People: Equity Release Group; Dunham Massey Investment Group; Eddisons; Ascend; CoolKit; DM Hall; Fletchers Group
Warrington-based Equity Release Group (ERG), has unveiled a trio of new hires that will join its equity release advisory business – Equity Release Supermarket (ERS) – as it expands its UK operations to fulfil the growing appetite within the industry and beyond.
The latest appointments of Louise Thompkins, and brothers Brian Massie and Paul Massie, bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise from within the financial services sector.
Mark Gregory, founder and CEO of Equity Release Group, said: “With a broader product mix now available, alongside a renewed confidence within the market following a year of turbulence, we’re witnessing above industry average growth within the group.
“To support this continued drive, we are thrilled to welcome Louise, Brian and Paul to our expansive and well-established team. Their respective expertise will help us to further strengthen our position and reach throughout the UK.”
With more than 27 years’ experience within the financial services arena, Louise has an extensive knowledge of the mortgage and later life lending market. She began as a Financial Adviser before progressing into leadership roles and will now head up the advice team at ERS, overseeing wellbeing, quality, and general operations.
Louise said: “I join ERS as Advice Team Manager from Legal and General where I was a founding member of the leadership team, tasked with the launch of their inhouse advice service and subsequently thei whole of market proposition. My passion is about improving advice standards within the sector and driving the right customer outcome through the provision of good quality advice, and an excellent customer experience.”
Prior to joining ERS, Brian and Paul Massie were both part of the equity release team at Fluent.
Louise will be based at the firm’s HQ in Warrington, while Brian and Paul, being telephone advisers, will provide whole of market advice to clients on a nationwide basis in support of the company’s growing national expansion plans.
Mark added: “This is the first of many hires we expect to make throughout the year following year on year growth.”
::
Emma Tipping
Emma Tipping-Smith and Kelly Autey have been promoted to joint Chief Operating Officers (COO) at Cheshire-based Dunham Massey Investment Group after a collective 15 years at Metalliform in various roles.
Metalliform is part of the Dunham Massey-based group’s stable of UK manufacturing companies. It was acquired by the group in 2022, providing access to a wider client base and new sources of funding. The group’s aim is to cultivate and support UK companies for long-term growth.
Emma Tipping Smith has worked in international trade and engineering over three decades. She joined the Metalliform Group in 2016 as Head of Sales Director and has played a key role in driving the company’s growth and strengthening client relationships with clear dedication and strategic vision.
Kelly Autey
She said: ‘Building and maintaining long-term relationships has always been a cornerstone of my approach. It is an honour to step into this role and I’m excited to work alongside the Dunham Massey Investment Group to drive our company forward and meet the evolving needs of our longstanding clients.’
Kelly Autey has been Group Finance Director at Metalliform Group for the past seven years and said: ‘I am confident that my extensive experience in financial management, strategic planning, and leadership will be an asset to my new role as a visionary and results-oriented finance executive. I am thrilled to be taking on this next challenge alongside Emma and look forward to continuing our growth.”
Recardo Patrick, Chairman of Dunham Massey Investment Group, said: ‘Both Emma and Kelly are powerhouse leaders and have shown their dedication to the business and their passion for manufacturing. We know it’s going to be exciting times ahead.”
::
Will Thompson
Property group Eddisons has made three senior North West promotions including two new directors, across the auctions and building consultancy teams in its Manchester office.
Based in Manchester and leading activity across the North of England for Pugh, which forms part of Eddisons’ auctions division, Will Thompson and Ed Feather have both been promoted to director. Pugh’s auction clients span local authorities, private individuals and corporate sellers across the UK.
The pair have been instrumental in driving the growth of the auctions business for Eddisons, which has become one of the country’s largest property auction houses by volume.
Also based in Eddisons’ Manchester office, Calum Byrne has been promoted to senior surveyor in the firm’s building consultancy division.
Eddisons North West regional director, Phil Deakin, said: “Congratulations to Calum, Will and Ed who have received these well deserved promotions.”
::
Daniel Mendez
Ascend, the Manchester-based third-party operator of single-family build-to-rent (SFR) homes, has recruited Daniel Mendez as its new Associate Director of Property.
Daniel’s arrival is the latest of a number of senior appointments at Ascend, including Paul Borrmann joining as Managing Director in November 2023, Lee Hill as Commercial Director in January, Maxwell Guthrie as Head of Experience & Product in April and Ashleigh Hamilton as Head of BTR Leasing in May.
He joins from Dandara Living, where he was National Head of Facilities and Estates, managing a national multifamily, co-living and student portfolio, and has extensive facilities and estate management experience across some of the UK’s highest-profile buildings.
