People on the move: TLC; Henry Royce Institute; Glovers Project Services; Remarkable Group; Leigh Day
ANN Turner, principal of Myerscough College near Preston, has been appointed as the new chair of The Lancashire Colleges (TLC).
TLC acts on behalf of further education and sixth form colleges across Lancashire, securing funds for education and training and supporting collaborative work and projects.
Turner has been principal at Myerscough since 2006. She is also the chair of Landex, the national association for land-based colleges, director of the National Land Based College, Cultiva, as well as being the rural advisor to the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership. Ann is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
She has taken over as chair of TLC from David Wood, principal of Lancaster and Morecambe College, who is retiring in March 2017.
Wood successfully chaired the colleges’ group for the past 11 years during which time TLC brought in over £20m in additional funding for Lancashire and has become known as the leading county wide college group in England.
Turner said: “I’ve really enjoyed working with David. His contribution to the work of the college sector has been immense. Individually, colleges have such a positive effect on the lives and education of the county’s young people and adults, but working together we achieve even more. I’m excited to take on this role and driving forward the next chapter for TLC.”
Wood said: “I’ve relished my time as chair and am proud of everything we’ve achieved as a team. I’ll always be passionate about educating and upskilling young people across Lancashire and have no doubt that Ann will do a great job as my successor.”
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THE Henry Royce Institute has appointed one of the UK’s leading material scientists to a strategic research leadership role.
Professor Philip Withers, the Regius Professor of Materials at The University of Manchester, has been appointed as the first chief scientist for the Royce.
Having been instrumental in establishing the £235m institute, Withers will now lead the development and implementation of the strategy for the nine initial core research areas of Royce, which will become the UK’s foremost centre for advanced materials research and commercialisation.
The Royce will support the growth of the UK’s world-leading research and innovation base in the science and technology of advanced materials, which underpin all industrial sectors.
It will have its hub at The University of Manchester and spokes at the founding partners, comprising the universities of Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial College London, as well as the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) and the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).
The Royce will see more than 800 researchers across a number of UK universities and research centres working in collaboration, as well as with commercial partners to create a significant impact for the UK economy.
A Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering, Withers is one of the UK’s leading exponents of advanced techniques to study the behaviour of engineering and natural materials in both real time and 3D.
As chief scientist he will be responsible for leading the development of the Royce research strategy, as well as involving the wider UK’s materials community in Royce.
He will also be working closely with CEO Dr Andrew Hosty and other colleagues to engage with industry and promote the Royce to a national and international audience.
He said: “I have been involved in helping to set up The Henry Royce Institute almost from its conception and I am very excited to be taking on the role of Chief Scientist.
“The scale and breadth of the research is highly impressive and one of my ambitions is to help establish it as one of the leading Materials Centres world-wide involving many of our world-leading scientists from other UK universities and research centres.”
CEO Dr Andrew Hosty added: “Phil is the ideal person to take on this crucial role and brings not only his experience of working on the Royce but also his exceptional ability as a materials scientist.”
The Royce is funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
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GLOVERS Project Services, the multidisciplinary construction consultancy based in Accrington, Lancashire, has unveiled promoted Mary Cross to the role of director.
Responsible for Glovers’ Contract Services department, Cross has worked for Glovers for almost nine years during which she has grown the expert witness and dispute resolution department with a number of high-value appointments.
Managing director David Baldwin said: “We’ve been through some tough times in the construction industry in recent years but through her networking and business development Mary has ensured that the Glovers’ brand has continued to grow and this appointment is recognition of that commitment.”
Cross, who will be based at the company’s second office on the Wirral, has dual qualifications in surveying and law and has worked in the field of construction for over 17 years both nationally and internationally.
She said: “This is a great time for me to become a Director with a number of exciting international opportunities in the pipeline for Glovers. I’m looking forward to the opportunity of increasing our workload and growing our team.”
Established in 1979 Glovers is a multi-disciplinary consultancy offering quantity surveying, building surveying, CDM Co-ordination, project management and contract services to a wide and diverse client base.
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THE new year begun with a bang for communications and public affairs consultancy Remarkable Group, following the appointment of Kevin Whitmore, who has joined the business as North region director in its Manchester office.
He will oversee the Group’s work across the North of England and sits on the operational board of directors.
Whitmore brings nearly a decade’s experience in public affairs with him to his role with Remarkable Group and has advised clients across the housebuilding, retail, commercial property and energy sectors on their reputation management.
He said:“2017 will be an exciting year for Remarkable Group following the agreement to acquire HardHat and the expansion of our Northern team.
Remarkable Group’s fresh approach to public affairs and ability to use new technologies to unlock local support for our clients, enables us to de-risk the planning process and add real value to development projects large and small.”
Remarkable Group’s Northern team services a range of clients across the North West, North East and Yorkshire, including Aldi, McCarthy & Stone, Transport for the North and Peel Group.
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LAW firm Leigh Day has made two new appointments in Manchester.
Kevin Johnson joins from Slater and Gordon as a partner in Leigh Day’s industrial disease department and solicitor Joseph Dawson strengthens the firm’s expanding travel team.
Regarded as one of the North West’s leading industrial disease specialists, Kevin Johnson joins Leigh Day after amassing 20 years’ experience on cases involving occupational disease.
The bulk of his experience was gained with John Pickering and Partners in Liverpool, before it became part of Slater and Gordon in 2013.
He is described by Chambers Legal Directory as having an “excellent understanding of the issues related to asbestos litigation” and the Legal 500 Directory rates him for his work in industrial disease claims, calling him “determined and cerebral.”
He will divide his time between Leigh Day’s Central Park, Manchester, office and the firm’s newly opened office in Liverpool at Horton House, Exchange Flags, in order to maintain and develop work on Merseyside.
Joseph Dawson joins from Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, where for the past six years he has specialised in complex and high value accidents and injury abroad cases.
He has enjoyed many successes in the High Court and in settlement meetings recovering significant compensation to assist his clients with the rehabilitation and treatment required following life changing accidents.
