People: North West Business Leadership Team; Foot Anstey; K3; LaSalle Advisory; Landwood; GSC Grays; Slater Heelis
Kirsty Rogers and Nicholas Dobbs have been appointed to the North West Business Leadership Team’s board of directors, while Joëlle Warren MBE has been made the NWBLT’s first-ever female Life President.
Kirsty Rogers is the Chief Sustainability Officer for DWF, a global legal business committed to responsible business and with its roots in the North West. Kirsty is a member of DWF’s Executive Board and has responsibility for the firm’s ESG and Sustainability Strategy, ensuring that it is operationalised across the business with the purpose of delivering a positive outcome with colleagues, clients and communities.
Nicholas Dobbs is head of Grosvenor Rural Estates – part of Grosvenor, the international organisation whose activities also span urban property, food and agtech and support for philanthropic initiatives – which is responsible for the long-term stewardship of three UK rural estates, including Cheshire and Lancashire. Through his role, which also includes head of the Grosvenor Family Office – that is responsible for the management of operational and advisory support services – Nicholas leads the organisation’s contribution to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the communities where it operates and is integral to its business presence in Chester and the wider region.
NWBLT’s chair, Simone Peppi, said: “Joëlle has worked tirelessly to improve inclusion in North West businesses since she began her journey with the NWBLT. This natural progression is great news for us as an organisation and the North West as we seek to improve representation across the region.”
Speaking about the two new board appointments, she said: “The expertise that they will bring with them, in the legal sector and the land management sector respectively, will be vital as we seek to continue supporting the North West’s economic growth. We are excited for their positive impact on our mission.”
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Melanie McGuirk
Law firm Foot Anstey has hired Melanie McGuirk as a Partner in its Manchester office. She joins from Pannone.
Her appointment is part of the firm’s broader strategy to strengthen its intellectual property (IP) capabilities, following the recruitment of Ben Travers as a partner in September 2024.
Melanie is described as “a standout litigator and trusted expert” in resolving disputes for clients relating to intellectual property, acting for major retailers and clients in the fashion, manufacturing and creative industries, helping to protect their brands, product designs and commercial know-how.
The investment in Foot Anstey’s IP team, serving “innovators and household names” is designed to help grow the firm’s presence in Manchester.
Commenting on her arrival, Melanie said: “Foot Anstey’s ambitious growth aspirations make this an exciting move for me. I’m looking forward to joining the team and building on their success, as well as helping drive growth in Manchester. This is an incredible opportunity to deliver successful results for clients with an exceptionally talented team.”
Ashley Avery, Partner and Head of Commercial, Tech & Data said: “Manchester is a vibrant city, with a rich culture and heritage of businesses built on IP. As a key hub for so many industries, including content creation and media, the city is a key focus for our ambitious IP growth strategy, and we’re thrilled to have Melanie join us there with her wealth of experience.”
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Bolton-based K3 Capital Group has appointed Michael Cauter as its new Group CEO.
He was most recently joint COO at Kroll, itself a PE-backed global professional services firm with over 6,500 employees across 35 countries and which was last valued at $4.2bn in 2020.
John Rigby, Group Executive Chairman of K3 Capital Group, said: “In his new role at K3, Michael will be focused on helping us to grow and scale by driving digital transformation across the group, alongside maximising the potential of our existing channels and helping to integrate new opportunities to diversify and scale.”
In addition, Dean Cox has been made the Group’s new Corporate Development Director.
Dean has worked in the corporate finance industry for 15 years across a variety of disciplines, more recently in private equity at Maven Capital Partners and Radius Payment Solutions, a global multi-disciplinary business services company.
John Rigby said: “Dean brings a further dimension to our team and a huge amount of ‘deal doing’ experience from his previous roles. He will be responsible for driving and executing the buy-and-build strategy across our new and existing divisions.”
K3 recently launched its fourth service division, Technology Solutions, with the acquisition of Pinnacle, the UK’s No.1 reseller of Sage ERP and accounting systems into the SME market. K3’s other service divisions are Business Sales, Tax and Restructuring.
