People: Salford Uni; Miller Homes; Castle Green Homes; RiskSmart; Weightmans; MC Construction; Wild Boar Estate; HHIB
BAFTA winner and veteran filmmaker, Anna Hall, has been named an Honorary Professor at the University of Salford.
Anna, who is Chief Creative Officer and the Founder of Leeds-based Candour Productions, will be supporting the university and students on the MA Documentary Production for TV, Film and Digital Media course.
A celebrated documentarian, Anna has been making films for nearly 30 years, has been nominated for seven BAFTA awards and is the only woman ever to be nominated in two consecutive years for the Best Factual Director Award at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards.
Her BAFTA win came in 2023 for the true crime series Libby, Are You Home Yet? (2022) which followed the disappearance and murder of university student, Libby Squire.
Anna recently met the current cohorts of students on the programme at the university’s MediaCity campus as she was named an Honorary Professor.
She said: “I loved talking to the students at the University of Salford. We had a really interesting and engaging discussion about the ethics of documentary making, how we treat our contributors with integrity and sensitivity and navigate hugely difficult legal issues.
“I feel very encouraged about the next generation of fantastic documentary makers coming out of Salford.”
Maire Tracey, Programme Leader for MA Documentary Production for TV, Film and Digital Media, said: “We are thrilled to have Anna as our new Honorary Professor. Her documentaries are films everyone should watch. This is a great opportunity for our students and it was wonderful to hear about her work.”
Anna is well-known across the UK film and television industry for her groundbreaking Channel 4 documentary Edge of the City (2004) which followed Bradford Social Services and the award-winning The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs (2013).
Her most recent work is The Push: Murder on the Cliff, a series for Channel 4 which is the inside story of a murder trial in Edinburgh, Scotland where a man was accused of pushing his wife from a hillside to her death. Anna was the series director and executive producer of the programme which was received to critical acclaim.
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Liz Percival
Miller Homes has appointed Liz Percival as Senior Land Manager for its North West division.
Liz joins the team with more than a decade of industry experience and a strong background in land acquisition, planning, and strategic development.
Liz’s journey in the housing industry began in 2013 as a Sales Adviser with David Wilson Homes. After transitioning to land roles and gaining experience at notable organisations like Himor (Wain Estates), Taylor Wimpey Manchester, and Bellway North West, Liz brings valuable expertise and insight to her new role at Miller Homes.
She said: “I am thrilled to join Miller Homes, where I’ll have the opportunity to work alongside Land Director John Hardy and help build a new land team for the North West region. I’m excited to bring my experience to a company so dedicated to growth, innovation, and sustainability in the region.”
Stuart Craig, Managing Director of Miller Homes North West, said: “Her proven track record and expertise will undoubtedly strengthen our land department, and we look forward to achieving further successes under her leadership.”
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David McAffrey
Castle Green Homes has welcomed David McCaffrey in the new role of data analyst to support expansion, based at its Preston Brook office.
David, 27, from Liverpool, said: “My first project with Castle Green was working with the finance director and CEO Gwyn Jones on the new business plan and the five-year forecast. It was really beneficial as it gave me an overview of where the company is at and what it’s aiming for.”
David began his career as a business analyst for investment banking firm JP Morgan in London. He’s also worked for QVC in customer experience analytics and business intelligence within social housing.
Castle Green is currently operating across North Wales, Cheshire and the Liverpool City Region, but is looking to expand the geographic spread of the sites it develops to include Greater Manchester, North Staffordshire and North Shropshire.
David’s line manager is systems manager, Dave Nicholls. He said: “David demonstrated the ideal level of ability in the areas that we were looking to improve, with experience from a number of industry sectors, proving his adaptability. Coupled with his professional ‘can-do’ attitude, he was a perfect fit for the role and the wider team.
“His skillset complements that of the existing team, meaning we now have a diverse range of abilities in-house to handle the various IT and data needs of the business.”
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Derek Steele
RiskSmart, a Manchester-based RegTech scale-up, has added Derek Steele and Jennifer Geary to its board of directors. The appointments come as the company continues its rapid expansion, having more than doubled its customer base over the past 12 months.
Its customers now include prominent names such as retail giant ASOS, the UK’s fastest growing fintech, Allica Bank, global law firm, DLA Piper, and others.
Derek Steele is the founder and former CEO of Mobysoft, the ‘Queen’s Award’-winning tech business he grew from a start-up to a £10m+ ARR SaaS company, serving more than 150 customers. He oversaw a minority sale to Livingbridge in 2017 and quadrupled the company’s valuation before stepping back following a majority sale to ECI in 2020.
Derek remains on the Mobysoft Board and advises other fast growing businesses.
Jennifer Geary
Jennifer Geary brings more than 25 years of leadership experience as a Managing Director, Chief Operations Officer (COO), and Chief Risk Officer (CRO), spanning operations, risk, and technology.
Her career includes senior roles in financial services and non-profit organisations, with a focus on driving operational excellence.
At RiskSmart, Geary and Steele will leverage their expertise in scaling SaaS companies, governance, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
RiskSmart’s founder, Ryan Swann, said: “Jennifer and Derek’s combined expertise in risk and compliance, alongside their proven track record of driving growth and building competitive SaaS businesses, will be instrumental as we execute our vision and scale globally.”
