People: Liquid; Aon; Colliers

Liquid, an integrated communications consultancy, has announced the appointment of Paul Faulkner as senior counsel.

Faulkner brings a wealth of experience to the role, having held high-profile leadership positions across both the corporate and sports sectors.

Liquid is an integrated communications agency offering social, digital, design and PR services, representing clients from all over the world.

Faulkner brings over two decades of experience in leadership, governance and stakeholder management.

He has held key roles including chief executive officer at Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest Football Clubs, as well as CEO of the GreatervBirmingham Chambers of Commerce.

He is also the co-founder of Element45, an advisory business that provides board-level support and leadership services.

Faulkner said: “I am delighted to be working with Liquid in this senior advisory capacity. I’ve known and admired the business leaders Elisabeth Lewis-Jones and David Colcombe for many years and have always been impressed by both the quality of work the team delivers and the scale of their ambition. Liquid may be based in the heart of Birmingham, but it has always operated on a global scale and demonstrated serious ambition, especially with its expansion into Australia.

The agency is now at a pivotal moment in its journey, and I’m excited to collaborate with Lis, David, and the wider team to help shape and execute their next phase of growth.”

Elisabeth Lewis-Jones, CEO at Liquid said: “Liquid’s expansion into new markets and its growing client base make this the perfect time for Paul to join the team. His experience will support the agency in strengthening strategic relationships and expanding its global presence, particularly as it prepares for its next stage of growth”

Aon has announced that its specialist UK insolvency and restructuring insurance and risk team, based in Birmingham, has made two promotions.

Sadie Easdown and Andrew McIntosh have both been promoted to executive director roles.

After starting her career with Aon, Easdown went on to gain a broad range of experience at Willis Towers Watson.

She returned to Aon in 2018 as a pivotal part of the team that launched the firm’s insolvency and restructuring business.

She has amassed over 16 years of experience delivering bespoke insurance solutions to insolvency practitioners, receivers and turnaround professionals.

During this time, she has led Aon’s project team on some significant insolvency engagements in the aviation, retail and manufacturing sectors.

Easdown said: “Having worked across corporate broking and mergers and acquisitions, as well as insolvency, I have developed an interesting mix of experience that helps me shape bespoke solutions for clients from a range of perspectives. I really enjoy the problem-solving aspect of my work.

“Aon’s insolvency insurance and risk team has built a strong reputation within the industry and the year ahead is set to be an exciting one. It is, therefore, fantastic to have been promoted into this new role allowing me to further my career within the Aon team.”

McIntosh has specialised in insolvency insurance since 2009, before which he gained experience across broking and scheme business.

He is a strong believer that in delicate insolvency scenarios, the effective use of the insurance market can make a positive impact in delivering better outcomes.

McIntosh said: “My responsibilities within the business have evolved in recent years and I believe this promotion is recognition of that. We have proved to be a consistently high-performing team for some time, and now Sadie’s and my promotions are forming part of a wider restructuring that ensures we will continue to attract and retain the very best talent to maintain this level of performance.”

Mark Sanderson, managing director of insolvency and restructuring at Aon in the UK said: “Despite there being comparatively fewer insolvencies in 2024, it proved to be a stellar year for the Aon team – we grew by over 40 per cent. This growth was in no small part due to the expertise and commitment to long-term client relationships in which our team invests every day.

“Both Sadie and Andy, with whom I’ve worked for the past 15 years, played a significant role in this growth – their promotions are richly deserved. Now in 2025 – a year which I don’t doubt will bring interesting new challenges to the insolvency landscape – it’s imperative that we continue to present the very strongest team within the sector.”

Colliers’ national offices team is expanding with the appointment of Jonathan Fear who is joining as a head of Birmingham City Centre Offices.

In this pivotal role, Fear will focus on delivering a bespoke level of service for Colliers’ existing clients who have city centre assets requiring a commercial strategy that is capable of being delivered in what has become a very sophisticated marketplace.

He joins a national team with an unequalled track record of creating a capturing value for property owners and occupiers, which will strengthen its acknowledged, national presence and expertise in other key regional cities.

Fear is a seasoned veteran, with over 25 years of experience on both client and advisory consultancy sides in the commercial real estate industry.

He brings a wealth of experience with a focus on mixed-use urban regeneration projects and a proven track record of operating with hotel and PBSA operators.

He also understands the influence of the renewable energy market and the impact of the logistics sector on urban centres.

Previously, Fear held senior roles with leading organisations such as Severn Trent Water, Cannock Developments and St Modwen, now owned by Blackstone, where he led capital works projects and was instrumental in the development, conversion and strategic management of assets.

Douglas Bonham, who continues in his role as head of the West Midlands out-of-town regions, will work closely with Fear to ensure the continued growth and success of the team in both the city centre and out-of-town markets.

Mike Hawkins, head of national offices at Collier’s said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming Jon to the team. His extensive experience in real estate and a proven record of delivering leasing strategies and therefore delivering successful city centre projects, often in partnership, will ensure that he will add value to Colliers’ clients.

“His leadership and strategic insight will be key in protecting our client’s city centre office portfolios and ensure that additional assets acquired will perform.”