People: Cheshire College S&W; Health Innovation NW Coast; Bromleys; Gregory Abrams Davidson; Old Trafford Community Academy; JS
Cheshire College – South & West, has appointed Lynne Rowland as its director of Higher Technical Education to expand its higher education offering.
Formerly an assistant director at the college, Lynne has a wealth of experience in the education sector. Prior to this she was a lecturer in Cheshire College’s Faculty of Arts, Business and Services and managed the BTEC Business course.
Lynne was initially a financial adviser but retrained as a lecturer in business at Wrexham Glyndŵr University, qualifying in 2013. In her new role she will be working alongside key stakeholders to build and grow the college’s Higher Technical Education provision, including a new suite of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) within sectors such as Health, Construction and Computing.
She said: “I’m looking forward to overseeing the development of innovative courses that will give our students world class learning and training opportunities and help them gain the skills they need to succeed in their careers.”
Jasbir Dhesi, CEO and Principal of Cheshire College, said: “We’re so pleased that Lynne has accepted the opportunity to lead our Higher Technical Qualifications programme development. These specialist courses will help students to thrive in a resurgent job market and allow them to come away with highly sought after qualifications. It’s an area we’re excited to be moving into, under Lynne’s leadership.”
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Louise Robson
A senior leader with 38 years’ experience in the NHS has taken over as chair of Health Innovation North West Coast.
Louise Robson has spent 26 years on the boards of NHS organisations. She was chief executive at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, leading a challenging improvement agenda, and was acting chief executive and deputy chief executive at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
She was also chief executive lead for Provider Collaboration for the North of England, working with seven integrated care systems, 15 provider collaboratives and more than 70 trusts, as well as liaising with national colleagues on policy development. She is stepping down as a non-executive director at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to take on her new role.
Louise said: “There could hardly be a more exciting time to be joining Health Innovation North West Coast. Innovation needs to be at the heart of our efforts to tackle the challenges the NHS will continue to face in the coming years.
“Part of that challenge is to make sure innovations reach the parts of our systems that will benefit most. I’m hoping the relationships I’ve built over the years in this region and nationally will help us bring solutions to the attention of decision makers.”
Louise, who joins Health Innovation North West Coast in January, replaces Gideon Ben-Tovim, the founding chair of what was originally the Innovation Agency, who held the role for 10 years.
Health Innovation North West Coast chief executive, Dr Phil Jennings, said: “Louise brings with her a great wealth of experience and excellent relationships with decision makers in our area. We believe we have a reputation in the health and care community as an organisation that can help deliver solutions to some of the greatest challenges our systems face. I’m sure Louise will help reinforce that reputation and we’re very pleased she’s joining us.”
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New Bromleys paralegals
Ashton-under-Lyne based solicitors, Bromleys, has welcomed the next generation of lawyers into the firm.
With a view to the future, Bromleys have now taken on a cohort of six paralegals, all at slightly different stages of their training but all with a view to moving towards training contracts and ensuing qualification as solicitors. They are Hannah Bunyan and Gabby Noyek in the private family team, Lucy Booth, Jade Nolan and Lily Wilson in the care team, Kismet Khaleeq in the dispute resolution team, and Zeba Yahya in the wills, probate and planning for the future team.
A further two paralegals have been awarded training contracts – both working in the court of protection team.
Paul Westwell started as a trainee at Bromleys and is now currently the managing partner. He welcomed the new starters, saying: “During our interview process, they all displayed the qualities that our team at Bromleys have – care, compassion and understanding. It was clear that these individuals will be able to provide clear, concise legal advice and continue to uphold the reputation we have built with our clients, peers, and the wider business community.”
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From left: Stephanie Thomas, Craig Passey, Emma Clayburn, Tracey Quirk
Gregory Abrams Davidson, which has offices in Liverpool and London, has added new property experts in its residential property department, boosting the headcount in the firm’s real estate division.
The firm, which recently opened an office on the Wirral in West Kirby, has made the appointments following increased demand for property services from residential and commercial clients.
Tracey Quirk joins the firm’s Mathew Street office as a consultant solicitor with more than 20 years of experience. She joined the firm from MSB Solicitors, where she was head of residential conveyancing, and was recruited to advise on auction enquiries and transactions and bridging finance transactions while also dealing with complex deals such as Islamic mortgages and general conveyancing work.
Emma Clayburn, solicitor, will be based at the firm’s recently opened Wirral office and has 20 years of experience. She joined RMNJ Solicitors, where she was a partner and specialised in residential property, often dealing with complex conveyancing matters.
Craig Passey, property executive, will be based in the firm’s Penny Lane office and has more than 15 years’ experience in residential property and joins from Vanquish Law. The final new member of the team is Stephanie Thomas, a trainee solicitor assisting the broader 13-strong real estate division. She will also be based at the firm’s Penny Lane office.
CEO, Gregory Abrams, said. “While the property market is facing challenges, we are still experiencing demand for property services, and it’s excellent to welcome new talent to our team. I’m sure they will deliver the outstanding legal advice we’ve cultivated a reputation for.”
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Nicole Davenport and students
Recently, Old Trafford Community Academy has welcomed new headteacher, Nicole Davenport, to the school.
With 21 years of experience in primary education, Nicole brings a wealth of experience and a deep-rooted connection to the Old Trafford community.
Having grown up in Old Trafford, Nicole has a great understanding of the community’s dynamics and values. She said: “My parents instilled a ‘can do’ attitude within me and ensured that their core values were the ones that are at the heart of everything that I do now.”
Nicole said: “I have always wanted to inspire and help children to achieve, succeed and be ambitious. Yes, there are barriers for children to overcome, and some children may have more hurdles than others, but with hard work and the support and belief of teachers, they really can succeed. I am very keen to work with community groups to support our children and families in and outside school.’’
Old Trafford Primary School forms part of Focus-Trust, a charitable primary school trust based in the North West of England and West Yorkshire that aims to provide great schools at the heart of communities where children thrive, achieve, and succeed.
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JS apprentice team
Warrington-based accountancy and advisory firm, JS, has bolstered its growing team with a surge of new hires in 2023, including 14 new apprentices and three senior hires.
JS offers a tailored training plan to accompany college and university studies, allowing apprentices to progress into a career at the firm. It recently launched its Incrementum training and development programme designed to develop its young professionals with transferable skills including networking, soft skills and how to add value for clients. The firm’s ‘New to Networking’ group also empowers below-manager level professionals to sharpen their networking skills and build valuable relationships with key intermediaries.
Aside from its apprenticeship intake, JS has also welcomed three senior hires, with Kay Oldham joining as R&D tax director and Mark Penny as tax manager, expanding the firm’s leading tax advisory service. Alex Manfrin also joined the firm as audit and accounts manager. These latest hires have expanded the JS team to nearly 90.
James Wood, staff partner, said: “We’ve always recognised that the people at JS are what makes our work so exceptional, so it’s exciting to welcome so many ambitious new people to the team, from apprentice level all the way up to director. We’ve now built a firm where everyone can grow, develop and progress in their career, with many senior members of our team starting with us in entry level positions.”
