People: New boss for Symphony; Hilary Meredith & more

SOCIAL landlord Symphony Housing Group has appointed Bronwen Rapley as its new chief executive.

Rapley,  currently the deputy director ofiInvestigation and enforcement at the Homes and Communities Agency will take over from Phil Gandy who announced last October that he intends to retire this year from the 41,000-home organisation.
 
Dr Neil Goodwin CBE, chair of the Symphony Housing Group Board, said: “I’m delighted that we have secured Bronwen to lead us during the coming years. She will be a great asset to Symphony and I look forward to her working with us on enhancing service delivery and strategic development for our tenants, staff and stakeholders.”
 
Rapley, 54, has worked in housing for 25 years, initially as a solicitor and then for 12 years in the housing sector in the North West.
 
She said: “I am very pleased to be joining Symphony at this time of change and challenge for the housing sector. It will be a privilege to work with people whose passion and ability to make a positive difference in the communities we serve is so evident.”
 
Symphony is the largest social landlord focused solely on the North West, owning and managing 41,000 homes across Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire.

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HILARY Meredith Solicitors, based in Wilmslow, Cheshire has expanded its service offering with the launch of a family law department.

The military law and personal injury specialist has appointed highly-rated solicitor Paul Reay to head up its new team.

Reay, who joins the firm from Lewis Rodgers Solicitors in Macclesfield, is experienced in dealing with all aspects of relationship breakdown, including divorce and finances, cohabitation, children matters and domestic abuse matters.

Chief executive Hilary Meredith said: “We felt the time was right to extend the range of legal services on offer to our clients.

“Having dealt with the often unspoken personal issues that arise from a catastrophic injury and having witnessed first-hand how we can help individuals and families through difficult periods in their lives I felt passionately that we could use our skills and expertise to extend our advice and support to a wider community.”

“Securing Paul as Head of Family Legal Services enables us to accelerate our plans to extend the full range of legal services to all our clients – new and old.”

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HOUSING and development consultancy project development workshop has appointed a new product manager to its Warrington team.

Carly O’Sullivan brings a wealth of experience to her new role at PDW, having previously worked at Styles and Wood where she was head of compliance and supply chain for five years.

Her main responsibility at PDW will be leading on the management of the company’s products, notably the Development Procedures Manual (DPM) and the Sales Procedures Manual (SPM) which provide step by step guidance to the development and sale of new homes and are tailored to the specific requirements of any organisation.

From its offices in Warrington and London, PDW specialises in housing and development consultancy, offering a range of services to housing associations, local authorities and developers throughout the UK, providing them with expert advice and interim management support.

She said: “I joined PDW because I wanted to be part of a company that is committed to making a real difference. PDW embraces the fact that its employees are key assets to the business, which is something that I really value. I am looking forward to new and exciting times ahead.”

David Bethell, managing director at PDW, said: “We’re really pleased to have Carly on board and it’s great to see her settling in to her new role so quickly.

“We have had a really busy few months at PDW, especially with interest in the DPM, so it is a perfect time for Carly to join us.”

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MULTI-award-winning charity Forever Manchester has appointed Darryl Adie as vice- president Digital Sector.

Adie, founder and managing director of ecommerce provider Ampersand will help the charity drive both its fundraising and profile in the Greater Manchester Digital Sector.

This newly created role follows on from the successful appointment earlier in the year of accoutant Steven Lindsay as vice-president for the professional services sector.

Nick Massey, chief executive of Forever Manchester, said: “It’s great to have Darryl on board in this exciting new role and look forward to him helping us make a significant impact in the sector over the next few years.”

Adie added ‘‘I’m really looking forward to taking on this new challenge and delighted to have this opportunity to help Forever Manchester achieve their goals.”

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RUNCORN-based agency CJ Retail Solutions has announced the appointment of Ian Billington as its new chief financial officer.
 
The retail display installation specialist has promoted from within, as Billington moves up the ranks from his previous role of financial controller.
 
In his new position, he will be responsible for implementing business management reporting solutions that will provide accurate and timely reports to the senior management team.

Alongside implementing a board structure, this will allow more effective and relevant business decisions to be made as the business progresses and grows.

Billington said: “Building on from the role of financial controller, I’m looking forward to contributing to the continued financial stability of the company as we grow and expand into other areas.

“CJ Retail Solutions is the standout sector leader in service-level agreement delivery and it’s a real honour to grow with the business and share my expertise and knowledge with regard to future strategic planning. We’re all really excited for the year ahead and I can’t wait to get started.”