People: Stock Exchange Hotel; University of Liverpool; Reparo Finance; Weightmans; Harrison Drury; Axon Moore
Manchester’s 5* Stock Exchange Hotel has appointed Tracy Harrison as the new General Manager following the departure of Jacqui Griffiths.
Jacqui left the 40-bedroom property this week after three years for a move away to France. Tracy joins Stock Exchange Hotel with experience as General Manager of properties including The Midland, The Principal in York and Macdonald Hotels and Resorts with more than 25 years of experience within the industry.
Tracy joined the Grade II-listed hotel on January 8, and said: “I have worked in hospitality for a number of years so to be given the opportunity and challenge to continue growing Stock Exchange Hotel is an honour. I am looking forward to working with the exceptional team here as we enter a really exciting year for both the hotel and Manchester as a city.”
Stewart Davies, GG Hospitality Chief Operations Officer, said: “Tracy brings with her a wealth of experience of managing hotels around the UK and is exceptionally passionate about hospitality. In what is looking like a hugely exciting year for Stock Exchange and Manchester as a world class city we are thrilled to have someone of Tracy’s calibre and personality leading the team at Stock Exchange.”
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Prof Tim Maughan
The University of Liverpool has appointed a new Chair of Oncology to tackle cancer in the Liverpool City Region, ahead of World Cancer Day, on Sunday, February 4.
Prof Tim Maughan takes on this newly-created role to work with researchers, the NHS and communities to deliver a 10-year strategy.
By 2040 cancer incidence in Merseyside will have increased by 16,100 people to 34,100 new diagnoses per annum. The strategy will put discovery and translation at its heart to address these issues that occur across the region.
The university boasts a range of world leading cancer experts, with particular strength in head and neck, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, and liver cancers. The strategy maximises this existing area of expertise and through greater understanding of the disease the plan will see improved treatments. Partnerships will also be key to the successful delivery of the plan. Liverpool has world leading centres for research and treatment and Prof Maughan’s plan uses these existing strengths to ensure better health outcomes for local residents.
Prof Maughan said: “I’m incredibly proud to join the team at the University of Liverpool. I have dedicated my life and career to better understanding this disease that affects so many people. I’m delighted to bring my expertise to an area of the UK that is disproportionately affected.
“Our focus will be two-fold. Firstly, we aim to improve outcomes from immunotherapy through an in depth understanding of factors limiting the immune response to cancer. Secondly, we aim to bring together partners across the city with our scientific researchers to address the excess and rising cancer burden, especially in deprived areas through a focus on prevention and early detection of cancer.”
Prof Louise Kenny, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Liverpool Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, said: “Prof Maughan has an outstanding track record as a clinical researcher in cancer, particularly in the conduct of clinical trials. As a civic university, we owe it to our local community to address unmet health needs and sadly, there is a high incidence of cancer in Merseyside. Prof Maughan will develop a strategy that will maximise our innovative, world leading research in order to deliver meaningful impact on health outcomes locally.”
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Ronnie Harris
Manchester-based Reparo Finance has grown its team with the appointment of Ronnie Harris as business development manager.
The appointment is set to further enhance Reparo’s support for SMEs across the North. Ronnie will be responsible for building strong relationships with brokers and clients in the region, guiding them throughout the application process to deliver tailored lending solutions.
Ronnie said: “The Reparo team and I clicked straight away as we share the belief that every business is unique, and providing a personalised service is the best way to work. Reparo offers a great product and I’m excited to bring this to my broker network.”
Steve Richardson, commercial director at Reparo Finance, said: “Ronnie’s broad range of experience across different markets is invaluable, with his background supporting SMEs being a significant asset.
“He has an impressive broker network, real respect for SME leaders and a drive to do good – all the markers of a Reparo team member, and we’re thrilled to have him on board.”
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Owen McKenna
The Manchester team at Liverpool-based national law firm, Weightmans, has appointed Owen McKenna as its new partner in the real estate department, as the firm reveals an ambitious recruitment drive to fuel growth in 2024.
Owen is a specialist transactional real estate lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience at regional, national and international law firms, including DWF, Brabners and most recently, the Beyond Group. Owen advises on all manner of real estate transactions with a strong expertise in the acquisition and ongoing management of multi-let office buildings, office parks and industrial units.
He said: “I am thrilled to be joining a company that puts its clients’ needs first, and this attention to detail and commitment to the client experience is what attracted me to Weightmans in the first place. I look forward to working with my new colleagues in the Manchester office and contributing to the firm’s continued success in the region.”
Carole Spiller, regional office head at Manchester, said: “We welcome Owen at an exciting time for the Manchester office as his appointment marks the beginning of an ambitious recruitment drive for 2024. We are always looking to the future, and this year is no exception.”
Owen’s appointment follows the arrival of partner Andrew Steel, associate Emelia Bezant-Gahan and solicitor Tom Lambourne, who all joined the police and public sector team at the Manchester office in 2023 from Plexus Law.
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From left: Rick Life, Roshni Valibhai, Jennifer Potts
North West law firm, Harrison Drury, has grown its team in Manchester with the appointment of two senior lawyers, just a couple of weeks after announcing the opening its new office in the city.
The firm has appointed Jennifer Potts as a senior associate in its commercial property team, while Roshni Valibhai joins the firm as an associate solicitor in the corporate team.
Jennifer, who joins from Brabners, will support clients with commercial property transactions, landlord and tenant matters, lease negotiation and renewals, asset management and real estate finance. She will also take a lead on growing the commercial property team in Manchester.
Roshni, who joins the firm from Napthens, is experienced in advising clients on mergers, acquisitions, disposals and shareholder matters. She also advises clients on business structures, corporate restructures and business protection.
Rick Life, partner in the corporate team and head of Harrison Drury’s Manchester office, said: “We’re excited to see our team in Manchester growing quickly to help meet our clients’ needs.
“Roshni and Jennifer are both experienced lawyers who are also very skilled at what they do. They will be a valuable asset to our clients.”
Roshni said: “It feels good to have been given the opportunity to be part of the firm’s Manchester office from the outset. Rick and Mark have exciting plans for growing the team and I’m looking forward to the journey.”
Jennifer said: “Harrison Drury is well known across the region for its commercial property expertise and I’m looking forward to helping the firm grow its property team in Manchester.”
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Manchester-based financial recruitment consultancy, Axon Moore, has significantly strengthened its team, adding 12 new hires over the course of 2023, with further hires planned for the first half of 2024.
Alongside its new hires, the business has also promoted Lancashire office leads, Dan Calland and Jess Coleman to Director, as well as Manchester qualified finance specialists Danny Kay and Joe Develing to Associate Director.
CEO, David Moore, said: “Many of our listed competitors have seen headcount reduce in the past 12 months, however, we have seen the business flourish.
“Our USP is our people, and we continue to add quality to quality. This has allowed us to continue to see growth across all of our teams, which is particularly impressive given the challenging economic backdrop.
“All four have been a fantastic additions to the business, and I believe they will continue to bring much more and allow the business to continue to attract the best clients and assignments.”
