People: H&H Land & Estates; Shaw & Co; Alliance Manchester Business School; Aon; Bridge Insurance Brokers; HACE
Carlisle-based H&H Land & Estates has appointed Hannah Piele as Farm Business Advisor.
A graduate of UClan (Myerscough College) with a BSC (Hons) degree in Agriculture – Livestock Technology, Hannah is FACTS qualified and BASIS registered, and she joins H&H Land & Estates with a broad range of career experience in the agricultural sector, most recently working as a Nutrition Agronomist and Farm Account Manager with Origin Fertilisers.
Director, Helen Russell, said: “This is a particularly challenging time for the farming sector, and Hannah has all the credentials to be able to support our staff and our clients with the advice and the understanding they need to make the right decisions and achieve the best outcomes for a successful farming future.
“I know she will add another invaluable dimension to our capacity to offer all our clients the very best advice and service.”
Hannah said: “Throughout my career I have been very strongly motivated to provide the highest possible standards of service to clients facing the same challenges and opportunities as my own family, and I am really thrilled to be joining a company that is setting a national benchmark for the quality of service and support we can offer farm business clients in the North.”
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Constantine Biller
Shaw & Co, the specialist corporate finance advisory firm, has appointed Constantine Biller as Partner to spearhead its expansion across the North West.
Connie, who has more than 20 years’ experience in financial services including extensive knowledge of the industrial and chemicals sectors, joins the company from EC M&A where he was Managing Director overseeing a range of major mergers and acquisitions, business development and client relationships with numerous corporate partners and private equity firms across the UK. As a fluent Italian speaker, he also established and led EC M&A’s Milan office.
Before joining EC M&A, Connie spent three years with Livingstone Partners in London and then 17 years with Clearwater International in Manchester. He was made a Partner at Clearwater in 2013 in recognition of his extensive track record of M&A activity and the development of key international relationships.
Connie’s role will involve overseeing the regional development of Shaw & Co’s Manchester office as well as its work in the industrial sector across the UK.
CEO and founder, Jim Shaw, said: “His experience further strengthens our Partner group which is now four strong with ambition to expand yet further. Our aim is to support to support business owners achieve their greatest ambitions with teams across the UK, and our new presence in the North West is a fantastic step on that journey.”
Connie Biller said: “Shaw & Co has a burgeoning reputation for helping business owners and SMEs achieve their ambitions and realise their company’s maximum value. I am looking forward to driving the company’s expansion across the North West.”
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Stuart Wells
Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) has a new Managing Director for its Executive Education business. Stuart Wells, currently Executive Director of Client Relations at AMBS, will take up the post on June 10, 2024.
With almost 20 years of commercial experience, Stuart has significant expertise in designing and leading the delivery of global leadership and organisational development programmes across both private and public sectors.
Before joining AMBS in 2015, he led the establishment of Salford Professional Development at the University of Salford. Previous roles include knowledge transfer and professional development at the University of South Wales.
Prof Ken McPhail, Head of AMBS, said: “Stuart has been pivotal in developing and steering the Executive Education client relations teams as our Executive Director of Client Relations, working across our customised and open Executive Education programmes and senior leader apprenticeships.
“I am looking forward to the continued innovation of our offering to ensure we deliver best-in-class professional development for businesses in a world of continuing transformation.”
Stuart said: “Our fantastic team provides the very best of knowledge and expertise of AMBS, which enables us to deliver transformational learning experiences. It has been a privilege to lead our client relationship teams and develop successful partnerships with a wide range of organisations.”
The current MD, Jane Crombleholme, will transition away from the role on June 10, and continue to support AMBS across several projects before her retirement in October later this year.
Sarah Featherstone, Head of School Operations at AMBS, said: “We eagerly anticipate Stuart’s contributions to our Professional Services Leadership Team and to working together to advance Executive Education at AMBS. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Jane for her exemplary leadership in Executive Education and her 25 years of service at the University of Manchester.”
