People: Shoosmiths; Monocore; Cumbria LEP & more
NATIONAL law firm Shoosmiths has appointed a new head for its fast-growing Manchester office.
Vaqas Farooq, head of real estate for the firm in Manchester, replaces Harold Brako in taking on overall leadership of the firm’s operations in the city.
Two new deputy heads of office, partners Kath Livingston and Liz Sweeney, have also been appointed.
Brako was responsible for setting up the Shoosmiths’ Manchester office in 2009 and drove its growth to a current headcount of some 160 people. He will continue to lead Shoosmiths Manchester’s finance litigation team.
University of Birmingham-educated Farooq joined Shoosmiths in 2005 and was made partner in 2007. He will continue to work with a wide range of prestigious real estate clients alongside his new responsibilities.
He described Brako as an “outstanding” head of office who had had the courage to set up an entirely new legal presence in the city during the difficult economic days of 2009.
Farooq added: “Harold switched the Manchester lights on six years ago and has since overseen and helped build a successful office of which we are all very proud.”
Shoosmiths chief executive Claire Rowe said: “A huge amount of our success in Manchester is down to the invaluable contribution of Harold and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank him for his work.
“We are delighted that Vaq has accepted the challenge of following in his footsteps as we enter a new and exciting phase of growth.”
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MANCHESTER-based online nutrition business Monocore has appointed Ross Beagrie as managing director.
Beagrie, an experienced executive in commercial operations and consumer marketing, will join on January 11 from Jarden Consumer Solutions, and work closely with founder Oliver Cookson and oversee all aspects of the GoNutrition and Saints & Slimmers brands.
Oliver Cookson, founder and chief executive of Monocore said: “Ross brings a wealth of experience in building world class consumer-centric brands.
“I am confident Ross has the experience, skills and drive to step-up and drive forward and build new exciting brands at Monocore. He possesses an inspirational thirst for performance and success which I believe is key for a leader of a high growth business.”
Beagrie added: “This is an extremely exciting time. Oliver and I have ambitious plans for Monocore, developing the next level of differentiated and desirable solutions for our consumers.”
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FOUR new private sector board members have been appointed to strengthen the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.
They are: Rob Johnston, chief executive of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce; BT Openreach regional infrastructure director for the North, Jim Jackson; Ian Robinson, procurement director from Innovia Films and Duncan Peake, chief executive of Holker Group.
LEP chair George Beveridge, said: “The appointments of Rob, Jim, Ian and Duncan bolster the private sector membership of our board and come at a crucial time for the LEP as we seek to secure devolved powers and maximise investment.
“Each new board member brings highly valuable expertise and experience to the role and they will all play an integral part in helping us to fulfil the economic priorities for the county.
“We are keen for them to spearhead our continuing work with both private and public partners and stakeholders to help secure funding and implement initiatives which support greater sustainability and more economic growth in Cumbria.”
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MANCHESTER legal company Forbes Solicitors has grown its housing and regeneration department by appointing solicitor Sabina Patel and paralegal Joshua Burke.
Patel, who studied LLB law at John Moore’s University in Liverpool and LPC at the College of Law in Manchester, is looking forward to working with Forbes’ large client base of housing clients.
“I am delighted to be working in the Housing and Regeneration Property team at Forbes, and handling a wide range of matters including property sales and acquisitions, right to buy, right to acquire, plot sales, and leases,” she said.
Patel who is married and lives in Blackburn, also speaks fluent Gujarati and Urdu and in her spare time enjoys baking and travelling.
Burke, also from Blackburn, originally studied Spanish and Russian at the University of Manchester graduating with a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages.
During his time at university he studied in both Yaroslavl and St Petersburg, Russia and in Murcia, Spain.
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INTERNATIONAL real estate advisor Savills has expanded its office agency team with the appointment of Daniel Barnes who will be based at the firm’s Booth Street office in Manchester.
Barnes joins as an associate following three years at DTZ (now Cushman & Wakefield), during which time he progressed from graduate to senior surveyor.
His experience includes the acquisition and disposal of office space for clients such as Patagonia, Urban Splash and Government bodies including the Driving Standards Agency.
James Evans, head of Savills Manchester, said: “We are pleased to be welcoming Daniel on board as a busy and successful year draws to a close. He has great experience in the Manchester office market and will be a real asset as we continue to work with both landlords and occupiers in 2016.”
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CHRISTOPHER Bradshaw has joined Manchester-based HOW Planning as a graduate planner.
Christopher graduated from Sheffield University in July 2015 with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning and will be working on a significant number of residential projects under the guidance of partner, Richard Barton.
HOW works for a number of the UK’s leading house builders including Taylor Wimpey, Story Homes, Bloor and Jones Homes.
Says Richard: “With so much focus on the provision of new housing our workload in this area is increasing all the time. Christopher is a very welcome addition to the team and will be a valuable resource helping to support the work we do for our clients.”
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CUMBRIAN-based residential property developer Story Homes has bolstered its senior team with the recent promotion of two heads of department.
Louise McGuckin has been promoted from head of sales to sales director for the rapidly growing house builder. During her time with Story Homes, her career has progressed quickly from sales manager to become a member of the board of directors.
Fran Stott has been appointed to the board as HR director, just a year after the company developed its first ever dedicated HR team following the legal separation of Story Homes from its sister company Story Contracting, with whom HR responsibility was previously shared.
She joined as head of HR in 2014 and has significantly contributed to Story Homes’ growth with her considerable experience gained from previous employers, including Nestle, npower and Vodafone.
Steve Errington, chief executive at Story Homes, said: “Story Homes is committed to continued growth through the construction of high-quality homes – growth that wouldn’t be possible without the strategic direction of a talented senior team.”
