nisha Mardania who started at Six & Flow in April 2021, Charlie Lord who joined in January 2021, and Rose Maloney, who has been with the firm since 2016, have all been made growth consultants.
Their roles primarily see them help the agency’s diverse roster of clients grow by launching and managing new client campaigns, delivering consistently high quality content, as well as developing and delivering inbound marketing strategies.
From left: Nisha Mardania, Charlie Lord, Rose Maloney
In 2021, Six & Flow’s headcount went up by 12 and it onboarded 273 new clients.
Rich Wood, managing director, said: “As a business we are fully committed to developing the team members that we already have working for us so it’s always fantastic to announce these kinds of promotions. Nisha, Charlie and Rose are real assets to Six & Flow so their respective promotions are well deserved. Each one brings with them a great mix of creativity and strategic thinking which is what the company is all about.”
Nisha said: “The leadership team at Six & Flow has given us the opportunity to think for ourselves and have meaningful input into the accounts we work on. That freedom and responsibility has allowed us to grow our own skill sets and add value to our clients. I, along with Charlie and Rose, am really excited to start the next phase of our careers.”
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North West law firm Harrison Drury has announced five promotions including a new partner and three new associates.
Hannah Hughes, a commercial property specialist and head of the firm’s Lancaster office, has been made a partner.
Laura Bradley from Harrison Drury’s commercial property team and Alex Walmsley from the property and construction litigation team, have both been promoted to associate solicitor. They are joined by associate solicitor Holly Radcliffe from the firm’s private client team.
Megan Normoyle, who works as part of Harrison Drury’s operations team, has been promoted to business development and marketing manager.
John Chesworth, managing partner, said: “Promoting team members helps us recognise colleagues who are providing outstanding support to our clients and showing leadership in promoting our culture and values.
“It also allows us to grow our teams and give opportunities to other colleagues. I’m delighted for Hannah, Laura, Alex, Holly and Megan and really proud of the difference they’ve made for our clients and communities.”
Hannah advises clients on a wide range of commercial property matters including the acquisition and disposal of properties and estates, secured finance, landlord and tenants’ matters, as well as corporate support work. She also assists many of Harrison Drury’s agricultural clients with disposals, development opportunities and easements.
From left: John Chesworth, Holly Radcliffe, Megan Normoyle, Hannah Hughes, Rebecca Patience, Alex Walmsley
Laura provides professional advice on a range of commercial property transactions including sales and purchases, secured lending and commercial property leases acting for both landlords and tenants.
As part of the property litigation team, Alex supports clients including commercial landlords and tenants, landowners and corporate entities. He also specialises in dealing with construction disputes, acting for developers, contractors and landowners.
As part of the firm’s private client team, Holly specialises in personal client services including wills, power of attorney, probate and Court of Protection work.
Originally from Canada, Megan moved to the UK in 2019 and joined the marketing team shortly after. In her new role, she will play a lead role in developing the firm’s marketing and business development strategy and managing day-to-day marketing activities.
Rebecca Patience, an associate solicitor in the firm’s divorce and family law team, has also recently taken on the position of deputy branch lead for Harrison Drury’s Lancaster office.
Having recently become a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and in recognition of the broad range of support she provides to clients, Helen Russell from Harrison Drury’s employment law team takes a new title as HR consultant.
