People: Armstrong Watson; Aptamer Group; Underpin Sports; and more

Armstrong Watson has appointed Stephen Green as transaction services lead partner for the firm.

He joins the accountants, business and financial advisers from RSM, where he was a financial due diligence partner operating across the North of England for almost 14 years.

Specialising in financial due diligence for 25 years, holding roles with BDO and KPMG in the earlier part of his Corporate Finance career, he brings with him a wealth of experience having worked on deals ranging from £1m to £1bn across a wide variety of sectors.

Green will focus his skills and efforts positioning Armstrong Watson’s due diligence offering firmly in the mid-market, owner-managed business space, providing advice to companies on a strategic growth journey and to the financial investors and funders supporting them.

He said: “Our shared passion, and indeed mission, is to continue to deliver a value-added financial due diligence offering to the mid-market, providing acquisitive businesses on a strategic growth journey, and shareholders looking to realise value, with the confidence they need to transact.

“The Corporate Finance team has an operating footprint covering Yorkshire, the Northeast, Scotland, and the Northwest, and I look forward to speaking with clients, contacts, business owners and investors across Armstrong Watson’s regional geography to discuss how we can add value and perspective in a transactional scenario.”

Mike Kienlen, head of Corporate Finance, said: “The Armstrong Watson Corporate Finance team has seen an increased demand for transaction services and financial due diligence over the last 12 months.

“I am happy to welcome Stephen to the team to lead and develop this element of the Corporate Finance offering further.

“Stephen has a wealth of experience not only in this area, but also in leading and developing people to reach their full potential, something that is very much part of the Armstrong Watson culture.”

Paul Dickson, managing partner and chief executive, added: “We’re really pleased to welcome Stephen to Armstrong Watson.

“The pragmatic and practical advice that Stephen can bring to a transactional scenario will add real value for our existing and prospective clients in both buy and sell-side scenarios, providing them with an enhanced level of confidence to transact.”

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Dr Arron Tolley

York-headquartered life sciences business, Aptamer Group, has appointed three new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).  

Dr Paloma Giangrande, Dr Louis Allot, and Dr Adam Hargreaves join the board with established members Professor Paul Townsend and Dr Shozo Fujita.

The team will provide scientific expertise, an extensive contact network, and valuable market insights. 

The newly formed SAB will primarily be focused on addressing the commercialisation of the group’s internal development programmes for targeted delivery vehicles with diverse payloads, such as siRNA therapies and radiopharmaceuticals.

Board members will review and advise on product strategies, scientific approaches, and evidence generation for data to enable clinical advancement. 

The SAB is chaired by Dr David Bunka, Aptamer’s chief scientific officer and deputy chaired by Dr Arron Tolley, Aptamer’s chief executive officer. It now comprises:

• Dr Adam Hargreaves, managing director of Pathcelerate and Aptamer chair 
• Dr Paloma Giangrande, former CTO at Eleven Therapeutics and editor-in-chief at Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids
• Dr Louis Allot, radiochemistry consultant at Radiopharmium
• Professor Paul Townsend, deputy principal of research and innovation at the University of Stirling 
• Dr Shozo Fujita, former chief technology officer at Apta-Bio

Giangrande is an expert in the development and translation of nucleic acid therapeutics and aptamer-based delivery.

She pioneered the use of RNA aptamers for targeted siRNA delivery beyond the liver, significantly expanding the therapeutic potential of RNA interference.

She has held key leadership roles in biotechnology companies, including Moderna, Wave Life Sciences, and Eleven Therapeutics.

Allot is an expert in the clinical development of radiopharmaceuticals. He has extensive experience in developing novel radiopharmaceutical technologies from small molecules, to proteins, aptamers and antibodies.

He has previously held positions at Imperial College London, the University of Hull, and the Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC), a state-of-the-art GMP radiopharmaceutical production facility.

He holds an honorary position as lecturer in radiochemistry at King’s College London.

Hargreaves is the founder of PathCelerate Ltd. Spanning a 20-year career, he has previously worked for AstraZeneca and has expertise in preclinical and translational small molecule, biologic, and RNA-based pharmaceuticals.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and is a board-certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology.

Tolley said: “As Aptamer furthers our strategic programmes across targeted therapies, diagnostics and fast-moving consumer goods, the landscape for each of these specialised fields is rapidly evolving.

“The new appointments to our Scientific Advisory Board bring additional focus to our strategy and will give valuable insights to support the advancement of our high-value assets and programmes towards the clinic.

“These appointments underscore our dedication to capitalise on current assets and the strength of our platform to maximise shareholder value.”

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Leeds-based golf mental performance coaching company, Underpin Sports, has appointed Chris Hargreaves as its business development manager to drive business growth across the North of England.

His focus is on expanding Underpin’s 72 Club – a corporate network which brings together companies in sectors ranging from accounting to construction – to help fund and support the mental development of elite amateur and professional golfers.

Each 72 Club corporate member benefits from strategic partnership opportunities, an annual programme of high-profile golf and networking events and the ability to help fund the mental performance coaching of players who are at the development stages of their golfing career and often under financial pressure.

As well as established tour professionals, Underpin currently supports a range of up-and-coming golfers across Yorkshire, the UK and Europe.

Hargreaves has played golf to a high standard for over 30 years and brings extensive commercial experience from various sectors, including finance, private healthcare, insurance and hospitality.

He said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Underpin and be in a role which combines my lifelong passion for golf with the opportunity to be part of an exciting and fast-growing business.

“Looking ahead, I’m focused on raising Underpin’s profile across the north of England and helping to grow our network of members.

“It’s an exciting time for the business, and I’m confident that together we can achieve great things, both for our corporate clients and for the talented players we support on their journey to competing at the highest level.”

Greg Robertson, founder and director of coaching, added: “Chris’ passion for golf, combined with his experience in business development makes him the perfect fit for this role. He brings a fresh perspective and a strong drive to grow our 72 Club.”

“We’ve worked to build a company that captures the widespread enthusiasm for the sport and the opportunity to invest in the future development of elite amateur and professional golfers in the north, while offering a compelling networking proposition to businesses.

“Our 72 Club has made significant strides over the last 12 months, and includes companies such as Mackinnon Bruce, Blacks Solicitors and The Q Hotels Collection, and bringing Chris into the team will only strengthen this further.”

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An experienced industry professional has joined the trade credit division of independent insurance and risk management firm, TL Dallas Group.

Peter Hodgson is joining the Bradford-headquartered family and employee-owned firm as director of trade credit.

He will work alongside Simon Hyde, who has been with TL Dallas for over 25 years, and has been leading the 12-strong team over the last few years, until Hyde’s retirement in early 2025.

Group managing director at TL Dallas, Polly Staveley, said: “We are thrilled that Peter is joining us. He was looking for a new challenge and given his experience in helping to grow independent insurance broker, Reynolds, both before and after its sale, together with his excellent knowledge of the market, we feel he is very well placed to lead and grow our trade credit team.

Hodgson said: “TL Dallas has an enviable client base, many of which have been with the firm for decades, and it is renowned in the market for providing a personal service and having a dedicated and knowledgeable trade credit team.

“I’m looking forward to helping the firm continue to grow, while supporting businesses of all sizes by protecting them from the risk of non-payment and late payment, which is often a key reason why companies fail.”