People: JMG Group; Redwood Bank; Housr; Hydes; Harrison Drury; MSite; Cowgills; Alexander & Co; Simpson Millar
JM Glendinning Insurance Brokers Lancashire has promoted account handler, Pepe Adam, to broking manager on the third anniversary of her joining the business.
Having started at her family’s brokers Adam & Gaskall in Lancashire in 1989, Pepe has 34 years of experience in the insurance industry.
Managing director, Matthew Stuttard, said: “We pride ourselves on providing high levels of personal service and Pepe is a fantastic example of this. We have grown our income by over 175% in the last financial year and nearly tripled our gross written premium. We have significant growth plans and Pepe will play a key role in supporting this.”
Pepe said: “This is an exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to continuing to work closely with Matthew and the team to drive growth and offer outstanding service to our customers.”
::
John Eastgate
A banking leader with more than 30 years’ experience has joined Warrington-based Redwood Bank at an exciting time in its short history.
John Eastgate, who has previously worked in C-suite roles with OSB Group and Shawbrook Bank, is the new Chief Commercial Officer at Redwood Bank, which recently announced a proposed reverse takeover.
He said: “Redwood’s size was one of the factors that attracted me to the bank. I wanted a role where I could be an influence, not be lost in a huge business. Redwood has created a core of belief in its people, and it’s important you don’t lose that core – you grow with it, and I’m keen to support that. The proposed RTO is a huge opportunity for Redwood and will provide a platform to grow in the years ahead. I’m excited by what I can bring to that.”
Gary Wilkinson, co-founder and CEO of Redwood Bank, said: “John has joined us at a very important time and we are delighted to welcome him to the team. He is a strong leader and his experience will be invaluable as we enter the next exciting stage of the journey.”
::
Craig Joseph
Manchester-based property technology start-up, Housr, has appointed Craig Joseph as president in its aim to support America’s population of 16.9 million students with their housing needs.
Craig, an experienced executive with a background in the tech and real estate sectors, brings with him deep expertise in business development, strategic partnerships, and investment to lead Housr’s operations and the expansion stateside. He has more than 15 years of experience in VP and C-suite roles within industry-leading organisations, including Intertalk, intY, and Acronis. Starting as an investor and advisor to Housr, Craig has joined Housr’s senior leadership team to help it disrupt the antiquated US student housing market, worth more than $125bn.
Harry Panter, CEO and co-founder at Housr, said: “Over the past two years we have demonstrated the need to transform the student property industry, redefining how students discover their homes and interact with lettings agents. Following our success in the UK we are ready to enter the US market and serve its student population, which is nine times the size of the UK’s.
“Leveraging Craig’s extensive experience in the tech and real estate sectors we will target the USA colleges and universities with a tailored model which will make life easier for students and universities alike. Craig has already helped launch multiple UK businesses in the US and has vast experience with the challenges of scaling a business in the States.”
Craig said: “Housr is a very exciting business and supporting it in transforming a well-established industry is a challenge I couldn’t turn down. It has the potential to transform how students and universities discover and manage their accommodation.”
::
Sam Self
North West brewery and pub retailer, Hydes, has appointed a new general manager at its popular premium dining pub, the Hornsmill at Helsby.
Sam Self will run The Hornsmill. He has almost 15 years of experience in the hospitality trade and having worked at managerial level in and around Merseyside and Cheshire, Sam was previously general manager of a popular pub in Formby for the past 18 months.
In his new role at The Hornsmill, Sam has been instrumental in bringing in new team members as well as working alongside existing employees, some of whom have been there for several years.
He said: “I’m very much looking forward to operating The Hornsmill which is already a hugely successful premium dining pub in the Hydes estate. I’ve been interested in food and drink and hospitality since I was a teenager so this opportunity is a dream come true for me.”
Hydes managing director, Adam Mayers, said: “Sam is very experienced and well equipped to take The Hornsmill to the next level of success. His enthusiasm and commitment is outstanding and he perfectly embodies all the key customer service attributes that Hydes looks for in its managers.”
::
Hannah Dickie and Roger Spence
North West law firm Harrison Drury has appointed experienced associate solicitor Hannah Dickie to its growing employment team.
Hannah, who joins the firm after spending five years at SDM Legal, will support the firm in advising clients on all areas of contentious and non-contentious employment law, from HR issues to employment tribunals.
Based at the firms Preston and Lancaster offices, she will also advise employers across the region on restructuring and redundancy issues, as well as providing HR training to businesses and education providers.
Roger Spence, employment partner at Harrison Drury, said: “Hannah’s specialist knowledge and experience working on diverse and complex cases will be incredibly valuable to our clients and we’re delighted she’s now part of our team.”
Hannah said: “I was attracted to Harrison Drury because it’s a firm with great values that understands the importance of building close working relationships with its clients. I’m looking forward to becoming a part of the growing team.”
