People: Armstrong Watson; Sandyford; The Director’s Choice; Candidsky; Flexiss

Armstrong Watson JENNY WOOLGAR PHOTOGRAPHY

Armstrong Watson has recruited restructuring and insolvency partner Lindsey Cooper in Manchester.

She joins the accountancy, business and financial advisory firm after 22 years as a partner at RSM – where she headed up the North West and Northern Ireland Restructuring and Insolvency team – and brings with her more than 30 years’ experience in the field.

Cooper works largely with privately owned, family and owner-managed businesses across a broad range of sectors including property, construction, energy, manufacturing and professional services, and has also worked extensively with not-for-profit organisations. She has considerable experience advising businesses and organisations that are under financial stress and prides herself on taking a holistic approach when assisting them in finding the most appropriate solutions.

She will lead and develop Armstrong Watson’s insolvency team in Manchester and support Steve Preston, head of Armstrong Watson’s Manchester office, in the continued growth of the team and service offering in the region.

Cooper said: “After 22 years as partner with RSM (including 11 years at Baker Tilly before the merger), I was attracted to the challenge of using my experience to build a team and support North West businesses.

“I was attracted to Armstrong Watson as it is an ambitious, growing firm with a great culture. I’m looking forward to strengthening what the firm has to offer as it continues to expand in the Manchester area.”

Armstrong Watson opened its first office in Greater Manchester in 2022, following the acquisition of ASE Automotive Solutions, the UK audit, accounting and tax compliance arm of ASE Automotive Solutions. The team has quickly grown from 11 staff members to 21, and revenues to continue to grow for the office.

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Sandyford Properties, the multi-let industrial property company, has appointed Nicky Sutton as financial controller to support its growth strategy.

Sutton will work with Paul Brindley, managing director, and Sally Woodward, who has been promoted to the newly-created role of head of commercial finance.

Sutton was formerly head of finance at Payzone Bill Payments and is also part time financial controller at Motherwell Cheshire CIO, a mental health charity.

Sandyford has rapidly grown its multi-let industrial portfolio following its acquisition of Cheshire-based Brymau Estates in March 2021 and now manages 1.6 million sq ft of industrial space. The growth of Sandyford’s finance team will further support the business as it seeks to double its portfolio across the Midlands and North West.

Paul Brindley, managing director of Sandyford Properties, said: “The expansion of our finance team will assist us as we continue to execute our ambitious growth plan. Nicky is an experienced individual who will significantly contribute to our plans and we are delighted to welcome her to the team.”

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Simon Dempsey

Corporate finance specialist Simon Dempsey has joined Macclesfield-based The Director’s Choice as Associate Director to steer the expansion and connect evolving companies with experts in fields such as accountancy, funding, and marketing.

Simon, said: “The Director’s Choice is a breath of fresh air. “By empowering directors to make a choice and helping them find the right product and service, we’re building stronger and more resilient companies.”

“There’s no manual to run a company and the journey can often be a lonely one. Directors learn on the job and sometimes they have to learn the hard way. We’re at their side, educating directors, providing them with a helping hand to choose the right services for their business.

“Our aim is to make The Director’s Choice a staple for company directors nationwide. There’s nothing like this available to directors nationally and we’re building on the trusted reputation of The Director’s Helpline which helps tens of thousands of business owners annually.”

Jonathan Cooper, Director and Founder, explained: “Running a business is complicated, as such The Director’s Helpline fields upwards of 600 calls a month from directors seeking advice. “Only 7% of those calls end up with directors having to close their company, the majority are just seeking help and advice. Through The Director’s Choice we’re here to help that remaining 93% longer term. We present them with a choice of professionals they might want to employ in the future, whether that’s an accountant, a lawyer or a marketing firm.

“Simon brings a wealth of experience to the team and can really explain the choice available, particularly around funding options. We care about ensuring our customers get the very best support and we’re thoroughly director focused.”

Simon joins the Macclesfield-based business having worked at local and international companies, including Freedom Brokers, in Manchester, and Dutch bank ABN AMRO.

He has also run, managed, and sold his own brokerage firm, Zester Funding – dealing in invoice finance, commercial finance, and asset-based lending.

