Appointments: GVA, DTZ, Findel, Melbourne, Jelf
DAVID Thwaites has joined property agent GVA in Manchester.
The former head of office agency at Lambert Smith Hampton in Manchester, he has almost 15 years experience particularly in the Manchester city centre and south Manchester office markets.
During his time at Lambert Smith Hampton he worked mainly in the private sector, acting for a wide range of corporate clients such as Axa Insurance, Zurich Services and NTL. Thwaites will be joined by graduate surveyor Robert Allred in September.
Head of North West offices at GVA Chris Cheap said: “We are delighted to have attracted someone with the standing and experience of David. He comes with a proven track record of transacting office space at all levels and is already well known to our existing client base.
“This really underpins our strong position within all North West office markets and the additional appointment of Robert Allred as graduate surveyor illustrates our commitment to providing the highest quality advice and service to our clients whilst harnessing new talent.”
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HOME shopping to educational supplies firm Findel has appointed Francois Coumau, eBay’s general manager for Continental Europe, as a non-executive director.
Mr Coumau took on the role at the listed Ashton-under-Lyne-based firm this week.
He joined eBay in 2006 and has held a series of senior roles including director of search, Europe and head of buyer experience, search & loyalty, UK. Prior to this he held senior roles at L’Oreal and Mars.
Chairman David Sugden said: “Francois brings to our board almost 20 years of international retail, wider consumer and digital experience. His expertise will be invaluable to the group, complementing the existing skills on the Board as we work to deliver the Findel turnaround plan. We very much look forward to working with him.”
Mr Coumau said: “I am delighted to be joining Findel as a non-executive director and look forward to working with David, the rest of the board and the wider management team. Findel has real potential and is clearly focused on its turnaround strategy and I look forward to playing my part in achievement of that strategy.”
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PROPERTY consultancy DTZ has expanded its retail agency team across the North with two new appointments. David Legat joins as associate director and Chris Jayne as senior surveyor.
Legat joins from Liverpool-based Mason Owen where his previous clients include Grosvenor, Aegon, Standard Life Investments, Iceland and Neptune Developments.
Leeds-based Chris Jayne will be responsible for disposing of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s surplus assets and assisting with the completion of existing instructions across the region including the former Royal Mail site in Bradford, the former Focus DIY site in Guisborough and a local authority site in Halifax.
Senior director Tim Cameron-Jones said: “As with all areas of the property market at the moment, retail presents many challenges, but with these challenges comes opportunity. DTZ’s commitment to growth in this sector allows us to continue to service our very strong client base at a local level, but with the strength of DTZ’s national and international reputation as leaders in the retail market to support this growth.”
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MANCHESTER server hosting company Melbourne has appointed an ecommerce specialist to strengthen its commercial team.
Amy Shapiro joins Melbourne after four years with independent Manchester menswear boutique Intro, where she was responsible for creating and managing the brand’s online presence. During her time at Intro, Amy took its website and developed it into a substantial contributor to the company’s revenue.
She said: “Convergence is a big issue for online retailers and having the right hosting infrastructure is a key component of a successful ecommerce site. I will be working along Melbourne’s technical teams to help both established and potential retail customers and their agencies make the most of their hosting solutions.”
Melbourne provides hosting solutions for a number of retailers in the North including Manchester fashion brand AX Paris, which recently launched its first television campaign, and Little Black Dress.
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MARK Winstanley has joined Jelf Employee Benefits as corporate pensions director.
Winstanley’s role at Jelf is to support new and existing clients, particularly through the challenges being presented by auto enrolment. He will be based in Manchester and will focus on business in the North.
Winstanley is an actuary and specialises in defined contribution pension schemes, in particular the areas of scheme design and default investment strategies, as well as advising on the wider impact of auto enrolment on HR and payroll processes. He has over 20 years’ experience in the corporate pensions industry, including roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and HSBC.
He will report into Alan Millward, director of corporate benefits at Jelf, who said: “We are delighted to welcome Mark into the business as part of our geographic expansion. Mark brings great experience that will be invaluable in supporting existing and new clients, particularly through the auto enrolment journey.”
