People: Albert Dock; Matthews & Goodman; HRC Law & more

ALBERT Dock Liverpool has announced that Sue Grindrod has been appointed as chief executive of the Grade I-listed visitor attraction.

Grindrod served as chair, of the Gower Street Estate board for nine years and the new post will see her deliver on the next phase of development for Albert Dock.

She will retain her post as chair of Liverpool Waterfront Business Partnership, which will see her continue to represent the wider interests of businesses along Liverpool Waterfront. Dave Roscoe will take over from Grindrod as chair of Gower Street Estate.

Grindrod said: “As Albert Dock enters its next evolution, I am excited to bring a determined focus to our future developments. Albert Dock has always been the catalyst for Liverpool’s development and in 2016 we are fully let in all commercial spaces as we launch a five-year plan to deliver growth in audience through a robust event plan.

“Additionally, we have major developments which will retain Albert Dock’s place as the leading light for Liverpool Waterfront and the wider City Region.”

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NATIONAL commercial property advisors Matthews & Goodman has installed Jessica Higson as assistant facilities manager following an influx of new investor clients.

She joins from Lambert Smith Hampton where she spent 15 months as Facilities management co-ordinator and will be based at Matthews & Goodman’s Manchester and Liverpool officers.

Her role will be to support the delivery of property management services, following a number of new investor clients gained by the firm over the past three months.

Higson will also coordinate the introduction of Matthews & Goodman’s new UK based property management helpdesk, which will give clients 24/7 access to support.

Her appointment is the third within Matthews & Goodman’s Northern property management team during 2015, following the arrival of Tim Austin and Chris Hughes as head of Northern property management and senior associate respectively.

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HRC Law in Manchester is trumpeting the appointment of Jane Wilkinson as a solicitor in the firm’s expanding corporate and commercial department.

Wilkinson, who joins from MLP Law, will handle a range of transactional work along with providing clients with advice on its trading contracts.
 
Mark Traynor, a partner at HRC Law said: “Jane’s expertise and experience will add to our high quality service offering.”

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BOLTON-based builder and developer Seddon has appointed Debbie Sizer to head up its Seddon Care Partnerships division.
Sizer joins from Willmott Dixon where she held the role of national care sector manager for five years.
 
As part of her new role, Sizer will be leading on the £190m turnover company’s work in the care sector, spanning retirement, extra care and specialist health and care projects.

Sizer said: “Seddon has an excellent reputation in the care sector and it’s an honour to have been chosen to continue the company’s work in this area.

“It is an exciting time to be joining Seddon as the firm aims to grow its presence in the care market and build its relationships with new and existing clients.”

Jonathan Seddon, nanaging director at Seddon, said: “Debbie’s pedigree within the care sector is unparalleled, so it is a major coup for us to attract someone with her talents to take the lead on Seddon Care Partnerships.

“Figures show that the UK will require 100,000 extra homes for older people by 2030 to meet the demands of the UK’s aging population.”

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NORTH West licensing business Character World has appointed Gavin Thomson as ‎sourcing director, based in Shanghai.
 
Thomson joins the company after roles in sourcing and operations at several Hong Kong based firms including Li & Fung fashion, LF Asia, The Just Group as well as Woolworths. At Character World he will be responsible for developing relationships with suppliers worldwide.
 
The appointment comes at a key time for the Cheadle, South Manchester-based business as it continues its ambitious international growth.

The business, which manufacturers licensed duvet sets and bedroom accessories has secured a number of lucrative Pan-European contracts with global licensors over the last two years including Disney, Marvel and Lego as they continue their international growth plans.
 
Joint managing director Mark Schweiger said: “Gavin’s experience and knowledge of the international market will be a real asset to us as a business.”
 
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MEDIACOM North has made a number of internal appointments to senior management positions, with digital specialists taking up key leadership positions in Manchester.
 
Paul Cooper, formerly joint-managing director of MediaCom’s digital performance brand, i-LAB, now takes up the post of joint-MD at MediaCom Manchester, a role shared with current MD, Pete Cooper.
 
Paul has been at the forefront of developing MediaCom’s digital proposition over the past five years as well as overseeing the acquisition of about £70m worth of digital new business at MediaCom North in 2015.

Nicola Marsh, former head of i-LAB North, has been promoted to the role of managing partner at MediaCom Manchester.

Meanwhile Pete Young has been appointed board director and head of digital and will assume overall responsibility for the company’s digital as well as ensuring the integration of relevant skills across MediaCom North.

Former Search Strategy Director, as newly appointed Board Director and Head of Digital, Pete Young, will assume overall responsibility for MediaCom’s Manchester’s digital strategy as well as ensuring the integration of digital skills and approaches to planning across MediaCom North.

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EAST Lancashire uniform provider Simon Jersey has appointed David Pert as its first director of eCommerce as it focuses on driving online growth.

His appointment follows 18 months of online sales growth for Simon Jersey, based at Altham, near Hyndburn.

Pert’s primary objective will be to continue to drive the company’s growth and brand visibility while establishing a best in class online experience for customers. He will be supported by a team of in-house digital marketing, PPC and SEO specialists.

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WAYNE Brophy, founder of specialist recruitment company Cast UK, has been invited to become an entrepreneur in residence at Lancaster University Management School, which is ranked in the top 1% of business schools across the globe.

Business owner Brophy has been appointed by the Department of Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation following his success in the business school’s LEAD 2 Innovate programme, led by Ian Gordon, having won the coveted Business Growth Award.

As an ambassador for LUMS, Brophy will help to drive the institute’s strategy to integrate teaching, research and knowledge exchange with the business community. The role will involve working with students to mentor, guide and foster business ideas that enrich the classroom experience.