People: Time Finance; The Cumberland; Cowgills; Barkers; Airborne Environmental; Vincents; Liverpool FC

Jackie Arnold

The Cumberland has appointed Jackie Arnold to become the new chair of its board – the first woman to be chairperson in the building society’s history.

A former head of strategy at BAE Systems she has held the position of Vice Chair of Cumbria’s Local Enterprise Partnership, where she chaired the investment panel as they funded and oversaw the delivery of £200 million of projects to develop the region and was awarded an MBE from the Queen for services to the Cumbrian economy.

Jackie said: “As a passionate advocate for Cumbria, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to step into the role of chair of the Cumberland board. I’ve enjoyed my time to date as a non-executive director and I’m really looking forward to this next chapter. I’ll be proud to work alongside the talented people at the Cumberland, and on its board, to lead the society through the coming years”.

Jackie brings more than 40 years’ experience in business and financial management, including being a qualified accountant, and is an honorary fellow of the University of Cumbria. She has been a part of the Cumberland team as a non-executive director since 2018 and the people, remuneration and culture committee chair since 2019.      

Jackie will succeed John Hooper, who will be stepping down as chair at the society’s next annual general meeting after five years in the role and nearly nine years as a non-executive director.

Additionally, Eric Gunn is retiring from his role as non-executive director, chair of board risk committee and senior independent director after almost seven years of service. Eric’s strategic insights and dedication have been instrumental in The Cumberland’s success during his time at the company. Joining the board as a non-executive director and as chair of board risk committee is Cameron Marr, who brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise, having spent 40 years working in banking and financial services sectors around the globe.

Cameron said The Cumberland’s ‘kinder banking’ approach and culture were key reasons for his decision to join: “There is an overt commitment to its community and the collective desire to provide the best it can to all of its customers. It’s embedded in the culture, and in a way, it’s more than kindness – it’s about respect and being there for what people need. The Cumberland demonstrates values that align strongly with where I think banking should be”.

Des Moore, CEO of The Cumberland expressed his gratitude to those leaving and his optimism for the future, stating: “We are deeply thankful to John and Eric for their extraordinary service and dedication to The Cumberland. Their leadership has been pivotal in shaping our company’s direction and success. We would also like to warmly welcome Jackie and Cameron to their positions and look forward to their contributions in driving the company forward.”

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Georgina Harrison

Time Finance has appointed Georgina Harrison as Relationship manager in its Invoice Finance division in Manchester. 

She will be responsible for driving new partnerships in the region and supporting North Western SMEs unlock new growth in 2024 and joins with 7 years of experience in the financial services industry after progressing through the ranks before joining Time Finance. She has held various positions such as Assistant Relationship Manager at RBS, Rapid Cash Client Manager and Business Manager at NatWest.

In her new role, Georgina will be responsible for managing the day-to-day requests and audits of clients, spotting risk on facilities and ensuring high levels of client retention by maintaining relationships with a diverse client base.

Speaking of her appointment, Georgina said: “Their commitment to providing a personable service that high street lenders don’t offer is what set them apart for me and I look forward to becoming a part of their mission to help drive SMEs to success.”

The announcement follows a number of recent appointments within Time Finance, including Dan Murphy, Business Development Manager, and Alice Cox, Relationship Manager. 

Damien Healey, Head of Relationship Management at Time Finance, added: “Georgina comes to Time Finance with experience from a variety of roles and businesses within the industry. Our aim is to provide a personable and efficient service for our clients and Georgina is enthusiastic in implementing this approach, aligning with our determination to put clients at the heart of what we do.”

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Jordan Heys, Ben Barlow, Paul Stringer, James Greenhalgh

Accountancy firm Cowgills has made three new partner promotions across the firm.  

 Ben Barlow, James Greenhalgh and Jordan Heys have all been promoted, taking the firm’s partner count to 29. 

 Ben has been appointed in the firm’s deal advisory team.  He joined Cowgills in 2011 as an audit graduate, eventually transferring to deal advisory in 2015.  With his background in audit and compliance Ben brings a wealth of expertise to the team. He has a particular specialism in the logistics, renewable energy and business services sectors, most recently advising on the £56m acquisition of Duality Group by Sureserve Group. 

