People: The Grand; Butcher & Barlow; Swansway Motor Group; Salford City Council; Kingdom Medical

Award-winning chef, Colin Gannon has recently taken up position as director of food at The Grand, Southport, and Mikhail Hotels and Leisure Group.

Colin brings many years of expertise in food and drink, catering and fine dining to The Grand. He has always loved the culinary arts, with his early career beginning in Southport when he studied at Southport College. Now, he has returned to the area to cement The Grand’s place on the culinary map.

He has worked at many fine restaurants, hotels, and resorts, and has been instrumental in helping them achieve acclaim. His culinary journey took him to The Isle of Man and then to The Channel Islands in the early days before his return to the mainland, where he took up a position at the prestigious three AA Rosette-awarded Red Star Hotel, The Rampsbeck Country House in Cumbria before heading further north to Scotland. There, he took up position at the Red Star property, One Devonshire Gardens, which has been awarded three AA Rosette in Glasgow.

Colin also assumed an executive chef role at Shrigley Hall in Cheshire, where he gained rosettes, and at the leading spa resort, The Lodore Falls in Cumbria. Most recently he spent seven years at Champneys Spa Resort, Mottram Hall, where he gained two rosettes.

On his return to Southport he said: “I will put all of my skills, learned over many years of working in high-class establishments, into developing my young, dedicated team of chefs at The Grand. I have put together some amazing new dishes for The Grand Brasserie and will also relaunch the afternoon tea, making it the best around.”

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Asim Din

North West law firm Butcher & Barlow has appointed Asim Din to its commercial dispute resolution team.

Asim has been brought on board to help with the growing demand within the sector.

Butcher & Barlow has 11 offices across the North West and is regularly listed in the Legal 500 as one of the region’s top law firms.

Asim, who will be working from the Gadbrook Park office, arrives with more than 13 years’ dispute resolution experience, acting for high-net worth individuals, owner-managers, SMEs, PLCs and multinational companies on a broad range of complex commercial disputes.

He said: “I am fully aligned with the firm’s values and ethos of putting the needs of its clients at the centre of everything we do and ensuring we deliver a high quality collaborative service at all times. I look forward to building upon the existing highly rated and experienced commercial dispute resolution offering and working closely with the firm’s wider commercial teams to drive the firm’s future growth plans.”

Senior partner, Jonathan Aldersley, said: “It’s great to have Asim on board. This new appointment is a further indication of Butcher & Barlow’s ambitions for growth and excellence.”

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Paul Rushton

Paul Rushton has been appointed head of business at Swansway Honda Bolton.

Paul has more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry and 17 of those have been spent working with the Honda brand.

However, Paul’s career originally began in the agricultural industry, but after his Honda Accord 2.2 Aerodeck company car piqued his interest in the automotive industry, he obtained a temporary job and proceeded as a sales executive, working his way up the ranks.

He said: “I’m settling in well, the Swansway family both at Bolton and the wider teams have been very welcoming. I look forward to working with the team to continue moving the business forward. I’m also looking forward to working alongside the Motor Match Bolton team to become a hub for motoring needs in the Bolton area.”

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Darren Grice

Salford City Council and The Lowry have appointed Darren Grice as the city’s new director of culture.

Mr Grice takes up the role following his time as strategic development lead for culture and visitor economy at Rochdale Borough Council and brings with him a wealth of experience in the cultural, charitable and civic fields.

Prior to his current role, Mr Grice has held senior positions at Rochdale Borough Council, Your Trust Rochdale, The Garage Trust and Kings Lynn Arts Centre, as well as undertaking a wide range of voluntary and community roles.

Mr Grice will take up the post from June 2023 and will report to Tom Stannard, chief executive of Salford City Council and Julia Fawcett, chief executive, The Lowry.

Mr Grice said: “The city has so much to offer, from a rich cultural heritage and energetic creative scene to leading organisations and creative partnerships. I am really looking forward to getting started and working with colleagues, artists and residents to help more people to be part of the city’s brilliant cultural offer.”

Julia Fawcett said: “We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Darren, leading the development of the city’s culture, heritage and arts and helping us to deliver Salford’s Cultural Strategy. We all look forward to working with him to deliver Salford’s cultural aspirations and ambitions.”

Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, said: “Darren will continue to drive forward the cultural offer for local people while also attracting more visitors. I look forward to welcoming Darren to our great city.”

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Jay Thinsa

Kingdom Medical, a company within Newton-le-Willows-based Kingdom Services Group, has promoted Jay Thinsa to the role of managing director.

Jay was previously performance and quality manager at Kingdom Medical, which was formed in 2021 and is a provider of staffing solutions to the sector, including NHS Trusts and other health and care providers.

Jay said: “Hard work and dedication are the fundamentals that have helped build Kingdom Medical to where it is now, and I am taking on this role at an important time.

“There are huge workforce challenges in the health sector and Kingdom Medical has an important and growing role to play in helping relieve some of those pressures, providing safe and quality assured staffing solutions to our healthcare clients.”

Group director, Mark Wallace, said: “Jay has a wealth of experience, is enthusiastic and dedicated, and cares about providing clients with the best possible service.

“We look forward to watching his growth and development within Kingdom Medical as he develops wider relationships within the Kingdom Group.”

Kingdom has been operating for more than 30 years.