People: Shoosmiths; TAG; Broadway Insurance Brokers; The Growth Company; Harrison Drury; MHA Moore and Smalley
Shoosmiths continues to grow its dispute resolution and litigation offering with the appointment of Andrew Whalley as partner.
Andrew joins from DWF where he headed up the commercial litigation team in Liverpool. He brings vast experience in dealing with heavyweight contractual and commercial disputes as well as corporate and shareholder disputes, cross-border litigation, regulatory and public law disputes, data breach and professional negligence claims.
He also has considerable experience in managing telecoms and telecoms regulatory disputes, having acted over the years for a number of leading domestic and international telecoms operators and resellers. He is highly regarded for telecoms disputes and regulatory work as well as data breach claims. His experience and expertise in commercial disputes work and in the TMT sector has been recognised over a number of years in the directories with a Leading Lawyer ranking in the Legal 500.
Andrew Whalley said: “I am thrilled to have joined Shoosmiths’ dispute resolution and litigation practice at such an important time for the firm.
“Shoosmiths is hungry to grow its offering and the team here has an exceptional reputation. I am looking forward to further building on the success the litigation team at Shoosmiths enjoys, handling complex and reputationally significant cases.”
Alex Bishop, Shoosmiths’ head of dispute resolution and litigation, said: “Shoosmiths is on a mission to excel in its chosen markets and lead the upper-mid market pack of law firms by 2030. Litigation is one of our chosen markets for strategic growth. The addition of Andrew furthers that strategic aim and also builds on our technology sector focus.
“I am looking forward to working with Andrew and our wider cross divisional dispute resolution and litigation team to help deliver excellence for our clients for what matters to them.”
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Simon Palmer
Warrington-based Trust Alliance Group (TAG) said its current Group Chief Executive, Matthew Vickers, will be leaving the business at the end of the year to seek new opportunities.
Matt has overseen TAG during an exciting period in its development which has recently seen it transition from Ombudsman Services into an agile group structure. He also led the business while it changed its operating model during unprecedented times in the energy sector and throughout the pandemic.
The board said Simon Palmer will take over as Group Chief Executive. An experienced senior executive at TAG, Simon will step up from Group Managing Director.
Lord Tim Clement-Jones, Chairman of the board, said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Matt, he was part of the team that defined a clear purpose for the new group. I would like to thank Matt, on behalf of the board, for his hard work and endeavours during his tenure and wish him every success for the future. I am delighted that Simon has agreed to lead the group and, as he has been pivotal over the past five years, I have every confidence in the continued development of the group.”
Trust Alliance Group comprises several businesses, including the Energy Ombudsman and Communications Ombudsman. The markets in which the business operates are going through significant change. The main aim remains to keep developing capabilities in order to better meet the needs of consumers and businesses alike.
TAG is also continuing to develop new products and services to meet the needs of developing sectors, such as online safety – all underpinned by a purpose of building, maintaining and restoring trust.
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Daniel Lloyd-John
The founder of Broadway Insurance Brokers has been appointed to an influential group advising the broking industry’s representative body.
Daniel Lloyd-John is one of two new members of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association’s (BIBA) Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Advisory Board, which helps to shape the Association’s national policy.
The appointment caps another impressive year for Cheshire-based Broadway and Mr Lloyd-John. In May, he completed a 12-month term as chairman of BIBA’s Manchester regional committee, one of the largest and longest standing of the 11 such groups across the UK. Broadway has also seen both considerable growth in client numbers and an expansion of its senior team with the arrival of two new directors.
Mr Lloyd-John has described his latest BIBA appointment as “a privilege”.
He said: “I’m immensely excited about the prospects of doing what I can to represent the views not only of Broadway but of so many small and medium-sized broking firms across the country. The broking profession is immensely important to private individuals and businesses and faces a great many challenges.
“It is critical that the voices of those within the industry are clearly heard both by BIBA’s leadership and the Government and regulators with whom it acts on their behalf. Collectively, we have much to do and I can’t wait to get to work and advocate for brokers and the people and organisations who rely so heavily on us.”
BIBA is the UK’s principal general insurance organisation and represents the interests of some 2,000 regulated broking firms and intermediaries, which employ more than 100,000 staff in total.
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Elise Wilson
Three influential, Northern business leaders have joined the board of social enterprise, The Growth Company, to help broaden its expertise and progress its mission to enable growth, create jobs and improve lives.
