Business Manchester November 2018 by The Samuel James Group

Japanese ambassador visits Tameside to celebrate 50 years of Brother UK – p4

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GM Mayor opens academy – p14 November 2018

Amazon to create 600 jobs in Manchester AMAZON has announced plans to open a corporate office in Manchester in the city’s iconic Hanover Building, giving Amazon capacity to create space for over 600 new roles in the city. Secretary of State for International Trade, The Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, said: “Ensuring that the world’s best and brightest companies continue to invest and innovate in the UK is at the heart of our Global Britain agenda. Amazon’s decision to create hundreds of highly-skilled jobs in Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge is an enormous vote of confidence in the UK and a signal to the world that the UK is very much open for business.” The new site will be Amazon’s first UK corporate office outside of London and will be home to a wide variety of Amazon teams. Highly skilled teams will work on projects that benefit Amazon’s customers around the world, including software development, machine learning and research and development (R&D). “Manchester was at the heart of the industrial revolution and has a fantastic history of innovation”, said Doug Gurr, UK Country

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “Amazon opening their new office in Manchester is another vote of confidence in our city-region as a global digital leader. “We are the UK’s top digital city-region and we are open for business. Greater Manchester is building a global reputation as a leading hub, both for multinational companies and startups. This news, following a number of similar announcements in recent months, shows that our city-region is swiftly becoming a go-to destination for the world’s most exciting digital companies.” Manager, Amazon. “With the UK taking a Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, leading role in the global tech, we are delighted Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, added: “It to announce plans to open a new corporate office is great that global tech giant Amazon has in the city. Our new office will be home to over chosen Manchester, a vital part of the Northern 600 staff, many of whom will be focused on Powerhouse, to open their new office and are developing exciting new products and services creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs up and used by Amazon customers around the world. down the country. The city offers an incredibly talented workforce “Our booming digital sector is one of the and a budding tech scene with some of the most fastest-growing industries in the UK and this is a exciting, fast-growing tech companies in the UK vote of confidence in our world-leading skills in situated here.” tech innovation.”

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The Samuel James Group becomes Northern Powerhouse Partner THE Samuel James Group, publisher of Business Manchester is delighted to be officially recognised as an official partner of the Northern Powerhouse. The Northern Powerhouse seeks to boost the Northern economy through investing in skills, innovation, transport and culture, as well as devolving significant powers and budgets to directly elected mayors to ensure decisions in the North are made by the North. The organisation also backs business growth across the North, and

supports giving the major cities of the North the power and resources they need to reach their huge untapped potential. The partnership comes as a result of the Samuel James Group’s commitment to promoting the positive business news stories of the North, through its media channels and publications including; Business Lancashire, Business Manchester, Business Merseyside, Business Cumbria, Business Cheshire and Your Start-up Lancashire.

Samuel Whitear, Director, The Samuel James Group, said: “The Samuel James Group is the first publisher to become a partner of the Northern Powerhouse. Our variety of good news business channels gives businesses in the North a significant voice. “We look forward to continuing to help raise the profile of successful role model businesses and organisations across the region, as well as meeting other partners at the various Northern Powerhouse events.”

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WELCOME

CONTENTS

...to the November 2018 edition of Business Manchester. In this issue, we look at why the Japanese ambassador is visiting Tameside. We also learn more about The Samuel James Group becoming a partner of the Northern Powerhouse and Andy Burnham launching a new academy in Greater Manchester. As with every issue of Business Manchester, 10,000 copies will be available at a variety of locations across Greater Manchester, including Manchester Central, Manchester Airport, Spinningfields, seven large supermarkets and a variety of hotels and business centres.

CONTACTS & CONTRIBUTORS Group Editor: Andy Mann 07951 731722 andy@thesamueljamesgroup.com Head of Sales: Paul Walmsley 07825 884106 paul@thesamueljamesgroup.com Editor: Phil Ghayour 01772 364152 07825 884003 phil@thesamueljamesgroup.com

EDUCATION 14 AWARDS 16 BUSINESS SUPPORT

INTERNATIONAL 28 ACQUISITIONS 30

The digital version is available online at tsjg.co.uk/publications and is emailed to business contacts across the region, giving businesses in Greater Manchester a huge voice. We hope you enjoy this edition. If you have a story for either online or the newspaper, please email the press release with a picture to Editor@ businessmanchester.co.uk

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

APPOINTMENTS 38 PROPERTY 44

If you would like to be involved with BUSINESS MANCHESTER, please get in touch:

Design: Robert Leach 01772 364150 / 07930 962609 robert@thesamueljamesgroup.com Group Commercial Director: Sam Whitear 01772 364150 / 07584626769 sam@thesamueljamesgroup.com

