People: The Derwent Group; One; Turner Parkinson & more
DEVELOPER The Derwent Group has expanded and strengthened its property team with the appointment of two new staff members and an internal promotion.
Operating across the retail, leisure, industrial and commercial sectors, Derwent’s new recruits will assist in driving forward its strategy and supporting the delivery of its £100m Edge Lane retail development in Liverpool.
Peter Gilliland has been recruited as senior property manager and will report to property director Jonathan Black who joined the company to head up the property team in 2014.
Gilliland’s role will include examining service charge arrangements across the group whilst also supporting Black in all aspects of his role.
His substantial retail property experience was gained at Workman LLP where, as senior associate, he was responsible for the entire New River portfolio encompassing 29 shopping centres, high street retail and no less than 16 retail parks at any one time.
Barry Lewis has joined the team as a quantity surveyor with 10 years’ of contracting QS experience under his belt gained at Laing O’Rourke.
He has worked on projects including Stepping Hill Hospital, Gorton Education Village and the extension of the Manchester Metrolink. His responsibilities at The Derwent Group will include contract administration, financial management (commercial and contractual), as well as reviewing existing procedures and identifying potential improvements in operations.
Leanne Elkin, has been promoted to the role of chartered building surveyor, after being in the industry for more than 14 years. She joined from AA projects where she was project manager, focusing mainly on large scale retail projects.
Gilliland, Lewis and Elkin will work across Derwent’s entire portfolio, including Liverpool Shopping Park at Edge Lane, the Junction Nine Retail Park development in Warrington and White City Retail Park in Old Trafford.
Jonathan Black, property director at Derwent Group said: “The range and breadth of skills and experience that Peter, Barry and Leanne bring to the property team is fantastic.
“The strengthened team will assist in realising our objective of having the majority of the portfolio fully let by the end of this year and on entering the delivery phase of schemes including the £100m Liverpool Shopping Park on Edge Lane in Liverpool.”
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MANCHESTER-based integrated communications agency One has appointed Peter Davis as its new creative director.
He has replaced Peter Johnston who has stepped down from the role after 30 years.
Davis brings more than 25 years’ experience as an award-winning creative in both traditional and digital agencies in London and Manchester.
He joins One from gyro Manchester, where he was executive creative director for 5 years and he will be overseeing the creative and creative services teams across the agency’s entire client portfolio.
He will be working closely alongside the agency’s social, PR, digital and content teams to continue to strengthen the agency’s integrated approach to its marketing services and solutions.
Davis said: “It’s an honour to take over the creative directorship from Pete who I have always hugely respected. I’m a passionate believer in creative integration and collaborative working, so the agency’s ‘connected thinking’ philosophy couldn’t be more akin to my own creative principles.”
Johnston, however, will not be disappearing from the agency, instead taking on a creative consultancy role at the agency, and is committed to helping make the transition as seamless as possible.
Johnston added: “It goes without saying that I’m thrilled about handing over the creative directorship over to Peter.
“We have worked together before and I know he is not just an exceptional creative talent, but his style of management is a perfect fit for us. He is joining at a very busy and exciting time in the agency’s growth. We are all confident that he will play a key role in pushing our creative profile even further.”
One’s clients include Alstom, Britannia, Hoover, Taylor Wimpey, United Utilities and York Races.
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TURNER Parkinson, the Manchester-based independent business law firm, has confirmed the promotion of corporate director David Easdown to partner.
Having joined the firm as an associate in 2014, Easdown has now been promoted twice in two years after being promoted from associate to director in March 2015.
Easdown is highly regarded in the M&A market having worked on numerous well-known transactions in the healthcare, logistics and technology sectors and is consistently ranked by Experian among the top 10 dealmakers in the North West.
Highlights over the last 12 months include the sale of Inspirepac to Smurfit Kappa, the sale of £180m turnover Logson Group to W&R Barnett and a string of acquisitions in the pharmacy industry.
TP’s head of corporate James Sheridan said: “In a short period of time, David has had a stellar impact on our business and the colleagues he works with day to day.”
