People: Pannone Corporate; One Agency Media; Opus; Studio LWD; Apadmi; Hydes; Deloitte

Sarah Jane-Roper

Pannone Corporate has appointed a new Head of Finance to its Manchester team, as part of ambitious growth plans.

Sarah-Jane Roper joins the law firm from the University of Manchester. As Head of Finance, she was responsible for three cultural institutions, Manchester Museum, Whitworth Art Gallery and Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement, as well as Manchester University Press. Prior to that, she worked in internal audit across 12 universities for 10 years.

The Chartered Accountant, who’s been a ICAEW Fellow for more than 10 years, brings vast and varied experience to the role, including financial management, audit, compliance and taxation, as well as significant expertise in finance business partnering.

Paul Jonson, senior partner at Pannone, said: “Appointing someone of Sarah’s calibre is a major coup for Pannone. Her financial expertise and in-depth knowledge of the regional landscape will be hugely important to us as we enter the next phase of growth.”

Sarah’s appointment follows a trio of hires earlier this month. Emma Haymes joined the law firm as a senior associate in the dispute resolution team. She was joined by Sophie Adshead, who was appointed as an associate in the corporate team. Burak Demir completed the trio of appointments, joining as a solicitor in the real estate litigation team.

Sarah said: “Pannone is at an exciting stage in its growth journey, attracting real talent to create a strong team ethos, which strongly resonated with me.”

::

Sam Wyatt

One Agency Media has announced four new hires across its digital, creative, and client services teams following a succession of back-to-back client wins by the Manchester agency.

Sam Wyatt joins as Creative Designer from Arena Creative Design. Sam considers himself a design all-rounder working on branding, web, and printed materials, although he specialises in branded spaces and large format print.

Having finished an International Marketing Management degree with languages at Westminster Uni, Carolina Malko worked at Global for five years before joining One Agency’s client services team as its new Senior Account Manager. Carolina brings a natural creative flair, as well as extensive knowledge and experience to help secure new business, and nurture client relationships, both new and old.

Florence Ogunyoye

With experience at three of Manchester’s biggest agencies behind him, Max Brookes joins One Agency as Client Services Manager. Max loves all things OOH, but he’s especially focused on how channels that are traditionally ‘offline’ have moved into the ‘online’ world with the added layers of data and reporting.

Florence Ogunyoye has joined One Agency’s social media team as a Social Media Executive. Her breadth of skills includes social media management, creative writing, and strategy.

Rachel Gardiner joins the One Events team – One Agency’s sister company – as its new Brand Activation Manager.

::

Gary Lee

Having established it’s 14th office earlier this year, in Manchester, Opus has recruited Gary Lee as a new Partner to join Frank Ofonagoro in Manchester. Gary joins Opus after nearly 30 years at Begbies Traynor where he specialised in corporate insolvency and restructuring appointments.

He joins Opus alongside Frank Ofonagoro, who heads up the Manchester office, to raise the profile of the Opus brand with a local team that can deliver the full range of advisory services in Manchester and the wider area.

Gary said: “I am extremely excited to be joining Opus to help grow the Manchester office and join such a progressive and collegiate practice. The Opus name in the Restructuring & Insolvency market continues to go from strength to strength. I am looking forward to working alongside Frank and Jamie, adding my complimentary skills to a team that has already established itself in such a short space of time.”

Jamie Maddox recently joined the team as Associate Director at Opus with 14 years’ restructuring and insolvency experience. He said: “I was attracted to Opus because of the opportunity to be part of a team that is building a new dedicated office in Manchester.”

Opus now has three offices in the North West, all headed by local Partners.

Frank Ofonagoro said: “The need for financial advisory support continues to evolve in Manchester and that requires experienced individuals to help business owners who continue to mitigate their way through challenging times. The expertise that both Gary and Jamie bring is invaluable to our plans for Manchester and our ability to further support the business community.”

Tim Dolder, Managing Partner at Opus, said: “It is fantastic to establish such a strong team in Manchester, in such a short space of time.”

::

Em Maylor

Branding and design agency, Studio LWD, has appointed Em Maylor in the role of Creative Lead as a part of its continued growth and expansion, working with clients across the North West and the UK.

