People: Northstone; BDO; Plus Dane; Maguire Family Law; Sedulo Group; Gateley Legal; Electricity North West; Pixel Kicks
Homebuilder, Northstone, has appointed Lauren Kaye as its new Head of Creative and Marketing.
Lauren, who graduated from Nottingham Trent in 2016 joins the team with more than six years of experience in the property industry having spent time at Capital & Centric and most recently a placemaking and wayfinding agency working on towns and large projects around cities.
Lauren said: “I’m genuinely excited about the product Northstone is creating. This belief in the quality and innovation of our homes makes my job easier because I’m marketing something I believe in and I’m looking forward to
putting my expertise to the test and to continue learning and growing with Northstone”
Anita Jolley, Sales and Marketing Director at Northstone, which is part of Manchster-based Peel, said: “I have actually had the privilege or working with Lauren previously and so I know first-hand what a valuable addition to the team she is.
“We have ambitious growth plans with a team that are all at the top of their game and so this is an exciting time for Lauren to be joining the team.”
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Simon Wood
Accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO, has strengthened its tax team with the appointment of Simon Wood as partner in its Manchester office.
Wood specialises in transfer pricing, which further enhances BDO’s international credentials and experience of working across global markets from the region. He will lead this initiative for the wider North tax practice working with colleagues across the Midlands, North West, North East and Scotland.
He joins from HMRC where he was an international tax specialist, primarily leading large and complex transfer pricing enquiries. Before that he spent 15 years at PwC where he developed his transfer pricing specialism.
Angela Cross, Regional Managing Partner at BDO in the North West, said: “As a firm, we’re committed to investing in our people and the regions. Appointing someone with Simon’s expertise is testament to our strategy to provide the best advice from local experts across all disciplines to businesses based in the North.”
Simon said: “My goal is to help clients navigate their transfer pricing requirements, understand the associated risks and expectations, while achieving their ultimate ambitions. I look forward to working with colleagues and clients to build out this part of our business.”
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Max Steinberg
Max Steinberg has been appointed the incoming chair of Plus Dane Housing.
He will succeed current chair, Sir Peter Fahy, in March 2025.
Sir Peter, the former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, has been chair of Plus Dane’s board since 2016 and will step down next spring at the end of his nine-year tenure in line with the organisation’s governance policy and procedures.
Max has now joined the board as Senior Independent Director/Chair Designate as part of succession planning before taking the helm next year.
A well known business leader in Merseyside, he has a wealth of senior experience across the regeneration, innovation, health, culture and housing sectors.
The former head of Liverpool Vision, Max has served as chair on the boards of a number of organisations throughout his career, including Riverside Housing, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and The ACC Liverpool Group.
Max is currently the Chair of the Shakespeare North Playhouse and Chair of The Walton Centre Foundation Trust Hospital Board and has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Merseyside since 2020.
He said: “It is exciting for me to return to an organisation and a sector that has meant so much to me in my career. I look forward to working with the board and beginning my role as chair next year.”
Ian Reed, chief executive of Plus Dane said: “We have been incredibly fortunate to have had Sir Peter as chair of our board over the last nine years, and I thank him for his tenure, which has guided Plus Dane through transformation, significant challenges and positive change.”
Sir Peter Fahy said: “When I joined Plus Dane almost nine years ago it was going through challenging times. Together the executive team, board members and colleagues have worked to overcome the challenges, and we now have robust finances, a balance of investing in new homes and existing ones and a strong social purpose focused on the welfare of our customers.”
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Simon Lovitt
Manchester and Cheshire-based divorce and family law firm, Maguire Family Law, has appointed a new solicitor to join its growing Manchester city centre team.
Simon Lovitt has joined the firm having recently qualified as a family law solicitor. Completing his training at a Legal 500 Tier 1 family department at a law firm based in Leeds and Bristol, Simon brings his experience in dealing with all aspects of relationship breakdown to his new role.
He said: “Joining Maguire Family Law is an exciting opportunity to learn from a highly regarded, knowledgeable team and build on my experience in a supportive environment.”
To further aid its expansion, the firm has also purchased a building on Manchester Road in Wilmslow which it plans to turn into its latest office.
Managing Director, James Maguire, said; “Wilmslow is where the business began back in 2010, and we have built up a client base and professional community there over the last 14 years. When the building came on the market, we recognised it as an ideal investment for the business and space for our new office and we look forward to welcoming clients and team members once it is refurbished.”
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Billy Green
Sedulo Group has appointed Billy Green as the new Managing Partner for the Manchester Office.
