People: CSI; Seddon Housing Partnership; Lloyds Bank; Koala North West; Persimmon

The Centre for Sustainable Innovation (CSI) has appointed Sara Boswell as centre director.

The centre is a new hub hosted by Salford Business School, part of the University of Salford, to help bridge the gap between academia, policy and industry to support businesses on their journey of Innovation, particularly in the realms of Digital Transformation, Sustainability and Change Management.

Joining the team from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), Sara has a wealth of experience in managing core collaborative projects across multiple disciplines. In her previous role, she held a joint post of both Senior Lecturer – Enterprise Practice and SME Digital Project Lead. Sara played a key role in large scale consortium projects such as the Greater Manchester AI Foundry, an ERDF-funded project between MMU, Lancaster University, University of Salford and the University of Manchester to support the adoption of AI technology within SMEs.

Sara said: “This is a real opportunity for Salford to do something different. I see the Centre for Sustainable Innovation as a crucial driver for increased research and development activity in the region, and for Salford Business School to play a key role in leading future consortiums to drive forward business Innovation.”

Dr Francine Morris, Associate Dean for Enterprise and Engagement at Salford Business School, said: “Sara brings with her a wealth of experience leading multi-disciplinary projects across the region, and she possesses a real passion for making connections and bringing people together.”

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Richard Sterling

Seddon Housing Partnership has appointed Richard Sterling as Development and Decarbonisation Director.

With offices in Bolton and Birmingham, Seddon Housing Partnerships is a construction, maintenance and retrofit specialist operating throughout the North West and the Midlands.

Richard joins Seddon from Willmott Dixon where he served as National Head of Land & Development.

His appointment complements a new senior team headed by Managing Director, Peter Jackson and Commercial Director, Mark Walker. The team has been rounded out with the appointment of Stephen Jones as the new Head of Decarbonisation, Refurbishment and Retrofit and Martin Sharkey as Construction Director in the past six months.

Richard said: “The creation of Seddon Housing Partnerships is a great platform to create something that isn’t being delivered in the market at the minute. There is a gap in the market for forward thinking regional family-owned contractor/developers to deliver an end-to-end housing solution whether that’s new build, refurbishment, estate regeneration or retrofit.”

Peter Jackson said: “Richard’s vast experience and passion makes him a perfect fit as part of our exciting new structure that will help the business grow and cement its burgeoning reputation as the contractor of choice to build, maintain and future proof homes for providers of social housing.”

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Sandra Prince

Lloyds Bank has invested in its Manchester-based Corporate and Institutional Banking team with two recent senior hires.

Sandra Prince has been appointed as the new Head of Strategic Debt Finance for the North. Sandra has more than 20 years’ experience of arranging complex financings for both private equity backed and corporate borrowers. Her appointment follows that of Matt Klemperer to the team as an Associate Director earlier this year, following roles at Tactus Group and EY.

Lloyds Bank has also appointed Victoria Daly as a Director in its Corporate and Institutional Debt team, working with corporate businesses to support the financing of their growth activity, whether organic or acquisitive. Her appointment will significantly bolster Lloyds Bank’s corporate activity in the North West.

Victoria returns to Lloyds Bank, where she previously spent seven years working as a Director in the Strategic Finance team, following a six-year spell as Head of Portfolio at private debt fund TDC LLP. Prior to this, Victoria spent 10 years working in Deloitte’s Corporate Finance team.

Chris Yau, head of North West at Lloyds Bank Corporate & Institutional Banking, said: “We know that our corporate clients here in the North West have many different needs when it comes to support to help them reach their targets, from transaction and acquisition support to debt, refinancing, and much more. We are committed to helping them drive greater regional economic growth, and the experience of Sandra and Victoria along with our continued investment in the team will ensure we’re offering the strongest possible tailored support.”

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Amanda Moss

Koala North West has appointed Amanda Moss as its Marketing and Communications Officer.

Amanda, from Liverpool, is an award winning PRexpert who has run her own boutique agency since 2016, working with businesses across the lifestyle sector. Her tasks will be helping to raise the profile of the charity across Liverpool, the Wirral and Cheshire as well as increasing their fundraising opportunities.

Koala North West offers a range of services and support programmes to parents and children up to the age of 11 to give them the best start in life.

Amanda said: “I am really excited to be part of Koala NW, the work they do is extremely important to so many people and everyone should be made aware of the positive impact they have on so many families.”

Since Koala first launched 24 years ago, it has helped more than 25,000 families.

CEO, Bev Morgan, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Amanda and helping us raise our profile. We’re well known within the region amongst families but we are looking to explore opportunities within the wider business community across the region. Amanda has a strong network of contacts and we’re excited to expand our message with her assistance.”

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Keiron Morley

Persimmon has appointed a new Technical Director to head up its operations across the North West region.

Keiron Morley joins with more than 15 years of experience in the housebuilding industry, most recently serving as Technical Director at Taylor Wimpey Manchester.

He will oversee delivery of new developments already operational throughout the region, including in Merseyside, North Staffordshire and Greater Manchester.

Keiron said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Persimmon, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in building high quality homes for local people.

“The region has several developments under way and a number of applications progressing with local authorities and I was really impressed with the team’s vision for the business.”

North West managing director, Ian Hilliker, welcomed Keiron, saying: “His skills and experience will be a real asset to Persimmon North West and the wider business.

“As we look to maintain our HBF 5-star rating, having Keiron on board will strengthen our Technical team, ensuring that we continue to deliver the highest standards for customers, communities and stakeholders.”