People: Studio LWD; RSM UK; Northoders; UAP; Settio Property Experience; Unity Trust Bank; Bermans Solicitors; PZ Cussons
Branding and design agency Studio LWD has appointed Kirsty Petersen as an Account Manager as part of its ongoing expansion.
With more than 10 years of experience in creative client services, Kirsty has worked with an international client base managing projects in design, content creation and TV production before joining Studio LWD in 2023.
Studio LWD, based in Poulton-le-Fylde, was established in 2012 by creative director Laura Weldon and is now comprised of a team of 10. Working with iconic brands such as Virgin, Nike, Tesco, Aldi, and the British Council, Studio LWD provides a multi-service branding agency for clients across the UK.
Petersen said: “I’m thrilled to join Studio LWD and look forward to establishing strong partnerships with our clients. I’m excited to contribute to the growth journey of the studio and play a key role in scaling our impact in the world of branding.”
Studio LWD’s creative director, Laura Weldon, said: “We are concentrating on strengthening the foundations of Studio LWD for an exciting and dynamic future. As a team, our focus will be on streamlining processes and investing in our capability to deliver solutions for clients that help take their businesses to the next level.”
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Kevin Duffy
RSM UK has made a strong start to the New Year, with 31 new trainees joining its North West offices in January, as the firm continues to invest in its long term growth plans.
The audit, tax and consultancy firm’s new recruits will be spread across its Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Chester, Stoke and Crewe offices and will add to RSM’s record intake of 120 new trainees in the region last September, demonstrating the firm’s commitment to grow its presence outside London and become first choice advisers to middle market leaders globally.
Kevin Duffy, regional managing partner for RSM UK in the North West, said: “We’re proud to welcome our latest trainee intake in the North West, reflecting the progress we have made to strengthen our presence in the region, support local talent, and deliver a premium service to our clients in the middle market. During a time of economic uncertainty we’re continuing to invest in recruitment, development and training, providing young professionals with a supportive framework to learn, gain confidence and thrive in the workplace.
“Our latest cohort in January follows on from our record intake in September last year, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to investing in the right talent to help shape our ambitious growth plans. It’s an exciting time for our trainees to be joining us, and I look forward to watching them take their first steps in their career at RSM UK.”
The new recruits will be supported in studying for their professional ACA, AAT, ATT, ICAS, ACCA, CIA or CTA accountancy qualifications and will also benefit from a comprehensive internal development programme, focused on developing a broad range of skills and supporting wellbeing.
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Steven Oakes
Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Newcastle-based Northcoders has promoted Steven Oakes to chief marketing officer with immediate effect.
As part of his promotion, he has joined the strategic board and will now play a pivotal role in helping to shape the firm’s ongoing growth and development alongside Chris Hill, CEO and co-founder; Amul Batra, chief partnerships officer and co-founder; Sam Caine, chief operating officer; and Charlotte Prior, chief financial officer.
Steven joined Northcoders in September 2022 as director of marketing. Since his arrival, he has overseen a major overhaul of the customer journey and revamped all marketing activities which has resulted in a 92% increase in course applications over the past 12 months. Steven has also led on the launches of two new courses: Data Engineering and Cloud Engineering; played an integral role in Northcoders’ acquisition of Tech Returners, and ensured the company has gained an initial foothold in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Chris Hill said: “Over the past 18 months, Steven has made a hugely positive impact on the business. His experience, insight and expertise has ensured a near 100% rise in quality applications to our courses. His unwavering commitment to Northcoders, and his shared passion for promoting diversity in tech, means this promotion is well deserved. Myself and the rest of the board are looking forward to him becoming an integral part of the senior leadership team as we continue to grow and expand our offering over the coming years.”
Steven said: “In a world where technology and more recently, AI continually reshapes our landscape, I’m excited to step into a role where I can directly contribute to moulding a future that reflects the diversity of our society. At Northcoders, we’re not just teaching code, we’re crafting a more inclusive digital tomorrow.”
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Adam Lumley
Bury-based UAP, the specialist in locks and hardware for doors and windows, has appointed a new chief financial officer.
Adam Lumley brings more than 18 years of commercial finance experience to UAP. Throughout his career, he has held director-level roles at private equity-backed organisations, large multinational firms, and at a global consultancy.
Adam said: “UAP has expanded rapidly in recent years and has ambitious plans to keep scaling up. My job is to make sure it remains a very efficient, profitable business and that our culture aligns with this aim.”
To accommodate its growing team and improve efficiency, 2023 saw UAP move into a new 120,000 sq ft headquarters in Bury.
David Jennings, CEO, said: “Adam joins us at an exciting time when we want to take the business to the next level. Our new headquarters is key to achieving this along with continued diversification and innovation.
“Adam’s experience, which includes proven expertise in growing profitable businesses, is crucial to our long term strategy. His skills will enable us to identify opportunities for further expansion and efficiency.”
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Daniel de Abreu
The key appointment of Daniel de Abreu as managing director spearheads a year of transformational growth in 2024 for Manchester-based premium residential lettings and management business Settio Property Experience.
