People: iiCON; Total Fitness; Swiscot; Christie & Co; Visiting Angels; Brabners
The Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON has bolstered its core team, welcoming a cohort of new starters to support operations following strong growth.
Liverpool-based iiCON, led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), is comprised of partners Unilever, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, University of Liverpool, LifeArc, Evotec, and Infex Therapeutics.
The £250m programme brings together industry, academia, and clinicians to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of new treatments and innovations – saving and improving millions of lives globally through collaborative innovation.
Following the ongoing growth of the programme, iiCON has appointed a new senior programme manager, Gillian Kyalo, who works closely with iiCON’s founding director, Prof Janet Hemingway, to oversee and support the smooth running of the programme. Gillian brings more than 20 years’ experience managing complex global international public health projects for international consortia and organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, UK Research Councils, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The consortium has also welcomed a new business development manager, Dr Lizzie Crawford, who will focus on fostering strategic relationships and driving commercial partnerships for translational research. Lizzie will work with iiCON’s business development team to engage with companies looking to connect into iiCON’s platforms to support their research and development needs.
iiCON has also strengthened its core team, welcoming a new finance manager, Lauren Thistlethwaite, programme manager Rose Lopeman, project administrators, Amy Collins, and Alexandra Pendleton, data analyst Jolene Dunlop and senior finance business partner Laura Carney, to support operational activity across the dynamic consortium, which operates across 10 platforms of activity.
Prof Hemingway said: “We’re very pleased to have welcomed a number of new faces to the iiCON team, each one bringing particular skills and expertise.”
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Tom Rayner
Total Fitness has announced two new appointments to the executive board, as part of a restructure of the Wilmslow-based business following a successful refinancing proposition of £6.5m.
Kerry Curtis and Tom Rayner have both been promoted internally and appointed to new roles of brand development director and chief financial officer (CFO), respectively, now completing the Total Fitness board of executives and signalling a new phase of growth.
The promotions, both made following the success of internal roles, mark a new chapter for the business in the second half of 2023, following the successful application for a loan from OakNorth Bank for £6.5m to support the refurbishment of several more clubs in the estate.
Refinancing the business was Tom’s first success in his role as CFO. With his key strengths in strategic and operational awareness, Tom will contribute significantly to Total Fitness’s ongoing success and growth.
Kerry Curtis
As brand development director Kerry brings with her the commitment and expertise to develop and elevate Total Fitness’s brand strategy, having already been announced as a finalist for the European Employer Brand Management Awards 2023.
Kerry said: “I am excited to take on the role of brand development director, a sector-first executive role. The brand has been on an incredible journey over the last five years, of which I am very proud.”
Sophie Lawler, CEO, said: “Kerry Curtis is a bright talent and I have no doubt of the value she will add to our team and the strategy beyond. It’s also with great delight that I appoint Tom Rayner to CFO to support me into our next chapter and beyond. He’s been instrumental in our sector-leading growth to date and fundamental in establishing firm foundations for their next phase of growth. Kerry and Tom join me alongside operations director Paul McNicholas to form a dynamic and tenacious executive team for the future.”
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Rachael Shah
Salford-based Swiscot, a supplier of textiles from stock, has appointed a forward-thinking businesswoman to the newly-created position of head of digital and sustainability with the mission to support the industry’s transition to net zero
With a Masters in Business Administration and 12 years’ experience within corporate and charitable organisations, Rachael Shah joins the business with dual focuses – to manage the firm’s online proposition, strategy and e-commerce platform and help Swiscot, and its customers, to make more sustainable decisions.
A member of the Textiles Services Association sustainability committee, Rachael boasts a career spanning tenures at household names including the British Red Cross and the Co-op and with an MBA dissertation topic of consumer perceptions of CSR, she wants to encourage people aboard the journey to net zero.
She said: “My role is all about getting people to understand sustainable textiles … to be aware of the impact of materials and make informed decisions. Having captured the spirit of cooperation from my time at Co-op, I’m very keen to explore and pursue opportunities for collaboration in order to help those involved at every touchpoint of our supply chain.”
Swiscot CEO, Vikas Shah, said: “Rachael has a wealth of experience across the private and third sector which will be invaluable to staff and customers alike.”
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Cathy Murphy
Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the expansion of its dental team in the North of England with the appointment of business agent, Cathy Murphy.
Following a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Chester, Cathy worked for eight years as a practice manager at a large, predominantly NHS practice in Merseyside, before selling dental businesses at a brokerage firm for four-and-a-half years.
Cathy joins Christie & Co at a busy time, where there is significant activity across the North of England, 90% of which is independent market-led, and reflective of the wider UK. The team remains optimistic about activity moving into the second half of the year.
Cathy said: “Having worked in brokerage for the last four years, I am looking forward to building on existing relationships within the industry. My previous position has provided me with market knowledge and experience, which Christie & Co will undoubtedly build upon. Market activity is strong in the North, and I expect to see a surge in activity over the next 12 months.”
Paul Graham, head of dental at Christie & Co, said: “Our esteemed dental team gains a seasoned professional who brings not only her impressive qualifications but also a commitment to excellence that resonates with our core values.”
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Roxie and Badar
Launched in December 2022, Visiting Angels provides in-home care to the people of Oldham and the surrounding areas. Run by Roxie Taj, who has spent most of her career volunteering to support her local community, the company has been joined by local businessman and care expert Badar Usmani as co-managing director.
With 15 years of experience in the care industry, Badar brings a valuable insight, having recently left a large care business to partner with Roxie.
He said: “As someone who has always been passionate about the quality of care provision in the local area, when I saw what Visiting Angels were doing, and their genuine commitment to supporting their staff, I couldn’t believe how closely they aligned with my own values and beliefs within the care sector.”
Roxie said: “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Badar to the team. His experience in the care industry is invaluable – he shares every single one of our values and our goals regarding the provision of care in our area.”
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Ikram Malik and Nik White
Independent law firm Brabners has appointed new partner Ikram Malik to lead its business immigration team as it continues to provide strategic guidance to clients pursuing growth with the support of international talent.
Ikram brings 17 years’ experience in personal and business immigration law to the firm’s employment practice, which is one of the largest of its kind in the North. He’ll work across all four of Brabners’ offices in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Lancashire.
He joins from JMW Solicitors having also lectured on immigration law as subject leader for the Legal Practice Course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Brabners’ Tier 1 Legal 500 ranked immigration practice sits within the firm’s Tier 1 employment and pensions department, which works with household names across the public and private sector – with the team’s biggest 20 clients boasting a combined turnover of £15bn and more than 45,000 employees.
Nik White, managing partner at Brabners, said: “The UK labour market remains tight, with a number of sectors struggling to deliver growth through domestic talent pools alone. Our business immigration team has been instrumental in enabling a broad range of clients to address these challenges post-Brexit, and Ikram’s appointment will enable us to further build on the services we’ve offered to date – helping more specialist skilled workers to support and make the difference within the economy.”
Ikram Malik said: “There’s a misconception that corporate-sponsored immigration is an expensive and complicated access route to skilled talent – particularly since the advent of Brexit, and given the recent changes to immigration rules for students switching into work routes. But with the right counsel, it’s a simple process that can address skills shortages and drive success in important high growth sectors.”