Geary said: “I’m thrilled to join RiskSmart at such a pivotal moment. The team’s clear vision for revolutionising risk management aligns perfectly with my own commitment to transforming the way businesses approach this critical area.”
Steele said: “RiskSmart’s innovative solutions simplify complex processes, aligning perfectly with my passion for driving meaningful change through technology.”
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Kieran Jones
Liverpool-based national law firm, Weightmans, has acquired a new travel insurance team, following a period of strong financial growth and huge increase in aviation and cross-border work.
Specialising in travel-related litigation and claims, the team is led by a trio brought in from Crawford Legal Services and includes Victoria Edwards, a legal director with nearly 20 years’ experience in casualty claims.
The move is the third in a string of similar team acquisitions over the past 18 months and comes after Weightmans’ insurance law practice posted eight per cent year-on-year fee growth in its last financial year (FY to April 2024).
Kieran Jones, head of insurance and partner at Weightmans, said: “A new government, new regulation, increasing cross-border complexity and ever more prevalent AI-enabled fraud means both the insurance and travel landscapes are only getting more challenging. It’s essential that advisors to the sector like us respond to that, expanding our areas of specialism and deepening our offering to reflect this ever more nuanced environment.”
Alongside the new travel practice, Weightmans brought in a new sport liability insurance team in 2023, headed up by catastrophic injury specialist and partner, Philip Tracey.
In mid-2023, the firm also acquired Pierre Thomas Law, a specialist provider of legal advice on international claims and the defence of accident claims throughout Europe.
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Russ Forshaw
MC Construction, based in Salford, has recruited Dave Orrell as its head of design.
Dave has more than 17 years’ experience in the construction industry, having previously worked as a senior design manager, site manager, senior engineer and site engineer.
He has a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering and Construction Management and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building. Before joining MC Construction, he was a senior design manager at Galliford Try, where he was involved in a variety of multimillion-pound public and private sector projects.
Dave Orrell
Managing director, Russ Forshaw, said the new role bolsters MC Construction’s ability to meet the needs of its client base at a time of rapid change for the industry.
He said: “We understand the need to adapt to the changing market and provide tailored solutions for clients on increasingly complex projects. Dave has a proven track record of implementing innovative design processes on major projects, and his appointment enables us to put a greater emphasis on sustainability, modern methods of construction and efficiency.”
Dave said: “I like the culture, values and atmosphere at MC Construction. It’s a family business with a close-knit team, and I’m excited to take up this new role.”
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Eleanor Bardon and Daniel Winstanley
A rural Lake District hotel has recruited a former psychology student to train as a chef and pursue a career in hospitality.
Eleanor Bardon has given up the text books to take up an ‘earn-as-you-learn’ apprenticeship with English Lakes Hotels Culinary Academy at Wild Boar Estate near Windermere.
Eleanor, 21, has settled in Cumbria to pursue a career in hospitality having decided on a change of direction from her Psychology degree at the University of Leeds.
She said: “I’d worked in hospitality jobs before and always really enjoyed the close-knit team environment, working alongside others and helping guests feel at home – it gives me a real buzz. I’ve also always been a foodie and mad keen on cooking and so the idea of becoming chef quickly took root.”
Eleanor’s training programme with the English Lakes Hotels Resorts and Venues Culinary Academy offers her an apprenticeship to attain Level 2 Commis Chef and Level 3 Chef de Partie qualifications, as well as invaluable experience in the busy open kitchen at Wild Boar Estate’s restaurant, smokehouse and Brewhouse microbrewery.
Group training and development chef at English Lakes Hotels, Daniel Winstanley, who is a Masterchef of Great Britain, said: “Eleanor’s progress has been fantastic since she joined this year’s cohort of trainee chefs and she clearly has a strong affinity for hospitality and team working. She’s a real asset to the estate’s culinary team and her people skills and patience shine through.”
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HHIB business team
An independent insurance broker is expanding its business team to meet the demands of its growing client base.
H and H Insurance Brokers (HHIB) has recruited industry specialists and promoted from within its existing team to boost the services it provides for businesses.
The team of account executives, brokers and account handlers boast more than 80 years’ combined industry experience, and includes Kara Jenkinson, who will lead the business team as the firm’s Head of Commercial, and account executives Lee Sparrow and Ruth Wallbank.
Account handler, Tom McGaffin, commercial brokers Rachel Neile and Kirsty Glencross, and apprentice account executive Ellie Slack complete the team.
Kara, who joined HHIB earlier this year, said: “Our focus on providing a locally based service has seen our client base grow as more people look for a dedicated, personal service, rather than dealing with a faceless call centre.”
The move is a part of ongoing expansion plans for the Carlisle-based firm, which operates across the North of England, the Scottish Borders and Wales. In the past year it has taken on several new members of staff and opened a new office in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.
Paul Graham, HHIB Managing Director, said: “The expansion of the business team signals our intention to grow our client base across the business sector.”
HHIB has six regional offices in Durham, Northallerton, Hexham, Newtown St Boswells in the Scottish Borders, and Ruthin and Wrexham in North Wales, as well as its head office at Rosehill, Carlisle.