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James Morris has left his job as Investment director at LDC after 9 years to join LaSalle Advisory as a director.
He said: “I’m really excited to transition from the buy side to sell side and collaborate with our clients to unlock and maximise the value in their businesses.’
Prior to joining LDC he worked at Grant Thornton, and before that was head of research at 3i in Manchester, where he worked for 11 years.
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Left to right: Richard Parkinson, Helen Jude, John Bevan, Mark Bailey
John Bevan has joined the advisory board of Manchester-based property business Landwood Group.
He has more than 35 years’ experience in banking and commercial finance and was most recently Managing Director of Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance.
His previous roles included UK Managing Director of Trade and Working Capital division of Barclays Bank PLC. He was also chairman of the Asset Based Finance Association.
John said: “I’m looking forward to working with Landwood Group and in particular the management team who I’ve known for many years.
“Landwood’s growth in the year since their management buyout has been very impressive and I look forward to supporting the business in 2025 and beyond.”
Mark Bailey, Partner at Landwood Group, said: “We are very proud to welcome John to the Landwood Group.
“A highly respected player in the commercial finance sector, John’s considerable expertise and market knowledge will make a real contribution to our growth plans over the coming years.”
Based in Manchester, Landwood Group are chartered surveyors, asset managers and auctioneers that provide an unrivalled service across property and plant and machinery assets.
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GSC Grays, the rural land and property specialists, has appointed three new directors, James Bush, Rachel Morris, and Sam Cole.
Guy Coggrave, Managing Director, welcomed the appointments and said: “This is an exciting phase of our expansion, and we are delighted to add the talents and experience of James, Rachel, and Sam to strengthen and support our management team.
“With over 140 employees across nine offices, we remain focused on delivering bespoke, high quality service and innovative advice across sectors including land, farming, property management, planning, renewables, and environmental management.”
As well as being promoted to director, James Bush is taking on the role of Vice Chair of the Farm Business Board. He joined GSC Grays in February 2023, bringing over 17 years of experience managing farming and sporting estates in North Yorkshire.
James supports clients with business reviews, budgeting and cashflows, stewardship and capital grant applications, and in hand farm management advice.
Rachel, who is based in the Colburn office near Richmond, is head of valuations working across the North of England and her areas of expertise also includes secured lending, tax planning, taxation purposes (IHT / CGT), partnership / matrimonial disputes, pension funds and potential acquisitions.
After graduating from Harper Adams University in 2012, Rachel joined the GSC Grays agency department at the Barnard Castle office, transitioning to the General Practice team in 2016. She became an RICS member and Registered Valuer in 2018
Sam joined the GSC Grays Estate and Sporting Management team after graduating from Harper Adams University in 2018. A Chartered Surveyor and Fellow of CAAV, he manages estates in Northern England and specialises in upland properties.
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Clare King
Law firm Slater Heelis has appointed Clare King as its new Head of the Court of Protection team. She will lead the firm’s efforts in providing advice and support in a broad spectrum of Court of Protection and Personal Injury Trust matters.
Speaking on her appointment, Clare said, “I am truly excited to take on the role of Head of Court of Protection at Slater Heelis. This is a critical area of law, and I look forward to working with our clients and partners to provide practical solutions and ensure that individuals facing some of the most difficult challenges in life receive the care and support they deserve.”
Her appointment strengthens the firm’s reputation as a leader in Court of Protection and Personal Injury Trust services, and she is eager to contribute to the continued success and growth of the team.
She worked for 18 years at Clarion and for the last two years was with Legal Studio Solicitors.
Rachel Fletcher, Managing Partner at Slater Heelis added: “It’s fantastic to have Clare on board bringing experience and knowledge that clients and fellow employees alike are sure to benefit from. Our Court of Protection team combines expert knowledge with genuine empathy to protect and care for its clients and Clare exudes this ethos making her a perfect fit for the team culture.”