These include the Shard estate, King’s Cross estate and Dandara’s Chapel Wharf development, the largest urban BTR project outside of London.
Paul Borrmann said: “Effective facilities and estate management is central to the performance of any property portfolio, and Daniel’s arrival will further strengthen our capabilities in this area, enhancing both investor returns and resident experience.
“He brings considerable experience with multifamily assets, expertise that will underpin our further expansion into the multifamily BTR sector, allowing us to deliver a ‘full portfolio’ service to investors, driving greater efficiencies and improved returns across the living sectors.
“Having worked with Daniel at Dandara Living, I know first hand the value he brings to Ascend, and to our current and future investors.”
::
From left:Gordon Gray, Hannah Murphy, Jack Ye
Coolkit, the Blackburn-based specialist for temperature-controlled van conversions, has continued its rapid growth plans by appointing two new Design Engineers and a Continuous Improvement Facilitator.
Gordon Gray and Jack Ye have joined as Design Engineers, and Hannah Murphy as a Continuous Improvement Facilitator at CoolKit’s headquarters. Gordon was previously employed at Electra Commercial Vehicles and Triumph Motorcycles.
He said: “My experience of working in established manufacturing companies has allowed me to gain a good understanding of best working practices to produce a high quality product.”
Having worked overseas in Macau and Hong Kong as well as other parts of the UK, Jack’s role before joining CoolKit was as CAD designer at Titan Boat Canopies. He said: “I believe I bring extensive experience in mechanical design, a strong background in 2D and 3D design, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.”
Hannah said: “I wanted to be part of helping CoolKit to reach new levels in change and improvement and aim to help improve all aspects of the organisation such as processes, tools, organisation, communication and support and training.”
CoolKit’s managing director, Daniel Miller, said: “As we continue to grow we are proud to be able to appoint people like Gordon, Jack and Hannah who all have exceptional skills in their particular fields. I am sure all three will help CoolKit, along with the rest of our fantastic team, drive forward to new heights.”
::
Charles Metcalf and Pamela Holness
DM Hall, the independent firm of Chartered Surveyors, has appointed Chartered Building Surveyor, Pamela Holness, to the position of Associate in its Carlisle office.
An accomplished professional with extensive experience supporting design and construction in the property industry and building surveying expertise in the diagnosis of defects, within new and existing buildings in the commercial, residential, and public sectors, she joins DM Hall from a managerial role at a leading, London-based property investment and development company.
Pamela said: “I am looking forward hugely to enjoying the rural delights of the Lake District and other parts of north west England.
“I believe my skills and expertise, gathered over the past 25 years in a range of roles across the building surveying profession, will permit me to make an early and significant contribution to the services DM Hall offers to clients throughout the region and beyond.”
Charles Metcalf, a Kendal-based DM Hall Director within Building Consultancy, said: “Pamela’s arrival is very welcome, and her breadth of experience will be of enormous value, both to colleagues and clients. Pamela’s experience across many sectors, together with her extensive expertise and attention to excellence are a perfect fit for the company and approach we champion.”
Alan Gordon, Senior Partner, of DM Hall, said: “We are exceptionally pleased that we have attracted such an accomplished, high quality professional as Pamela to our team. We are confident that her appointment will give a substantial boost not only to our existing professional skills base, but also to the clients of our fast-growing Cumbrian practice.”
::
New partners
Fletchers Group has announced the election of five new partners, as part of its strategy to attract and retain talent from within the business.
The new appointments bring the number of partners to 22, alongside 16 directors.
Two new partners are drawn from Serious Injury Law, which Fletchers acquired in February 2024, and three are from the clinical negligence team across its network of offices and businesses.
They are: Michelle Heyes, Head of Serious Injury Law, Bolton; Claire Hutchinson, Personal Injury Senior Solicitor, Serious Injury Law, Cambridge; Francesca Paul, Clinical Negligence Team Leader, Fletchers Solicitors, Southport; Katy Link, Clinical Negligence Team Leader, Minton Morrill, Leeds; and Tim Moulton, Head of Clinical Negligence, Fletchers Solicitors, Liverpool.
Fletchers’ Chief Legal Officer, Adrian Denson, said: “Our new partners will play a major role in formulating the strategy and direction of travel for Fletchers Group, drawing on their experience as first-class lawyers supporting injured people across both clinical negligence and serious injury.
“That our new partners have been drawn from all over the UK also expresses how Fletchers has grown out of its roots in Southport to cross-UK coverage.”