::
Dominic Howkins, Robert Brent, Martin Ward
Liverpool-based workforce management and access control solutions provider, MSite, has appointed two new strategic partnership directors to lead its mission to work collaboratively with the industry and make construction safer and more productive.
With more than 55 years’ combined experience in technology and systems development for some of the largest UK built environment organisations, Martin Ward and Dominic Howkins share MSite’s drive to better the industry by breaking down silos and reducing the performance gap for the millions of workers who set foot onto construction sites every day.
Dominic said: “The construction industry has many well documented issues, primarily the slow pace of change, modern slavery, mass duplication of data and lack of collaboration. Prior to joining MSite we respected its leading approach to access and attendance but didn’t appreciate how aligned our visions and ambitions were on supporting the entire construction community.”
Martin said: “Dom and I have worked together for over a decade, either as co-founders of new enterprises or in well known construction industry businesses. Given the challenges we face as an industry, the need to connect systems and processes has never been greater. The opportunity to digitalise the construction workforce provides huge benefits across projects big and small, enabling improvements in safety, productivity and ESG.”
CEO, Robert Brent, said: “Martin and Dom have a proven track record of delivering change in the industry and I’m very pleased that they have joined us here at MSite to support our ambitions as a business. Their careers speak for themselves.”
::
Brad Seekings and Ian Johnson
North West accountancy and business advisory firm Cowgills has made a senior promotion within its deal advisory team in Manchester.
Brad Seekings, who joined the firm in 2021, has been promoted to director as the firm continues its growth trajectory following a recent surge in M&A activity.
Ian Johnson, partner and head of deal advisory, said: “Brad has been an outstanding member of our team, ensuring our clients receive the best possible service during their most important business milestones. 2023 has been a slower year within the M&A market, but we’ve seen a great uplift in the second half and Brad has played a crucial part in our recent success.”
Brad said: “I’m proud to have been promoted into the leadership team following an interesting year for the market. We’re ending the year on a high with the pipeline looking strong and I’m looking forward to progressing further and watching the team go from strength to strength.”
The deal advisory team is also celebrating a further double promotion, as Richard Hunter is made associate director and Tom Roberts is promoted to senior executive.
Cowgills has had a landmark year, moving to larger offices in Bolton, Manchester and Liverpool. Most recently, the firm took 10,000 sq ft of space on the top floor of the Parklands development in Middlebrook, Bolton, for its new headquarters. This follows on from a move to Bruntwood’s Grade II-listed Cotton Exchange in Liverpool, and the Annex building in Manchester city centre earlier this year.
::
New hires
Chartered Accountants and tax advisors, Alexander & Co, has strengthened its tax team with six new team members joining the Manchester office.
Chris Rex joins as a tax manager in the tax advisory team with six-year experience from an accountancy firm in Greater Manchester. Matt Lenney also joins as tax manager in the tax advisory team, having previously worked in Alexander & Co’s audit and accounts department for five years.
Cody Goldsbrough joins the private client tax team as a tax senior with nine years of experience in accountancy and tax at firms across Manchester.
In addition to these hires, the firm also welcomes three members to the tax department who will be completing the firm’s graduate training programme. Robyn Ormesher joins the graduate intake having obtained a first from the University of Leeds. Tara Phethean joins after completing a degree from Loughborough University, also obtaining a first.
Jude Kehoe joins with a 2.1 in Mathematics and Economics from Newcastle University. At the same time, Loren Fisher also joins the firms graduate programme. Loren joined Alexander & Co as a tax administrator and has since been promoted to the firm’s graduate programme.
The firm also welcomed a further four graduates and A Level leavers this autumn to its audit and accounts teams in Manchester.
John McCaffery, tax partner and head of tax, said: “Investment in our people is essential to our future business growth and we are already working on our next intake of both experienced and trainee staff for 2024.”
::
Mel Varey and Rebecca Marshall
Law firm Simpson Millar’s expansive national Court of Protection (CoP) team has further bolstered its presence in the North West with the appointment of expert Property and Affairs Solicitor Rebecca Marshall.
Joining from Potter Rees Dolan, Rebecca originally specialised in Personal Injury law representing people whose lives have been impacted by catastrophic injury before retraining and moving into CoP in 2022.
Joining the business this autumn and based in Manchester, she is the latest in a string of strategic hires within the specialist legal team further to increased demand for expert advice on matters relating to the management of property and financial affairs, as well as disputes relating to the personal welfare of people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.
Head of CoP, Melanie Varey, who is also co-chair of the Court of Protection Practitioners Association (CoPPA), said: “We are really delighted to be welcoming Rebecca to the team. Her extensive experience of working with individuals whose lives have been tragically impacted as a result of catastrophic injury means that she has a unique understanding of the challenges faced by our clients, many of whom are vulnerable and have complex needs.”
Rebecca said she was “excited and privileged” to be joining the CoP team.
