People: AspinallVerdi; Northern Gritstone; Urban Chain; McBains; Cullimore Dutton; Zerum; Forever Manchester
Property regeneration consultants AspinallVerdi have appointed Leighanna O’Farrell as a consultant to serve public and private sector clients and projects in Greater Manchester and the wider north west of England.
Leighanna joins the growing consultancy from Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ‘Place’ programme, where she spent the past two years seconded to the development and regeneration team of Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (SMDC).
During her time in Stockport, she played a key role in supporting major residential and regeneration initiatives within Stockport’s £1bn town centre redevelopment.
Leighanna was assistant development manager at both Cheadle Eco Business Park and Stockport 8, the £250m residential development scheme set to deliver 1200 new homes, leisure amenities and green space
She is also about to complete an MSc in real estate and property management at the University of Salford.
Based in the North West office of AspinallVerdi at 1 Mann Island in Liverpool, she will work with associate director Tom Smith to primarily support public and private sector regeneration clients and projects in the Greater Manchester region.
Tom Smith also joined AspinallVerdi from Stockport Council and SMDC where as a development manager he led teams of consultants and contractors to progress regeneration schemes, successfully achieving full planning permission on key projects.
Tom said: “Leighanna brings extensive public sector expertise and a passion for driving impactful change. We’re excited to welcome her to the team and look forward to the contributions she will make to our private and public sector projects and clients in Greater Manchester and further afield.”
Founded in 2009 by executive chairman Atam Verdi and managing director Ben Aspinall, AspinallVerdi is an award-winning independent provider of property regeneration consultancy to clients in the public and private sectors now has a workforce of more than 30 at its headquarters in Leeds and offices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Liverpool, Birmingham and London.
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Eve Howarth
Northern Gritstone, the investment company focused on science and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England, and chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, has appointed Eve Howarth as Co-Investor and Capital Manager.
She joins from Lazard where she worked in its venture team. Her experience includes Assura’s £250m 20:80 joint venture with the Universities Superannuation Scheme, Pragmatic’s £182m Series D capital raise (the largest ever European semiconductor venture capital round) and Northern Gritstone’s £312m first close capital raise.
Eve will manage the relationships with Northern Gritstone’s growing co-investor community who are a key factor in building the North’s successful businesses of tomorrow and who have already supported Northern Gritstone’s 30 investments into early-stage companies.
Duncan Johnson CEO of Northern Gritstone said: “Eve has a capital raising background working on scaleups, joint ventures with some of the UK’s largest pension funds, as well as Northern Gritstone’s own initial £312 million fundraising.”
Eve Howarth Co-Investor and Capital Manager, Northern Gritstone said “I’m excited to join Northern Gritstone’s mission to support and grow ambitious science and deep tech companies in the North of England by building out relationships with our co-investor community.”
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Lee Stretton, CTO, UrbanChain
Lee Stretton has joined Urban Chain as their new Chief Technology Officer (CTO), just days after UrbanChain appointed KPMG to lead their current £50+ million Series B fundraise.
He boasts 25 years’ experience in tech and fintech and was recently CIO for Europe’s largest personal credit platform & API, Monevo. Prior to that role he was Managing Director of Raisin UK, a European fintech business backed by PayPal and Ribbit Ventures.
“UrbanChain’s energy matching platform has proved itself as revolutionary in the UK, with the company growing by more than 8,000% in the last year.
“As a technology company, I’ve joined UrbanChain to implement a technology strategy that will meet the requirements of the businesses growth plans both within the UK and to support our international expansion plans. It’s important that we have a unified tech solution to manage virtual power stations and optimise energy distribution, while ensuring fair prices for UrbanChain customers (generators and consumers),” he said.
Backed by investors including leading European investment group Eurazeo, UrbanChain customers include industrial and commercial companies, office buildings, data centres, local authorities, housing associations, industrial sites and hospitals.
Headcount at the CleanTech firm has increased from 10 to 75 while their leadership team boasts over 300 years of energy and technology business experience, scaling fast growth companies to exit.
UrbanChain Founder CEO Somayeh Taheri leads the company from BASE in Manchester Science Park and recently hired energy veteran Graeme Cooper to lead their US expansion.
“Our growing pipeline also includes EVs, electric heating systems and grid management,” said Somayeh, who saw UrbanChain collect four major awards during Deloitte’s coveted UK Technology Fast 50 ceremony last year.
“Lee joins after Deloitte named UrbanChain third fastest growing UK tech company. He brings a wealth of experience and is a crucial addition to our team.
“To achieve our global expansion ambitions we will support Lee by hiring more experts that will help us execute the technology roadmap.”
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Nick Gregory – McBains
Inter-disciplinary property and construction consultancy McBains has appointed Nick Gregory to head up its North-West project management operations. Nick joins McBains as a Director and will be based in the firm’s Manchester office on St James Square in the city’s central business and financial district.
