People: Kennedys; Bartletts Solicitors; Human8; ATPI; Brightsolid; Nivo; Harrison Drury
Global law firm Kennedys is expanding its fraud practice with the appointment of partner, Ruth Needham.
Joining from Keoghs, Ruth will be based in Kennedys’ Manchester office where she will lead a team of more than 20 legal professionals.
A fraud specialist with more than 20 years’ experience, Ruth has specialist skills and industry expertise across sectors including motor, organised fraud, casualty, property, large loss and disease.
Claire Mulligan, partner and head of Kennedys’ liability defence team, said: “Ruth will enhance our fraud offering, bringing additional strength and breadth to our already thriving fraud practice, whilst also enhancing our firm’s expertise in our northern UK based offices.”
A regular commentator in the industry, Ruth will play an integral part in Kennedys continuing to provide legal expertise in complex fraud cases.
“Kennedys has a truly global and market leading offering, and I am pleased to be joining the firm,” she said.
Earlier this year, the firm added 17 partners across its global network, including Lauren Gosnell in Manchester.
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Owain Dodd
Liverpool-based Bartletts Solicitors has promoted personal injury lawyer, Owain Dodd, to director.
Bartletts’ newest director has more than 24 years’ experience within the personal injury sector and joined Bartletts Solicitors in 2003 as a claimant personal injury solicitor. Initially based at the firm’s claimant personal department in Chester, he then moved to the new Wrexham office which opened in 2011.
Following the recent retirement from legal practice of Bartletts director Trevor Morris, Owain was appointed as a director to head up the personal injury departments in Wrexham and Liverpool.
Owain said: “I am very much looking forward to new challenges ahead, further developing our practice and to building new and evolving existing client relationships.
“Since joining Bartletts Solicitors, I have been very committed to building a successful practice in Wrexham and aim to replicate this in the Liverpool office. I’m privileged to support my fellow directors who head up teams in private client, residential and commercial conveyancing and commercial law across Chester and Liverpool.”
Practice Manager, Mike Craven, said: “I would like to congratulate Owain on his promotion, which is very well deserved and a testament to his hard work and dedication to the firm. As a legal firm we pride ourselves on providing the best possible service to our clients and contacts, Owain has been outstanding in this regard and will be central to our continued success.”
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Following the announcement of a new regional structure in EMEA last month, Manchester-based global consultancy Human8 has appointed a new Senior Business Development Director to complete the leadership team.
Arjan Veninga, previously leading one of the international client teams, will take on the role with immediate effect, mainly based in Manchester.
Veninga, who has been at Human8 for four years, has held roles at Norstat and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in recent years.
He said: “Activating positive change always begins with building and strengthening meaningful connection. I am deeply passionate about helping clients understand their audiences better. I can’t wait to foster these new relationships and drive success through collaboration and innovation.”
Veninga will report to Magali Geens, Managing Director EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), who highlighted the need to reconnect with clients at this time.
She said: “The desire for local delivery of global consultancy services is extremely apparent amongst our clients in all 12 markets within EMEA. To achieve this, we need more senior colleagues to be available to listen to their needs and craft bespoke solutions to suit. Adding Arjan to our EMEA leadership team increases our capacity to do so.”
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Angelina Bunting
Fortifying its upward trajectory in the Middle East, Manchester-based ATPI has appointed a new Head of Commercial Strategy to bolster its energy sector credentials in the region.
As an internationally-recognised travel management agency and a trusted partner to the global energy industry, ATPI has achieved significant growth within the Middle East thanks to its energy and marine service lines. Now, the group has appointed Angelina Bunting to this new position in the UAE.
Approaching three decades of diverse experience in the travel industry, Angelina has honed her skillset and expertise by exceeding in roles that cover travel for corporate bodies, leisure, and hospitality, as well as positions in the supply chain, customer service, and business development functions.
