People on the move: Beattie; Corstorphine + Wright; Customs Connect Group; FPE Global

People on the move is sponsored by family law firm Hall Brown

Beattie, the creative communications group with offices in Manchester, has recruited digital marketing guru Deborah Hair.

Beattie’s offices in Manchester are based in Mosley Street and Hair is the agency’s third big signing in as many months.
 
Kevin Roberts – the former global chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi – was appointed chairman of Beattie Communications Group in January.

And the following month, former Grayling chief executive Alison Clarke came on board as chairman of its ultra-specialist Only Marketing brand.

Beattie chief executive Laurna Woods said: “In 2016, we recruited 30 new people into the agency to handle our growing client base.  

“In 2017 we are continuing to recruit across all our offices as well as making strategic appointments at a senior level. When it comes to digital marketing, Deborah is outstanding and I look forward to her having a massive impact on our business.”

Headquartered in London, the group has eight offices in the UK. It recently announced its expansion into Canada.

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Architect practice Corstorphine + Wright has appointed two senior directors to its Manchester office as the group expands its client base across the North West.

Kim Ebling and Lee Mansfield have both joined the practice as directors, and will be focusing on growing the company’s commercial and public sector offering as well as its residential portfolio.

Ebling has joined the Group from Manchester consultancy Edelmann & Ebling, of which she was founder and joint owner.

She brings more than 20 years’ specialist residential and mixed-use development experience to the role, having worked across a broad range of schemes including private and luxury schemes, social housing and sustainable development, clients including Urban Splash, Artisan, Peel Holdings, Eastlands Homes and City South Manchester Housing Trust.

Ebling said: “With significant expertise and contacts in the north west of England, my key focus will be expanding our reach in Manchester and the north, particularly in relation to our residential portfolio, and building up our team here.”

Mansfield has joined the business from Fletcher Rae. Previously, he undertook roles at both AFL and DTR UK. He has led numerous public sector projects including primary care and education schemes across the UK.

More recently he has worked on large-scale commercial developments including the master plan for Northwich town centre.

He said: “Having known the team at Corstorphine + Wright for a while and being familiar with the business and its culture, I’m looking forward to helping drive forward our plans for growth.

“Much of my experience lies within the public sector and large-scale commercial projects, but with the appointment of Kim, alongside the existing team here, we now have a really good spread of expertise across a range of sectors. It’s an exciting time for the business.”

Ross Erwin, director at Corstorphine + Wright heading up the Manchester office, said: “Both Lee and Kim bring an extensive range of skills and depth of experience to Corstorphine + Wright, with more than 40 years’ combined experience in their respective specialist areas.

“We have seen a huge increase in the volumes of work and clients we work with since we opened our Manchester office in 2012, and the fact that Kim and Lee, both seasoned directors with established reputation in the Manchester market, have chosen to join us highlights our ongoing success.”

Corstorphine + Wright has offices in Warwick, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Dublin, Canterbury, Glasgow, Newcastle and Liverpool.

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Salford Quay-based Customs Connect Group has announced that, following the major investment by NVM late last year, it has expanded its service offering through the addition of a VAT specialist.
 
Gavin Tucker, director of VAT, has recently moved from PwC to establish the Customs Connect VAT practice.

 Over the last 20 years, Tucker has provided VAT advice to a wide portfolio of clients from major financial service providers, multinational manufacturers and distributors as well as private individuals and not for profit making organisations.

In particular, he has built up significant expertise advising clients in relation to their international supply chain and movement of goods as well as land and property transactions.  
The company says the introduction of a VAT service offers a further opportunity for the its clients to make substantial cashflow or absolute savings and represents a significant development in enabling the it to offer a whole range of market specialist consultancy services to both new and existing clients.

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Specialist process engineering firm FPE Global has appointed Gareth Durdin as food and beverage sales manager to target growth in an industry set to reach a value of over £113bn in 2018.

Durdin has more than 20 years’ experience selling materials handling and mixing solutions into the same end target markets as FPE Global.

Durdin will join FPE on March 27 from Gericke UK, where he built a strong track record of winning and retaining key accounts and developed an industry leading reputation for delivering materials handling and mixer solutions.

He will work from the firm’s Manchester headquarters to target value added applications at businesses across the UK and internationally.

Durdin’s appointment comes as FPE targets increased sales in growing industries and looks to help its customers achieving more efficient manufacturing operations through the application of best practice in powders handling and processing.

Chief executive David Cooper said: “Gareth brings with him a tremendous amount of process application and business development experience in materials handling where he has in-depth knowledge of multiple industry sectors.”

Durdin said: “The UK’s food and drink sector shows great promise, and the industry is fast becoming synonymous with quality products and brands. With its rapidly growing team, FPE is well placed to develop the opportunities in this market, and is an exciting place to be. I am looking forward to joining FPE’s expert team to deliver excellent results for the company.”