Appointments: Pannone hires Hepworth; Brown Shipley; CVS & more

MANCHESTER law firm Pannone has boosted its corporate team with the appointment of partner Richard Hepworth.

Mr Hepworth was previously a partner in the Leeds office of DWF and before that Cobbetts, where he specialised in all aspects of corporate work including merger and acquisitions. His client base includes SMEs across a broad range of sectors and international groups making acquisitions in the UK.

He is also a specialist in the Russian market and is a trusted adviser on English law for a network of Russian law firms.

Commenting on his move, he said: “I was looking to return to the Manchester market from Leeds and Pannone was the obvious choice. Pannone is a growing firm striving for excellence in its chosen markets and looking to further develop its corporate offering. I felt that Pannone would be a great home for both me and my UK and international client base.”

Managing partner Emma Holt added: “Richard has an impressive UK and international client base which will be an excellent fit with our plans to significantly expand our corporate services division.”

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PRIVATE bank Brown Shipley has appointed Mike Hudson as its new Manchester-based head of risk.

Mr Hudson joins from Metro Bank where he was chief risk officer, and has more than 20 years’ experience in banking and financial services.
 
Ian Sackfield, managing director of Brown Shipley, said: “The appointment of Mike will enable the board to be well placed to meet the ever-increasing demands of both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. I am therefore pleased Mike has decided to join Brown Shipley as his expertise will contribute to the bank having a robust regulatory team, which is fundamental to our success.”
 
Mr Hudson, who will be based at 3 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, said: “Brown Shipley is at an important juncture. On the one hand, the bank is committed to significantly growing its assets under management and, on the other hand, it faces the challenges of navigating an increasingly stringent regulatory environment.”

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NORTH West accountants CLB Coopers, which has offices in Bolton, Lancaster and Manchester, has made four new hires.

It has added audit seniors Victoria Kirby and Joseph Hughes to its audit and compliance department,  Ryan Conlon has joined as senior tax manager in the private client team and also taken on Joseph Dale as a graduate trainee.

Managing partner David Travis said: “As we experience further growth in our client base, it is important to ensure that we continue to provide a quality, dedicated and personal service that our clients deserve. It is fantastic to be in a position to continually attract talented and experienced people from across the North West to further enhance the firm’s commercial niche and continued growth.”

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MANCHESTER-based CVS, the UK’s largest business rates specialist, has strengthened its surveyor team with six new appointments. 

The new recruits, across CVS’ offices in Manchester, London and Bristol, will be negotiating directly with the Valuation Office Agency to deliver business rates savings for clients. 

The new appointments include: associate director Chris Mountfort; senior surveyor    Malcolm Tyre, who has 37 years’ experience of rating advisory; Andrew Turrell, Sean Keogh; Sasha Dordevic and Joseph Baruwa who joins CVS as a referencer.

Mark Rigby, chief executive of CVS, said: “We need a strong team of surveyors to do that and this latest wave of appointments increases our capability to negotiate hard with the VOA on behalf of our existing clients, and to meet the needs of new ones.  It is another positive move for the business and demonstrates our commitment to further growth and expansion.”