People: Hugh Jones Solicitors; We Love MCR; iSH; Health Innovation Manchester; Jones Hargreaves; MYP
Boutique law firm, Hugh Jones Solicitors, has grown its workforce and bolstered key teams following a string of recent appointments.
The Manchester-based Court of Protection expert has welcomed seven new team members to its Court of Protection team, two to its private client department and a new administrative assistant in the expert witness team, as well as several new employees in business support and administration roles.
In 2022, the Court of Protection team experienced a significant uplift in work referred to the firm and recruited two new directors in response to increased demand, as well as promoting Chris Gallagher to head of Court of Protection.
Chris will now be supported by new paralegal, Shanice Mulla, as well as case workers Victoria Taylor, Chelsea Hamilton, Rebekah Smith, Katie Barnett and Megan Jones. Laura Metcalfe also joins as an administrative assistant in the expert witness team, while Laura Hassett will assist with billing within the Court of Protection team.
Firm director, Chris Gallagher said: “Hugh Jones Solicitors is renowned for its excellence within the Court of Protection field and our continued success is reliant upon consistently recruiting and retaining the very best in legal talent to support the department.
“Our team is made up of experienced, passionate experts who specialise in working with those lacking mental capacity and their families – it’s fantastic that it’s continuing to grow and we’re able to support more clients as a result.”
Elsewhere in the firm, Emma Hanvere joins as private client solicitor, bringing with her four years’ of experience in wills, trusts, estates and power of attorney work. She will work alongside new private client paralegal, Olivia Hudson.
Nisha Patel has also been employed in the accounts department, supported by secretary, Michelle Sharp and office administrator, Katie Banks.
Managing director, Liz Hughes, said: “To start 2023 with such a talented team of new recruits is hugely exciting and signals the start of what promises to be another successful year for the firm. I look forward to seeing all our new starters thrive over the coming months.”
::
In a strategic move to strengthen its capabilities, the charity We Love MCR has added four new Trustees to its board.
Louise Busby
Chair of the board, the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Donna Ludford, welcomed her new team members.
Eddie Smith brings huge experience in the commercial and development sectors across the city, and currently takes a leading role at the Vita Group property business.
Debra Cooper is co-head of the Shoosmiths law firm in Spinningfields. Her wealth of experience across legal and professional services will bolster the charity’s governance and reach across the business sector.
Eddie Smith
Louise Busby, finance director at Manchester law firm JMW, will bring her expertise to the financial strategy and operations of the charity.
Andreas Georgiou founded the digital agency Uni4m. He will steer the charity to expand its digital communications and reach, while strengthening the We Love MCR brand.
Cllr Ludford said: “I thank all our new Trustees for committing their time and expertise – we can’t grow without brilliant Trustees. Their contributions to our growth and leadership will set us up for more successes in our work to support ambitious communities and young people across our city.”
::
An initiative which recently won £40m backing to help create more than 700 jobs across West Cumbria has made its second appointment to its own team.
Hannah Pears, who is passionate about working with partner organisations to give young people the best possible life chances, has joined iSH (the Industrial Solutions Hub) as education liaison officer.
Hannah, from Whitehaven, has spent the past 11 years working to give young people opportunities in education and employment having worked with Northumbria University, University of Cumbria, Lakes College, The University of Law, and Hello Future, a partnership of universities, colleges and employers working to improve access for young people to higher education in Cumbria.
Hannah Pears
She said: “I am really excited to start with iSH – iSH is such an important programme for the people of West Cumbria. It’s great to be involved from the beginning.
“When I first talked to John Maddison (iSH managing director) and Steve Wilkinson (iSH operations director) we were talking about robotics and AI and it inspired me.
“I think it’s brilliant that iSH will be helping give young people access to big city opportunities and bringing that to their doorstep and showcasing what the future can hold for them.”
John Maddison said: “Hannah has lots of expertise and experience of helping young people, who might otherwise get overlooked, access opportunities, which is such a vital part of our programme.”
Hannah is the second of 10 initial appointments iSH is making as it builds its team to deliver a programme to create more than 700 jobs, enabling industry, businesses, academia, and community to come together and collaborate to enhance skills, increase capabilities, and regenerate communities across West Cumbria.
::
Health Innovation Manchester has appointed international industry experts to support the board’s drive to improve the health of Greater Manchester citizens through research and innovation.
Dr Mark Chakravarty
Prof Steven Myint, Dr Mark Chakravarty and Steve Oldfield join HInM as non-executive directors, working within a board which includes leaders from across Greater Manchester’s health and care system and its four universities.
Chair, Rowena Burns, said: “It is a measure of the widespread national respect for HInM’s vision and commitment that we have been able to attract candidates of the highest calibre.
“The new appointees bring with them a wealth of experience, knowledge and insights from across the global health and life sciences landscape to assist Health Innovation Manchester to deliver research and innovation at pace and scale across Greater Manchester.”