This publication is produced by The Samuel James Group Ltd, Unit 6/7 Eastway Business Village, Fulwood, Preston PR2 9WT. Reproduction of the contents of this newspaper in any form is not permitted, without the permission of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for errors and/or omissions in advertisements, information, photographs or illustrations. The opinions and advice in this newspaper do not necessarily express the view of the company. ÂŠ 2018

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Japanese ambassador visits Tameside to celebrate 50 years of Brother UK

BUSINESS technology solutions provider, Brother UK, has hosted a visit from the Japanese ambassador as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. The Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary to the UK, Koji Tsuruoka, greeted staff and toured Brother UK’s Audenshaw site, before presenting a commemorative plate. Brother was founded in Japan in 1908, and its international headquarters are in Nagoya. Phil Jones MBE, Managing Director of Brother UK, commented: “We are very honoured to have been visited by ambassador Tsuruoka, it was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our heritage and demonstrate how we, as the UK arm of the business, have delivered 50 years of innovation from our home in Greater Manchester.” Brother UK’s technology solutions

November 2018

help businesses to increase efficiency, boost productivity and encourage collaboration in the workplace. As well as continuing to innovate and develop its market-leading product ranges, Brother UK has maintained a strong company culture by placing people at the heart of the organisation. This year the business has secured some of the country’s most prestigious industry awards, including a Queen’s Award for Sustainable Development for the second time, and a Princess Royal Training Award for its learning and development programme. Phil Jones continued: “Our fundamental purpose is to make the people and businesses we work with more successful, more quickly, which, in turn, has helped our business to thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. I’m so proud to be leading this company and to see it being recognised at the highest level.”

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Digital academy theEword generates £2.2m makes key in new salaries for hires to drive region’s young people AGENT Academy CIC, the social enterprise established to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed in the digital revolution, has achieved a major milestone, generating more than £2 million worth of salaries in the North West, through its pioneering, industrydesigned skills programme. Agent Academy provides young people with the opportunity to break into the creative tech sector. To date, 70 young people from across the North West have benefited, securing full-time industry jobs as a direct result. The technology sector has changed drastically and continues to evolve, and traditional education can often struggle to keep up. Many young people are leaving education without the skills to hit the ground running in the digital industry leaving them unemployed or working in low skilled, unsecure jobs. The 2018 Centre for Cities Outlook Report, states that 3.6 million jobs are at risk of disappearing by 2030 and policymakers should prepare the workforce of the future, by giving younger generations entering the labour market the right set of skills and knowledge to succeed in the jobs of the future. To address this issue, fullservice marketing agency, Agent, launched Agent Academy as a solution to the issues faced by 1825 year olds who find themselves, post-higher education, without the skills they need to start careers in the creative and digital industries. As a social enterprise, Agent Academy is focused on developing values-led, socially

growth

aware young leaders who will go on to make a positive impact in their places of work and in society. Agent Academy participants have gone on to secure employment at leading businesses across the region including Delloitte, Capital FM, Shop Direct, Sony Music, Sky and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse. Zoe Wallace, director of Agent Academy, said: “Agent Academy has stepped up to the talent challenge faced by the creative and digital industry by giving young people the opportunity to upskill and then kickstart their careers. The programme, which is free to young people, must remain dynamic and industry relevant and that’s why we have over 150 industry leaders co-creating the content and mentoring our students. “Our students are finishing our programmes work-ready, fully versed in how the industry works and what is expected from them, as a result, the demand we have from regional employers

is exceptional. “Our Northern Powerhouse programme, working across Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Regions, promises to be our biggest programme yet.” During the 12-week programme, students learn, and are inspired by industry leaders, coached by Academy staff, whilst working on a real-life brief set by a client. They leave Agent Academy equipped with the skills, knowledge, contacts and networks to secure jobs in the creative, digital and tech industries. Zoe added: “We have a lot to look forward to next year. Despite the skills challenges faced by our region’s employers we can see real potential to deliver value into the creative and digital economies across the North and bring even greater opportunities to the region’s young people. We hope to double the £2m worth of salaries created so far in the year to come, we have big ambitions for growth and an inherent belief in the young people we’re supporting”.

DIGITAL marketing agency theEword has appointed a new client account director and a new campaign manager as it sets its sights on expanding its client base. Working alongside the agency’s content producers and advertising team, Laura Sumner will be responsible for overseeing and developing key accounts, plus driving revenue growth for theEword, with a particular focus on growing the firm’s client portfolio in the property sector. Laura said: “I’m a people person at heart, so I thrive on building relationships and accelerating my client base. I’m excited to be working with an agency with such a great reputation in the property and leisure markets. “My career has allowed me to work with a highly credible portfolio of clients and build a solid network of contacts. I look forward to bringing this experience to my new role and working on some exciting campaigns.” Further bolstering the client services team will be

Alice Gorecki, who comes onboard as a campaign manager for theEword’s leisure sector team. Alice’s previous position was Digital Communications Editor at the Medical Protection Society, a Leeds-based membership organisation for medical and dental professionals, with over 300,000 members worldwide, where she oversaw digital campaigns for the organisation’s UK and international websites. Alice added: “I’m really excited to be working with theEword and using my extensive experience and campaign management skills to support our dynamic team and deliver great work for our market-leading leisure clients. Daniel Nolan, Managing Director of theEword, observed: “The experience of these two appointments will prove invaluable to this chapter in our growth and development. I’m looking forward to working with Laura and Alice as we continue to grow.”

