This week’s North West appointments

Seven appointments, Bilfinger GVA

Property advisory firm Bilfinger GVA has announced seven new appointments at its offices in Merseyside.

Alan O’Sullivan, who is an associate, and senior surveyor Louise Pilgrim have joined the Liverpool-based team after transferring from Bilfinger GVA’s offices in Bristol and Leeds respectively.

Joel Lawson and Simon Price have also joined the team as senior surveyors. Joel, who previously worked for The Co-operative Group, will work in Bilfinger GVA’s retail team, while Simon has joined the property management team from Capita Real Estate.

Elsewhere, Jennifer Mallon, Ben Woodcock and Jack Nield have been appointed as graduate surveyors in the firm’s retail, offices and industrial; valuation department; and energy and natural resources teams respectively.

Stephen Cowperthwaite, a regional senior director at Bilfinger GVA’s Liverpool office, said: “We are delighted to welcome a wealth of new talent and experience to strengthen our growing team.

“Alan and Louise bring their existing knowledge of Bilfinger GVA and our clients while Joel and Simon bring a range of new skills and expertise.”

He continued: “As for our graduates, we pride ourselves on our training at Bilfinger GVA.

“Ben, Jack and Jennifer will all have the opportunities to work on some of the biggest client accounts and gain valuable experience as they work towards their RICS qualifications.”

Image L-R: James Brown, Andrew Newbury and Sam Hall

Andrew Newbury, Hall Brown Family Law

Hall Brown Family Law has announced the appointment of a new partner.

Andrew Newbury, who brings 25 years’ experience in family law to the role, previously worked as a partner at law firm Pannone before heading up Manchester’s largest family law team from 2010.

Following Pannone’s merger with Slater and Gordon, he was appointed national head of personal legal services.

Andrew specialises in all aspects of family disputes, including those involving complex financial settlements and an international element.

In his years as a family solicitor, he has acted for a number of well-known musicians, sportsmen, TV personalities and actors.

The founders of Hall Brown, Sam Hall and James Brown, said in a joint statement: “Andrew is one of the best family lawyers nationwide and we are thrilled he has chosen to join our dedicated team, which has trebled since opening in April.

“Andrew has literally ‘written the book’ on family law producing text books, writing regular columns for law journals, plus lecturing on family law issues including presenting the annual lecture at the flagship Resolution National Conference.”

They added: “He is enormously respected in the field but, most importantly, he embodies our no jargon ethos and total commitment to clients.”

Commenting on his appointment, Andrew said: “Sam and James have created a new family firm which is genuinely unique.

“Within just a few months they have established themselves as one of the leading family practices in Manchester, which is no mean feat in a very competitive and crowded market.”

Andrew continued: “I hugely admire what they have achieved and am genuinely excited to join them at the start of something significant.”

Dr Deborah Keith, Redag Crop Protection

Redag Crop Protection has added to its board with the appointment of Dr Deborah Keith as a non-executive director.

Prior to joining Cheshire-based Redag, Deborah spent 15 years with global agrochemicals group Syngenta. For three years, she held the post of head of global R&D external collaborations.

Currently a non-executive director the Aerospace Technology Institute and the James Hutton Institute, Deborah has a PhD in plant genetics and holds over 30 years’ experience in the science and technology sector.

She said of her appointment: “I am delighted to join Redag, which I believe has a great opportunity in the agrichemicals market place.

“The majority of research and innovation in agrochemicals is usually done by the global companies in partnership with universities, so it’s exciting and challenging to be part of growing a business in this area.”

She added: “I am really looking forward to working with Bill Thompson and the team and making a contribution to the success of Redag.”

Redag’s founder and chief executive, Bill Thompson, commented: “Deborah’s appointment is another key milestone for us.

“I am delighted to have her on our board at an exciting time for our business.”

He continued: “She has superb knowledge and contacts in our sector and is already adding value to us.”

Claire Critchley, Your Legal Friend

Birkenhead-based law firm Your Legal Friend has appointed Claire Critchley to lead its new 15-strong financial, property, and professional claims team.

Bringing more than a decade of experience in professional negligence, commercial litigation and financial recoveries to Your Legal Friend, Claire has previously worked for law firms Halliwells, HL Interactive and Myerson, among others.

At Your Legal Friend she will lead on significant cases, including the firm’s pursuit of a group litigation order in relation to a £1.5m property investment case.

Colin Gibson, the chief operating officer at Your Legal Friend, said: “Our investment in this new team demonstrates our commitment to ensuring clients receive the highest level of service in complex areas of litigation.

“Claire is highly experienced with a fantastic track record of success, so she’s perfect to lead a talented team who are progressing a wide variety of high-value cases.”

He added: “The move provides us with a robust platform to build on our existing success in this field and to complement the rapid growth of our Medical Negligence and Industrial Disease teams.”

