People: Perch Group; N Brown Group; Marketing Cheshire; Grant Thornton; OFR; JLL
Blackpool-based Perch Group, a debt purchase, collections, litigation and reconnection firm, has appointed Heather Pollard as director of analytics.
Heather, who has held senior positions at financial service organisations and a large debt purchaser, will be tasked with ensuring that data and analytics are at the heart of all decision making across the group. This will involve analysing and enriching existing data sources to help better understand customer behaviour and deploy optimal collections strategies. She will also lead on gathering a wealth of business intelligence that will bring insight to operational and portfolio performance.
Perch Group’s chief commercial officer, Andrew Bartle, said: “Having worked with Heather for 15 years, I know she is an accomplished data and analytics leader with extensive experience across the credit lifecycle. She has a successful track record of delivering significant financial results and is passionate about building strong teams by investing in people and technology, which is exactly what we’re on a mission to do here at Perch Group. She is a great addition to the senior management team.”
Heather said: “This is an exciting time to join a fast-paced and dynamic business which is really going places. I’m looking forward to putting innovative operational plans, which I believe will be transformational, into action.”
::
Heidi Kenyon-Smith
N Brown Group, the Manchester-based online inclusive fashion and homeware digital retailer, has appointed Heidi Kenyon-Smith as the new general manager of Simply Be, further strengthening its team and expanding its roster of talent as it continues its group-wide transformation.
Heidi brings significant digital, womenswear and media expertise to N Brown, with more than 20 years of industry experience, and joins the business from the renowned dentsu media agency, iProspect, where she served as managing director. As one of N Brown’s three strategic brands, the growth of Simply Be is a fundamental part of the group’s strategy and success.
Heidi will commence her new role on January 2, 2024, and will report directly to N Brown’s CEO of retail, Sarah Welsh, who said: “Heidi joins with a great deal of passion to deliver the evolution of Simply Be across all digital, brand and product touchpoints as we execute our ambition to become the UK’s most inclusive fashion brand for young women. Heidi’s digital, product and media experience will no doubt provide instant value and adds to the talent joining the group during our transformation.”
Heidi Kenyon-Smith said: “I have been a long advocate of Simply Be’s values and strongly believe every woman deserves the amazing feeling that comes with great fit.”
::
Cristian Marcucci
Marketing Cheshire has unveiled strategic communications specialist Cristian Marcucci as its new managing director
Marcucci, currently assistant director for communications at Staffordshire County Council, will take up his role at the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) in January.
Part of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP family, Marketing Cheshire promotes the sub-region to tourists, business, investors, and residents, using its tourism and place making expertise to promote a region that welcomes more than 36.3 million visitors each year creating a visitor economy valued at in excess of £3.7bn.
Marcucci, 45, who currently leads internal and external communications, reputation management and public affairs at Staffordshire County Council said he couldn’t wait to promote “the world class attractions and pioneering businesses” in a region boasting a rich tapestry of must-visit places.
He said: “I am passionate about place marketing and bringing leaders, influencers and people together to promote their areas and in this role I cannot wait to work with place leaders and the pioneering businesses that generate billions and attract millions of visitors each year to help the region continue to deliver a growing, sustainable, healthy and inclusive economy.”
Marcucci’s appointment comes after former chief executive, Joe Manning, departed to lead inward investment firm MIDAS early this year. He will be supported by recently appointed head of marketing Liam Hartzenberg whose promotion came after two years as brand and creative lead. His appointment followed the departure in April of commercial director Nicola Said who took up the role of regional lead – North West and West Midlands at VisitEngland.
::
Zeenat Patel
Business and financial adviser, Grant Thornton UK, has appointed Ben Butterfield as associate director in its transformation team and promoted Zeenat Patel to audit director, to support its growth in the North.
Ben Butterfield will be based between the firm’s Manchester and Leeds offices where he’ll be working closely with Carolyn Hicks, head of business transformation, to help catalyse business transformation across the North. Ben will develop practices and solutions that will help clients on their journeys through transformational change, whether driven by growth opportunities, cost challenges, technical change, operating model transformation or talent acquisition and retention issues.
Zeenat Patel has been promoted to audit director within the North West audit team. Zeenat joined Grant Thornton in 2016 as an audit associate and has thrived alongside the growth and success of the North West team, working with a variety of listed and large privately owned businesses. She will continue working at the firm’s Landmark office at St Peter’s Square in Manchester city centre, alongside the 140-strong audit team.
Ben Butterfield
Carl Williams, managing partner for Grant Thornton UK in the North West, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome Ben to the firm. His breadth of experience across change management and operations transformation makes him the perfect fit for Carolyn’s team. He brings skills that will resonate with clients going through business transformation.
“I’m also delighted that Zeenat’s fantastic performance has been recognised with this promotion. Zeenat has consistently proven why we consider her to be a future leader of our firm . She is scrupulous in her attention to detail, her work standards are incredibly high, and she has consistently achieved exceptional upwards feedback from her teams. She has been integral in driving the audit quality agenda in the North West practice and we can’t wait to watch her continue her journey with us at the Manchester office.”
Ben Butterfield said: “I’m looking forward to engaging with business leaders across the North where there is already so much innovation and business transformation taking place.”
Zeenat Patel said: “I’m looking forward to the coming months and years and watching our team flourish and grow, thanks to everyone’s hard work and determination.”
::
OFR team
Fire engineering practice OFR Consultants has appointed four colleagues to its board, news which comes amidst a spate of colleague announcements.
Stewart Dabin, Dr Danny Hopkin, Jack Wilshaw and Richard Rankin each join the board as directors, joining existing directors Andy Passingham and Ryan McCreadie. All four new appointees are long serving colleagues at OFR.
Lucy Kirkup, HR director at Manchester-based OFR, said: “We are proud to announce these changes – a move which underscores our commitment to promoting from within and celebrating the incredible people who make up our OFR team.”
The news comes following a bumper month of appointments at OFR. Sarah Black joins as principal engineer, while Andrew Price, António Seara Cardoso, Christian Whilde, Finlay Collins and Budmika Karuna Pathirajage all joined as graduate fire engineers. Lucy added: “Our graduate programme is an annual initiative which ensures that we attract the best fire engineering talent.”
The appointments take the OFR team to more than 120 colleagues, with a continued year-on-year growth. Since its inception in Manchester in 2016, it has extended its reach across the country, opening offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Oxford, Bath and London.
::
From left: Louis Mills, Freya Sharpe, Amy Murphy, George Whiteley, Olivia Smith, Tom Atkinson
JLL, the real estate services company, has bolstered its Manchester team with the addition of five new graduates and two new apprentices, taking its total office trainees to 18.
Both are rotational programmes, designed for each new joiner to gain experience across a range of specialisms. The apprentices and graduates will develop skills across different areas of the business, shadowing different teams including capital markets, ratings, building consultancy, land, planning and residential valuations to develop and hone knowledge within the sector.
The apprentices, Olivia Smith and Ivan Marr, will complete a five-year programme during which they will gain practical work experience alongside a University of Estate Management (UCEM) degree, as well as Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) qualifications.
Tom Atkinson, Freya Sharpe, George Whiteley, Louis Mills and Amy Murphy have joined the two-year graduate programme that will see them earn a Master’s Degree alongside their valuable work experience and APC qualification upon completion.
The new hires will be based at JLL’s Oxford Road office in the heart of Manchester within its 175-strong North West team. Phillip Corrigan, a director at JLL, said: “Our new recruits threw themselves into the interview stages, and we’ve no doubt that they will become valued members of the team. It’s a competitive process and they should be proud of what they have achieved so far.”
New recruits and their corresponding teams: Olivia Smith (Apprentice) – Capital Markets; Ivan Marr (Apprentice) – Rating; Tom Atkinson (Grad) – Building Consultancy; Freya Sharpe (Grad) – Residential Valuations; George Whiteley (Grad) – Residential Agency; Louis Mills (Grad) – Land; Amy Murphy (Grad) – Planning.
