People: DSG; DF Capital; Kingsland Drinks Group; Time Finance; CMS; Housemates; Mills & Reeve
DSG Chartered Accountants has appointed two new key members to its growing team. The new hires come at a pivotal moment for DSG as the Liverpool-based accountancy firm completed several significant deals.
Adam Brighouse returns to DSG as a corporate finance manager after spending four years with the firm as corporate business advisor before moving to long-standing DSG client Bullen Healthcare as head of operations. He will play a vital role in developing DSG’s corporate finance service, advising DSG’s diverse range of clients.
Elsewhere in the firm, Matt Bailey has joined as an audit director, bringing with him more than a decade of experience in the industry. His previous role was at Hiller Hopkins, where Matt led the audit team. With extensive experience working with businesses of all sizes, especially small and medium-sized and owner-managed businesses, Matt has an in depth understanding of auditing and will be a valuable addition to the team.
Laura Leslie, corporate partner at DSG Chartered Accountants, said: “As we continue to steer the course of success, our recent deals reaffirm our standing as an industry leader.
“With the invaluable expertise of Matt Bailey as our new audit director, and the return of Adam Brighouse as corporate finance manager, we are fortified to advise our diverse clientele with even greater precision and vision.”
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Garry Frew
DF Capital, the specialist commercial lending bank supporting dealers and manufacturers, has appointed Garry Frew as chief commercial officer.
In his new role, Garry will report into CEO Carl D’Ammassa and will lead the bank’s commercial lending function. He will be responsible for strategy and growth initiatives to continue supporting manufacturers and dealer customers.
Garry joins DF Capital from Wells Fargo, where he spent 17 years in a number of senior roles in the US and Europe. For the past six years, he held the position of vice president for strategic relations in the commercial distribution finance business.
Garry brings extensive experience in inventory and distribution finance, as well as financial analysis and business acquisition. He also has an executive MBA from London Business School.
Carl D’Amassa, welcomed Garry, saying: “His deep knowledge of our lending products, sectors and customers, as well as his proven track record of career success make him the perfect fit for this role. I am confident that he will play a significant role, building on our amazing achievements to date, in helping us further scale the bank, whilst putting our customer needs first and acting sustainably.”
Garry Frew said: “I’m excited to join DF Capital’s journey and build on the successes the team has achieved to date. I am confident that I can use my experience and expertise to help the company achieve its next level of growth and continue to demonstrate value both to our existing and to our prospective customers.
“I am excited to work with Carl and the rest of the team – we have a bright future ahead and I am looking forward to getting started.”
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Simon Shelbourn
Simon Shelbourn, former finance leader at Arla Foods and County Milk Products, joins the board of directors of Kingsland Drinks Group this month taking the newly created role of chief financial officer.
The Irlam-based company has consistently invested in its capabilities in recent years, developing its infrastructure to become a full-service drinks company.
Shelbourn brings more than 30 years of FMCG finance experience to the group, having led senior teams in similarly diverse and complex businesses. He will take full responsibility for the firm’s finance and IT functions, encompassing Kingsland Drinks and its purpose-led spirits arm, Ten Locks. Shelbourn will lead a strong existing team in line with the long term company vision – to build a better drinks industry and society.
Managing director, Ed Baker, said: “As Kingsland Drinks continues to evolve and our activities, capabilities and teams become more wide ranging, we’ve worked to bolster our leadership with high calibre talent. By doing so, we are in the best position to meet our goals and tackle the challenges the industry faces. Simon will play a critical role in how Kingsland Drinks Group grows in the long term – we welcome him warmly.”
Simon Shelbourn said: “Kingsland Drinks Group is a trusted and multifaceted player in the UK drinks industry. I’m proud to join a business that can meet every category need and continues to evolve its offering. The diverse nature of the company means there’s a wealth of opportunity for growth. I’m looking forward to playing a pivotal role in its future.”
Shelbourn joins the firm following a raft of senior additions to its leadership team. Mark Riley, former commercial director at Bibendum, part of the C&C Group, and Andy Henderson, who has occupied a wealth of long-standing positions across FMCG firms, joined the group late last year as commercial director and operations director, respectively.
Consistently evolving, Kingsland Drinks Group moved to an employee-owned model in 2021 and has steadily invested in its capabilities and infrastructure to become a full-service drinks company.