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City Council signs UKFast to deliver major IT upgrade MANCHESTER City Council has announced a major upgrade of its ICT facilities, awarding a long-term contract to hosting firm UKFast. The upgrade sees UKFast hosting the Council’s servers across two separate sites, including two new data centre facilities created especially by the firm. Through the long-term colocation deal, UKFast is set to provide greater service availability and resilience for the Council’s ICT infrastructure and critical services, while bringing cost savings and efficiencies. As part of the package, UKFast has committed to contribute 2.5% of the contract’s value back into the Council’s Social Value Fund, which is made up of contributions from the Council’s partners and supply chain. The

fund helps local people through work experience and apprenticeship opportunities to improve their skills and offer a route to the jobs market. UKFast’s focus on the community played a key part in securing the deal. The firm works with more than 60,000 children and young people, across more than 50 schools and universities in the region. Cllr Carl Ollerhead, Manchester City Council’s executive member for finance and human resources, said: “UKFast are experts in their field that can offer the Council state of the art, highly secure data storage – using industryleading technology – which we simply could not deliver on our own. This represents a major upgrade to the Council’s current

data storage, meaning increased production and resilience for our residents’ data. The Council’s choice to sign a multi-year deal with a local firm enables further investment into

the local area by the hosting firm. UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “Winning such an important contract inspired us to build an entirely new facility with

increased resilience, specialised toward government hosting and machine learning. The investment also brings further connectivity options to the region. “It’s reassuring to

hear how much the leaders in the Council value our contribution to the community and I am looking forward to teaming up with them on future initiatives.”

Moonpig lifts off with launch of new Manchester Tech Hub MOONPIG, the UK’s leading online cards, gifts & flowers retailer is opening its first ever ‘Tech Hub’ in Manchester, creating fifty new technology jobs across Manchester and London, as part of a multi-million pound investment to unlock the next phase of its ambitious growth plans. The new office opens at No. 1 Spinningfields on this month and will lead the development and rollout of a new world-class ecommerce, data and personalisation platform for Moonpig. The project will be led by Peter Donlon, Chief Technology Officer at Moonpig, who

said:“Moonpig produces over 15 million completely one-off items for customers every year, each one uniquely personal to the sender and receiver, and powered by our ‘emotionally intelligent’ technology.” “We’re seeking the best engineering talent out there to turbo-charge the Moonpig business going forward. We selected Manchester for its thriving tech scene and wealth of exceptional talent”, Mark Evans, previously of Nested.com and Sainsbury’s has been appointed to lead the new office as Head of Engineering.

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Revenue soars as Visualsoft celebrates 20th anniversary LEADING e-commerce and digital agency, Visualsoft, has reported a strong increase in revenue as it approaches 20 years of business. The company, which has offices in Teesside, Newcastle and Manchester, has reported a 18% rise in turnover this year, taking it from £11 million in 2016/17 to £13 million in 2017/18. Profit before tax also increased by more than 100%, from £0.9 million in 2016/17 to £2 million in 2017/18.

Over the past year, Visualsoft has invested significantly in the business to reach these goals, including the launch of its Shared Success model, a market leading service which underlines its commitment to helping retailers grow online. The agency has also made a huge investment in its workforce to support its continued growth. Head count currently stands at 269, a 19% increase from last year. Visualsoft now specialises in the design, build, support and marketing of online retail stores

across the UK. Dean Benson, CEO of Visualsoft, said:“As a company, we are proud that we are now 20 years in business and that across those years we have maintained our position as a market leading provider of e-commerce solutions. We have consistently delivered innovations that provide competitive advantage for our clients and our strategy remains to ensure that we are at the cutting edge of online retail. “In the current financial year, the company has seen

strong performances across all business areas; in online retail platform sales, via our numerous marketing channel offerings and in our affiliate network. At the same time as achieving these results we remain committed to sustainable growth, which will allow us to deliver excellent service to our clients and offer secure employment for our staff, and a growing number of opportunities for prospective employees throughout the North of England.”