Chris Gray, Mandy Parkinson and Elise Wilson join the eight existing members of the board, chaired by Mike Blackburn, who said: “Their collective experience and expertise will be a great addition to our existing board whose guidance is paramount in keeping us on course to create a more productive, inclusive and greener environment for the businesses, people and communities we work with across the North and beyond.”
Chris Gray has spent more than 25 years helping clients to drive digitalisation, innovation, and change in the UK and internationally. He is a member of Business in the Community’s North West Regional Advisory Board, which he chaired from 2019-2023. He is also chair of the Member’s Board at Prospere Learning Trust and sits on the University of Liverpool Management School’s Advisory Board.
Chris Gray
Chris said: “The Growth Company is committed to building enterprise in the right way while also embracing innovation and empowering business leaders to make the most of the opportunities available to them.”
A Professor of Business Innovation at Salford Business School, Mandy Parkinson’s work has been focused on the development of innovation clusters in digital and sustainable ecosystems. She is an experienced Executive Coach with a focus on small business owners, with a passion for building collaborations and digital skills initiatives to support the Greater Manchester region.
Mandy Parkinson
She said: “The Growth Company values and motivations, particularly in relation to accelerating innovation and sustainability, align very much with my own. I’m looking forward to bringing the experience and insights from my work with business leaders to support GC’s ambitions in these areas, both in Greater Manchester where we have a strong anchor and across the UK.”
Elise Wilson is former leader of Stockport Council where, for more than four years, she helped establish the long term vision and priorities for Stockport, and its partners, until 2030. She said: “The Growth Company represents a major asset for Greater Manchester and the wider UK. Joining the board will be an opportunity for me to lend my experience both as a business owner and someone invested in local government and economic growth.”
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Kevin Sanderson and John Chesworth
North West law firm Harrison Drury has appointed experienced former banking professional Kevin Sanderson to support its growth plans.
Kevin, who has spent more than 35 years in banking, joins Harrison Drury as a consultant and will help the firm to further strengthen its links with the financial services sector and develop new business.
He joins after spending 12 years as branch manager at Handelsbanken’s Lancaster and Fylde Coast banking centres. Before this he spent five years working as senior partner at Yorkshire Bank and 19 years as head of commercial banking at HSBC.
John Chesworth, executive chairman at Harrison Drury, said: “Kevin’s many achievements and leadership positions in the banking sector speak for themselves. He possesses a deep knowledge and understanding of all aspects of corporate, commercial and private banking and can draw on this experience to help us develop new opportunities for the firm and also support our clients.”
Kevin said: “I’ve got to know many of the partners and senior lawyers at Harrison Drury through my career in the banking sector. It’s always been a firm I’ve admired and enjoyed working with. I’ve also worked in all the locations where Harrison Drury has offices and acted for many of the firm’s clients already. It felt like a natural step to join and I’m looking forward to doing all I can to support the firm, its people and clients.”
Kevin, who lives in the Lancaster area, will work across all of Harrison Drury’s regional offices, building links with professional intermediaries, helping to promote the Harrison Drury brand, and developing new business.
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Russell Cooper and Graham Gordon
Accountancy and advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley has appointed a new audit partner at its Manchester office to support the team’s ongoing growth.
Russell Cooper has joined the firm from HW Fisher in London, where he began as a graduate in 2012 and progressed to director. His appointment brings the total number of partners within the firm to 31 with 13 in the audit team alone.
Originally from the Kendal area, Russell has returned to the North West as part of his move to MHA Moore and Smalley. He will be based primarily in Manchester, but will support clients across the North West.
His role will involve leading audit projects and developing MHA Moore and Smalley’s relationship with new and existing clients. Russell specialises in sectors including recruitment, tech, leisure and hospitality, digital marketing, manufacturing and distribution.
Graham Gordon, managing partner at MHA Moore and Smalley, said: “Our reputation is continuing to grow nationally and ensuring we appoint the very best talent from across the UK to drive this growth is vital.
“Russell’s strong experience has been gained working in the London and South East market with companies of all sizes, from fast-growing innovative businesses to multinational organisations. This expertise and knowledge will be invaluable to our audit clients across the North West over the coming years.”
Russell is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and became ACA qualified in 2015.
He said: “MHA Moore and Smalley is a dynamic firm with ambition to grow within the North West and nationally. When I met with Graham and the other partners, the passion and enthusiasm for the firm was infectious, and joining the firm was an easy decision to make. I’m delighted to be part of MHA Moore and Smalley’s exciting future.”
MHA Moore and Smalley has offices in Preston, Liverpool, Manchester, Blackpool, East Midlands, Kendal and Lancaster. It employs more than 400 staff.