A highly experienced project management director with an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the property, development and construction industry gained through working in a wide variety of sectors and client organisations, Nick has an exceptional track record in leading and managing project teams on high profile and complex projects.
Nick has over 30 years of experience in the built environment sector. He joins McBains from Cluttons, having previously held positions at the likes of Fulkers Bailey Russell, Lovell, Capita and Mace.
Board Director, Adrian Southgate, commented: “We’re delighted to have Nick on board. This is an exciting time of growth and opportunity for our Manchester office and we look forward to Nick leading the team into their next chapter”.
Nick added: “I’m thrilled to have joined McBains and can’t wait to put my skillset and experience into action working with the McBains Manchester team and clients old and new”.
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Sarah Davies, MD of Cullimore Dutton
Cheshire legal and financial services firm Cullimore Dutton has announced a series of changes within its senior leadership team.
Current Managing Director Andrew Wright becomes CEO with director and Head of Property Sarah Davies stepping up to Managing Director.
Fellow directors Adele Bebbington-Plant, Head of Private Client, and Brenda Spain, Head of Family, become Business Development Director and Client Relationship Director respectively alongside their existing roles.
They will be supported by fellow directors, Stuart Hill and Stephen Roberts.
The changes to the senior leadership team coincide the decision by Cullimore Dutton to focus on providing clients with a holistic range of personal legal and financial services covering Wills & Probate, Family & Divorce, Property and Financial Services. The firm is one of only a handful in the region to offer a combination of legal and financial services.
Cullimore Dutton, which moved to a new, 6,400 sq. ft. office in Newgate Street, Chester at the end of 2022, employs 55 lawyers, financial planners and support staff and has seen significant year-on-year growth for the last 5 years. The firm expects to increase headcount to over 70 in the next 18 months.
Andrew Wright said: “The promotions within the board of directors give us the right team in the right positions to drive the next stage of growth for Cullimore Dutton.
Andrew Wright
“After nine years as MD, I will now focus on the strategic growth of the business, looking at all appropriate opportunities including potential acquisitions that complement our existing service offering and geography.
“Sarah’s knowledge of Cullimore Dutton, leadership skills and attention to detail make her the ideal choice to take on the responsibility of MD, while we are also maximising the talents and skills of Adele and Brenda in their new roles.”
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Luke Bishop
Manchester and Leeds-based multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy Zerum Group is starting the new year on a high after securing several new transpenine clients and announcing two senior appointments.
Following project wins in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, Zerum’s expansion continues with the appointment of Pheobe Threlfall as associate director in planning and the promotion of Luke Bishop to projects director in the project management team.
Phoebe Threlfall
Nikki Sills, planning partner, said the addition of Phoebe strengthens its planning offering even further following several recent hires: “Phoebe has an excellent background in delivering and assisting on major mixed-use schemes, which will be of great value to our wide and varied client base in the North of England and beyond.”
Partner, Andrew Duffy, welcomed the promotion of Luke, saying it was in recognition for his hard work and dedication, specifically in leading the delivery of the prestigious St. Michael’s development in Manchester city centre.
“Luke’s promotion reflects our drive to reward leadership and professionalism that is crucial to ensure we maintain the highest standard across the Zerum businesses.”
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Tony Walsh
Forever Manchester, the Community Foundation for Greater Manchester, has appointed two new patrons: BBC presenter and broadcaster, Anna Jameson, and renowned Manchester poet, Tony Walsh.
Anna Jameson, who hails from Blackburn and now lives in Bury, is a prominent voice in Manchester’s media landscape. As the previous long-standing host of BBC Radio Manchester’s Breakfast Show and now a reporter for BBC North West Tonight,
Tony Walsh, a poet with a deep connection to Manchester, is known for his powerful performances and passionate advocacy for the city and its people. He has a long history of working with Forever Manchester, which originally commissioned his now famous ‘This is the Place Poem., which he donated for their sole use. His work has long been celebrated for its ability to unite and inspire, making him a perfect fit for Forever Manchester’s work.
Anna Jameson
Nick Massey, Chief Executive of Forever Manchester, said: “Both have a strong and enduring connection to Greater Manchester and share our commitment to amplifying the voices of local people.
“These are unpaid roles, and their commitment to supporting us in this way is hugely appreciated.”
Anna Jameson said: “I’m incredibly proud to join Forever Manchester and work alongside the amazing team that’s helping to transform lives across Greater Manchester.”
Tony Walsh said: “As a poet, I’m driven by the power of words to bring people together, and Forever Manchester’s work embodies that sense of unity and hope.”
Anna and Tony will co-host Forever Manchester’s Annual Birthday Party at the Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel on Friday, February 7, where they will help celebrate the charity’s ongoing work with the community.