James Greenhalgh has been part of the Cowgills tax team for 24 years and has grown his specialism in corporate restructuring alongside the growth in the Cowgills client base. James is a qualified Chartered tax advisor and advises property and construction clients as well as more complex owner managed businesses. 

Jordan Heys joined the firm in the business recovery team over 10 years ago.  He has contributed to the growth of the division working with accountants, who do not provide a business recovery service, and directors of owner managed businesses, finding solutions to their financial problems.

Managing partner Paul Stringer said: “These appointments are testament to Ben, James and Jordon’s expertise and the commitment they have shown to our clients and the firm.  

“They are all an integral part of the Cowgills DNA, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them develop in their roles over the next few years.” 

The appointments come just three months after Cowgills became part of the Sumer group, Paul added:

“With investment from Sumer, Cowgills will grow rapidly across the North West, bringing with it even more opportunities for our fantastic colleagues.” 

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Jenny Draper

Procurement consultancy, Barkers Procurement, has promoted Commercial Director, Jenny Draper, to the role of Managing Director.

She has previously worked at PCMG, SAP Ariba, and Spend Matters and in her new role will developing a growth strategy to solidify its position in the sector for delivering high-quality procurement support.

Speaking about her new appointment, Jenny said: “I’m very pleased and proud to step into the role of Managing Director for Barkers Procurement. My focus moving forwards will be on continuing to deliver excellence across all areas of the business, as myself and the team strive to build on our already exceptional reputation for best practice procurement practice, client collaboration and legacy.”

Executive Director, Warren Kozera, added: “Barkers already has an impressive industry track record, and I’m confident in Jenny’s abilities to continue spearheading these exciting developments ahead. This new role is a natural evolution for Barkers Procurement, as we head into a new period of growth with ambitious expectations in place, both for our client output and internal processes. I’m very excited to see what the future holds.”

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Ian Andrews

Manchester-based company Airborne Environmental Services has appointed Ian Andrews to its board of directors. With over 20 years’ experience in environmental and workplace safety compliance, he will oversee business development, with a specific focus on water hygiene services. It follows a significant review of the organisation and marks the beginning of some exciting plans for business growth in this area.

Ian said: “The control of Legionella in buildings continues to be a top priority for our clients. We work across many sectors such as manufacturing, gyms, theme parks, hospitals, schools, nursing homes and more. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution when it comes to water hygiene compliance, and I look forward to working with our customers and the wider industry to develop our services and supportive systems that will further improve each individual customer experience”.

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Olivia Hepworth

Vincents Solicitors has welcomed experienced commercial property specialist Olivia Hepworth to the team in Preston to work on the firm’s social housing portfolio and also looking after commercial transactions for private developers and landlords.

She joins Vincents from Farleys Solicitors, prior to which she worked at Clough and Willis in Bury and Squire Sanders (now Squire Patton Boggs) where she completed her training contract. She specialised in commercial property in 2014.

 She said: “My favourite part of the job is developing relationships with clients and getting to understand their commercial priorities, and then successfully completing particularly difficult matters which are crucial to help their businesses progress.

“I was keen to expand my remit into the social housing sector and Vincents is well known for its portfolio of clients in that arena. It is extremely satisfying working with these clients and being able to have such a positive impact to support their aims.”

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Ben Latty

Billy Hogan, Liverpool Football Club’s chief executive, has made three promotions in his leadership team.

Ben Latty has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer. He will take on the responsibility for driving our club’s top line growth by leading and managing the development and delivery of the commercial strategy across core revenue streams. This includes partnerships, merchandising, digital, ticketing & hospitality, fan experience, international academies and commercial tours.

Jenny Beacham

Jenny Beacham has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, taking on responsibility for all Finance, People and Strategy. Her role will be to develop and oversee the financial health of the club in an evolving landscape of financial regulation across the football industry.

Jonathan Bamber

Jonathan Bamber has been appointed Chief Legal Officer. He will be responsible for navigating the complex legal and regulatory football framework and lead a robust governance strategy for new business challenges and football regulatory reform. In addition to his existing duties, he will take on responsibility for The Red Way to ensure the club meets its environmental, social and corporate obligations.

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