Appointments: Growth Company goes Topliss; GVA; Faith Products;
THE regional managing director of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Richard Topliss, has been appointed to chair the Manchester Growth Company (MGC) – the body which organises skills and business support in the city.
He has been based in the North West since 2000, originally running the corporate and commercial banking division of RBS in North Lancashire and Cumbria.
The Growth Company said he has experience working with the public sector and local authorities such as Manchester City Council. He is also a member of the CBI council in the North West and the North West Business Leadership Team.
He said: “I take this responsibility with a deep sense of personal commitment and I am keen to ensure that we do everything it takes to keep Greater Manchester on an upward trajectory and to maximise its potential as the economic powerhouse of the North. I’m looking forward to working with the board to support the objectives of MGC and hope my professional experience – particularly my business insight into the North West – can bring a unique perspective to the tasks that will lie ahead.”
The board is made up of: Cllr Kieran Quinn (Tameside), Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart, Cllr Richard Farnell (Rochdale), Cllr Sean Anstee (Trafford), Mike Blackburn (regional director of BT and chair of GM LEP), Phil Cusack (business development director, CAPITA), Iwan Griffiths (North West Chairman, PwC), David McKeith (chairman, GM Chamber), Michael Oglesby (chairman, Bruntwood).
Board members are unpaid.
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DAN Hyde has been appointed to GVA’s retail team.
Hyde, a former professional rugby union player, has joined the commercial property agent’s Manchester office as a retailer director.
He was previously at Knight Frank in Leeds.
The former Leeds Tykes player, who made his move into property in 2006, will divide his time between GVA’s Manchester and Leeds offices.
He said: “GVA is a leading and ambitious company with a bright future. I’m really excited to be on board and help to drive further growth for our already successful retail team.”
Hyde is now a player-coach at Leeds club Leodiensian RUFC.
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BEAUTY products manufacturer Faith Products has appointed Enzo Gallone as head of export sales.
The Manchester company’s Faith in Nature brand is exported to over 25 countries. In the last financial year, export sales grew by 32% to £630,000, helping the company to break the £3m barrier for the first time.
Enzo joins Faith Products from Gemma International where he was international sales manager.
Chairman Rivka Rose said: “Export is a key focus for us and we are constantly looking to forge relationships with distributors, agents and retailers in new markets.
“Enzo’s experience and enthusiasm for our fantastic range will help us to gain further momentum in our key European markets and reach out to new markets in Europe, Israel, the UAE and Far East.”
