This week's national appointments

This week’s round up of national appointments includes Fairstone, Novum and Hyphen Law, PKF Smith Cooper, and Iris. Read on to find out more.

Steve McNicol, Fairstone

Wealth advisory firm Fairstone has announced the appointment of leading executive Steve McNicol (pictured right), who joins the business as chief development officer.

Steve, who has more than two decades experience holding senior management positions in the North East’s legal sector, joins Fairstone from prominent law firm Ward Hadaway. Prior to this, Steve was Managing Partner at Muckle LLP for 11 years and across that period drove double-digit growth, culture change and financial success.

Fairstone CEO Lee Hartley (pictured left) said: “We have worked with Steve as a client for many years and I have always wanted an opportunity to bring him on board. I know exactly what his strengths are, and I’m absolutely delighted that he is now joining Fairstone’s leadership team to help us gear up for the next stage of our strategy.”

Steve started his career as a solicitor working in the City and following a secondment to Deloitte, subsequently focused more on strategic roles. Successfully building a respected banking team led to Steve being appointed as Managing Partner at Muckle LLP at the age of 34, the youngest Managing Partner of any law firm in the UK at that time.

Steve said: “I have known Lee and the business for a long time, and we share the same strong values and cultural beliefs, particularly in relation to client service and investment in people, which is crucially important. Fairstone has a highly differentiated offering which is very attractive to a sector that is undergoing very significant change.”

Sally Calverley, Novum Law and Hyphen Law

Leading South West specialist personal injury and medical negligence law firm, Novum Law, based in Southampton and its sister Court of Protection firm, Hyphen Law has appointed Sally Calverley as its new Chief Executive.

Sally brings a wealth of expertise and experience from the legal sector where she has held senior positions at law firms including Carbon Law Partners, Bevan Brittan and Capsticks.

An experienced executive coach and business mentor, Sally is a founding partner of the consultancy business Richmonte Wells, which launched in 2010 to provide strategic advice to growing, ambitious businesses in the professional services sector.

She has also held several directorships in the construction industry and leadership roles as a non-executive director and charity trustee.

Sally said: “Our strength comes from our people and we have some of the best lawyers, paralegals and support staff in the business. From the outset, I’ve been impressed with the calibre of our staff, the willingness of everyone to get stuck in and do what they can to help vulnerable, injured, or sick people.

“Those who have been negligently harmed or injured or lost loved ones due to the actions of others deserve access to justice. They need expert legal advice and the reassurance and peace of mind that they won’t have to struggle to get necessary medical treatment, rehabilitation, or financial support.

Harnil Motivaras, PKF Smith Cooper

PKF Smith Cooper has welcomed corporate finance senior executive Harnil Motivaras to the team. Harnil joins from PwC where he worked alongside large corporate clients, as well as SMEs and owner-managed businesses, operating across a range of industries.

The specialist corporate finance division of PKF Smith Cooper, of which Harnil will be a key member, offers both practical and strategic advice across a variety of areas, whether clients are looking to buy, sell or grow a business.

The team specialises in high-intensity project management of deals, from company acquisitions and disposals, through to fundraising and succession planning.

The corporate finance team are also experts in a variety of sectors, from food and drink and self storage, to fire & security and automotive, making PKF Smith Cooper the adviser of choice in national and international transactions in these sectors.

James Ward, corporate finance director based in the Nottingham office, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Harnil to the team. He will have an integral role in the development of PKF Smith Cooper’s corporate finance team primarily in Nottingham, but also across the wider firm working alongside colleagues in our Derby and Birmingham offices.

“Our corporate finance team continues to develop, and I look forward to working alongside Harnil in creating innovative solutions and value for the clients we work with. We are continuing to recruit and are always looking for people of all experience levels to join our award-winning team”.

Tom Philips, Iris

Marketing agency Iris has announced the appointment of Tom Phillips to the role of executive strategy director, data driven marketing. Phillips joins from his role as head of strategy at MRM, where he led the strategy department for the last two years.

Joining Chris Whitson and Simon Spyer in the senior leadership team, Phillips will bring significant experience in leading strategy teams across data, CX and martech and will sit in the Iris Strategy Unit. His arrival allows Spyer to focus on his global role to lead the data driven functions across the network.

Tom said: “I’m really excited to be joining Iris and bring my ambition and experience to a new home. The team at Iris, and the focus they put on strategic excellence and building participation brands, is hugely inspiring. I look forward to helping push the data driven function onto new heights with the hugely talented team and amazing clients.”

Simon Spyer, CEO, Data Driven Futures at Iris, added: “We’ve seen explosive growth in our data driven marketing business over the last few years. Tom is the perfect addition to lead this in London and help us evolve and develop our proposition.”


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