People: James Cropper; PwC Legal; BDB & more
CUMBRIA-based papermake James Cropper has kicked off 2016 with two new senior appointments and a number of new business prospects as it prepares for a busy year ahead.
The company recently appointed Norbert Spiegel as regional sales manager of Germany, Austria and Switzerland to focus and grow the business in these countries.
Spiegel has gained a wealth of knowledge from a career in the paper industry and will be based in Cologne, reporting to export sales director Andy Smith.
Peter Scott, an experienced quality professional with a proven track record of transformational leadership in the delivery of world class product quality, joins the Kendal business to head up quality and technical activities.
As quality and technical director, he will report to chief operations officer Dave Watson.
The new recruits join two other senior managers who joined James Cropper in 2015 – Mick Coward, senior development manager, and Nick Shepherd, UK and Ireland sales director – to help drive key objectives forward.
James Cropper chief executive Phil Wild said: “We’re expecting 2016 to be a big year for James Cropper so having the right staff in place is imperative. We welcome Norbert and Peter to the team and look forward to seeing them progress as the company continues to grow.”
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PWC has continued to grow its PwC Legal – its legal business – by recruiting Mick Gorrill and David Cook to enhance the region’s cyber and data protection practice.
Gorrill was previously Assistant Information Commissioner and Head of Enforcement at the Information Commissioner’s Office, the data protection regulator, and was instrumental in the writing of the ICO regulatory strategy.
Cook joins PwC Legal this month from Pannone (now Slater & Gordon) where, as a solicitor advocate, he developed a national reputation as a specialist in white collar offences and cyber crime.
Neal Shepherd, head of PwC Legal in the UK regions, said: “Bringing known industry leaders like Mick and David in to work alongside our existing forensic cyber and data team will enable us to help businesses both protect themselves and respond properly if an incident happens.”
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CHESTER-based contractor, freelancer and recruiter services provider ADVANCE has strengthened its leadership team as it targets significant growth in 2016.
Andrew Coates joins as group finance director from Auctus Management Group, home to Rail Safety Solutions (RSS) amongst other brands.
Meanwhile, Anna Sills has been promoted to the newly-created position of customer service & communications director.
They join managing directors Tim Hunt and Shaun Critchley on the ADVANCE senior management and strategy team.
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ALTUS Group has expanded its national lease consultancy team with the appointment of Nigel McMurray as director.
McMurray, who was previously at Hillier Parker and CBRE for almost 20 years, and has specialised in landlord and tenant matters throughout his career, will be based at the company’s North West office in Manchester.
Jon Broome, joint national head of lease consultancy at Altus Group said: “We are delighted to welcome Nigel to our fast growing national team. His extensive experience and local knowledge will further bolster the team in the North West Region and beyond.”
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DELIVERY management platform Electio, based in Trafford Park, Manchester has appointed Anthony Smith as national sales manager.
With almost two decades of experience working for some of the biggest names in the industry, Smiths joins Electio, part of MPD Group, from GFS, where he was multichannel director.
He has also previously worked with Hays DX, HDNL (now Yodel), and CollectPlus. Smith has a track record of success in new business development winning major projects from brands including Virgin Media, River Island and Schuh.
As national sales manager, he will be responsible for building direct relationships with leading retailers in the UK’s ecommerce space as well as managing Electio’s channel partnerships.
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BUSINESS journalist Chris Maguire is leaving his position as editor of North West Business Insider magazine to launch a new publication for Manchester entrepreneur Lawrence Jones, founder of cloud hosting firm UKFast.
Called Business Cloud, the title will be bimonthly and focus on ‘technology for a business audience’. It is expected to launch in the next six months.
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INTERNATIONAL marketing communications agency Barrett Dixon Bell has promoted Matt Smith to managing director.
The Altrincham-based firm says he will bring a “sharp focus” on client service and campaign delivery to cement the company’s reputation as one of the UK’s leading b2b agencies.
Formerly the firm’s finance and operations director, he has a background in professional and financial services, specialising in the media, technical and communications sectors. He originally trained as a chartered accountant.
He replaced Olivia Kehoe, who left BDB in 2014. He said: “BDB has an unrivalled reputation in global b2b marketing and stands out as having a 100% business to business focus.
“Unlike other agencies, where b2b can sometimes be a bolt-on, BDB’s has been a consistent and successful core focus for its 25 years in existence.
“We have deep-rooted sector expertise across food ingredients, construction, energy, chemicals and personal care, life sciences, health and packaging and have more than 25 years’ experience in planning, directing and implementing major award-winning campaigns.
“A major part of my role is to attract and retain the highest talent to ensure the continued quality of our marketing consultancy, client service and incisive campaign delivery.”
BDB chairman Susanne Dixon said: “Matt’s appointment will ensure we continue to lead the way in b2b marketing expertise to offer our clients the performance they require across their speciality markets.”
