People: Be.EV; Interpath; Opus; Consensus Workspace; Evolve; The Cumberland
Be.EV, the Manchester-based EV charging business, has announced changes to its non-executive team with a series of appointments to its board.
The new board appointments have been brought in to provide governance and support to the executive team as they look to expand with retail and land management partners, and increase utilisation of their chargers while maintaining a customer-first focus, which is at the core of the brand.
Marie-France van Heel, Chief Customer Officer at Be.EV, who brings experience from a long standing career in marketing and customer strategy in both B2C and B2B having worked with brands like Sky, P&G, the Natural History Museum, (RED), Disney and many more.
Also joining the board is Garren Nahabedian joins the board from the Octopus Energy Group, who brings his extensive knowledge of technology and electric vehicles from his role as Head of Partnerships at the pioneering global public charging app, Octopus Electroverse.
In addition, Richard Powell steps up to Non Executive Director. An established Strategic Advisor to Be.EV, he brings extensive knowledge and experience in the real estate sector, one of the key growth areas for Be.EV.
Richard is CEO of Latchmoor Properties, an advisory business promoting large mixed-use development projects across the UK, and previously worked within HM Treasury.
John Mothersole, also a Strategic Advisor to Be.EV, is the former CEO of Sheffield City Council and most recently sat on the Grenfell Inquiry and will attend the board as an Observer.
Will Stratton-Morris, Chair of the board of Be.EV, said: “Each of these individuals bring a specific skill set and market knowledge to the board, which will be critical as this dynamic company continues to grow and create value.”
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Independent financial advisory firm Interpath has named Rick Harrison to lead its Northern operations in the UK as the firm continues its investment in the region.
From its 11 offices across the UK, including sites in Manchester, Leeds, and Newcastle, Interpath supports clients with restructuring services and a complete deal advisory proposition, including M&A, corporate finance, transaction services and debt advisory, as well as advisory services in tax, valuations, value creation, and pension services.
Manchester-based Rick Harrison, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, has led Interpath’s North West operations since the firm was established in 2021. He will take on the role as incumbent Kenny McKay transitions to a national position as head of Interpath’s cost-reduction and turnaround & transformation offering. Kenny will continue to operate out of the firm’s Leeds office.
Over the past three years, the Northern team has grown to more than 130 professionals and has since made market-leading hires including Managing Directors Heath Snyder (M&A), Jenna Picken (Debt Advisory), Matt Jubb (Restructuring), and Louise Smith (Transaction Services) together with Directors Ben Smith (Debt Advisory), Sarah Balsom (Restructuring), Matt Dumenil (Forensics) and Tom Kelly (Valuations), to build a multi-disciplinary offering.
The Northern team has led on some of the market’s most notable cases, including the administrations of Safestyle plc, Tuffnells, Real Good Food plc, Tolent construction and the Pexion Group, the acquisition of Allied Grain Systems by Mitchells Group and the transaction between Communisis UK and Paragon.
Kenny McKay, Managing Director and Head of Turnaround & Transformation at Interpath, said: “Together as a leadership team, we’ve built something really special that has challenged and reshaped the restructuring and deal advisory market in the North. Rick has been at the heart of that journey to date so is exceptionally well-placed to keep pushing us forward as a truly independent and multi-disciplinary firm of scale.”
Rick Harrison, Managing Director and Head of Interpath in the North of England, said: “It’s a privilege to be part of the leadership team in the North and be on the front line through our rapid growth since we launched Interpath in 2021. The region is a real powerhouse of talent for our firm nationally and is incredibly important to our business as we continue to expand in the UK and internationally allowing us to help more and more clients navigate whatever lies ahead.”
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Gary Lee has left Begbies Traynor after 29 years to join Opus Restructuring LLP as a Partner in the Manchester office, as of 1st October 2024.
He said: “I joined Begbies in 1995 as a fresh faced newly qualified Chartered Accountant and threw myself into the world of Restructuring & Insolvency. When I joined, Begbies had 2 offices in Manchester and Preston and I have been privileged to have been part of the growth of the firm over these years.
“I have worked on some extremely interesting cases which have taken me all over the country and even to Los Angeles and New York.
“I have had the pleasure of working with some truly great people and I would like to thank in particular Paul Stanley and Ric Traynor who recruited me all those years ago following an interview over a beer and a curry.”
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Manchester-based commercial interior design and build specialist, Consensus Workspace has bolstered its team by adding a number of key new hires.
George Tilbury has joined as Commercial Director, bringing with him a wealth of experience from Bruntwood and ADT Workplace to help spearhead the company’s growth strategy alongside the existing leadership team.
The firm has also welcomed talented interior designer, Alice Campbell, to further enhance its design capabilities and meet growing client demand, as well as Senior Project Manager, Stephen Jordan.
As part of its expansion strategy, Consensus Workspace has also opened a new office in Birmingham in Bruntwood Sci-tech’s Cornwall Buildings to better serve clients in the Midlands and surrounding areas.
Ollie Plastow, co-founder and Director at Consensus, said: “2023/34 has been a really exciting year for us, exceeding our growth plans beyond what we aimed and hoped for. We have built a strong reputation for delivering inspiring, first-class workspaces, and with our strengthened team and new Birmingham office, we are in an excellent position to continue providing the best possible service to our clients across the UK.”
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Wigan-based provider of Managed Network Solutions and IT services, Evolve, has appointed Martyn Yih as its new Head of IT Services.
As well as streamlining Evolve’s IT offering, he will work alongside first and second line teams to manage high volume tickets and further increase the efficiency of the process.
Martyn joins Evolve from ANS, where he was Director of Security Operations. Prior to this he spent nine years at UKFast.Net, the past three years as Director of Support.
Martyn said: “I am absolutely thrilled to join Evolve at such an exciting time of growth and innovation.”
Alan Stephenson-Brown, CEO at Evolve, said: “Martyn’s demonstrated expertise in IT strategy development, enterprise software implementation, and troubleshooting within the technology industry make him a valuable addition to our senior team.
“He has a strong background in customer relationship management and ensuring seamless IT operations and holds MCSE and ITIL qualifications, further underscoring his technical proficiency and commitment to excellence.”
This announcement follows Evolve’s recent multimillion-pound investment from BGF, which will help propel the business further on its growth journey.
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The Cumberland building society has promoted Victoria Rose to lead its new flagship branch set to open on English Street in Carlisle.
Victoria joined the building society when she was a teenager. She will oversee the reopening of the prominent city centre store on October 14 following a major refurbishment.
Her promotion to Cluster Manager for Carlisle means she also leads all of The Cumberland’s other city branches.
Victoria said: “It is very exciting to take on this new role. The Carlisle team is the biggest team in the branch network, they have a very good reputation, and have a really high footfall.
“There is huge anticipation in the business about the reopening of English Street. The refurbishment is done, and we have been showing colleagues around. It’s really amazing to have this opportunity.”
Victoria joined The Cumberland 15 years ago when she was 18, after deciding university wasn’t for her. She joined The Cumberland as a branch assistant at the Cockermouth branch. Victoria progressed to become a mortgage advisor.
She was promoted to assistant manager in her hometown of Workington and then took charge as Cluster Manager for West Cumbria branches.