Member Article

This week’s North West appointments

Cheshire accountancy firm Banks Sheridan is celebrating the start of 2015 by taking on three new members of staff.

The new recruits joined the firm in its office on Crewe Business Park, Crewe, Cheshire to assist in the provision of accounting and tax services for both companies and individuals

“In celebration of the fact Banks Sheridan is growing, both in terms of the number of clients we act for and the services we offer, we have employed three new professional staff members to join our team,” says Banks Sheridan Director, Stuart Banks.

“It is really exciting to have Sian Knight as our new Outsourced Services Leader, Charles Bracegirdle joining us in the role of Trainee Accountant and Bradley Evans as an Accounts Apprentice. All three individuals are highly professional and have a great deal to offer our clients. It is also great that we have been able to fill all the positions with talented individuals who live nearby, which will help in our continued support of the local community.

Philip Parker, Hill Dickinson

The Liverpool office of international law firm Hill Dickinson has bolstered its ranks with the appointment of Philip Parker to its Property Litigation team.

Philip joins the firm from Brabners, bringing with him expertise in commercial landlord and tenant disputes. Specialising in complex lease renewals, breach of covenant claims, rent review and service charge disputes, difficult break options, vacant site assimilation projects, valuation disputes, trespass claims and interim or terminal dilapidation disputes, he has acted for a host of well-known national retailers, a large local authority pension scheme and an international logistics company.

Philip will work alongside the team in Liverpool headed up by Partner, Kevin Lee, who said:

“We’re thrilled to have Philip on board, he has a wealth of experience in the Property Litigation sector. With confidence returning to the property market, this appointment demonstrates the drive that exists in the property and construction team to grow and expand its offering in the north-west.”

Iain Ferguson, Optionis

Business and freelancer services group Optionis has appointed Iain Ferguson as non-executive chairman.

Ferguson, a former executive vice president at global advertising and marketing giant Havas, will advise the Optionis management team on strategy and operations.

His arrival comes a year after Optionis completed a secondary buyout (SBO) backed by MML Capital Partners.

Ferguson will play a key role as the Warrington-headquartered group, which has made four acquisitions in the past 18 months, eyes further potential takeover targets.

Optionis group managing director Derek Kelly said: “Iain’s expertise will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of our long-term growth strategy.

“Crucially, he has experience of advising and helping to lead ambitious, private equity-backed companies such as Optionis. We are pleased to welcome him aboard.”

Helen Collier, Jelf Manson

Jelf Manson, one of Manchester’s leading insurance brokers, has expanded its corporate team with the appointment of Helen Collier as account executive.

With over 30 years’ experience in the insurance sector, Helen’s new role will see her responsible for providing technical insurance advice to new and existing clients. She will also assist in helping to expand the firm’s corporate insurance services.

Helen has previously worked for insurance brokers, Towergate, Giles and Aon.

Alan Sumner, Regional Managing Director (North), said: “We are thrilled to welcome Helen to Jelf Manson. Helen will be a great asset to the corporate team, bringing vast insurance experience and a great scope of knowledge.

“The arrival of all the new team members will significantly boosts our firm’s unique service offerings. We will continue to invest in our firm’s growth in 2015”

James Thomson, Glendale

Lancashire-based green services provider, Glendale, has strengthened its senior management team with the promotion of James Thomson who has become the new director of utility arboriculture.

James, previously general manager at Glendale, will take on the new role with immediate effect. He will oversee the company’s utility arboriculture work in the South West and Midlands regions.

Andy Corcoran, managing director at Glendale, said: “James’ promotion meets our strategic aim to advance our existing staff and reaffirms Glendale’s intention to provide ongoing training and development to ensure our staff are the first choice when promotion opportunities arise.

“Our growth in number of employees, assets and sales means it is necessary to strengthen our senior management team and I am delighted to be able to do this from within the company. James’ commitment, enthusiasm and performance mean that he was our first choice.”

Steve Parrington, City West Works

Steve Parrington has been appointed as Director of City West Works, as the organisation looks to expand its operation in 2015.

Steve joins from Keepmoat, formerly Bramall Construction, where he worked for 16 years holding the posts of Construction Director and Area Director.

Colette McKune, deputy chief executive at City West Housing Trust, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Steve to the City West Works team.

“He has a huge amount of experience and his reputation within the sector is outstanding, which will be vital as City West Works looks to grow commercially.”

Adrian Beck, Gabor Balogh, Cheryl Wood, adept4

IT services consultancy adept4 has started the New Year with three new additions to its growing team and the expansion of its headquarters.

Following a successful 2014 across offices in Daresbury, Aberdeen and London, the company has continued to strengthen its team with a trio of appointments following a series of project wins.

Cheryl Wood, from Altrincham, will join adept4 as a central project manager. Cheryl joins from ANS Group, where she worked for six years and has extensive experience in overseeing project management offices and managing field consultants.

Adrian Beck, from Sheffield, joins from BT and will work on adept4’s Support Desk. He will be joined by Gabor Balogh who is originally from Hungary. Gabor formerly worked at Unisys-Microsoft before joining adept4’s Support Desk. In their roles on the Support Desk, Adrian and Gabor will provide exemplary customer service as a point of contact for clients, dealing with customer enquiries.

adept4 CEO, Peter Birkett, said: “In the ever-changing and evolving IT landscape we need to ensure that we continue to invest in people, who remain at the core of what we do. 2014 was a great year for adept4, thanks in the most part to the skilled team we’ve nurtured, based across the company’s offices.

“This series of appointments are part of long-term plans to strengthen and grow the team and support the planned growth trajectory for adept4 in 2015. Identifying and retaining skilled individuals in an increasingly fluid market is no mean feat and we pride ourselves on ensuring we reward and invest in our staff and continue to attract and retain those of the highest calibre.”

Luke Wilson, CBRE

The Manchester office of CBRE has expanded its Capital Markets team with the appointment of Luke Wilson as Surveyor. Luke joins from CBRE’s Graduate Scheme having obtained MRICS status in November 2014 and previously undertaking degrees in Commercial Property and Town Planning at the University of Sheffield

Colin Thomasson, Senior Director of Capital Markets at CBRE Manchester, said; “After an incredibly successful year, we are preparing for a similarly strong 2015 as investment activity within the North West continues to pick up pace. Luke already understands the CBRE business and will be a valuable addition to our busy team.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .