Appointments: New chairman for Manchester BS; SCP & more

MANCHESTER Building Society has appointed David Harding, a non executive director of the Royal Mint and former chairman of Coventry Building Society, as its new chairman.

Mr Harding replaces Michael Prior who has stepped down after four years in the role.

Mr Harding became chairman of Coventry Building Society in 2005, having joined the board in 1996 and becoming deputy chairman in 1999. He stepped down from the post last year.

He has had a broad career in finance, being previously the finance director of Railtrack, T&N and senior independent director at Enterprise Inns.

He said: “I am pleased to accept this new role and look forward to working with the team at the Manchester on the society’s development.”
 
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SCP Transport Consultants has made its fourth appointment in as many months with the addition of Duncan Roberts as associate director.

Mr Roberts returned to his native North West from a firm in London and has 12 years’ experience.

He said: “I was considering returning to my roots in the North West however was keen to keep my contacts in the South.  With offices in both locations, SCP was my first choice as I was aware of their excellent reputation.”

Jim Budd, director of the Manchester-based firm added: “Duncan’s experience and sound knowledge of the Greater London marketplace will undoubtedly be a great asset. His appointment will allow us to further develop our presence in the South East whilst expanding our range of services including design, planning and the delivery of transport schemes across the North West. “

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ROCHDALE-based Zen Internet, has hired Samantha Ward as hosting product manager.

She joins the group from cloud services provider Outsourcery where she was product and proposition manager.

Commenting on her move, Miss Ward said: “‘I am ready for the challenges ahead and to develop the existing web presence portfolio and explore new opportunities to contribute to the company’s continued growth.”

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POSITIVE Cashflow Finance has appointed Geoff Webster as senior regional sales manager in its Manchester office.
 
Geoff joins Positive after spending 40 years with Lloyds TSB, initially in its banking team and then in the invoice finance team, where he worked alongside Positive sales and marketing director Phil Chesham for 10 years.
 
Mr Chesham said: “Geoff has spent the past 25 years building an enviable contact base of intermediaries and introducers in the North West. We specialise in building long-term relationships with our clients so Geoff’s expertise and experience make him a perfect fit to help us build our presence in and around Manchester.”

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WARRINGTON commercial interiors fit-out and refurbishment company, Interior Partners has expanded its team with the appointment of Paul Hill and Kate Baron.

Mr Hill has joined as business development manager having previously run his own business Think Workspace.

Kate Baron also joins IPL as a telesales executive and was previously in a similar role for a rival interior fit-out company.

Les Kerr, group managing director said: “The company has grown from strength to strength since its inception and in excess of 50% over the last year. To maintain this level of growth whilst providing our existing customers with a high quality service, we had to recruit.”