People: DWF; Kammac; Clarke Willmott; Wondrwall; Ecogee; Cityheart
DWF, the Manchester-based global provider of integrated legal and business services, has announced 30 promotions in its Liverpool office, including commercial lawyer Rachael Burke and commercial litigator David Hulbert both promoted to Partner alongside Daniel Holbrook in the credit hire team, commercial litigator Paul Maddock and commercial lawyer Christine Williams, who were all promoted to director.
Promotions have been made across the whole of the DWF group with more than 220 colleagues promoted including 20 new promotions to partner, or a partner-equivalent role. In addition, there are 14 promotions for existing DWF partners moving to a higher career level within the partnership structure, including existing partner and newly appointed managing partner of the Liverpool office, Julie Simms.
Julie said “It is fantastic to be able to recognise the contributions made by each of the individuals during their time at DWF and I would like to congratulate each of them individually on their success.
“Working with a group of such talented and dedicated colleagues is a pleasure and I look forward to working with them in their new roles as we continue to take the office from strength to strength.”
The full list of promotions is: Julie Simms, Partner; Rachael Burke, Partner; David Hulbert, Partner; Daniel Holbrook, Director; Paul Maddock, Director; Christine Williams, Director; Peter Murray, Specialist Manager; Nicola Garcia, Operational Delivery Manager; Craig Fisher, Senior Associate; Robert Gavin, Senior Associate; Samantha Pringle, Senior Associate; Joseph White, Senior Associate; Rebecca Alexander, Associate; Sophie Biedla, Associate; Adrian Davies, Associate; David Hathorn, Associate; Daniel Kinney, Associate; Joseph O’Gorman, Associate; Katie Ashton, Senior Paralegal; Kes Earl, Senior Paralegal; Galina Georgieva, Senior Paralegal; Gareth Griffin, Senior Paralegal; Keith Hollingsworth, Senior Paralegal; Jay Percy, Senior Paralegal; Olivia Taylor, Senior Paralegal; Lucy Weir, Senior Paralegal; Jessica Gallagher, Lead Paralegal; Laura Howells, Lead Paralegal; Alexandra Kelly, Lead Paralegal; Daniel Kelly, Paralegal.
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Ged Carabini
Following its acquisition by the Elanders group in November last year, third-party logistics (3PL) provider, Kammac, has announced appointments to its senior management team as the business focuses on driving continued growth by building its presence in ecommerce fulfilment services and developing new sectors.
Having worked at Skelmersdale-based Kammac for the past five years as Commercial Director and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ged Carabini has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Ged brings with him a wealth of experience from his three decade-long career in the logistics sector, during which he has held positions in various logistics organisations, such as Beva Leach Logistics and The Green Group.
Gavin Varey
In his new position as CEO of Kammac, Ged will also join the Elanders Group Management team. One of a team of seven, Ged will assume responsibility in leading Kammac’s growth initiatives within the portfolio of the Elanders Group.
Alongside Ged’s change in role, Gavin Varey has been appointed as Kammac’s new Director of Procurement and Facilities Management, following 20+ years’ experience in strategic sourcing and supply chain optimisation. He previously held the position as Procurement Manager.
Ged Carabini said: “As part of the Elanders group we have even greater opportunity to grow, building on our track record as a leading logistics specialist. The collective expertise of our team is second to none, and we will continue to prioritise delivering the flexible and reliable services our clients know us for.”
Gavin Varey said: “These are exciting times for Kammac, and I am looking forward to playing my part in building our business as part of the Elanders group.”
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Billy Poulter
The Manchester office of Clarke Willmott has expanded with the appointment of two new starters for its property division.
Billy Poulter and Kevin Richardson both join as partners in the firm’s leading commercial property team.
With a particular focus on housebuilding and real estate development, Billy brings a wealth of experience to the growing team, having worked for two other law firms as well as the Homes and Communities Agency (now Homes England).
Kevin Richardson
Also joining Clarke Willmott is Partner Kevin Richardson, who further bolsters the firm’s commercial property team, having recently sold his own law firm. Kevin specialises in all aspects of property law with experience working in-house for property developers and within property teams at several other law firms.
Ed Foulkes, head of the Manchester office, said: “Both Billy and Kevin join with impressive credentials and we look forward to seeing them in action for our clients.”