His appointment is the first of a number of expected senior appointments, as the group builds the infrastructure to take it beyond the £30m plan, and within the Top 40 Accountancy Firms in the UK.
Much of Billy’s previous experience is within industry. He was previously the CEO of Beauty Brand London Lash, FD of The Hut Group’s Beauty Division, which includes Look Fantastic and Glossy Box, and Finance Manager at Pretty Little Thing.
He will be tasked with growing the Manchester office, based on Deansgate with current revenues of circa £8m and 80 advisors, to double in size over the next three years in line with overall group strategy.
Founder, Paul Cheetham-Karcz, said: “This is a strategic step forward for us for a couple of reasons. Firstly it’s our first ever dedicated territory managing partner and that brings with it all sorts of exciting opportunities. Secondly, Billy’s experience is important.
“Billy brings with him huge experience in working in some of the fastest growing retail, and e-commerce brands in the UK, it’s vital knowledge for us to pass on to our ever-growing, exciting, client base.”
Billy Green said: “It’s a real pleasure to be joining Sedulo Group. It’s an exciting time to join and I’m looking forward to being part of the team pushing to achieve our ambitions.
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New starters
Gateley Legal has bolstered its Manchester office with the addition of 13 newly qualified lawyers, trainees, and graduate solicitor apprentices.
The six newly qualified lawyers include Hannah Schofield and Daisy Stewart (commercial dispute resolution), Lucy Collins (commercial), Katie Brown and Harry Davies (corporate), and Charlotte Hall (employment). They are part of 22 newly qualified solicitor appointments recently made by Gateley Legal across its UK offices.
The Manchester office has also awarded training contracts to Anna Harper, Bethany Stilborn, Jack Wooldridge, Sam Dalton, and Rebecca Lakhani, bringing the total number of Manchester legal trainees to 11. In addition, Beth Wardle and Henry Wilson have joined the Manchester office as its first graduate solicitor apprentices. Over the next two years, they will rotate through four six-month
seats across a number of specialist practice areas.
Joint heads of the Manchester office, Stuart Evans and Hayley Sullivan, welcomed the new recruits. Stuart Evans who is Gateley Legal’s national Training Principal, said: “All six newly qualified lawyers were outstanding trainees, and we are delighted that they have decided to pursue their careers with Gateley Legal.”
Hayley Sullivan said: “I am particularly excited to welcome our first graduate solicitor apprentices in Manchester. We believe it’s really important to open up the profession to talented young people from all backgrounds, and our apprenticeship programme offers the perfect alternative route into the profession for talented young people.”
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New apprentices
Stockport-based power network operator, Electricity North West, is celebrating its highest intake of apprentices since launching a dedicated programme in 2017.
Forty apprentices from across the region have now embarked on a three-year journey which will see them train to become specialists, keeping power flowing across the region for years to come.
Rachael Parr, Electricity North West’s people and corporate services director, said: “Providing the critical infrastructure and the people that the region needs underpins long term green growth. I’m excited to welcome our new apprentices to the business to start their journey.”
Later this year, Electricity North West will re-open its window for hiring and anyone interested is encouraged to register for early updates.
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James Knowles and Eve Gilbert
Pixel Kicks, the Manchester based full-service digital agency, has appointed two new members to the team and has announced a newly promoted digital marketing executive.
James Knowles is the agency’s latest web developer. In his new role, James will play a key role in the building of new websites as well as the maintenance of existing sites for the agency’s roster of clients which spans the healthcare, education, professional services, technology, medical research, hospitality and leisure sectors.
James has extensive experience in a variety of different CMS and languages. He has previously worked at Factory Pattern and Toolkit Websites.
The second new starter is Eve Gilbert who has joined as a digital marketing apprentice. Eve holds a degree in English Literature and has previously worked in hospitality management – a role that included some social media coordination. At Pixel Kicks, she will be planning and creating content for her clients’ social channels, copywriting and helping to drive SEO optimisation.
Alongside the two new starters, Molly Barton has been promoted to digital marketing executive after completing her year long apprenticeship. Her role encompasses SEO, PPC and social media projects as well client content shoots.
James said: “Pixel Kicks has a great culture and a broad range of clients – both of which really appealed to me. I am now looking forward to kick starting my career into its newest phase.”
Eve said: “Having the chance to work at a dynamic digital agency is an exciting opportuning and one that I wasn’t going to pass up.”
MD, Chris Buckley, said: “It’s fantastic to welcome James and Eve. Both have started to make their mark and are already adding value.
“Since Molly joined us last year, she has thrived and has become an integral and respected part of the team.”
