This week’s North West appointments

Sebastien Leusch, Equistone Partners Europe

Private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe has appointed Sebastien Leusch in the role of investment director at its Manchester office.

Sebastien joined Equistone from Montagu Private Equity, where worked for nine years delivering transactions across a range of sectors in Northern England and Europe.

Prior to Montagu, Sebastien spent seven years with professional services giant Deloitte, advancing to director in the company’s corporate finance team.

Following his appointment at Equistone, Sebastien will work with senior partner Steve O’Hare and investment director Andi Tomkinson, to identify new investments and support the firm’s existing portfolio in the North.

Sebastien said: “It is an exciting time to be joining Equistone’s Manchester team.

“The firm has a diverse portfolio and has backed a number of high growth businesses in the North of England.”

He added: “I am looking forward to working alongside Steve, Andi and the wider UK team to identify new deals, as well as bolt on opportunities for the existing portfolio.”

Steve O’Hare commented: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Seb to our Manchester team to support our investment efforts across the North of England.

“He has demonstrated an ability to identify and secure key investments and manage those companies through to exit.”

He continued: “Seb is well known in the Northern deal community and also has expertise across a range of sectors and geographies, which will add value to the team at Equistone.”

Stephen Bell, Napthens

Regional law firm Napthens is promoting a commercial property solicitor to the role of partner.

Stephen Bell, who has worked with Napthens since 2014, will continue advising clients on commercial property issues but will now be part of the senior team tasked with developing Napthens’ business in Southport and the wider Merseyside area.

He said: “The commercial property team at Napthens is second to none and continues to be a busy, vibrant, and exciting place to work advising our wide range of clients including household names and smaller companies and individuals.

“My time so far with Napthens has been immensely rewarding and I’m delighted that the hard work of my team and I has been recognised in this way.”

He continued: “As a partner I will continue to advise and support our clients, and be as accessible as ever, however I will also be playing a wider role in helping the department and the firm to develop the business. It’s an exciting challenge – and one I’m looking forward to.”

Napthens chief exec Shru Morris commented: “We’d all like to congratulate Stephen on his promotion.

“We have recently unveiled a new leadership team and have exciting plans for the firm’s future, and this is a great time for him to be joining the partnership.”

Wendy Newbury, Harrison Drury

Harrison Drury, the North West law firm, has welcomed property lawyer Wendy Newbury to its Clitheroe office.

Having worked for over eight years as Backhouse Jones Solicitors’ head of commercial property, Wendy will now play a key role within Harrison Drury’s base on Church Street.

Harrison Drury director Simon England, head of the Clitheroe office, said: “We’re growing our presence in East Lancashire by ensuring we’re able to offer clients access to the right specialisms and expertise.

“Wendy is an incredibly experienced lawyer and will be a real asset to our commercial property team and our clients.”

Wendy, whose experience includes roles with international law firms Eversheds and Nabarro, commented: “Being from the area and having worked in East Lancashire for the last 16 years, it’s a patch I know very well.

“The area is so diverse in terms of the businesses that are based here. There’s big industry, manufacturers, transport companies, SMEs and many agricultural businesses too, all with unique property requirements. I’m looking forward to helping the firm make it possible for its clients.”

Rhianna Bateson and Jack Trickett, Clough & Willis

Law firm Clough & Willis has added to its team with the appointment of Rhianna Bateson and Jack Trickett.

Rhianna, joining the company from JWK as a private client solicitor, will specialise in wills, inheritance tax planning, probate and estate administration, in addition to lasting powers of attorney and Court of Protection matters.

Jack is Clough & Willis’ new paralegal. Initially based in the property department, Jack will then work across the company in rotation.

Shefali Talukdar, managing partner at Clough & Willis, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Rhianna and Jack to firm.

“Their arrival is great news and we look forward to seeing them making their mark with their colleagues and clients.”

