People: AG Project + Building Consultancy; Reputation; Inscape Interiors; FourSynergy Group; gunnercooke; Electricity North West
AG Project + Building Consultancy (AG), located in Preston, Manchester and Sheffield, has appointed Catherine Newton as project manager and director to head its housing division.
The expanding property consultancy, which operates across the UK, made the strategic appointment in response to increasing demand for tailored and expert advice in the provision of housing.
Catherine joins AG after 14 years with construction management consultants Poole Dick Associates, bringing extensive experience of complex and large social housing schemes ranging in value up to £24m and as preferred project lead and employer’s agent for clients including CGA.
She has also project managed large mixed use schemes spanning residential, extra care, student accommodation, retail, offices and hotels.
Operating between the AG offices in Preston and Manchester, Cat will work with the housing team to grow and deliver its housing pipeline, both new build and regeneration.
Following the appointment of AG by Lancaster City Council as employer’s agent, she will be project lead on the multimillion-pound refurbishment and regeneration of the 1960’s Mainway housing estate in Lancaster, a project expected to take about five years to complete.
Jonathan Shaw, managing director of AG Project + Building Consultancy, said: “Cat is an outstanding addition to our growing housing division, bringing invaluable experience of working with a team to mentor and guide them through large and complex projects and we look forward to everyone here benefiting from the transfer of her many skills to AG.
“There’s increasing demand for such specialist knowledge in the housing sector and Cat’s presence can only benefit us and our clients as we grow our housing division.”
Catherine’s appointment follows AG appointing Paul Westhead as development director, bringing more than 30 years of property expertise advising and working with local authorities, the third sector, institutional investors and private developers.
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Liverpool-based Reputation, a specialist in reputation experience management (RXM), is growing its presence across Europe and has appointed its first general manager in France, having most recently secured French original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Renault, as a customer and seeing impressive growth throughout continental Europe.
Marc Guerin will run operations in France, and will be responsible for growing the team, managing current customer relationships, and expanding the customer base in France. With more than 25 years of experience selling to the French market, Marc has a proven track record of helping global businesses such as Nokia, Naviteq, and HERE Technologies, grow and scale in the region.
Marc Guerin
Managing director, Anthony Gaskell, welcomed Marc to the team, saying: “He has a wealth of knowledge in the region, but he also has deep experience in scaling teams and building great customer relationships. This is a pivotal moment for the Reputation team across Europe, and we’re excited to be able to bring on exceptional leaders like Marc.”
Marc Guerin said: “The French speaking market is critical to our European expansion. Customers located in France represent some of our largest customer accounts across the globe. There is a huge opportunity to build on Reputation’s successes, to date, and I am looking forward to being part of that journey.”
Reputation opened its Liverpool office in 2013 and has seen exponential growth, with net revenue growing at 50% year-over-year, and an increase in employee headcount by 80% over the past year.
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Inscape Interiors, the Lancashire manufacturer of bespoke joinery and commercial washrooms, has expanded its business development and technology team with two key appointments.
The Chorley-based firm has appointed Simon Hodgkinson as business development manager and Geoff Wilson as technology administrator.
The appointments will boost Inscape’s business development expertise and capacity, supporting the company’s growth aspirations.
Paul Partington, business development director, said: “Because our clients are predominantly main contractors in the construction industry, our team needs to have a solid understanding of construction sector procurement as well as strong relationships with the wider built environment community.
Geoff Wilson, left, and Simon Hodgkinson
“In Simon and Geoff, we have recruited two highly knowledgeable and skilled people who also epitomise our values of putting people and relationships first.”
Simon is re-joining the Inscape team after working in procurement roles for construction companies based in Manchester city centre.
He worked for Inscape for 14 years earlier in his career, starting out in factory production and on-site installation roles before he moved into business development. He will be responsible for generating new leads and projects, as well as looking after existing client relationships.
Simon said: “Serving my apprenticeship as a precision engineer after leaving school and working in manufacturing for Inscape before moving into business development means I’ve been on both sides of the relationship. It’s given me a really rounded understanding of the unique pressures that both suppliers and main contractors face in the procurement of major projects.”
Geoff is also re-joining Inscape after a role with software developer Logma Systems Design. He previously spent seven years as a software developer for the firm between 2013 and 2020. His new role with Inscape is focused on helping the company maintain efficient use of its CRM and estimating systems as well as incorporating new software that can support the company’s sales and business development activity.
He said: “The time I’ve spent working for a software developer has been of huge benefit in further developing my skills and I’m looking forward to applying this knowledge back at Inscape where I’m already familiar with the systems and technology they use to develop sales leads and estimate projects.”
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Salford-based FourSynergy Group has made two senior appointments to support its growth plans, Nigel Robertson as its new non-executive chairman and Helen O’Doherty as CEO of the group’s development and construction company, Fairhome Property Group.
Nigel Robertson
Nigel will provide strong, independent leadership to the FourSynergy Group board as non-executive chairman, while Helen will lead plans to boost the supply of specialised supported housing in the UK.
Nigel has more than 40 years’ experience, gained across a range of sectors including international retail, people-centred care, private equity investment and commercial insurance. He has held board level positions in both publicly listed companies and private equity-backed businesses including Morrison’s, Ocado, and Marks and Spencer.
