People: Goold Estates eyes growth with triple hire; Birmingham Botanical Gardens announces new CEO; and more

Property investment and development company Goold Estates has made a trio of hires.

The Oldbury-based firm has strengthened its property management and support service functions as it targets new development and acquisition opportunities across the West Midlands.

Lara Angell has joined Goold Estates as trainee property manager. She will support the management of the company’s diverse investment portfolio, including warehouse and distribution, industrial, office, trade counter, leisure and retail premises.

The University of Birmingham graduate has more than five years’ experience in the property sector and was previously a new homes consultant at Centrick.

Sue Hanley is Goold Estates’ new office manager and executive PA. She has prior experience in commercial property through roles at Woodbourne Group and LCP Properties and spent more than 20 years as a legal PA at Gowling WLG.

Completing the new recruits is Lili Feng, who has been appointed accounts assistant. Fully qualified to MAAT level, she will have responsibility for service charge reconciliations, purchase invoices and company expenses.

Dominic Goold, managing director at Goold Estates, said that the appointments will bolster the firm’s operational capability and facilitate the further growth of its property portfolio.
He said: “We’re committed to investing in talented people who will enhance our well- established team and are delighted that Lara, Sue and Lili have chosen to develop their careers with us. They join us at an exciting period as we focus on the continued growth of the business through a number of refurbishment, development and acquisition opportunities across the West Midlands.”

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Sue Beardsmore (left), chair of trustees at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, with Sara Blair-Manning, the newly appointed CEO.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens has appointed a new chief executive as the charity seeks its next steps in preserving and enhancing the city heritage site.

Sara Blair-Manning joins with 27 years of experience in the cultural and charitable sectors.

She has significant experience of leading the development of beautiful gardens, heritage sites and environmental projects at two National Trust properties, Tattershall Castle and Gunby Estate, Hall and Gardens.

While CEO with The John Clare Trust, she worked with Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost and sponsors Lands’ End to create The Rural Muse garden, which won gold at RHS Chelsea in 2012. Inspired by the 18th century romantic poet John Clare, the garden was relocated to the John Clare birthplace museum in the village of Helpston, Peterborough.

Sara, a keen gardener, said she was looking forward to guiding the Gardens, an independent charity that relies solely on revenue from visitors, members and charitable donations, as it looks to put in place ambitious plans to build on the nearly 200 years of heritage.

Blair-Manning said: “I look forward to meeting sector colleagues and sharing future developments for Birmingham Botanical Gardens with our visitors, members and supporters.”
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Training group BCTG has announced two major changes to its senior executive management team.

Sarah Matthews, formerly the group’s operations manager, has been promoted to chief executive, and will have responsibility for BCTG Ltd, Eurosource, BCTG Skills Centre and The Apprenticeship Works.

Meanwhile Chris Luty, the former chief executive, has been appointed to a new role as group chairman.

Rob Colbourne will continue to be responsible for PTP as managing director, and Alan Phillips will continue as group finance director.

Matthews, who has worked at BCTG for nearly 15 years, serving as operations manager since 2016, said: “I am thrilled to be taking on this new position.

“I look forward to working closely with the strong executive team we have here at BCTG to achieve even more success in the training and apprenticeship sectors.”

Luty, who had previously served as chief executive at BCTG since 1993, said: “We have built a very effective senior management team in recent years, and Sarah was more than ready to take over the reins after proving her abilities as operations director.

“My move to group chairman will now allow me to focus on maximising the collective potential of the whole group offer across all six businesses, and the other directors on the executive team will give the group continued strength and consistency.”

The BCTG Group, based in Oldbury, now supports almost 10,000 young people and adults in training and apprenticeships each year across the whole Midlands region.

The group has ten sites in Birmingham, the Black Country, Staffordshire and Newcastle-under-Lyme, and also includes Performance Through People, The Apprenticeship Works, BCTG Ltd, Eurosource Solutions and Further EPAO.