Rhianna said: “Clough & Willis is a fantastic firm that is both client and community focused, so both myself and Jack are thrilled to now be part of the team.”

Andy Pickford, FRP Advisory

Business advisory firm FRP Advisory has taken on Andy Pickford as a director in its Manchester office.

Andy’s appointment coincides with the launch of FRP Debt Advisory, the company’s new debt arm established through the integration of Litmus Advisory into the FRP partnership.

With over 25 years’ experience in banking and specialist lending, Andy previously worked at RBS in Manchester for 11 years, six of which he spent as director of origination in RBS Asset Based Lending.

Before RBS, Andy worked for 17 years with HSBC.

FRP Advisory partner Dave Edwards, managing director of FRP Debt Advisory, said: “The change of name to FRP Debt Advisory is the natural next step for the team after nearly two years of providing a seamless service of debt advisory work since we joined FRP Advisory as partners.

“We welcome the arrival of Andy Pickford as director. He provides our first permanent Manchester presence for the debt advisory team.”

He added: “For our clients it remains more than business as usual, as we look to follow their needs nationally, sourcing both asset based lending and other structured finance solutions to help with their expansion plans.”

Martin Sharkey, Galliford Try Partnerships

Regeneration firm Galliford Try Partnerships has promoted senior build manager Martin Sharkey to the role of head of construction in the North West.

Bringing more than 25 years’ experience in the housing sector to the position, Martin will join the company’s senior management team to oversee key decision making for construction in the region.

Before joining Galliford Try Partnerships in October last year, Martin worked with Bellway Homes for two years.

He said: “I’m delighted to be appointed head of construction with the North West division, a team which I’ve seen grow and expand alongside my own development.

“The North West construction market continues to flourish, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into assisting the company in new ventures and building on its success.”

The regional managing director at Galliford Try Partnerships North West, Brendan Blythe, commented: “During his time with the North West team, Martin has demonstrated his commitment to high levels of safety, quality, cost control, presentation and enthusiasm in his role of senior build manager.

“It’s always a pleasure to promote hardworking staff internally and we are delighted to welcome him to the senior management team.”

Kevin Doran, AJ Bell Investments

AJ Bell Investments, a division of online investment platform AJ Bell, has appointed its new chief investment officer.

Kevin Doran, who is also taking on the role of managing director for the division, will now lead the investment team and develop its services for financial advisors and customers.

The offer is currently composed of five ready-made investment funds, launched in April, that enable people to invest based on how much risk they want to take.

Kevin previously worked as chief investment officer at private bank Brown Shipley and then group head of research and strategy at its parent company, KBL European Private Bankers.

Elsewhere, AJ Bell appointed Matthew Brennan as fund manager. Matthew also previously worked for Brown Shipley, where he was senior fund manager and head of fixed income research

AJ Bell chief executive Andy Bell said: “Our new range of funds have been well received by customers and we are looking to build on that initial success.

“Kevin and Matthew bring a huge amount of expertise and knowledge to the business at a time when we believe there is growing demand for straightforward, low-cost investment solutions.”

Kevin commented: “AJ Bell is a company that I’ve admired for a long time and it’s great to be joining at such an exciting time in its development.

“The business is expanding quickly and there is a real opportunity to develop a wider range of investment options for customers that will fuel our growth further.”

78 promotions, BDO

BDO LLP, the accountancy and business advisory firm, has promoted 78 members of its North West team.

Spanning the company’s tax, audit and advisory practices in the region as well as its support functions, the promotions are part of a wider move to promote 1,110 nationally.

The head of BDO in the North West, Ed Dwan, said: “These 78 promotions really underline the talent we have within the North West team.

“One of the best parts of my role is to share good news like this and it is so rewarding to see each of these individuals succeeding in their respective roles.”

He added: “BDO continues to grow because our people continue to provide our clients with innovative solutions and the very best support. Our success is all because of our team and their continued hard work and commitment.”

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