Appointments: Co-op Bank; Shoosmiths; & more

LAURA Carstensen, has joined the board of The Co-operative Bank as a non executive director and chair of its Board Values and Ethics Committee.

Miss Carstensen, who hails from Manchester and is a former partner at leading law firm Slaughter & May, currently sits as a commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The bank’s Values and Ethics Committee of the Bank was established at the end of 2013 to oversee adherence to co-operative values and reports into the main board.

Richard Pym chair of The Co-operative Bank said: “This is a vital appointment for the next stage of rebuilding the Bank.  Our customers and employees want to know that we share their ethics and values and this committee, chaired by Laura, will make sure that we do that.

“We have been through a tough year, but as we fix the fundamentals of the Bank, with a successful capital raise and a new management team, we can now make sure that values and ethics remain as important to the future as they have been in the past. Laura’s first class experience will be an additional level of insight and scrutiny to this process.”

Laura Carstensen said: “It is a privilege and a great responsibility to take on this role at such a critical time in the Bank’s development.  It is vital for the UK banking system, for society and for The Co-operative Bank that values and ethics is at the heart of what we do.  My role is to make sure that happens so that customers and employees can be proud to be part of a uniquely ethical bank and so that all bank customers have that choice open to them.”

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NATIONAL law firm Shoosmiths has boosted its banking team in Manchester with two hires.

Partner Liz Sweeney and associate Ruth Evans, were previously at failed boutique firm EOS Law, and before that DLA Piper.

Manchester office head of banking,  partner Graham Hall said: “Liz and Ruth are great assets to the team in Manchester which strengthens our regional coverage in the North while at the same time enhancing our national team.

“Their expertise will add to our national reputation for delivering proactive, commercial advice to clients on their financial needs and achieving their business goals.”

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FORMER Co-operative Bank and KPMG communications chief Patrick Tooher has joined Manchester PR agency Citypress as a director and head of its financial services practice.
 
Mr Tooher is a former business editor of the Mail on Sunday also previously worked as a senior financial journalist on national titles including The Independent, Sunday Express, Daily Express and Investors Chronicle.

At Citypress he will oversee its financial services practice, which represents brands in both business and personal finance, including Lloyds Bank.
 
He said: “Having spent my career in senior media and in-house roles, I’m excited about the opportunity to bring those skills to bear inside an agency like Citypress, whose focus on senior consultancy, break-through campaigning and quality content is a strong fit with my expertise.”
 
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ALTRINCHAM PR agency RMS has also bolstered its ranks with two
new hires, both backgrounds in journalism.

Richard Knowles, formerly of Midlands agency, Connect PR, joins the fast growing agency as account director in the business and professional services team, while Kate Galloway has also arrived to lead the property, construction and financial teams.

An ex-broadcast journalist, Kate has 11 years’ agency experience and joins RMS PR from Newcastle brand communications agency Gardiner Richardson, where she advised B2B and B2C clients in the health, housing, legal, financial, tourism and education sectors.

RMS PR managing director, Ruth Shearn, said: “We have now made three senior appointments since the turn of the year as the agency continues to grow at a fast pace.

“Attracting PR professionals of the calibre of Kate and Richard demonstrates the direction RMS PR is heading and we fully expect to be welcoming even more recruits in the near future as we continue to add to our client roster.”

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THE Liverpool office of commercial property advisers CBRE has appointed David Tyson as senior surveyor within its property and asset management team.  Mr Tyson was previously at Texas PLC.