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Morgan Lee
Time Finance has appointed Morgan Lee as broker manager in its asset finance team, overseeing the North West and Midlands regions.
Morgan joins Time Finance with three years’ experience in the asset finance industry. Having started his career in a sales development executive role at Close Brothers, he gained valuable experience in spotting opportunities to support business owners looking to acquire essential assets and equipment, before moving on to Davenham Asset Finance and taking on a business development manager position.
Morgan said: “The business is in an exciting stage of growth as they look to support more firms across the UK with robust financial solutions that inspire innovation and growth – I look forward to being a part of that journey.”
His recruitment is the latest in a string of appointments at Time Finance in recent months. The business recently welcomed Justin Nel as business development manager into its invoice finance team and Ollie Cole as broker manager to drive the firm’s asset finance offering in the South West of England.
Laura Mollett, head of broker sales at Time Finance, said: “We are excited to welcome Morgan to our asset finance team. We know the value our funding solutions can play in supporting the growth of businesses, by enabling investment in new technology and leading equipment, supporting operational improvements, and driving efficiencies.”
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Mark Whiteside and Tanya Holt
International law firm CMS has appointed tax partner Mark Whiteside to the Corporate team and will be based in Manchester.
Most recently at Brabners, he’s an experienced tax expert focusing on transactional work (both corporate and real estate) providing advice in relation to company mergers, disposals and reorganisations, shareholder tax advice and negotiating transaction documents, alongside other areas such as advising on enterprise investment schemes and venture capital trusts, employee incentives and VAT advisory work. His clients will be corporates, Private Equity houses and real estate investors both in the North and across the UK.
Tanya Holt, CMS Partner and Head of UK Regions said: “Mark’s arrival is further evidence of our commitment to strengthen and diversify our offering in the North of England, and comes just a week after our already market-leading Real Estate team was boosted by the appointment of Michael Buchanan.”
He said: “Joining CMS gives me an opportunity to expand the firm’s tax offering in the North, as well as bring my local market knowledge to support the wider existing Tax team and my CMS colleagues operating in key industry sectors and practice groups.”
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David Tymms
Student accommodation veteran David Tymms has joined the board at Manchester firm Housemates.
Mr Tymms, who has more than 25 years experience in the sector, is now an independent non-executive director at the instant booking student accommodation marketplace.
After initially working as chief operating officer at IQ Student Accommodation, he later became commercial director and strategic advisor during a 15-year spell.
In 2020 iQ Student Accommodation was sold to Blackstone for £4.66bn, which remains the largest ever private real estate transaction in the UK.
Mr Tymms had previously worked as head of student accommodation services at the University of Central Lancashire and as director of residential services at the London School of Economics. He also chaired the influential British Property Federation Student Accommodation Committee from 2015 to 2022.
Mr Tymms said: “The Housemates platform is a proven model that is now engaging in a rapid growth trajectory. I’m looking forward to working with Lydia and the rest of the board, sharing insights and ultimately helping the company to realise its massive potential.”
CEO, Lydia Jones, said: “Housemates operates in a rapidly growing sector and has quickly established itself as a leader. With David coming on board we are confident that we can execute our global vision, which is to connect, through technology and data, the student housing ecosystem and all its stakeholders.
“His wealth of experience in the student accommodation industry is almost unrivalled and we’re delighted that he is joining us on our journey.”
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Tom Shorten
National law firm Mills & Reeve has recruited Tom Shorten as a partner to boost its Manchester corporate team and expand its private equity offering in the North West.
Tom, who has joined from Pinsent Masons, is a prominent lawyer in the region’s private equity and corporate finance community and has advised on several of the highest profile deals in Manchester in recent years.
He also has expertise in the education sector, particularly in nurseries, and Tom’s appointment will strengthen the team’s corporate education practice and capitalise on the growing opportunities in the North West market.
Chris Ross, corporate partner and head of the Manchester office, said: “Tom is one of the leading next generation partners in the private equity arena and is sought out by clients for his expertise in advising on complex transactions across several industries.
“We are increasingly advising on higher value deals across key sectors including healthcare, education and technology and Tom is ideally placed to lead the development of our private equity offering and meet growing demand from clients to help them pursue their acquisition strategies.”
Tom said: “After 12 great years at a market-leading international firm, the opportunity to join Mills & Reeve to help lead their private equity and corporate practice in Manchester was too good to turn down and I look forward to supporting our clients and competing in the market with this quality law firm.”
