People: Castle Green Homes; Trident Building Consultancy; Laker Vent Eng; Leasing Options; BNY; Weightmans; DSG
Building skills for the future talent, Castle Green Homes has welcomed management trainee Catrin Evans.
The 20-year-old recently joined the business on a rotational training programme.
Catrin is studying for a BA Business Management with a Year in Industry at the University of Liverpool. As part of her degree, she chose to complete a year in industry at Castle Green Homes.
Fellow student, Megan Roberts, recently completed Castle Green’s rotational training scheme and has returned to the University of Liverpool for the final year of her degree.
Catrin said: “Speaking with Megan gave me a good feeling about joining Castle Green as she had an excellent experience.”
She has a long standing interest in property and construction as her parents work in the industry. She said: “I’m unsure what career path I want to take after university, but the rotational scheme will hopefully give me a clear understanding of my options.
“I’ve started with the commercial team working alongside the quantity surveyors and buyers. I’ve enjoyed both areas and will then go onto the land department. I’m looking forward to learning about the processes involved before the company buys a site and starts building on it. I enjoyed studying marketing as part of my university course, so the sales and marketing department is the one I’m most interested in.”
Castle Green is headquartered in St Asaph, has an office at Preston Brook and live development sites across North Wales and the North West of England.
Chief executive, Gwyn Jones, said: “Housebuilding offers a wide variety of career opportunities and it’s imperative that we invest in young people so that they can help us deliver much needed new homes.”
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Cameron McMaster
A surveyor from Trident Building Consultancy’s Liverpool office has been promoted to the company’s senior team.
Cameron McMaster, who works at the office in Castle Chambers, Castle Street, has been appointed to Associate Director from the role of Principal Surveyor.
Cameron joined Trident Building Consultancy’s London office in 2018, qualifying a year later, and also worked at the business’s Leeds office before settling in Liverpool.
He specialises in a range of services including fire risk appraisals of external walls for buildings up to 18m in height, technical due diligence reporting, and contract administration, and sits on the fire consultancy committee within the business.
Cameron said: “As an EOT, Trident is owned by its employees which means it is managed very much with our people in mind. This, we believe, is the secret to the business’s ongoing success.”
Dan Roe, Managing Director of Trident Building Consultancy, said: “We are extremely fortunate at Trident Building Consultancy in that we have a great track record of recruiting and retaining talent.
“This is helped by being an EOT, meaning everyone who works at the business has a hand in making key decisions and shares in our financial success.”
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Tom Ventre
Tom Ventre, Managing Director of Laker Vent Engineering, will be driving skills forward as the new Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) Regional Chair for North West England.
The ECITB appoints Regional Chairs to ensure the needs of employers in that region are represented in decisions around skills and workforce development programmes and enable the industry-led organisation to forge closer connections to businesses in those regions.
Tom follows in his father’s footsteps, having taken over the position of ECITB Regional Chair of North West England from his father, Paul Ventre, who held the post for seven years.
Tom joined the family business, Laker Vent Engineering, in 2000 after completing A-levels and began a project engineering training programme alongside a BTEC and HNC in mechanical engineering.
Laker Vent, based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, has provided piping and mechanical services across a range of industries for more than 60 years.
ECITB Chief Executive, Andrew Hockey, welcomed Tom, saying: “His experience and passion will be a massive asset to drive forward the skills agenda, building better connections with client and contractor companies across the regions and being part of the solutions to overcome skills gaps.
“I would like to take the opportunity to thank Paul Ventre for his contribution to driving forward skills during his tenure.”
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Laura Woodward and Mike Thompson
Leasing Options, the Manchester-based car leasing firm, has appointed Laura Woodward as Group Finance Director.
Laura, from Blackburn, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. As Group Finance Director, Laura will oversee the finance department and play a pivotal role in leading strategic financial planning for the business. Initially she will be working with the CFO and team on system improvements and future proofing.
Laura said: “The opportunity to join such a forward-thinking and dynamic company at a time of significant growth was incredibly appealing. I’m excited to contribute to its continued success and to work alongside such a talented team to help shape the next phase of its journey.”
Karin Butschok, Chief Finance Officer, said: “Laura’s appointment aligns with our aims to implement new policies and procedures where necessary, ensuring robust financial practices that will support the company’s continued growth. I look forward to adding her experience and knowledge to the finance function.”
Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Laura to the team. Her exceptional track record and deep understanding of financial operations make her the ideal choice to lead our finance department. Her leadership will be instrumental as we continue to scale the business and pursue our ambitious goals.”
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Nikki O’Sullivan
The University of Salford’s Business School has appointed BNY (The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation) Manchester’s Chief of Staff, Nikki O’Sullivan, to its Industry Advisory Board.
As a board member, Nikki will help to develop the next generation of talent entering the workforce, while driving graduate employability and supporting innovation.
With an impressive career under her belt, Nikki will bring with her several years of experience in management, leadership, operations and business strategy from her time in recruitment, HR and finance, namely at the helm of BNY’s Manchester site.
Nikki’s focus will centre on futureproofing the workforce, by joining forces with the university to help plug the region’s skills gap through industry collaboration.
In her new role, Nikki wants to focus on further improving the employability of students.
She said: “Making a positive impact in the communities in which we live and work is an important focus for BNY, so I jumped at the chance to join Salford Business School’s Industry Advisory Board to further drive our regional support and help nurture the critical skills required for the workforce of tomorrow.”
Salford Business School’s Industry Advisory Board comprises a group of experienced professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Kai Ojo, CEO of Planisware UK and Ireland, and Chair of Salford Business School’s Industry Advisory Board, said: “Nikki will be a fantastic addition to the board and we’re thrilled she will be helping to further elevate the school’s graduate employability and student success.”
Prof Francine Morris, Associate Dean for Enterprise and Engagement at Salford Business School, said: “With such an impressive career which has seen her champion community and inclusion, while making considerable contributions to progressing innovation, automation and efficiency, we know Nikki’s diverse and extensive skillset, combined with her vast experience in industry will play a pivotal role in helping to steer the direction of the school.”
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Kieran Jones (front centre) with insurance team
Liverpool-based national law firm Weightmans, has made a raft of hires in response to rapidly increasing demand for its insurance law practice, and a period of record growth.
The large loss team based in Manchester welcomes Luisa Lamb and Elizabeth Wallace, both of whom join from Clyde and Co, where they were partners in the catastrophic injury and large loss team. Their experience includes working on high value motor, employer’s and public liability matters, as well as catastrophic injury claims.
Mark Hastings joins from BTO Solicitors in Scotland, where he acted in high profile high value cases for big insurance brands. He is a tutor at University of Glasgow and also acts for the UK Government in Scottish litigation as a Standing Junior Counsel to the Office of the Advocate General in Scotland.
Adrian Marston is returning to Weightmans after a six-year stint at Clyde and Co. He was formerly partner at Weightmans between 2002 and 2018 and will now, as then, be based in Birmingham.
Elsewhere, Kerris Dale joins the large loss team in Weightmans’ Cardiff office as partner, also formerly of Clyde and Co.
The firm also welcomes six new legal directors including Victoria Edwards, a casualty claims advisor from Crawford Legal Services with 20 years’ experience, who will head up a specialist travel insurance team at Weightmans. It also announced the arrival of environmental liability lawyer, and partner, Aidan Thomson in September.
Kieran Jones, head of insurance and partner at Weightmans, said: “We’re constantly working to create a team that meets the ever-changing needs of clients in the complex modern world.”
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From left: Jacob Gumbs, Sophia Topham, Megan Carey, Will Corley, Lillian Tomley
North West advisory firm, DSG Chartered Accountants, has strengthened its audit capabilities with the addition of five new team members to its Corporate Business team.
The latest recruits include three graduates, Will Corley, Megan Carey, and Sophia Topman, who will embark on the Level 7 ACA Apprenticeship, as well as two school leavers, Jacob Gumbs and Lillian Tomley, who will begin the Level 3 AAR Apprenticeship.
All five will serve as Audit and Accounts Associates, joining DSG’s growing Corporate Business team, taking the team headcount to 43 and the firmwide total to 110.
The new starters will be based in DSG’s Liverpool office, helping provide a full suite of audit and accounting services tailored to each client’s needs.
The growth in its audit team follows a significant year for DSG, marked by its management buyout (MBO) in September.
Laura Leslie, partner at DSG, said: “As someone who started at DSG as a graduate, I’ve seen first hand how the support given to new starters here is industry-leading and crucial to setting a strong foundation for an accounting career. I’m excited to be part of their journeys.”