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David Buzby
Wondrwall, the Manchester-based intelligent home technology provider, has appointed seasoned business leader, David Buzby, as Chair.
This key appointment comes on the heels of Wondrwall securing a phased investment programme of up to £100m to expand its net-zero home energy solutions.
Buzby joins Wondrwall while continuing his role as Chairman of Stem Inc, a provider of AI-driven energy storage systems based in North America and traded on the New York exchange.
Wondrwall CEO, Daniel Burton, said: “We are thrilled to welcome David to the team at such a pivotal moment for Wondrwall. His breadth of experience both in the US and UK markets, and leadership acumen in the energy transition space, will be instrumental as we scale up our operations and bring our transformative home energy management systems to tens of thousands more properties.”
In December, Wondrwall announced the addition of Steve Young as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). He joined from Strom as National New Build Director and, previously, Ideal Heating’s New Build team.
David Buzby said: “Wondrwall is reinventing home energy efficiency with its intelligent system. My decision to invest in Wondrwall was the result of an exhaustive 18-month research endeavour, spanning companies and software providers across the US and Europe. I firmly believe in the global applicability of Wondrwall’s software, and I am eager to contribute to its expansion on a large scale.”
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Maria O’Connor
Energy and construction specialist Ecogee has named its new Operations Director as the organisation enters its second year as part of the Liverpool-based Regenda Group.
With more than 15 years of industry experience, Maria O’Connor will step up to oversee Ecogee’s operations while leading on the development and transformation of the business.
The Aintree based firm is on track to hit a £18m turnover figure in the next year, while also welcoming 12 new members of staff to support increased energy construction projects across the North West.
Founding member, Brendan Helm, will continue as Ecogee’s Managing Director, while Maria will support to help the company meet its strategic objectives, including achieving operational, financial, growth and diversification targets.
Brendan Helm said: “Maria has worked in senior roles in the construction industry for more than a decade, and her expertise is something we truly value here at Ecogee. Maria will continue to lead the delivery of our excellent retrofit service to customers. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate her in her new role.”
Ecogee joined forces with The Regenda Group in 2023, working closely with fellow Regenda subsidiary, M&Y Maintenance and Construction, to help grow the company’s expertise in retrofit and green technology installation. Gill Kelly, Managing Director of M&Y, said: “Maria’s strong performance, dedication and dynamism, has secured her a promotion to the role of Operations Director within Ecogee. Maria heads up a team of talented individuals who are improving the energy efficiency of homes across the North West.”
Maria said: “I want to thank everyone for this amazing opportunity. I am very excited for the year ahead. We have a fantastic team that I am very proud to be a part of.”
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James Litherland
Cityheart, the housing, regeneration and placemaking development specialist, has made two senior appointments to further bolster its growing team and extend its presence across the UK.
Benji Slater joins from Inland Homes as development director with a remit to support Cityheart’s regeneration projects across the South and Midlands, where he will be working with Andrew Sanderson and Hilton McCarthy.
Also joining the team as senior planning and development manager, based in Wilmslow, is James Litherland who was previously with Placefirst and The Co-operative Group.
Benji and James join Cityheart following a major restructure of the business last year which saw Warren Taylor take up the role of Chief Operating Officer and Jonny Wrigley become Group Chief Executive of the group, including a new build to rent division, Cityheart Homes, and Supported Housing Joint Venture, HBV Cityheart. New strategic hires were also made in financial director and development director roles.
James Litherland said: “I’m looking forward to supporting the team and helping to create sustainable local communities and schemes that have a positive impact on people’s lives.”
To accommodate the growing team, Cityheart has relocated and doubled its office space in Wilmslow, Cheshire, as well as maintaining its head office in Chester. To support the business’s expansion plans it will be taking additional space in London later this year to help service clients and partners across the south.
CEO, Warren Taylor, said: “We have set out ambitious growth plans for the business and Benji and James will be key in helping us achieve those targets, bringing additional expertise and knowledge to the team.”
Cityheart is working with Wigan Council to deliver the £135m Galleries redevelopment scheme. In Stockport, it is due to complete the transformational new £51.7m Stockport Interchange residential scheme this May as well having started work on the 442-home Royal George Village scheme. Cityheart has also been appointed as joint venture partner by West Northamptonshire Council to bring forward Four Waterside and Marefair, one of the largest brownfield developments in the county.
