People: Squire Patton Boggs; Pegasus; renaissance; LDC; Together; KPMG; Fourth Wall; LK Group; Slater Heelis
Squire Patton Boggs has hired two new partners in Manchester. Private equity and corporate lawyer Victoria Jew joins the firm from Pinsent Masons, whilst construction and engineering lawyer Charlotte Higham arrives from Addleshaw Goddard.
“Our office in Manchester continues to flourish and we are delighted to invest in its future growth by welcoming Victoria and Charlotte, the next generation of leaders to the firm,” said Manchester office managing partner Rob Elvin.
Victoria Jew is an experienced corporate lawyer focused on high value and complex domestic and international transactions. She advises international and UK corporates, financial institutions, management teams and entrepreneurs across a variety of industry sectors. Her recent work includes advising Swiss multinational Hero Group on its acquisition of plant-based food brand Deliciously Ella; advising management and Horizon Capital on the sale of Digital Space, to Graphite Capital; advising the shareholders of 15Below on the auction sale to LDC and management on their re-investment, and advising Westbridge on the sale of Eque2 to Bowmark and its investments into Survey Solutions and Alpine Fire.
Charlotte Higham acts across a broad range of sectors in high value, complex construction developments, with particular experience in the student accommodation and the wider living space, and the office, life sciences and logistics sectors.
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Rachel Harrison
Development consultancy, Pegasus Group, has appointed Rachel Harrison as Principal Planner in its Liverpool office.
Joining from global consultancy firm, Deloitte, where she spent the last seven years, her appointment follows the recent high-profile appointments of Paul Chandler-King, the new Senior Planner from Inceni, and Ian Ford, the new Planning Director from Arup.
She will be working closely with Ian Ford – the co-chair of Professional Liverpool’s development and regeneration board – to bolster Pegasus Group’s services in Liverpool and the City Region.
Having worked on a number of major urban regeneration projects, including several Manchester City Centre skyscrapers, Rachel will be assisting the team with key regeneration projects, including the King Edward Triangle tall building cluster masterplan and the Liverpool Waters project.
Commenting on the appointment, Pegasus Group’s Director of Planning, Darren Muir, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Rachel to Pegasus Group’s Liverpool office. Her experience with major urban regeneration projects will be invaluable to our expanding enterprise in the region, particularly on the King Edward Triangle project, which is set to reshape how the north end of Liverpool’s city centre functions.”
Also commenting, Pegasus Group’s new Principal Planner, Rachel Harrison, said: “It is wonderful to be joining the renowned team at Pegasus Group at such an exciting time. I have no doubt that the business is set to continue on its upward trajectory this year and I look forward to playing a role in this continued growth.”
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Bill Wilkins
Manchester-based engineering consultancy, renaissance, has appointed Bill Wilkins as director of civil engineering, signalling strategic expansion of the firm’s capabilities.
Wilkins brings extensive experience and a clear vision for growing renaissance’s civil engineering division and his appointment comes with ambitious goals, including expanding services and increasing project wins.
Wilkins plans to more than double the firm’s civil engineering team in the next two to three years. He said: “My primary role is to lead the Civil Engineering discipline and help shape the business’s direction.
“This will complement the excellent reputation of our structural engineers, as our civils team also become the go-to trusted advisors for civil engineering in the North West.”
Helen Gribbon, founder and director at renaissance, said: “Bill brings a wealth of experience that will strengthen our civil engineering capabilities and reinforce our reputation for delivering considered and efficient designs.”
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Mustafa Khanbhai
Mustafa Khanbhai has joined LDC as VCP Director, Commercial in the Manchester office.
As reported by TheBusinessDesk.com in early January, he joins Lizzie Meadowcroft in the VCP team, which operates nationally alongside LDC’s investors to identify and deliver improvements to portfolio companies’ commercial, operational and technological capabilities.
Mustafa will help the management teams of LDC portfolio companies to improve go-to-market strategies and increase commercial effectiveness as they scale and grow.
He previously worked at Mars and Virgin before joining Uber as General Manager for Customer Operations and Strategy in the UK and Ireland. He has also held board director positions at packaging solutions specialist Printsource and the UK’s leading DropShip platform, Avasam.
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Mel Fourie
Cheadle-based property lender, Together, has appointed a new Corporate Sales Director for the North West as it expands its distribution in key regions.
Melanie Fourie, who has 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, re-joins Together, having previously worked at the lender between 2018 and 2021.
In her new role, Mel will focus on expanding her vast network, building strong relationships with professional sector introducers, SMEs, investors and entrepreneurs across the region as Together continues to grow its £7.6bn loan book.
Mel said: “It’s fantastic to be returning to Together, a business with a common sense approach to lending and one where I feel I can help the most people achieve their property ambitions.”
Mel joins Together from privately-owned commercial lender, ASG Finance, where she had been an Executive Director and board member for two years. Before that, she had been Head of Sales for the North at property finance firm Sancus Lending Group.
Alex Bodie, Director of Corporate and Community Housing at Together, welcomed Mel, saying: “Her background in financial services speaks for itself and she is well known within the industry, not only for her wealth of knowledge and experience but also her passion for building cast iron relationships with corporate clients, which will prove a huge benefit for our business.”
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Nick Taylor
Professional services firm, KPMG UK, has made three senior appointments within its Transaction Services team in the North of England.
Partners Nick Taylor and James Kergon will lead the firm’s North Transaction Services team and Jake Williams has been promoted to Transaction Services Director. The team will also be welcoming Siobhan Dunne back into her role as Associate Director following a period of maternity leave.
Nick Taylor’s appointment follows 17 years in KPMG’s Transaction Services team, supporting clients across various sectors on M&A transactions. In his new role, Nick will relocate to Manchester from the Midlands, where he ran the firm’s Transaction Services team for the past four years, and lead the team in the North West.
James Kergon
James Kergon was previously the senior partner for KPMG in Scotland and led the firm’s Deal Advisory business there. During his 24-year tenure at KPMG, he has advised on a wide variety of transactions for both UK-based and international corporates and private equity clients across a broad range of sectors. In his new post, he has relocated to Leeds and will lead KPMG’s Transaction Services team in the Yorkshire and North East region.
Jake Williams
Leeds-based Jake Williams has nearly a decade of experience working in KPMG’s Business Services Deals team. In his role as Transaction Services Director, he will continue to provide transactional support to clients across the North of England.
Nick Taylor said: “We’ve begun to see a renewed sense of optimism from businesses and investors. With a stronger economic landscape, more and more businesses entering the market and ample capital to deploy, I’m confident and excited to be working with Chris, James and Jake to support more businesses pursuing M&A activity in the year ahead.”
Chris Stott, Manchester Office Senior Partner and North Deal Advisory Lead at KPMG UK, said: “A more stable economic landscape will create new opportunities for businesses and increase demand for transaction services across the North of England. Nick, James and Jake’s appointments will further bolster our on the ground presence and prime our team for another successful year.”
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Mike, Vange and Mark
Tech-led sports firm, Fourth Wall, has appointed three commercial directors to help elevate and scale up the business in 2025 and beyond.
The trio previously worked together at Manchester United, with Vange Kourentis, Mike Dunphy and Mark Hargreaves collaborating once again with the ultimate aim of further raising Bromborough-based Fourth Wall’s profile, its impressive technology and portfolio of services to sports clubs and associations both in the UK and worldwide.
Vange has pioneered many sports industry defining projects over the past 25 years. He brings with him a unique mix of experience and is renowned for leading the way in commercialising sports rights globally with digital transformation at the core.
He said: “Fourth Wall lead with technology and they always have, which is why when they asked me to join the company as commercial director I was delighted to do so.”
Mike’s background is in tech product management, but quickly evolved to complete commercial management, business development and rights management when he moved from Vodafone to Manchester United to head up the JV project MUmobile. Here he spearheaded numerous football firsts, building an ecosystem that enabled multimillion-pound revenue streams.
He has since worked for, and with, clubs including Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC and Real Madrid.
He said: “It’s great to be back working with Vange and Mark. The opportunity to join Fourth Wall at such an exciting time for the business was too good to turn down.”
With a background in IT and operations, Mark was also attracted to the huge opportunity ahead at Fourth Wall in all sectors both in the UK and globally.
Having previously been IT Director at Manchester United and General Manager of Manchester United Interactive, Mark has delivered many complex projects including the redesign and rebuild of manutd.com twice, integrating all club departments, services and revenue streams.
Mark said: “Fourth Wall has a superb technology stack as well as a very experienced and hands on management team, both of which were hugely appealing to me. I am in my element and am committed to making a big difference at the company.”
Anton Botes, CEO at Fourth Wall, said: “I have known Vange, Mike and Mark for a long time and knew, at the right time, the trio would be perfect at Fourth Wall. It’s great to be working with them and I am looking forward to witnessing amazing results.”
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From left: Will, Nick and Matt
Geo-environmental consultancy and remediation contractor, The LK Group, has strengthened its team with a trio of recruits.
The multidisciplinary company’s latest raft of hires comprises a new director, associate director and remediation manager.
The geo-environmental specialist, headquartered in Manchester, now boasts a team of more than 50 people working nationally.
Nick Riding joins as a director. With two-and-a-half decades of expertise in land quality services, Nick brings an impressive track record of success, having worked on numerous prestigious projects and dedicated the past 16 years to another well-known multidisciplinary consulting company.
Nick said: “I am thrilled to join The LK Group at such an exciting time. The company’s commitment to supporting land development and delivering exceptional partnerships with our clients aligns perfectly with my professional values.”
Matthew Bell has been recruited as an associate director for the Flood Risk and Drainage department. With more than 18 years in flood risk consultancy, Bell strengthens the existing team at a pivotal moment for sustainable water management in the UK.
Will Fitzpatrick joins as remediation manager, with a wealth of expertise gained from his previous roles. His experience spans both residential and commercial markets working with diverse clients ranging from housebuilders to blue-chip companies.
Conor Leyden, director at The LK Group, said: “We’re starting the new year off the right way. Following the refresh of our brand identity, we’re thrilled to welcome three new talented individuals – Nick, Matthew, and Will – to our team.”
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Emma and Saliha
Sale-based Slater Heelis has made a double appointment of Saliha Patel and Emma Sutton as Paralegals within its growing Court of Protection team.
Saliha Patel brings valuable experience from a leading law firm specialising in Court of Protection services and will play a crucial role in assisting clients with the ongoing management of their affairs. In addition to her legal expertise, Saliha is multilingual, speaking Arabic, Gujarati, and Urdu, allowing her to assist clients whose first language is not English, and her ability to translate Wills and legal documents provides an essential service to diverse communities.
Emma Sutton began her journey at Slater Heelis in 2022, working within the Business Projects team before realising her passion for a more focused legal role. After two years of experience handling Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and Deeds, Emma has transitioned into the Court of Protection team as a Paralegal, where she will continue to support clients with their legal needs.
Rachel Fletcher, Managing Partner, said: “Their experience, skills, and commitment to client care will be invaluable as we continue to expand our services and provide tailored legal support to those who need it most.”
Partner and Head of Court of Protection, Clare King said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to have Saliha and Emma on board, both bringing passion, knowledge and commitment that clients and fellow employees alike are sure to benefit from.”
