Appointments: Darbys; Turner Parkinson; BDP & more
LAW firm Darbys, which has its North West office in Hale south Manchester, has appointed Peter Townsend as its national head of tax and pensions.
Mr Townsend, who will be based in Hale. is a former lecturer in Revenue Law at Manchester University and BPP Visiting Professor of Law. He previously worked for both Cobbetss and Slater Heelis.
Darbys’ managing partner Simon McCrum said: “Our corporate and property teams need this expertise but have historically outsourced it. With Peter we now have the expertise in-house, so not only can we deal with tax and pensions issues ourselves as and when they arise, and in an integrated way, we can also really add value to our clients to make sure that everything they do is done with an eye on these key aspects.”
Mr Townsend added: “Businesses and their in-house lawyers now require a first class modern service at a reasonable cost across the board and Darbys is very well placed to provide this.”
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MANCHESTER commercial law firm Turner Parkinson has strengthened its corporate team with the addition of associate David Easdown.
Mr Easdown, who has joined from Mills & Reeve, has eight years’ experience acting on a range of corporate transactions including domestic and international M&A and venture capital investments, with a particular emphasis on working with management teams of fast growing businesses.
Head of corporate James Sheridan said:”Following our recent growth, coupled with increasing activity in the market, and as the only independent Manchester law firm remaining in the upper tiers of the corporate finance market, the time is right for us to invest in quality people like David.
“He has a great track record and he has the skills and attitude which are ideal for a growing, hungry team.”
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SALFORD parcel delivery comparison business My Parcel Delivery has made a key strategic appointment with the hire of former Virgin Media customer service manager Oliver Digby.
Mr Digby’s brief is to focus on customer service and innovation at the fast-growing business, which recently sealed a £1m+ investment.
Managing director David Grimes said: “In light of Royal Mail’s impending price increase, the typical response of the parcel delivery market is to pursue unsustainable price cutting. While we are determined to remain competitive and offer an affordable alternative for parcel senders, we are going to concentrate on providing excellent customer service, which is the thing customers value even more than rock bottom pricing.
“I appreciate that e-commerce businesses especially are sensitive to increased overheads and tend to seek out the lowest cost delivery option. But there is always a risk that businesses will end up paying a more long-term price in loss of customer service and business credibility.”
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THE Manchester office of architect BDP has appointed Tom Hewitt as international retail director.
He was previously been a director at 3DReid specialising in retail development at 3DReid.
Completed and ongoing design commissions include the Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Trinity Square in Gateshead, Tipping Street in Salford, and Birmingham’s Pallasades Shopping Centre.
He said: “BDP’s Manchester studio is rightly renowned for its strong retail presence. Liverpool One is rightly renowned for having transformed Liverpool city centre and The Rock in Bury provided the town with a much needed dose of vibrancy and essential boost to the local economy. I look forward to exporting the skills and knowledge we’ve developed to exciting international retail projects.”
Gavin Elliot, head of BDP’s Manchester studio, said: “Tom will be an invaluable addition to the BDP team. As well as our domestic retail experience, BDP have also recently undertaken international projects including the Vasco de Gama Centre in Portugal and the Wuxi Ikea Shopping Mall in China, Tom’s wealth of experience will be vital in growing our international retail portfolio.”
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LIVERPOOL branding agency USP Creative has appointed Paul Symes as its new head of digital.
Symes joins with more than a decades’ experience leading development on international projects for luxury car brands and media companies such as the BBC and Pearson.
He was most recently at Connect Advertising and Marketing in Wolverhampton.
He said: “Although we’ve seen a lot of rapid change and advancement over the past few years, digital marketing is still really in its infancy and so it’s brilliant to be here with a clean sheet of paper looking ahead to what’s possible rather than be encumbered with the legacy code of the past. I’m pleased to be joining USP Creative because I want to do something amazing and this feels the perfect place to do it.”
Managing Director, Alexandra Rose, said: “We are really excited about Paul’s appointment. We have been quietly growing the digital aspect of our offering but with Paul’s help we can offer clients a much more strategic and dynamic offering.”
