Appointments: Matt Dunham; Clearwater; MSIF; Riverview Law; Beattie

MID-market advisory firm Clearwater Corporate Finance has strengthened its Manchester office with the appointment of Mike So as an analyst in the support services team.
 
So joins from Grant Thornton where he worked as a business researcher in the National Research Group for six years, focusing mainly on corporate finance across the UK.

At Clearwater, he will be joining support services partners Paul Jones, Marcus Archer and Paul Newell, conducting market and buyer analysis in sectors such as recruitment, facilities management, technical services and procurement.
 
Paul Jones, partner at Clearwater Corporate Finance, said: “Support services accounts for 35% of all transactions at Clearwater, so we are pleased to have Mike on board to strengthen the teams market research and deal analysis to support M&A activity in this core sector.”
 
Clearwater Corporate Finance has offices in Manchester, Birmingham, London and Nottingham.

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MATT Dunham, a business restructuring practitioner and former regional chairman of R3 has joined the Manchester office of accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson to lead the restructuring and recovery services team.

He will be working closely with Andrew McKenna, head of the Manchester office, to further develop the firm’s services across Manchester, Merseyside and the North West.

He is a specialist in turning around or restructuring a variety of organisations across the region and he has over 20 years’ experience, with cases including national and regional retailers, manufacturers, telecoms and technology businesses and the receivership of the five-star Free Trade Hall Hotel.

Matt was also the administrator of Bury FC, helping the club out of insolvency, and Barnsley FC. He has advised on more than 20 other football related restructurings and is retained by the Football League as an expert on sporting sanctions.

He said: “Smith & Williamson has a really great reputation; what clinched it for me was the way the firm brings together a range of specialists from its departments, from tax and audit to recovery and forensics to provide clients with a seamless service.”

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WIRRAL-based Riverview Law, the fixed-priced legal services business, has recruited five additional solicitors.

All five will be assigned to large corporate accounts, as a result of recent contract wins with a number of FTSE 100 businesses.

They are: Sarah East, who most recently worked with Virgin Media as an associate counsel for business & technology; Ed Chan from DLA Piper; Emma Walmsley from DWF; David Stalker from Hill Dickinson; and Heather O’Donnell, also from Hill Dickinson.

Steven Zdolyny, head of legal at Riverview, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the calibre of candidates applying for roles with us. We offer an exciting alternative for legal professionals, particularly for those who want to focus on delivering high quality legal work for major customers and not having to worry about billable hours or being relied upon to win new work.”

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THE Merseyside Special Investment Fund has recruited a new investment manager.

Sue Chambers joins the firm from NatWest bank where she spent 20 years, most recently working as a relationship manager.

She joins MSIF to provide support to the loans team alongside Chris Walters and Paul Humphray.

She said: “I’m delighted to be joining the team here at MSIF. It’s great to be working with an organisation that is actively lending to businesses and with such a diverse and interesting client-base.” 

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PUBLIC relations agency Beattie Communications has expanded its Manchester team with the appointment of two new members of staff.

Anna Wharton joins as account manager and Gaynor Orvis takes up the post of account executive.

Wharton has previously worked in agency and in-house PR roles in both London and Manchester. Orvis has been appointed following a six-month internship at the agency while completing her MSc in International Public Relations at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Lyndsey Evans, who heads the Manchester office, said: “We have been inundated with new business over the last three months and so are delighted to have added two highly capable PR professionals to our ranks. As we look towards another stage of planned growth, we are also looking to further strengthen our B2B and corporate team with additional positions at account manager and senior account manager level.”

Beattie’s clients include Specsavers, easyJet and Land Securities. Recent wins include the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Accessories for Gamers and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).