Apppointments: ECI Partners; Fluent Money; Playnation & more
GROWTH focused mid-market private equity firm ECI Partners has appointed Stephen Roberts as investment manager at its Manchester office.
Roberts’ promotion follows a six months stint in the business on secondment from PwC.
ECI claims a strong track record in partnering with growth business in the North. Its current investments include Wilmslow-based Citation and Merseyside-based Clarke Energy.
ECI partner, Manchester, John Hayhurst said: “We are delighted to welcome Stephen to the team and further strengthen our regional presence.
“He joins ECI at an exciting time as we have recently started the investment period for the new fund.”
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BOLTON-based Fluent Money, has recruited Simon Stern to its team as a non-executive director.
Stern joins from Prestige Finance, part of the One Savings Bank Group, a long-term lending partner of Fluent Money, where he worked for 30 years.
In his role as director at Prestige, Stern oversaw all aspects of new business and broker relations.
Tim Wheeldon, joint managing director at Fluent Money, said: “Simon has been a valued friend within the industry for many years, and we’re delighted to be welcoming him to the company as a non-executive director.
“With a wealth of broker knowledge and insight, Simon will bring added value to the Fluent Money service as we continue to build on our recent successes. We’re looking forward to welcoming him to the board and working together on garnering the best results for our business.”
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BILFINGER GVA has promoted office adviser Chris Cheap to senior director and head of the firm’s five-strong North West Offices team.
Based in the Manchester office, Cheap has been at the forefront of the North West’s office markets for 17 years and has been behind some of the region’s most important transactions including the leasing of 73,000sq ft to KPMG at Argent/GMPVF’s One St Peters Square and in excess of 100,000sq ft of space being taken at The Carlyle Group’s Piccadilly Place scheme in the past year.
Cheap has built a strong reputation in the North West’s office leasing and development arena acting for clients such as MUSE, Orbit Developments, Miller Developments, Catalyst Capital, Standard Life, Nabarro LLP and Ardstone.
He said: “Following our recent merger with Bilfinger Real Estate and the international platform it provides we now have the potential to really grow the business, an area in which I will take a vested interest as senior director.”
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DAVID Hunt, an expert in the green energy sector, has been appointed a director of Liverpool Community Renewables, the community co-operative which is raising funds for solar projects around the city.
Mr Hunt, managing partner of Liverpool-based Hyperion Executive Search and before that a director at Eco Environments, a renewable energy installers, has joined the board along with Steve Pimlott, a senior consultant with Arup Energy Consulting.
LCR is a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registered society and it is in the midst of a fundraising round with an initial target of £80,000 to enable it to seed-fund solar PV projects.
Hunt said: “LCR has big ambitions including playing its part in the transition of Merseyside’s energy system from fossil fuels to renewable energy.”
Ed Gommon, founder of LCR, said: “David is a highly respected figure in the Merseyside and UK renewables industry with excellent contacts and in-depth knowledge of commercial solar PV installations. LCR is part of a wider community energy movement in the UK and Europe seeking to bring ownership of the generation and distribution of energy back under the local and democratic control of those who consume it.”
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LIVERPOOL Community Renewables has appointed renowned green energy professional David Hunt as a director.
Hunt is a manager partner of Liverpool-based Hyperion Executive Search, a specialist renewables recuitment.
LCR is a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registered Society for the benefit of the community whose purpose is to develop, own and manage renewable energy schemes on its own or in partnership with other organisations.
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PLAYNATION, the Runcorn entertainment and gaming machines company backed by Palatine Private Equity, has appointed Alastair Butterworth as people development trainer.
Butterworth, a former general manager at Gala Coral, has 20 years’ experience in the gaming and leisure sector. At Playnation he responsible for designing and delivering development training plans for Playnation’s 800+ employees across all areas of the business.
Mark Chapman, chief operating officer at Playnation, said: “People are at the heart of everything we do, and our team is key to the success of our business. We’ve seen rapid growth over the last six months through new contract wins and contract extensions, and want to ensure that our commitment to people is maintained throughout this crucial period. Alastair is the perfect complement our business, bringing the knowledge and expertise to develop our employees across the country.”