Em brings expertise including illustration, animation, and graphic design from various in-house, agency and freelance roles, with significant experience working on projects that promote diversity and inclusion.

On joining Poulton-le-Fylde-based Studio LWD, Em said: “I’m thrilled to be part of such a dynamic and growing team. Studio LWD has an exceptional reputation for its innovative approach to branding and design, and I’m excited to contribute to projects that push boundaries and create meaningful impact.”

Founder and creative director, Laura Weldon, said: “Em’s creativity and dedication align perfectly with our mission to deliver strategic and visually stunning branding solutions. Em’s diverse skill-set of design, illustration and animation will be a fantastic addition to our growing creative team.”

::

Paul Brennan

Salford Quays-based Apadmi has appointed experienced business leader Paul Brennan as its Chair of the board to support the digital product consultancy’s continued growth into Europe.

Paul brings a proven track record in technology having started out at IBM, followed by sales and leadership roles in several software companies before overseeing numerous funding rounds, acquisitions and exits in more than 20 years of experience as a Chair.

Apadmi CEO and co-founder, Garry Partington, said: “As we continue our journey of expansion, Paul’s depth of knowledge in steering organisations through organic and acquisition growth will be invaluable. The potential for mobile platforms and experiences continues to gather pace and we’re excited about what comes next.”

Apadmi’s HQ is in Manchester’s Media City with offices in Edinburgh and Amsterdam and having taken investment from private equity firm CBPE last year, the company continues to build on its European presence and scale into new services and territories.

Paul Brennan said: “I am thrilled to be joining Apadmi at such a key time for the company, The team has done a fantastic job in creating a business which is leading the way in mobile. Its engineering and digital product expertise is helping to unlock value for clients in a variety of sectors and I’m looking forward to supporting that onward journey.”

::

Jordan Nolan

North West brewery and pub retailer, Hydes, has appointed an experienced general manager to run a popular community pub in Stockport.

Salford-based Hydes has recruited Jordan Nolan to head up the team at The Nursery Inn, which has reopened following a £250,000 refurbishment. 

With more than 12 years of hospitality experience across Greater Manchester and the North West, Jordan previously managed pubs in Chorlton and Manchester city centre for a rival pub company.

The popular pub is of important cultural and historical significance, having been the first headquarters of Stockport County AFC, when the club’s ground was nearby in the late 1800s on the site of the pub’s bowling green.

Jordan said: “I know The Nursery Inn very well so the chance to run such a key hub for the local community is a major opportunity for me to further my career with Hydes. Working in busy community pubs for the past decade has served me well, including operating under the most challenging conditions the hospitality industry has ever faced.

“With some fresh ideas of my own and a real passion for quality cask ale, I’m hoping to replicate the success I’ve had in my previous pubs to ensure The Nursery Inn is equally successful.”

Managing director of Hydes Brewery, Adam Mayers, said: “Jordan is a first class manager with lots of energy and enthusiasm and the perfect fit for The Nursery Inn.”

::

Deloitte has welcomed 118 new people to its graduate, BrightStart apprenticeship and industrial placement programmes in Manchester and Liverpool.

The latest cohort in the Manchester office also represents the largest intake of graduates and apprentices outside London, as the firm’s North West practice continues to grow at pace and invest in the next generation of talent.

The new recruits will work across Deloitte’s four business areas: Audit & Assurance; Tax & Legal; Strategy, Risk & Transactions Advisory; and Technology & Transformation.

Earlier this year, Deloitte’s North West practice also welcomed 81 young people through its ASPIRE and Summer Vacation Scheme programmes. Aimed at giving young people in sixth form and university the chance to gain real world experience, the programmes help to open up future career paths for ambitious individuals.

Jo Ahmed, practice senior partner for Deloitte in the North West, said: “Each year we help kickstart people’s careers through our apprenticeship programmes and graduate roles and this year we’re thrilled to welcome 118 ambitious new starters. Shaping the next generation of talent is incredibly important to us as a firm, providing fulfilling careers for young people and creating new job opportunities here in the North West.”

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close