People: HCC Solicitors; Northern Industrial; Inspire Chorley Youth Zone; Brother; iRevolution Group; Six & Flow

Emma Richards and Leanne Thomson have been promoted to partners at the Manchester office of HCC Solicitors.

Emma specialises in claimant clinical negligence and joined the firm in early 2016 to head up the clinical negligence department. During the past 20 years she has acquired extensive litigation experience, building up long standing relationships with barristers and expert witnesses.

Leanne is a solicitor who specialises in defendant law and advises leading insurance companies on high value and complex claims in the UK and abroad.

Martin James, chief operating officer, said: “We are pleased to promote Emma and Leanne as partners in our Manchester office. Both are consummate professionals and experts in their fields of law. We are looking forward to growing and developing our clinical negligence team with Emma playing a key leadership role.

“Leanne is an outstanding defendant lawyer and we are pleased to promote her to this senior position as she continues to develop that area of the practice alongside her experienced colleagues.”

HCC Solicitors is a serious injury law firm headquartered in Manchester with additional offices in Birmingham and London.

The firm employs 200 people and has formed formal partnerships in 2022 with major national charities including Brake, Roadpeace and the Matt Hampson Foundation who support people who have sustained catastrophic injuries. The firm is also a member of the Major Trauma Group, a network of serious injury lawyers.

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Alejandra Marrujo has been appointed by Northern Industrial as brand manager for Mexico. Her role will include redeveloping the Mexican website to enhance content for local audiences and establishing email marketing campaigns.

Launching operations in Mexico in December 2020 under the brand NI Controls, Blackburn-based Northern Industrial is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of industrial spare parts and proactive maintenance solutions.

Alejandra Marrujo

The company exports industrial spare parts and repair services to manufacturing and engineering businesses across the world. The central operation in Blackburn stocks more than 200,000 parts numbers, sourced from in excess of 1,350 manufacturers.

Alejandra said: “This is a crucial time to join NI Controls as the company expands into Mexico as a central hub for all of the Americas. It is very exciting to have the opportunity to be part of this business and contribute to its growth.

“The success of the UK company shows there is a massive need for the products and services we offer and our new facilities in Querétaro will benefit delivery time and service for the American automation market.”

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Inspire Chorley Youth Zone has appointed Andrew Dunn as a trustee and partnerships director to help raise awareness of the charity, especially amongst the town’s business community.

Inspire has been helping thousands of young people in Chorley since opening its doors in May 2018.

It provides a safe environment for them to spend time with friends, enjoy a nutritious hot meal and escape the pressures of normal life to focus on their own development.

Andy Dunn

The charity, which has to raise more than £1m to operate, relies on the fundraising efforts of the local community and businesses. Andrew, who is client relationship director at law firm CG Professional, will help by building relationships with the business community.

Andrew Turner, chair of Inspire, said: “Andrew will be a huge asset to the board. As a local business owner there is really no better feeling than supporting the next generation. Every single penny at Inspire Youth Zone is focused on achieving the best outcomes for local children so we know absolutely that our investment is very well spent.”

Andrew Dunn said: “I was born in Chorley and I’m extremely proud to be a part of it. I recognise how important it is for the business community to support our young people and if I can facilitate that happening, then I’m more than happy to do so. Businesses that get involved with Chorley Youth Zone are making a positive impact to the lives of Chorley’s young people — and ultimately their future workforce.”

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Business technology solutions provider Brother UK has bolstered its support for customers in transport and logistics with the appointment of a new sector specialist.

Gary Morris joins the print vendor to the new post of senior end user client manager for transport and logistics.

He brings more than 30 years of business development experience in the sector to the role, working previously for major operators including TNT, DHL and other transport and logistics organisations.

Gary Morris

Gary will work alongside Manchester-based Brother’s reseller and ISV partners to help businesses create efficiencies in their operations by using label printing as part of Auto-ID systems. The vendor has made significant investments in its portfolio of machines suited for use in warehouse and distribution environments over the past few years.

Ged Cairns, head of Auto ID Business Unit at Brother UK, said: “The UK has more than 18 million sq ft of speculative warehouse space under construction. Gary’s wealth of experience and contacts throughout the industry will help us to effectively support the technology requirements of the fast growing transport and logistics sector.”

Gary Morris said: “Brother’s value in this sector coupled with its ‘at your side’ mentality makes this a compelling opportunity. The team has a clear customer first focus. I’m looking forward to supporting companies and organisations in the sector while delivering growth in Brother’s specialist products and solutions division.”

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Manchester-based iRevolution Group has appointed Ray Westwick as the group of insurance brokers’ new special projects director.

Ray will initially work on projects that instigate growth across the group with a specific focus on driving development across Insurance Revolution and Barry Grainger. The role will also help deliver a number of projects the group has in the pipeline across its various broker companies.

Ray Westwick

He enters the role with a wealth of experience, most recently he was employed as the COO of Freedom Services Group, a similar group of insurance brokers and a role he filled for more than a year.

Mark Rigby, CEO of iRevolution Group, said: “Ray has amassed an abundance of experience, working coherently with several brokers in the past and was very successful in his previous role as COO. We hope he can continue to provide important expertise and look forward to using his knowledge to expand our group’s potential.

‘’With a number of upcoming projects, we believe Ray is the perfect fit for our special projects director role and look forward to launching these with Ray’s knowledge and guidance.’’

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Six & Flow, the Manchester-based growth agency which also has bases in London, Dublin, Toronto and South Africa, has recruited Tom Watson as its new senior business development manager. Tom has joined from HubSpot where he worked for five years.

He will be reporting to Charlotte Utton, Six & Flow’s growth director.

Tom Watson

Tom’s primary focus will be on helping prospective clients to evaluate Six & Flow’s services, prescribing the right solution and ensuring they are set up for a successful and long term relationship with the business.

He recently relocated to the UK after living in Australia for seven years, five of which were spent working at HubSpot managing its channel partners in Australia and New Zealand.

Tom said: “Moving back to the UK was a big decision but after partnering with HubSpot’s channel partners in ANZ for so many years the prospect of actually working for a partner really appealed.”

Managing director, Rich Wood, said: “Tom has a fantastic track record and a broad range of experience which is already adding value to the company. His tenaciousness and desire to deliver for our clients really stood out and I’m sure he will become an integral part of Six & Flow over the coming years.”