People: The BIG Partnership; Acumen Financial Partnership; Orbit Developments & more

SCOTLAND’S largest PR and digital marketing agency The BIG Partnership has made in-roads into the North West with the launch of a new Manchester office and the appointment of two senior staff.

The move follows a string of client wins worth in excess of £250k in the last year, some of which include APS Group, Transport for London, First Travel Solutions, dairy technology firm, Fabdec, new road safety app, BikeSpotter, and Merseytravel.

The first of the recent recruits is Sarah Lawless, who has been appointed as head of North West operations. She will also lead the new office, and joins from her previous role as head of PR and social media at Manchester-based agency, One.  

Lawless said: “Joining BIG at such a crucial point in its expansion is a unique and exciting opportunity. BIG is a well-known agency, with a great reputation in Scotland – one of my main focusses will be to build on this in England.”

BIG has an established presence in Liverpool, where the firm opened its office in 2012. Thanks to the recent wins, Josh Turner has also been hired as an account director who will lead the Liverpool base. He joins from Maersk Line, a global shipping and maritime company, where he was previously communications manager.

Sharon Mars, director at The BIG Partnership, said: “The recent office opening and the appointments of Sarah and Josh highlight an important time for the business. We are realising our vision to expand further into the North West, and with two locations now set in place, we can widen our service offering to one of the UK’s largest economies.  

“Manchester and Liverpool are bursting with opportunity and both have a prominent presence in the professional, legal and financial service sectors – all areas in which BIG is particularly strong.

“Sarah and Josh will be key players in our growth in England, and both have an excellent track record of implementing and delivering powerful marketing strategies in a range of sectors.”

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WEST Lancashire firm Acumen Financial Partnership has grown its team with the appointment of a new financial planning coordinator.

Sarah Shingler, aged 22, and from Aintree worked previously for Diligenta in Liverpool as a corporate incidents administrator across the company’s life assurance, pensions and annuities portfolio.

Jon Landy, director at Acumen Financial Partnership, said: “We’ve been giving straightforward financial advice to clients and steadily building our team for ten years.

“We’re pleased to have added a new member of staff with experience and a genuine interest in expanding her knowledge and skills.

“Recruiting Sarah to the Acumen team shows that we’re a growing business that is attractive to young, ambitious people within the sector.”

Acumen moved to new premises in Burscough’s Swordfish Business Park recently.

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STOCKPORT’S largest commercial landlord has appointed a new leasing assistant to support the business operation in Stockport town centre.

James Nicholson has joined the Orbit Developments team and is based on the 10th floor of Regent House, the developers’ flagship building in Stockport town centre.
 
Previously working in residential sales with estate agents Gascoigne Halman, Nicholson brings with him a wealth of property experience – though this is his first foray into both lettings and commercial property.

He will be working closely with leasing surveyor Rhys Owen, managing the day-to-day enquiries across Orbit’s extensive 12-property portfolio in Stockport. He will also act as a general point of contact for Orbit customers in the town.

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REAL estate law firm Irwin Mitchell has appointed Carl Dyer as Head of its UK National Planning team.

Dyer was previously head of planning at Thomas Eggar, the law firm that recently merged with Irwin Mitchell to create a truly national real estate practice.

He is based in the company’s Gatwick office but will be supporting growth within the Manchester planning team which is headed up by Emily Williams.
 
Dyer will also be working to build Irwin Mitchell’s planning team further, and heads a team of seven specialist planning lawyers including Emily Williams who heads up the team in Manchester.

Irwin Mitchell’s planning team boasts clients which include IDI Gazeley, Redevco, Henry Boot, Welbeck Land, Christ’s Hospital, Mas Rei, and News Corporation UK.