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Nicholas Shaw
Aon, the New York-listed professional services firm, has appointed Nicholas Shaw as business development manager in its Manchester-based commercial risk solutions team.
Nicholas joins Aon from Marsh, and will build on his experience to support the commercial risk solutions team in Manchester as it continues on its growth trajectory to provide risk advisory, risk transfer, and structured solutions to an ever-increasing pool of clients.
Nicholas’s experience includes the retail and technology sectors, and he also has significant experience within recruitment.
Michael Barber, Aon Manchester branch director, commercial risk solutions, said: “Nicholas’s appointment is great news for the commercial risk solutions team and is a key part of our ambitious growth strategy. His strong experience perfectly complements the strength of the talented team and I am looking forward to working closely with him.”
Nicholas Shaw said: “Aon has a strong reputation for nurturing talent and providing a supportive and inclusive culture, and when coupled with the reputation of the Manchester team, this was a hugely attractive role that I couldn’t ignore.
“The Aon team is known for working collectively and drawing on a wide breadth of resources, and I am looking forward to contributing my own experience to further drive forward Aon’s commercial risk solutions’ new business strategy.”
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David Hughes
Bridge Insurance Brokers Ltd has expanded its International team with the appointment of David Hughes.
David has joined the company as a client services executive, taking the team to 10. He will report to Roscoe Fawcett and David Horne and operate out of the Manchester office, although as part of the team’s global network, he will be working with insurance partners all over the world to provide solutions for their clients in the UK.
He said: “It’s a really exciting time to join Bridge. The company has been established for many years and is well respected here in Manchester, throughout the UK and with our international broker partners. I’m looking forward to working with the wealth of retail, manufacturing and technology businesses we serve, alongside our international partners and in-house teams.”
Roscoe Fawcett said: “The International team at Bridge is incredibly busy. We are helping our clients to navigate unsettled political and economic landscapes by working in tandem with our partner brokers and insurers to deliver the best possible insurance advice and solutions. David’s technical experience and commitment to liaising closely with his clients complements the culture here at Bridge. He’ll be a great asset to the team.”
Bridge’s international team works alongside and collaborates with other specialist teams within Bridge: Corporate, Professional Indemnity, Real Estate, Trade Credit and Specialist Risks.
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Eric Solomons
Manchester-based HACE: Data Changing Child Labour has appointed Eric Solomons as Chair of the Board ahead of its next stage of growth and the launch of its proprietary Child Labour Index.
Eric Solomons will lead the Tech for Good company’s board as it assembles a team of industry experts to oversee the development of its one-of-a-kind specialist rating system. HACE is developing the only quantitative metric available on the market to report on child labour in real-time alongside a Stewardship Toolkit, to facilitate effective engagement between asset managers, wealth managers and institutional investors and organisations.
Eric will develop company governance structures for the early-stage business to fulfil its huge growth potential following the completion of its £450,000 pre seed funding round. He will also support HACE’s CEO, Eleanor Harry with strategy development, execution and business operations as the business scales.
The financial industry stalwart recently retired as the Manchester office Managing Partner at RSM, a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services after seven years in the role.
Eleanor Harry, CEO of HACE: Data Changing Child Labour, said: “Welcoming Eric to our board brings a considerable level of professional services experience and financial sector wisdom to the business. His appointment will help us scale sustainably following our recent funding round and add a new perspective to our senior team.”
Eric Solomons said: “HACE has huge potential to change the financial industry and bring genuine change to how the world’s largest businesses operate. Its AI-powered technology will help fast track progress and transparency on working conditions in the supply chain across the world. I am looking forward to supporting Eleanor and the team on their mission to sustainably eradicate child labour from the supply chain for good.”
Joining Eric Solomons on the newly formed board of directors is Paul Inella, CEO of Washington-based Tetrid Digital Integrity, and John Freeman, Senior Director at Johnson & Johnson.
