People: Knight Frank; Alliance MBS; Alpine Fire; BGF; KBL Solicitors; Sway PR
By Evie Ransome
Knight Frank has promoted five young members of the Manchester office as part of the firm’s commitment to recognising and rewarding talent.
Bradley Norton in the Logistics & Industrial Agency team and Suraj Visavadiya in the Business Rates Consultancy team are both promoted to associate.
Joe Connelly, (Commercial Valuations) Holly McLeman (Capital Markets) Alex Shelton (Residential Valution) are all promoted to senior surveyor.
Head of office David Porter said: “As a firm we know we are only as good as our people and make recruitment, training and continued professional support a key priority.
“We want to attract the best talent and it is particularly gratifying to see students who came on year out placement now becoming senior members of the office.”
Bradley, who joined Knight Frank five years ago after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Everyone in the office was hugely supportive during my training to attaining my APC and getting a recent deal over the line was really rewarding.”
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Aurore Hochard
Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) appointed Aurore Hochard as the new Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre.
Her mission will be to “drive and nurture” the next generation of outstanding innovators at The University of Manchester. She joins the Centre from London’s Bayes Business School, after nine years as Head of Entrepreneurship Programmes. Following her career as a teacher and tech entrepreneur in the USA and UK, Aurore will lead the team at Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, housed within AMBS.
The Centre, established in 2000, is dedicated to the next generation of changemakers, innovators and entrepreneurs and supports them to turn their ideas into reality through all stages of experience at the University of Manchester: working closely with the business community, the Centre provides a 360 approach to nurture entrepreneurship through specialist teaching and skills development for undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing early-stage funding and hosting mentoring events and workshops for staff, researchers, and graduates.
She said: “I am incredibly inspired by the opportunity to bring my lived experience as an entrepreneur and my drive to imbed entrepreneurial thinking into education at the highest level in Manchester; it is this entrepreneurial mindset that has the power to not only see things differently, but to implement positive change and innovation for the business community and society as a whole.”
AMBS Head of School, Professor Ken McPhail said: “The role of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking is an incredibly powerful area of business; we are living in a time of great dynamism within the world of business and with that comes a real opportunity for Aurore and the team to harness this momentum and continue to support the next generation of pioneers.”
In 2025, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre will celebrate 25 years at the forefront of enterprise in the UK. Aurore Hochard will join the team on 1 October 2024 and share her vision and strategy for 2025 and beyond.
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Martin Hargreaves
Fire suppression systems provider, Alpine Fire Engineers, has appointed Martin Hargreaves as its Chief Financial Officer.
Following a period of steep growth for Alpine, which has seen the company grow the number of sites it provides services for nationally to over 1,000, Martin and his team are tasked with providing the business with astute financial analysis and solutions to support commercial business decisions- with over 30 years’ industry experience across a range of sectors, Martin will work closely with stakeholders to create value through both organic and inorganic growth.
His previous roles include seven years as Chief Financial Officer at the UK’s largest online only bathroom retailer, and four years at a leading school wear and sportswear distributor as Finance Director. Martin also spent nearly five years at Deloitte as an Audit Supervisor.
Commenting on his appointment, he said: “It feels like the perfect time to join Alpine Fire Engineers to utilise the skills and experience I have acquired during my career to provide the financial insights that will help continue the company’s upward trajectory.”
CEO of Alpine Fire Engineers, Steven Nanda, added: “Martin brings a wealth of experience which will be pivotal in the next phase of Alpine’s growth, and the fact he has worked across a range of sectors will undoubtedly prove invaluable.”
Alpine Fire Engineers is a specialist provider in the design, project management and maintenance of fire suppression systems. Headquartered in Bury, the company operates nationally, and has a UK-wide network of service engineers.
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Johnathan Massey
Investment business BGF has recruited Johnathan Massey to its Value Creation team.
Johnathan will be based at BGF’s Manchester office but will also work alongside teams in the Midlands and Scotland. As Talent Network Manager, he will be responsible for developing and nurturing relationships with an external network of experienced board directors, introducing management teams in the BGF portfolio.
He joins BGF from Rowan, part of LCap Group, where he worked as an associate director. He has extensive experience in providing executive search and management due diligence services, predominantly to growth capital and mid-market private equity investors, as well as privately-owned high-growth, entrepreneurial businesses.
Jane Vinson, Head of Value Creation at BGF, said: “Johnathan brings considerable experience to our Value Creation team, through his strong association with both growth capital investors and fast-growth businesses. His in-depth knowledge and understanding of the non-executive and board advisory market means he will add immediate value and help us to strengthen our proposition, particularly across our Talent Network. This will help to drive value creation for portfolio businesses and support them as they build out robust and strong management teams.”
BGF’s Value Creation team provides portfolio companies across the UK with a sounding board for ideas, or more in-depth support, as well as a range of networks, services and tools, specifically designed around key value drivers. This includes the Talent Network, which offers high-growth businesses with talent advisory, search and recruitment support across its extensive board-level talent pools. Over more than a decade, BGF has built one of the UK and Ireland’s most active networks of business leaders dedicated to entrepreneurial growth.
Johnathan commented: “I have always had a passion for working with business owners and entrepreneurs, which aligns perfectly with BGF and its purpose.”
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Sophie McGregor
Corporate and Commercial solicitor, Sophie McGregor, is the latest recruit to join the growing team at KBL Solicitors.
She brings 4 years’ post-qualification experience in commercial property law and a keen understanding of the property aspects often intertwined with corporate transactions. Her experience encompasses a wide range of expertise including negotiations, due diligence and contract drafting, which positions her as a significant asset adept at providing comprehensive and strategic advice.
Sophie will be working closely with Greg Gardner-Boyes, Partner and Head of Corporate, on corporate and commercial transactions.
Speaking of her appointment, Greg Gardner-Boyes said: “Sophie’s knowledge and experience in commercial property will greatly enhance our ability to serve our clients’ diverse needs. We look forward to the valuable contributions she will make.”
Sophie said: “It is an exciting opportunity to join a talented bunch of professionals and I am particularly looking forward to working alongside Greg, whose knowledge in the corporate and commercial arena is second to none.”
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Vicky Sales
Manchester PR agency Sway PR has appointed Vicky Sales as Senior Account Executive, expanding the team in the Manchester office. Recognised in three leading industry awards over the last few years, this latest hire marks the start of the company’s growth plans in both its business and consumer departments, targeting three additional hires in the next 12 months.
With additional brands, charities, campaigners, and adventurers recently adding their names to the Sway PR portfolio, Vicky will work directly with Mia Hodgkinson, Head of Consumer PR, to continue to deliver industry leading media relations for brands that enhance our lives.
Vicky’s background is in journalism, charity communications, digital PR and SEO.
Sway PR founder, Mark Hayward, said: “Vicky will help support Sway with our ongoing plans to develop our consumer department and strengthen our offerings to clients across a range of sectors.”