At Marks & Spencer, he served for five years as VP of its US subsidiary, Kings Supermarkets USA, based in New York. At Ocado, Nigel was part of the original set-up team and later went on to become senior independent director of Morrison’s Supermarkets.
In the private equity sector, he has held senior roles at Early Learning Centre, Covenant Healthcare, Care Fertility and Aston Lark Insurance. As chairman at FourSynergy Group, Nigel will have a particular focus on governance, strategic planning and performance.
He said: “I decided to take up the role as I was impressed by the group’s vision for providing more high quality housing and care and support to the vulnerable adults in the UK. The next few years will see the company grow and I intend to bring my many years of experience in some of the UK’s leading companies to help the group achieve its plans.”
Helen brings more than 20 years’ public and private sector experience to the role including expertise in property investment and development, partnership working and regeneration, healthcare estates and asset management.
Helen O’Doherty
She has previously held senior roles with major housing and construction companies including Barratt Developments, Wates Property Services and Keepmoat Homes where she has successfully delivered a number of large scale housing and regeneration schemes in partnership with the public sector. In the public sector she has more than 10 years’ experience working in housing and regeneration with Salford and Liverpool City Councils and the Homes & Communities Agency.
She said: “I’m incredibly excited to be starting work at Fairhome Property Group which will continue to play a leading role in the provision of specialised supported housing for vulnerable adults in the UK. Delivering more high quality housing and better care and support to vulnerable adults in the UK is what drives the whole team. My primary role is to focus on creating housing that can meet the needs of the clients our housing and care provider partners support to make a real difference to their lives.“
Alyssa Rhymes, FourSynergy Group chief operating officer, said: “Since launching FourSynergy Group last year we have been steadily building a team which is starting to realise our ambitions for social care, housing and investment in the UK. Nigel and Helen bring a wealth of experience which will be invaluable to the group’s aim of creating a viable and sustainable future for specialised social housing.”
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Manchester law firm gunnercooke has appointed a chief technology officer, Miklos Orban, to head up a new legal technology arm in Europe.
Miklos is a dual-qualified lawyer and lecturer with more than 20 years’ experience at international law firms, as well as in-house at BT, with expertise in legal technology.
He will join the firm’s IT board and be responsible for improving infrastructure and systems to enhance the firm’s client service delivery, as well as heading up training and development in legal tech. Improvements will include a more efficient use of data and unlocking knowledge stored in people to move to more streamlined digital processes and better decision making.
Miklos Orban
Miklos’s team in Budapest will add to the firm’s growing European presence, following the launch of four offices in Germany by Wolfgang Richter last year.
Miklos said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining a firm that is at the forefront of innovation in the industry. This in an exciting time in gunnercooke’s development and I hope to make it as easy as possible for our team to deliver brilliant client service whilst supported by innovative data and technology solutions.”
Co-founder, Darryl Cooke, said: “When we set out to build gunnercooke, we established innovation as a core value, because we knew that our model would challenge, improve and evolve the way that legal services were delivered. We have always believed that innovation goes far beyond technology, and we remain passionate about innovation in culture, communications and community. In Miklos we have found a partner that shares these beliefs.”
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Electricity North West has announced the appointment of Ian Smyth as chief executive at the Stockport-based business.
Ian will succeed Peter Emery, who announced earlier this month that he wished to step down once a suitable successor had been identified. Ian is expected to join the Electricity North West board and take up the CEO post later in the year. Peter Emery will remain as CEO until this transition completes.
Ian brings more than 25 years of experience working within major UK and international utilities. His experience has spanned electricity, water and gas. Ian is a widely experienced senior executive with a strong operational, commercial and financial track record across his career.
Ian Smyth
He joins from UK Power Networks (UKPN) the UK’s largest electricity distribution network operator. Ian is an executive member of UKPN and responsible for UKPN Services, the business that delivers critical services to the largest national infrastructure projects and UK organisations including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead airports, High Speed 1, Canary Wharf and London Underground.
Alistair Buchanan, chairman of Electricity North West, said: “Ian brings an established track record of delivering value and customer service for all stakeholders. The board believes that Ian is a great fit for Electricity North West and is well qualified to lead the business into ED2, its next business plan phase, leading and facilitating the switch of the North West to a low carbon economy in an efficient and cost effective manner.
“Ian will be building on the legacy of Peter Emery and I would also like to thank Peter again for his outstanding contribution to Electricity North West over the past six years.”
Sion Jones, chief operating officer of Equitix, Electricity North West’s lead shareholder, said: “With Ian’s leadership the company will continue to strive to improve its performance and provide the best possible service to our customers and stakeholders in the North West and ensure we continue to provide the highest standards of reliability and safety.”
Ian Smyth said: “Electricity North West is a strong business operating in a sector which has a critical role to play for the people and economy of the North West. The rich diversity of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria is evidenced in the ambitious plans for their green transition and reflected in their net zero targets.
“I am looking forward to supporting these stakeholders in achieving their goals and ambitions. Delivering a safe, reliable, efficient service will be our primary focus in these challenging times and will deliver a solid platform which individuals and businesses can rely on.”
