People: University of Liverpool; Gorvins; LDS Sales Guarantees; Muldoon Britton; Redwood Bank; Leasing.com
The University of Liverpool has appointed Prof Tim Jones as its next vice-chancellor. Prof Jones will take up the post in January 2023, succeeding current vice-chancellor Prof Dame Janet Beer who will retire from the role in December 2022.
Prof Jones joins Liverpool from the University of Birmingham where he has held the post of provost and vice-principal since September 2016, leading several, strategically important institutional projects, most notably the establishment of the University of Birmingham Dubai including a new state-of-the-art campus which opened in 2022, and the development of the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus.
His current portfolio includes a range of other strategic responsibilities including annual planning, capital planning, regional engagement and equality, diversity and inclusion.
Prof Jones said: “I am delighted to be returning to the University of Liverpool, more than 30 years after obtaining my PhD there. To return as vice-chancellor of this global, innovative university is a huge privilege. I am looking forward to meeting the dedicated and brilliant staff and students who contribute so much to the university, to the wonderful city of Liverpool and to wider society, through their teaching, research and civic partnerships.”
Carmel Booth, president of the University Council, led the recruitment process and chaired the appointment panel made up of staff, student and council representatives. She said: “Tim led the field in a competitive, global search for our next vice-chancellor. Throughout the rigorous recruitment process he demonstrated his energetic and collaborative leadership style and communicated an exciting and ambitious global vision for the University of Liverpool.”
She added: “I would like to thank Janet for her leadership and commitment over the past seven years which has provided a strong platform for continued success.”
Prof Dame Janet Beer said: “I would like to congratulate Prof Tim Jones on his appointment. It has been an honour and a privilege for me to serve as the vice-chancellor of this great institution and I wish him and the entire university community every success in the future.”
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Paul Dowdall has been appointed as partner in the commercial property team at Greater Manchester-based solicitors, Gorvins.
Previously at Addleshaw Goddard for more than 15 years, Paul brings a wealth of experience across the commercial property spectrum, including retail, office, housing, logistics and institutional.
Paul Dowdall
Paul specialises in development and funding projects, disposals and acquisitions, landlord and tenant work, and the commercial management of property portfolios.
He said: “Gorvins has a well established commercial property team, which I’m excited to be joining. I’m looking forward to working with existing key clients and developing further the number of property clients that the firm works with, to deliver a wide range of projects across the commercial property sector as it continues to prosper.”
Mark Deverell, managing partner, said: “Paul is very highly regarded across the commercial property sector and his wealth of experience and expertise is a great asset for us and our clients as we continue to grow our real estate offering.”
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Bolton-based LDS Sales Guarantees has appointed former Homes England chief executive Gordon More as strategic advisor.
Gordon More
Gordon brings a wealth of experience to LDS having spent more than 30 years in senior roles in both public and private sectors.
These have included managing director (business support unit) for commercial real estate at Lloyds Banking Group, chief investment officer and interim chief executive at Homes England.
While at Homes England, Gordon was responsible for the deployment of billions of pounds of capital in support of the Government’s housing strategy.
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Immigration specialist, Simon Kenny, has been appointed by Manchester-based Muldoon Britton as a partner to develop and grow its immigration service.
Simon joined the firm last month and heads up the immigration team. He has more than 20 years’ experience advising both companies and individuals on immigration matters.
He is a former immigration officer who most recently worked at Eversheds Sunderland. The experience gained through these roles has provided him with an excellent understanding of the decision making process behind UK immigration.
Simon Kenny
Simon is highly recommended in legal directories and has also won European awards for research and analysis, conducted on behalf of clients in the immigration field.
Muldoon Britton partner, Michael Muldoon, welcomed Simon to the team, saying: “We believe his skills and experience will help us to continue to develop our immigration service.
“His knowledge of the emigration process between the US and UK is already proving to be a great asset and has helped us offer an outstanding service to clients as demand for this advice increases.”
Simon said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for me, recent changes in the UK’s immigration system has seen an unparalleled demand for immigration advice and applications.
“It has become more straightforward than ever for employers to sponsor workers from overseas. This has led to a rise in applications from graduates, global talent and high potential individuals.”
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A former Shawbrook Bank chief operating officer is using his years of valuable experience to help a challenger bank as it seeks to continue its growth.
Julian Hynd has been named as the new chief commercial officer at Redwood Bank, which has offices in Warrington, and Letchworth Garden City, Herts.
The father of two brings more than 30 years’ experience in financial services. He was most recently the COO at Shawbrook Bank and has previously held senior roles within large multinationals, including First Rand, Siemens and Ford Credit Europe Bank.
Julian Hynd
Julian will be responsible for ensuring the bank focuses appropriately on strategy, customer proposition and products, marketing, portfolio management and mergers and acquisitions, as it strives to achieve its strategic objectives.
He said: “Any organisation I join must have 3Cs at its centre – customers, colleagues and a culture of excellence and Redwood Bank certainly does. I met the CEO, Gary Wilkinson, several years ago at a conference, shortly after Redwood Bank launched, and was impressed by the vision and aspiration to make a real difference for SME customers.”
Gary Wilkinson, CEO and co-founder of Redwood Bank, said: “Julian has a wealth of experience gained at top class organisations and will play a key role going forward at Redwood Bank.”
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Stockport based Leasing.com – the car leasing comparison website – has announced a restructuring of its senior management team to better support future growth.
The business has now been reorganised into four key departments – partnerships, marketing, technology and people – with the senior appointments responsible for each department also forming the company’s strategy team.
Paul Harrison
Paul Harrison becomes chief partnerships officer and his expanded role sees him take responsibility for helping Leasing.com’s hundreds of advertising partners get the most out of the company’s digital products and services. Paul will also continue to lead Leasing.com’s relationships with motor manufacturers, leasing companies, digital partners and key suppliers. Before joining Leasing.com, Paul worked in a variety of management roles in the automotive sector.
Chris Evans becomes chief marketing officer and is responsible for combining digital marketing, SEO, UX, content and social media. He will be focused on raising brand awareness, creating clear user journeys and delivering exciting and engaging content that inspires digital transactions.
For nearly seven years, Chris has been head of content and social media and, more recently, head of consumer experience. Prior to Leasing.com, Chris has worked across most areas of creative development and production, including as a marketing copywriter and business editor.
Philip Gray
Philip Gray becomes chief technology officer. With a background in software development and IT management, Philip has been a part of the Leasing.com family for more than 15 years. As chief technology officer he will continue to evolve the Leasing.com website to deliver a best-in-class customer experience and support the business with the technology it needs to accelerate its growth.
Michaela Syzling becomes chief HR officer after 15 years with Leasing.com and more than two decades in the UK automotive industry. Michaela has responsibility for Leasing.com’s people strategy, as well as the company’s HR, finance, regulatory and compliance and partner verification functions.
Dave Timmis, founder and CEO of Leasing.com, said: “As an agile, digital business it’s important that we regularly take stock and ensure our structure helps us support our partners and achieve our goals.
“I’m confident that the creation of our four key departments will enable us to do that and build on the phenomenal growth that we have already seen in 2022. I’d like to thank the team for all their efforts so far and wish them every success for the future.”