Steve Oldfield
She added: “Steven, Mark, and Steve all have experience in public life, science, and in industry – this combination will support Health Innovation Manchester in introducing innovations which can transform the health and wellbeing of citizens across Greater Manchester.”
Prof Myint is chairman of Inex Private, and co-chairman of the External Advisory Network for the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Dr Mark Chakravarty, is vice chair of the unitary board of directors at National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and Steve Oldfield is former chief commercial officer and director general, life sciences at the UK Department of Health & Social Care.
Prof Myint said: “I look forward to bringing my experience across multiple sectors to guide strategy, growth and innovation at Health Innovation Manchester. The Greater Manchester health and care system is already demonstrating the ability to forge strong and sustainable partnerships, and I welcome the opportunity to support the board in achieving Health Innovation Manchester’s vision to become a recognised international leader in accelerating innovation.”
Prof Steven Myint
Dr Chakravarty said: “Health Innovation Manchester has an ambitious plan to accelerate innovation at scale, address inequalities and stimulate local economic growth. I am delighted to join the board and work at the heart of cross sectorial collaboration, to transform the health and wellbeing of GM citizens and be recognised as an international innovation leader.”
Steve Oldfield said: “I look forward to bringing my commercial experience and perspective to guide and support the discovery, development and deployment of new solutions across Greater Manchester. I have a keen interest in the adoption of innovation in the healthcare system, and the role of non-executive director at Health Innovation Manchester brings the opportunity to work with others right in the heart of this exciting landscape.”
The three new non-executive directors join Helen Routh, who has been non-executive with HInM for the past three years and has an extensive background in global healthcare technologies.
::
Commercial building, project and sustainability consultancy, Jones Hargreaves, has appointed its fourth partner and launched a Manchester office as it continues to grow its national footprint.
Nick Twigg has joined the firm as partner of the newly established Manchester office and will focus on expanding services across the North West. With a career spanning more than 25 years in the commercial property sector, Twigg joins from Colliers International, where he was head of project and building consultancy for the UK regions for more than seven years. Previous to this he held senior positions at GVA, CBRE and GSD.
Having worked on a range of significant national projects for occupiers, property companies and institutional funds, Twigg also has a vast amount of experience in managing sustainable commercial building projects. His expertise spans managing complex office relocation projects, undertaking building technical due diligence, development monitoring and project managing new build office and industrial space.
Twigg’s previous projects have included the multimillion-pound Salford Quays development occupied by healthcare giant Bupa. Twigg joins existing partners Matthew Jones, Peter Hargreaves and Matt Williams to lead the next phase of the firm’s growth.
Nick Twigg
Jones Hargreaves has made a raft of new hires in recent months, expanding its in-house team to a headcount of more than 25 across its Manchester, Leeds, London, Bristol and Cardiff offices.
Twigg said: “I’m thrilled to be joining this dynamic firm during such a tremendous period of growth.”
Jones Hargreaves has been working across the North West for several years and has several ongoing projects in the region including project managing the fit-out of Gillbanks office space on York Street in Manchester and a major office refurbishment on Princess Street. Twigg added: “Opening the Manchester office is a fantastic opportunity and I look forward to expanding the team here as we respond to demand. Manchester is a growing, thriving city and the commercial office and industrial space is bouncing back well from the challenges of recent years.”
Matthew Jones, partner and co-founder at Jones Hargreaves, said: “Opening a Manchester office with Nick at the helm is an exciting next step for our business. Nick brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge within our fast paced sector and we’re delighted to appoint him as a partner.”
::
Manchester Young Professionals has welcomed four new committee members to its team.
Samantha Moncrief, director at Proactive Financial Planning, Joe Ferguson, family solicitor at JMW Solicitors, Jaisal Palmer, adviser support at Pareto Financial Planning and Kate Brown, head of marketing at Time Finance, are among the newly appointed committee members.
The team’s commitment to shaping the next generation of professionals in Manchester will support MYP’s vision of building its community out further and forging strong connections across the city.
From left: Jaisal Palmer, Joe Ferguson, Samantha Moncrief, Kate Brown
MYP, which was founded in 2013, is an inclusive and accessible network for progressive and like-minded professionals. Working in partnership with local businesses and venues, it connects the Manchester community through social, educational, and health and wellbeing events. Having grown substantially over the past decade, it connects nearly 20,000 professionals and businesses across the North West region.
Rich Tyrrell, MYP co-founder and director, said: “We have exciting plans to continue growing the Manchester Young Professionals community. Building a team around who us can support our mission to create unique experiences and connect like-minded professionals is crucial to achieving that.”
The four new committee members are welcome additions to the broader MYP team, which already includes representatives from the investment, legal, property, environmental and financial sectors. Their combined experiences and contacts are poised to strengthen the professional network inside the community.