Angelina said: “It’s a privilege to be joining ATPI’s already strong Middle East leadership team and embark on this next chapter of my career. Familiar with ATPI from my years across the industry, I was always impressed by its reputable service offering, industry reputation, and commitment to integrating cutting edge travel technology solutions.
“I look forward to supporting ATPI build strong supplier partnerships and integrating our global strategy into Middle East operations to support and achieve operational excellence.”
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Mike De Souza
Cloud services company, Brightsolid, has appointed Mike De Souza as Business Development Manager, based out of its newly opened Manchester office.
De Souza brings more than 36 years of IT business development experience to the role, which will see him focusing on the development of customer-centric solutions and partnerships, primarily in the North West local authority, energy and clean technology sectors.
Established more than 25 years as part of DC Thomson & Co Group, Brightsolid is a managed hybrid cloud and cyber security services provider, with current customers including Dumfries and Galloway Council, IITAC, Sparrows, SSSC, and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Mr De Souza said: “Brightsolid’s success comes from a personable, partnership approach, putting the customer at the centre of everything we do to achieve secure cloud solutions, tailored to each organisation’s individual needs. Our focus is not just on what we do, but how we do it. We see every project as a collaboration, bringing to bear our service infrastructure eco system to ensure the very best results.
“Taking our collaborative approach to the next level, our growth plans in the North West of England and beyond include significant engagement initiatives, working with the CTO community, across a wide range of sectors, to facilitate best practice for derisking IT connectivity through robust infrastructure and securely managed services.”
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Nivo new starters
Nivo, a provider of secure ID and messaging solutions, has unveiled a series of strategic new hires as part of its commitment to driving growth and innovation.
Among the notable new hires is Niloy Roy, who has been appointed as Head of Customer Success. With more than 20 years of experience, Niloy has built a distinguished career in software start-ups, customer engagement and mobile communications. He brings a wealth of B2B software expertise and a global perspective to the team, having worked across Europe, New Zealand and North America, where he’s helped organisations to better service their customers.
He said: “Returning to the UK after 12 years in New Zealand, I’m blown away by the calibre of Manchester’s tech scene.”
In addition to welcoming Niloy, Nivo is also expanding its customer success and sales teams with two new hires: Lushantha Dabare as Sales Solutions Consultant and Mahima Sivakumar as Customer Success Manager.
Lushantha offers a strong background in financial analysis and project management, having worked for firms including Koko Pay and PwC, where he specialised in optimising financial processes and fostering key stakeholder relationships. Mahima joins Nivo with extensive experience in data analysis and software engineering, having previously worked at EY.
These new starters will play a crucial role in further supporting both existing and new customers in overcoming the many challenges associated with email, phone, paper, and post in the financial services sector, as Nivo continues to grow and innovate.
Matthew Elliott, Co-Founder of Nivo, said: “I can’t wait for all the new starters to come on board. New faces always bring an energy boost.”
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William Marlow and David Vayro
North West law firm Harrison Drury continues to grow its construction law team in Manchester with the appointment of solicitor William Marlow.
William, who joins from Clyde & Co, will support clients in Manchester and the surrounding areas on a range of contentious construction matters, including contract claims, loss and expense, delay and disruption claims, professional negligence disputes and adjudication enforcements.
His appointment comes shortly after the firm appointed David Vayro as partner and head of the construction law team in the Manchester office, as it looks to grow its construction offering in the region.
David Vayro said: “As we establish our construction law offering in Manchester it’s important that we expand the experience and skillset within the team.
“We’re excited to have William on board. His experience handling both contentious and non-contentious issues will be extremely valuable to our clients, as we provide them with high quality legal advice and support with dispute avoidance and alternative dispute resolution methods.”
Harrison Drury’s construction law team sits within the wider property and construction division, which includes commercial property law and property litigation.
William said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Harrison Drury, a firm I’ve admired for a while due to its focus on people and progression. The growth potential within the Manchester team is vast and I’m proud to be one of the first new team members under David’s capable leadership and working with our clients across the region.”