Daniel joins Settio with almost 20 years of experience in the residential sector, most recently as head of business development at a leading London estate agency where he was responsible for building and leading teams in London, Hong Kong and Singapore, supporting clients and developers for nearly a decade.
He is the firm’s first managing director, with more than 30 staff at offices in Manchester, London and Singapore since being co-founded in 2017 by Chris Parsonage and Samuel Fitz-Hugh. His strategic appointment marks the start of a wider growth plan for the firm in 2024 including: Appointing Mandarin-speaking residential property investment executives to attract more Chinese property investors in the UK to the Settio portfolio of services; opening a flagship London office at a premier business location in the summer; and the appointment of Kristen Lee-Mottershead as marketing manager to further heighten the reputation and profile of Settio with existing and target audiences.
Daniel said: “I’m joining Settio during an exceptional period of growth for the business, and I’m particularly excited to be working with the team and co-founders Chris and Samuel, continuing to deliver an exceptional service to our client base and partners.”
Samuel said: “Daniel’s wealth of invaluable experience and proven track record in driving growth and providing exceptional service in the residential sector will enhance our delivery of five-star property management services on behalf of an increasing number of valued clients based all over the world.”
He added: “Having achieved more than 12 years of marketing experience, Kristen has an abundance of knowledge and will play a key role in our continued growth journey.”
Samuel and Chris launched Settio in Manchester, having relocated from London, where they worked with internationally renowned developers on large-scale sites in prime locations to meet the growing expectations of international clients investing in Manchester.
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From left: Philippa Moors, Andy Matley, John Copping, Dawn Morris
Unity Trust Bank has announced the appointment of three new Relationship Managers in its North West team, reinforcing the bank’s commitment to supporting its growing customer base in the region.
Deposits Relationship Manager Dawn Morris will work specifically with new and existing day-to-day banking customers to understand their needs and support their liquidity and investment requirements, while Relationship Managers Philippa Moors and Andy Matley will support and grow a portfolio of customers spanning a broad range of sectors.
All three will work closely alongside long-serving Relationship Managers, Margaret Porter and Neil Cartwright, and Regional Director John Copping, who leads Unity’s North & Scotland team.
Dawn said: “I’d never considered working for an ethical bank before but when I learned how Unity uses finance to help improve the lives of local communities it touched a nerve. Unity’s ethos and values are a natural fit for me and I was excited to join the team.”
Philippa said: “I’ve worked in banking for many years as a Relationship Manager, but for the last three years, I’ve been looking after my three children. During that time, I set up a small business delivering sustainable groceries to our local area, which gave me an appreciation of how hard customers work running their own business. When it was time for me to come back to banking, I knew the role at Unity was right for me as I want to help businesses continue to thrive.”
Andy said: “I’ve spent the last 15 years working in commercial banking and joining a bank that makes a real difference to local communities across the UK is a great place to be.”
John Copping, Relationship Director (North) at Unity Trust Bank said: “As we continue to grow our customer base across a range of sectors, it is important to us that we strengthen our regional network to support organisations across the North.”
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Laura McMorland, John Davage and James Whittaker
Bermans solicitors has promoted two Partners.
The North West based law firm, which has offices in Liverpool and Manchester, announced that Laura McMorland and James Whittaker would be taking on their new roles, effective from January 2024.
Laura joined the Corporate team at the start of March 2023 from FourSynergy Group where she was head of legal transactions. Laura has very quickly become a key member of the corporate team and has led a number of notable transactions – the standout deal being lead adviser to SCG Packaging Public Limited Company on its acquisition of Law Print and Packaging Limited.
James has been with the company since 2019 and has made a significant contribution to the success of the insolvency team over the last few years. He has also been given Legal 500 “Rising Star” status, which stated: “James Whittaker is a standout individual. He has in-depth legal knowledge and excellent judgment”.
Jon Davage, Managing Director and Head of Corporate, said: “They have proven to be technically excellent, loyal and committed members of the Bermans team. I have no doubt they will achieve great things during 2024, which looks like it will be a year of significant growth for the firm.”
With the backing of MAPD, Bermans has plans to grow the firm significantly while retaining its brand and keeping in line with MAPD’s philosophy. In 2023, the company saw 14 new starters join the team.
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PZ Cussons, the Manchester consumer products group which includes the Carex brand, said Vivek Ahuja will join the board as a Non-Executive Director with effect from May 1, 2024.
He will chair the Audit & Risk Committee following the resignation of Jeremy Townsend announced on December 1, 2023, and be a member of the Nomination Committee.
Mr Ahuja has more than 30 years’ experience in global finance and is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Risk Committee of NatWest Markets.
He is also an independent Member of Council of King’s College London. He was most recently CEO of Terra Firma Capital Partners, a leading European Private Equity Firm, and prior to that Deputy Group CFO at Standard Chartered.
David Tyler, Chair of PZ Cussons, said: “Vivek has a wealth of invaluable international experience in senior general management and senior financial roles, and I am sure that he will make a significant contribution to the Board and the business over the years ahead.”
