People: UCLAN; Freeths; NorthEdge Capital & more
THE University of Central Lancashire has strengthened its business support facilities with the appointment of Dr Sue Smith.
As director of SME development, she will identify key opportunities for both students and businesses in order to develop and sustain growth.
Smith, who has 15 years’ experience of business engagement within the education sector, is looking to seek input from the local and regional business community, to help shape future engagement activities, increase opportunities for graduates and strengthen ties with businesses.
She joins from Teesside University, where she was the assistant dean for business engagement.
Previously the director for the LEAD programme at Lancaster University, she is a contributing author to LEADing Small Business – Business Growth through Leadership Development, a published study into business growth through development.
She said: “The local region is made up of lots of SMEs, so I’d like to maintain an ongoing dialogue with these businesses to find out what it is they need to be able to respond effectively to the challenges faced, as well as assisting with growth and helping them to maintain a competitive edge.”
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NATIONAL law firm Freeths has announced the appointment of Colleen McKinney, further expanding its national real estate team, following the appointment of partner Stephen Lewis earlier this year.
McKinney will join the Manchester office as an associate and specialises in real estate finance.
She has extensive experience in secured lending and bridging finance with both lender and sophisticated borrower clients alike on both residential and commercial matters.
McKinney will be joining a growing and influential real estate team in Manchester which is led by Ian Tempest and is recognised nationally as one of the leaders in the country by independent legal experts Chambers UK and Legal 500.
Freeths managing partner for Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield John May said: “The real estate market in Manchester has really picked up pace over the past few months, which is a positive sign that confidence is returning and the recession is behind us. Colleen will further strengthen the offering we provide to our clients, and enhance our presence in the city.”
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NORTHEDGE Capital, the private equity firm focused on investing in businesses in the North of England, has promoted George Potts and James Marshall to senior investment executives.
Potts joined NorthEdge in 2011, working alongside the founders as part of the team that closed its maiden fund at £225m in 2013.
He worked on deals including Solidor and Utiligroup, and sits on the boards of manufacturing businesses, Fine Industries and Accrol Papers.
Potts is also responsible for the firm’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices, working directly with portfolio companies to measure their sustainability and ethical impact. This led to NorthEdge winning the BVCA Responsible Award for outstanding ESG in 2014.
While Potts will be based in NorthEdge’s Manchester office, Marshall will work out of Leeds.
Potts said: “It was fantastic to be part of the team that established NorthEdge as one of the leading private equity firms in the North. I look forward to continuing to support the best management teams across the North and in taking more of a lead role on new investments.”
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CHARTERED financial planners True Bearing, based at Chorley, Lancashire has strengthened its team with seven new appointments.
Peter Ashcroft and Gareth Nicholson join the firm as independent financial advisers. They bring with them extensive industry knowledge and a proven track record in delivering financial planning advice to entrepreneurial clients in the North West.
Paraplanners Ian McCue and Nick Porter have both recently joined the firm. Experts in the preparation, research and organisation of financial plans, they have vast technical expertise in all aspects of financial planning.
Supporting the development of the practice, Terri Green joins as marketing manager. She will drive all elements of marketing and communications for the business.
In addition to these experienced hires, True Bearing has also launched an initiative to help the younger generation gain experience within the financial services industry. It has recently offered university student Joe McGarvey a one year work experience placement.
Former retail worker Zoe Butterworth is also a new recruit under this initiative and joins the business on an apprenticeship scheme delivering administrative support to the finance function.
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STOCKPORT-based CapitalStakers, the new peer-to-peer property lending platform, has lured senior industry figure Sylvia Bowden to join its ranks.
Originally an investment fund manager, then a chartered surveyor running York’s second largest practice, Bowden rose to prominence after switching to the banking industry and spending more than a decade structuring bank debt for property investments and developments.
Her robust, cashflow-led approach to risk assessment and risk management have been the hallmark of her deals and make her a perfect company fit.
CapitalStackers managing director Steve Robson said, “I’m delighted Sylvia is joining us. The appointment affirms CapitalStackers’ growing presence in property finance”.
Sylvia said her decision to join CapitalStackers was driven by “a desire to make a difference”.
“Real estate finance has been in the doldrums for too long and initiatives like CapitalStackers will be the catalyst to get the country building again. I’m really looking forward to writing new deals” she said.
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LIVERPOOL law firm Cassell Moore has expanded its family team with two new appointments.
Sarah McCarthy joins as a chartered legal executive and Renn Moucarry joins as a paralegal.
The appointments further strengthen the department, which in its first two years has received Legal 500 recognition.
McCarthy, who qualified with the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx), has 14 years’ experience and received national recognition when she was shortlisted for Family Law Legal Executive of the Year. She specialises in financial matters arising from divorce and private law children matters.
Moucarry, who studied law and criminology at the University of Liverpool, completed a Graduate Diploma in Law and achieved her Legal Practice Certificate at BPP Law School. She has a keen interest in humanitarian work and spent the summer in Lebanon helping Syrian refugees. She is also a member of Young Resolution.
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INVESTMENT banking boutique Zeus Capital has made a trio of hires in its Manchester office as it looks to build upon its strong recent performance.
Alistair Donnelly and Jordan Warburton have been appointed as executives in the firm’s corporate finance team, while Claire Duffy takes the role of research executive.
Donnelly has arrived Zeus from KPMG, where he had spent five years.
Warburton started his career as an intern at EY, and joined the firm full time in 2012. Duffy joins from Daniel Stewart, where she spent over eight years in the firm’s research team.
The appointments build on Zeus Capital’s recent success in the market. The firm has been at the heart of many of the North West’s biggest deals, advising on the £200m reverse takeover of Matthew Clark by Conviviality Retail, as well as the flotation of Elegant Hotels and the reverse takeover of BCA Marketplace.
