This week’s North West appointments

Melissa McPhillips, Katie Jackson and Lexy Woolley, The Market Creative

Marketing agency The Market Creative has bolstered its team with the appointment of three new faces.

Creative copywriter Melissa McPhillips joined the company from e-tailer AO.com. She will work alongside fellow new starter and art worker Katie Jackson, who has five years of industry experience and previously worked for design agency Marlin Digital Imaging.

Lexy Woolley, meanwhile, joined The Market Creative’s account handling team as an account manager. Prior to her appointment, Lexy worked for marketing company N20, where she worked on in-store events and brand awareness for Poundland and ACDOCO.

The managing director of The Market Creative, Sue Benson, said: “Our clients are increasingly asking for more creative content, so we’ve invested in enhancing our skills in this area as well as on additional support for our account management team.

“All of the new starters have worked on interesting and high profile brands, so it’s great to have some fresh experiences and ideas.”

Jonathan Peasant, Galliford Try Partnerships

Housing and regeneration company Galliford Try Partnerships has appointed a new director of development.

Jonathan Peasant will be based at the company’s Warrington office, where he will development across mixed tenure, affordable housing and extra care projects.

The role will also see him helping to secure new regeneration opportunities

Jonathan, who most recently worked as associate director of development at Countryside Properties, said: “Galliford Try Partnerships has an excellent portfolio of past, present and planned projects, and I believe my experience in helping to deliver homes and creating places where community thrives will serve me well in my new role.

“The chance to join such a well-known and respected company, is one I couldn’t pass on, and I’m extremely eager to get stuck into making regeneration happen.”

Galliford Try Partnerships’ regional managing director, Brendan Blythe, commented: “Jonathan brings with him a wealth of experience in housing development and placemaking, as well as the regeneration of public sector land, an area in which we continue to grow.

“We’ve established excellent partnerships with local authorities and registered providers since 2015, and Jonathan will be instrumental in maintaining those relationships and building new ones. We’re delighted to welcome him, and his capable hands, to the team.”

Mike Calvert, Reward Finance

Funding provider Reward Finance has added Mike Calvert to its North West team in the role of business development director.

With a 30-year background in the finance sector, Mike started out in asset finance before moving into corporate and commercial banking with HBOS and Lloyds, and then on to invoice finance.

Mike, who previously worked as head of North West sales at Bibby Financial Services, said: “This is a really exciting time to be joining Reward Finance. It is experiencing dramatic growth due to the fact that no one offers the same product range, flexibility and speed of decision-making in the market.

“In addition the company continues to be keen to lend, especially following the recent investment of an additional £40m from Foresight Group. This presents a great opportunity for me to use my network to build on Reward’s success by raising the awareness and capability of the company across the North West.”

Nick Smith, Reward Finance’s group sales and marketing director, commented: “We have known Mike for a number of years and we know he will be a real asset for Reward Finance.

“He is one of the best connected finance professionals in the North West which helped him build the best performing office in his previous employers group.”

He added: “We are building a powerful and well respected team in the region and Mike’s appointment provides further proof of our ambitious plans.”

Fiona Hunt, Chartered Institute of Marketing North West

The North West arm of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has appointed Fiona Hunt as one of its new vice chairs.

Fiona, board director and head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising at MediaCom North, joined the organisation alongside two other vice chairs to support chair Richard Kenyon.

Diane Earles, network manager at CIM, said: “We are very excited to welcome Fiona, not only to the North West but to the board as she brings with her a wealth of international experience across a variety of sectors.”

Fiona commented: “Having the network, support and training of like minded colleagues has been such an important part of my career and I’m very excited to be working with Richard, the other two vice chairs, Diane and the regional team to contribute to supporting the marketing community in the North West.

“Joining CIM was the first thing I did when I moved to the UK and I’m looking forward to being part of the team to help grow the organisation.”

Scott Shufflebottom, James Preston and Gavin Foxton, Colliers International

Real estate advisory business Colliers International has promoted three staff to associate director.

Scott Shufflebottom and James Preston (pictured above) were previously senior surveyors in the firm’s national offices and national capital markets teams respectively.

Gavin Foxton, also promoted from the role of senior surveyor, is part of Colliers’ project and building consultancy.

Scott and James serve clients across the North West from the company’s Manchester and Liverpool offices. Gavin works from Manchester and Leeds, where he covers Yorkshire and the North East.

Colliers’ head of the North West, director Andrew McFarlane, said: “I join all my colleagues in congratulating Scott, James and Gavin on their thoroughly merited promotions, a reflection of the increasing breadth and depth of talent at Colliers available to our valued clients throughout the Northern Powerhouse region.”

Rebekah Lindeman, Napthens

Regional law firm Napthens has appointed a new employment and HR team member at its Blackburn office.

Employment law adviser Rebekah Lindeman, an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, formerly worked for law firms DWF and Kirwans.

In her new role, she will advise Napthens clients on issues such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, drafting contracts and managing Employment Tribunal cases.

The head of Napthens’ East Lancashire office, employment partner Oliver McCann, said: “Demand for our services in East Lancashire continues to grow year on year.

“Employers are looking for clear, practical employment and HR advice combined with an excellent level of service.”

He continued: “As our HR3 retained service has developed over the past few years we have seen our client base expand. To meet increased demand Rebekah now joins our team and we will have further appointments to announce in the coming weeks.

“Rebekah has some great experience and will bring a lot to both the team and our clients in the region.”

Axel Schmidt, Statiflo

Engineering business Statiflo has taken on a dedicated European sales manager.

Macclesfield-based Statiflo, which has subsidiaries operating in Germany and the US, said it made the appointment in preparation for Britain’s exit from the European Union.

Axel Schmidt is the former sales manager for northern and central Europea at manufacturer Pentair.

Ron Russ, sales director at Statiflo, said: “Axel has a tremendous record in sales and an excellent engineering background, with experience of working in a number of the industries that we supply.

“He will play a key role as we bolster our European business in the run-up to Brexit, by focusing on developing our position in the German market and other European countries, by recruiting new business partners and by targeting sectors where we see strong expansion opportunities.”

Axel, who is Frankfurt based, commented: “I’m delighted to join Statiflo and lead its European sales operations.

“There are fantastic opportunities for growth across a range of industries.”

Peter Capper, FW Capital

Fund management firm FW Capital has strengthened its team in Cumbria.

The company appointed investment executive Peter Capper to help identify businesses in the south of the county that could benefit from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF)

FW Capital manages the £102m of Northern Powerhouse Debt Finance Funds, focussing on providing loans and mezzanine investments of between £100k and £750k across the Tees Valley, Cumbria and the wider North West.

Following his appointment, Peter will primarily focus on Barrow, Millom and the South Lakes area.

Peter, who has spent most of his 40-year career in the North West’s banking sector, said: “The region I’m covering has an enviable industrial heritage, and there’s a huge range of expertise, capabilities and opportunities here on which we’re looking to build.

“Companies outside the UK’s major cities are often at a disadvantage when it comes to tendering for major supply chain contracts, and the capital we have available can help them compete on a more level playing field by enabling them bring in the resources, accreditations and expertise they need to do so.”

FW Capital fund manager Gary Guest commented: “Peter brings a wealth of lending experience to our North West team, as well as a detailed knowledge of the regional economy that will be invaluable in helping to identify and support firms in which we might be able to invest.

“NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance is designed to facilitate growth and create jobs across North West England, and we’re excited at the commercial potential that it will help to unlock in the years to come.”

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