Claire commented: “This is an exciting growth area in legal services and we already have a number of large, high-profile cases that we will be progressing over the coming months.

“Your Legal Friend has established an excellent reputation over the decades and we’ll now be focused on delivering for clients who want quick and cost-effective access to justice.”

14 promotions, JLL

Property consultant JLL has promoted 14 of its team across 10 specialisms at its North West office.

Forming part of a national wave of promotions, the appointments in the North West include three to national director level – Shannon Conway (pictured above) in residential advisory, Ian Clarke in valuation advisory and Richard Wharton in the office agency team.

Richard Johnson (industrial and logistics), Lee Hill (residential) and Andrew Hilbourne (capital markets) have become local directors, while Naomi Kellett (planning), Oliver Dolan (residential) and Timothy Price (rating management) are now associate directors.

Meanwhile, Jenna McIntyre is now a senior surveyor within JLL’s capital markets team. Asset management team members Jessica Speers and Dan Kelly have been promoted to senior surveyor and surveyor respectively.

In the Manchester-based building consultancy team, Keiran Melfi has been promoted to associate director and Martin McGowan senior surveyor. Matt Gaffey has been appointed from property consultancy GL Hearn as a graduate surveyor.

JLL’s North West lead director, David Lathwood, said: “We have a broad range of talent across our North West office, significantly aided by the high numbers of graduates and young professionals choosing Manchester as their home.

“By investing in this talent we continue to strengthen our proposition both within the local market and to the range of global funds that are attracted to Manchester’s property market.”

Latha Rodgers, Mitchell Charlesworth

Mitchell Charlesworth, the North West accountancy firm, has appointed Latha Rodgers (pictured left) in the role of senior personal tax manager.

In her new role, Latha will lead on personal tax across the partnership to provide advice on areas such as corporation and income tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty land tax and will planning.

Latha’s experience includes tax specialist roles with professional services giant KPMG and accountants Grant Thornton.

Mitchell Charlesworth tax partner Tim Adcock (pictured above right) said: “We are pleased to announce this strategic appointment to boost our tax expertise specifically within the area of personal taxation.

“Latha is well known in the region as a leading advisor in this field. Her inclusion greatly strengthens our tax team and all round offering.”

He continued: “We welcome Latha to the team as we continue to expand and drive momentum.”

Commenting on her appointment, Latha said she decided to join Mitchell Charlesworth due to the firm’s varied client portfolio and ambitious outlook.

She explained: “Mitchell Charlesworth has a vision to drive turnover to £10m by 2020 and become the top small- and medium-sized enterprise advisor in the North West of England.

“I was impressed by the firm’s desire for expansion and the opportunity to work with such a broad variety of clients across the firm’s five offices.”

Latha added: “When I met with the team I was also struck by their strong commercial sense as well as their personable approach.”

Image L-R: Tom Slevin, Alex Wyatt, Nick Ledingham, Lisa Simm and Martin Lanceley

Four promotions, Morris & Co

Accountancy firm Morris & Co has announced four promotions at its Cheshire Oaks office.

Martin Lanceley is now an associate, while Alex Wyatt, Lisa Simm and Tom Slevin have been promoted to assistant manager.

Elsewhere, the company has taken on Callum Dickens, Jessica Clay and Jack Pickering as apprentices.

Morris & Co currently employs a team of 70 and works primarily with SME clients in sectors such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing and property.

Senior Partner Nick Ledingham said: “This is a really exciting time for Morris & Co as we expand our client base.

“These promotions and the appointment of new apprentices will allow us to implement our strategic plans for growth in the year ahead as the business expands further.”

He continued: “We have a rigorous internal training programme for our staff which underpins our quality service and this starts with our apprentice training scheme.

“We are always delighted to promote team members and see this as just reward for their considerable efforts. It’s also great for staff retention which, in turn, is good for our clients who receive consistent advice and support.”

Alan Lewis, Irwin Mitchell

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has appointed an employment partner at its office in Manchester.

Alan Lewis has joined the company from solicitors Freeths, where he served as head of the company’s Manchester-based employment department.

With over 20 years’ experience in the legal sector, Alan has held partner positions at a number of other law firms in the region, including Brabners and George Davies, which now trades as Mills & Reeve.

At Irwin Mitchell, Alan will lead the company’s employment team and advise large corporates and senior executives on a range of employment issues, including organisational restructuring, tribunal disputes and settlement agreements.

Alan said: “This is an exciting opportunity and I am looking forward to joining an ambitious firm and helping it to expand its business team here in Manchester.”

Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester-based regional managing partner, Roy Beckett, commented: “Alan is another important appointment for Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office and adds considerable expertise and experience to our legal offering across the region.

“He is an accomplished employment law partner and I have no doubt that his strong leadership and client care skills will be an asset not just here in Manchester but to the wider firm.”

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