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The Candidsky team

Performance marketing agency Candidsky has expanded its SEO team with three key hires: Sara Kavanagh as Senior SEO Manager, Travis Robbins as SEO Executive, and Gus Gately as Technical SEO Executive. These additions mark a significant step in the agency’s commitment to bolstering its SEO services and delivering enhanced results for its clients.

Sara Kavanagh, who joins as the new Senior SEO Manager, brings with her over 10 years of experience in the SEO industry. With a proven track record of delivering successful campaigns for a range of clients, Sara will be leading the SEO team and shaping the agency’s SEO proposition moving forward. 

On her new role Sara said: “Candidsky have already achieved fantastic results for their clients and my hope is to not only continue this but bring more efficiencies into the processes, improve how we tackle Google updates such as SGE, increase value in better content and support the Digital PR team with content worth not just Google rankings but also media interest.

“There’s a fantastic group of SEO experts here at Candidsky as well as those in PR and PPC. It’s not every day you see a full 360 agency and it’s fantastic to be able to build a strong SEO proposition knowing that we can support other channels and build full-scale campaigns.”

Joining Sara are SEO Executive Travis Robbins and Gus Gately as Technical SEO Executive. 

Travis comments: “Candidsky is an environment that encourages growth and expansion of digital marketing knowledge, so I am looking forward to working with some exciting new teams and clients! I am excited to explore how AI is going to impact the world of digital marketing, for better or worse.”

Gus adds: “I am really excited to be a part of the amazing team at Candidsky, the team has an amazing selection of professionals in SEO, digital PR and paid media. With 6 years experience in SEO I’m hoping I can bolster the team and add to the great work already being delivered.”

Aaron Cullen, Managing Director of Candidsky, continues: “We’re delighted to welcome Sara, Travis, and Gus to the team. These appointments come at a pivotal time for Candidsky, as we continue to grow and strengthen our SEO capabilities. With Sara at the helm, I have no doubt we’ll deliver even greater value to our clients, driving tangible results in this highly competitive space.”

The expansion of the SEO team reflects Candidsky’s ongoing dedication to providing clients with top-tier performance marketing services, complementing their existing offerings in PPC, Paid Social, and Digital PR.

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The UK’s largest independent provider of NextGen Self Storage, Flexiss Group, has made two new appointments.

Ian Johnson

Steve Wells joins the company as Director of Operations and Ian Johnson has been recruited as Head of Sales and Resources. The two join the company from Lok’nStore which announced that it had been acquired by Belgian rival, Shurgard, in August in a deal worth £387m. The two new employees boast 28 years of experience at Lok’nStore and were instrumental in building growth there prior to its acquisition. Being recruited by Flexiss Group is seen as a significant coup for the business.

Steve served almost 14 years with Lok’nStore latterly as Head of Operations, with responsibility for 45 UK stores, and before that, as Business Support Manager and Regional Manager. Prior to moving into self-storage, Steve worked in retail for Orange, the telecommunications provider, on their store rollout plans for five years and as a Store Manager for Blacks Leisure Group earlier in his career.  Steve will work between Salisbury and the Handforth office in Cheshire.

Ian’s 14 years at Lok’nStore, were eight years as Regional Manager and just under six years as Multi Site Manager. Prior to joining Lok’nStore, Ian worked as a Branch Manager for Lloyds Banking Group. Ian will be based between Northampton and the Handforth office where the company has 15+  professional staff and it employs 80 people in total across the business.

Steve Wells

Steve and Ian will work alongside Commercial Director, Paul Whittaker; Finance Director, Jonty Hall and co-founders Mike Wilson and Andy Wood.

Commenting on the appointments, Co-Founder of Flexiss Group, Mike Wilson said: “Steve and Ian’s combined 28 years in the self-storage industry will significantly support our aspiration to grow our number of stores in the UK to 50 in the next five years. Their agreement to join Flexiss Group is somewhat of a coup for us as our senior leadership team now holds probably the most combined experience of any of our competitors.”

Flexiss group is the only independent platform that can take an investment through from site identification, planning, construction, development, management and exit on behalf of a funding institution. Some funds choose long term holds (10 years or more) whilst others work on a short-, medium- or long-term cycle from 12 months up to five years.

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