Businesses based all over the North West companies have made a whole host of top hires and promotions over the last week.
The likes of a luxury car maker and expanding law firms are among those to have made major moves.
Below, BusinessLive rounds up the latest hires and promotions that we feel you should not miss.
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If you have a new or recent appointment or promotion that you would like featured in our next round up, please e-mail jon.robinson@reachplc.com.
Bentley Motors
Bentley Motors has announced the appointment of Ansar Ali as the new Mulliner and Motorsport director.
Mr Ali joins from McLaren Special Operations where he was managing director. Before this, Ali held senior management roles at Ford, Lotus, Caterham and co-founded Zenos Cars.
Chairman Adrian Hallmark said: “Mulliner represents the very pinnacle of automotive design and expertise and Ansar joins at a time when we are experiencing record levels of demand across our features, collections, coachbuilt and classics possibilities.
“Ansar’s considerable industry experience, particularly leading low-volume, highly bespoke customer-led divisions will offer valuable insights that will reinforce Mulliner as the leading personal commissioning division and generate significant contributions to the wider Bentley business.”
The Learning Foundry
Liverpool-based training provider The Learning Foundry has announced the appointment of Claire Lee as the new managing director.
She said: “The Learning Foundry’s aim is to give everyone the opportunity to shine, grow and thrive. I’ve worked in the education and skills sector for 20 years and will bring all of my knowledge and experience into upskilling businesses and supporting the incredible local people we work with. I’m really excited to get started.”
Former managing director Joanne Abraham will be taking some time away from the role for personal reasons. She will then step into a development coach role.
Sedulo
Business advisory group and investment firm Sedulo has appointed Andy Nixon as national director of operations and tax in Manchester.
Mr Nixon has been hired from Grant Thornton UK.
He said: “It is a fantastic time to join Paul, Josh and the team at Sedulo. While the UK faces significant global economic headwinds, the changes to the regime in 2023 present a renewed opportunity to question; are you maximising your R&D claims?
“Are you working with an advisory partner that both values their team, and your team? Are you paying more and getting less from your provider?
“Does your existing provider genuinely take time to understand your business, requirements, and your values – all while providing a robust end to end R&D claims service.”
North West Business Leadership Team
The North West Business Leadership Team has announced a series of appointments that will oversee the organisation’s work going forward.
Stephen Church, EY markets leader for the North of England and office managing partner for Manchester, has been appointed to the board.
He replaces Richard Topliss who has recently retired as regional managing director of NatWest.
Joëlle Warren, founder of Warren Partners, remains deputy chair,
Warren Middleton, Manchester office senior partner at KPMG, will be joining Sharon Amesu, director of SA Consulting, as co-chair of the NWBLT’s diversity drivers.
Khurram Hussain, partner at Warren Partners, has been appointed as deputy chair of the group.
Kirsty Rogers, global head of ESG and managing partner of DWF Manchester Office, will be joining Adam Waller, Manchester office senior partner at PWC, as co-chair of the Rising Stars Group with Nicola Kenyon, partner at Warren Partners, appointed as deputy chair of the NWBLT’s Rising Stars.
Property Alliance Group
Manchester-based Property Alliance Group has announced a restructure of its board.
Alex Russell has taken over as chief executive from David Russell who has become chairman.
Ella Magill has been promoted to managing director and Stuart Ormisher has been appointed chief financial officer and board member.
Mr Russell said: “I am delighted to welcome Stuart to the team. His vast financial experience will be a great asset to the Group as we seek to further expand our portfolio.
“Ella’s promotion to managing director was a natural next step and is testament to the huge impact she has had on our business, including leading our management team for 16 years and sustaining the high level of customer care our brand is based on.”
Sutcliffe
Liverpool-based civil and structural engineering firm Sutcliffe has welcomed Kate Watson as executive associate.
She has previously worked for a number of high-profile firms in London, including Patrick Parsons and AKT, specialising in the residential sector and leading large structural and civil project teams.
She said: “We are at a very important time right now, with the technological leaps that have been made in recent years, as well as the increasing threat of the climate crisis.
“As engineers we have the power to alter the impact on our world and environment, to drive forward new sustainable technology and methods of construction.”
Mobysoft
Manchester-based Mobysoft has promoted Paul Evans to the role of CEO.
Mr Evans had previously been the company’s chief operating officer and has been with the firm for over seven years.
He said: “I am excited about the opportunity to lead the team at Mobysoft. Mobysoft has been very successful in combining customer and sector insight into technology solutions that deliver excellent outcomes for social housing providers and its customers.”
Slater Heelis
Manchester-based law firm Slater Heelis has appointed Helen Taylor and Les Oldfield to its residential property team.
Both join from Linder Myers with Helen assuming her role with Slater Heelis as a chartered legal executive and Les as a paralegal.
Helen said: “The reputation Slater Heelis holds really attracted me to the position and I am delighted to be working with Zara Banday and the wider residential property law team who all share my ethos and values when it comes to providing committed client care.
“Both Les and I have been made to feel very welcome and supported and we very much look forward to a successful career with the firm.”
Cowgills
Business advisory and accountancy firm Cowgills has promoted two team members to its partnership group in Manchester.
Insolvency practitioners Ben Cowgill and Jimmy Fish both work within the company’s business recovery team.
Mr Cowgill said: “I’m extremely proud to join the partnership group during an incredibly busy period given the number of businesses experiencing financial difficulties.
“The business recovery team has been instrumental in advising stakeholders of distressed businesses throughout the UK, and I’m excited to continue to have the opportunity to make a real impact in the market.”
Mr Fish added: “I’m thrilled for Ben and I to be joining the partnership team. We’re determined to continue to provide high quality technical and commercial advice in our market, which appears to be increasingly in demand as a result of the issues businesses face in these turbulent times.”
Running Total
Manchester-based Running Total has appointed Ryan Jones as head of digital.
The media and behavioural planning agency was founded six years ago and works with the likes of Motorpoint, Safestyle Windows, Riviera Travel and Eurocamp.
Mr Jones said: “Digital is constantly evolving and we’re here for the exciting journey. I’m delighted to join Running Total and work with a range of exciting brands alongside an incredible group of highly talented people at the agency.”
Deepbridge Capital
Chester-based venture capital investment specialist Deepbridge Capital has announced the appointment of Andy Round as senior investment director.
Dr Round was most recently as director and head of healthcare at Praetura Ventures and previously at both Maven Capital Partners and MSIF.
He will be working within Deepbridge’s Life Sciences Investment Team which manages the Deepbridge Life Sciences EIS fund.
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