People: Roma Finance; Harrison Drury; ThinCats; Parfetts; ONP Group; JMW Solicitors

Roma Finance has appointed Samantha Williamson to senior relationship manager.

Samantha was a senior underwriter before being promoted to bridging and development specialist and now onto senior relationship manager.

Manchester- based Roma says it is the spirit of #lovetolend, building rapport with partners and borrowers to ensure they receive the best possible outcome and feel fully supported throughout the life of their project.

Samantha said: “I am thrilled for this next move. Working with our borrowers and seeing the projects at each stage is a joy. My experience with my own property portfolio and previous roles will be vital in this new challenge and allow Roma to deliver a further improved experience.”

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Martin Stafford

Law firm Harrison Drury has further strengthened its dispute resolution team with the appointment of highly experienced litigator Martin Stafford.

Martin, who has more than 20 years’ legal experience and is also a Deputy District Judge, joins the firm as a consultant solicitor after five years running his own legal practice, SDM Legal, which followed roles with a host of national law firms.

He advises clients in a wide range of commercial disputes, including partnership and shareholder disputes, professional negligence and property litigation. He will primarily be based in Harrison Drury’s Lancaster office and will work with all kinds of commercial organisations across the Lancashire and Cumbria region.

Sean Gibbs, partner and head of commercial litigation at Harrison Drury, said: “There aren’t many people who can match Martin’s depth and breadth of experience when it comes to helping clients overcome disputes.”

Martin, who is originally from Bolton but has lived in Lancaster for seven years, said: “Having established and grown my own firm significantly over the last five years, I felt there was a great opportunity to work with businesses in Lancaster and the wider region by becoming part of Harrison Drury. I’m looking forward to being on the ground in Lancaster helping businesses in the region to achieve their goals.”

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Simon Dixon

ThinCats, the alternative finance provider to mid-sized SMEs, has appointed Simon Dixon as senior director, business development for the North West. Simon will lead ThinCats’ origination team in the region and will also head up the private equity team for ThinCats in the North and Scotland.

Simon is due to join ThinCats in October and will be based in its central Manchester office.

He recently served as HSBC’s head of mid-market financial sponsors in the North West. Having held the role for nearly a decade, Simon is well known in the region’s business lending market. Prior to HSBC Simon worked for Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank and Lloyds Bank.

Simon said: “ThinCats has an excellent reputation in the lower mid market and I look forward to working with the origination, credit and transaction management teams already established in Manchester.“

Mike Hackett, head of business development, ThinCats, said: “I’m thrilled to have Simon coming on board in October. His knowledge and expertise will be vital as we continue to expand our presence in Manchester in support of businesses across the North West.”

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Helen Moreton

Stockport-based cash and carry group, Parfetts, has appointed Helen Moreton to its Employee Trust Board. She brings a wealth of experience from the retail industry and Employee Ownership sector.

Helen is the founder and director of Boombox Consulting and has been an active part of the employee-owned sector for more than 20 years in an operational and non-executive capacity. Helen spent 18 years at John Lewis Partnership in various independent and strategic roles and now works with several other employee-owned businesses in a chairing, coaching, advisory, and developmental capacity.

The Employee Trust board sits separately from the executive board and represents the interests of the Trust and Parfetts 1,000 employees.

Martin Race, chair of the Parfetts Employee Trust Board, welcomed Helen, saying: “I am sure with her experience of employee-owned businesses that she will prove to be a great asset to Parfetts.”

Helen said: “It is great to join this established and well-respected employee-owned company. I look forward to working with the other trustees and board as they continue their commitment toward a better way of doing business.”

Guy Swindell, joint managing director of Parfetts, said: “The trust board plays an important role for the business, and Helen is a great appointment.”

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Sharon Beedham

Conveyancing specialist, ONP Group, has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Sharon Beedham as group partnerships manager.

Sharon joins from Optima Legal, and her distinguished 30-year career brings a wealth of legal and operational expertise to her new role. Sharon will report to ONP’s group partnerships director, Mark Tosetti, who she worked with previously.

Industry veteran, Mark Tosetti, said: “I have known Sharon for many years, and welcome her to our team of brilliant people. Her dedication and remarkable achievements in the conveyancing space made her the ideal choice to lead our partnership initiatives.”

ONP Group has recently undergone a significant restructuring of its leadership team, marking a pivotal moment in the company’s approach to conveyancing. This

Sharon said: “It is a superb time to join ONP’s dynamic team and their forward thinking, tech-driven approach to conveyancing. I look forward to working with Mark again, and leveraging my experience to develop strong partnerships.”

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Tony Faulkner and Nicola Wilburn-Shaw

Nicola Wilburn-Shaw, partner in one of the UK’s leading matrimonial law teams who, from their offices in Manchester, Liverpool and London, work extensively with high profile sporting stars, has been awarded a scholarship to study strategic leadership in sport, and made co-head of the JMW Sports Law Team.

Nicola will attend the Visionary Sports Investment Executive Education (VSI) institution on a scholarship funded by Siobhan Chamberlain, the former England, Manchester United and Chelsea footballer and an alumnus of VSI herself. The scholarship awarded to Nicola is one of only two, those scholarships specifically reserved for women. Other illustrious VSI alumni include Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington, Leicester and Jamaica defender, Wes Morgan and Paul O’Brian, commercial director at Watford Football Club.

Tony Faulkner, co-founder, neuroscientist and sporting director of VSI, said: “A key aim of our CEO of a Sports Organisation programme is to provide a pathway for more women to move into strategic leadership roles within the global sporting industry.

“VSI and Siobhan Chamberlain are delighted to be able to offer Nicola the scholarship for the programme. She is highly regarded in her field of family law and she works extensively with high profile sports people, particularly footballers, which makes her perfect for our programme.”

Nicola said: “There is a huge level of under-representation of women in elite sports and despite numerous initiatives this situation has not changed. This scholarship and programme of study will help me in my drive to achieve better representation for women at board level in the world of sport.”