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Wakelet’s rapid growth propels move to Manchester’s Tech Incubator MANCHESTER-based online content curation platform, Wakelet, is moving to a new base in Manchester Science Partnerships’ (MSP) Tech Incubator at Manchester Technology Centre. The innovative company has seen its user base surge by over 200% year on year, growth that has been supported by a stream of new hires with headcount growing by 40% in the last six months. Wakelet currently has more than a million individual and business users. Organisations on the platform include prestigious institutions like Harvard University, international sports teams FC Barcelona and Atlanta Hawks, and blue chip companies such as Airbus and Experian. The move marks a new and exciting chapter for Wakelet, reflecting the company’s rapid expansion and multiple uses, whether it’s bookmarking, storytelling, archiving, collecting research, portfolios, topic pages and so much more. Wakelet’s new home in the Tech Incubator will see

them join a community of fast growing data science and technology innovation startups and have the support of a specialist growth programme, including access to funding and finance, talent and leadership services, business mentorship and product development support from MSP and its partner network. As the largest company within the Tech Incubator, Wakelet will be part of the new Circle Square development at the heart of the Oxford Road Corridor innovation district, next to the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. The Tech Incubator also forms part of Bruntwood SciTech, a 50:50 joint venture between Bruntwood and Legal & General Capital, which was created recently. Bruntwood SciTech’s locations are already home to more than 500 science and technology businesses and has been established to provide high specification workspace as well as support the growth of companies like Wakelet in Manchester.

Jamil Khalil, CEO and co-founder of Wakelet, said: “In recent months, world-class names such as the Ashmolean Museum, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Minnesota United have joined our platform and we’ve also expanded our team. This rapid expansion meant that we’d outgrown our previous offices. “We saw how the space and the community had developed at the Tech Incubator since its launch in May, and knew it was the best place for our team to thrive as we enter an exciting phase in our growth journey.” Chris Oglesby, Chairman of Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Wakelet is one of the most exciting tech businesses in the North, with the clear potential to be a global player in online content curation. We are delighted to welcome Jamil and the team to the Tech Incubator and look forward to working with them to help them achieve their growth ambitions."

DIGITAL

DigitalBridge launches world’s first virtual interior design assistant

MANCHESTER-based tech business DigitalBridge has announced the launch of the world’s first virtual design assistant for kitchens and bathrooms. The tool utilises the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology to empower and enable consumers to design stylish living spaces that make the best use of space, while conforming to regulatory requirements. Just like a real-life designer, the assistant first seeks to fully understand the customer’s needs and tastes, but without the huge degree of hassle or expense that comes with enlisting a professional to implement the project. The tool sources inspiration through platforms such as Pinterest; determining if the user needs, for example, a family bathroom with lots of storage. It then helps to create an accurate floor plan using 3D scanning and pulls together a range of information, such as the project budget, to make relevant product suggestions and create tailor-made designs in minutes. Users can then share their

designs and collaborate with friends or family as easily as with a trusted professional online or instore to validate; safe in the knowledge their design will work in practice. Then to help bridge the imagination gap, the new space can be brought to life in outstanding high definition. The technology aims to revolutionise the Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom (KBB) market helping retailers to reduce the friction and unknowns related to a home renovation project, and in turn accelerate the purchasing process and increase sales. The UK bathroom market alone is estimated to be worth over £320 million. The technology has been designed to integrate directly into a retailer’s website so consumers can design and visualise their projects on any device. David Levine, CEO of DigitalBridge, said:“We’re excited to launch this new tool; the first technology of its kind to bring home renovation into the 21st century and put customers in charge.”

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mmadigital on track for 400% growth MMADIGITAL, the Manchester based legal sector digital marketing specialist, is forecasting 400% growth, investing in medico-legal companies Collaboras and CLMR and has bolstered its management team as it continues to rapidly gain market share. mmadigital generates enquiries from people with potential personal injury, medical negligence and other legal claims. Its in-house legal enquiry capture team qualifies these claims and then refers them to panel law firms to be pursued. After gaining recognition as a specialist legal digital marketing agency, mmadigital’s CEO Dez Derry took the decision two years ago to change the company’s business model to focus purely on customer

acquisition on behalf of firms. The decision has paid off, in year one it achieved £900,000 turnover and is on track for £4.5 million turnover in the current year. Dez, commented: “The last two years have been tremendous in terms of growth as we have realised the opportunity for high quality legal claim lead generation services at just the right time. We’re expecting further growth within the legal services market and are also piloting lead generation services for new markets. We hope this will drive turnover to above £6million within the next three years.” To increase its focus on highly qualified leads for law firms, mmadigital is also teaming up with Collaboras, the Macclesfield-based specialist legal consultancy providing outsourced

medico-legal services for law firms. Collaboras’ team of medical advisors are experts in clinical negligence and catastrophic injury claims and will work with mmadigital to provide medical qualification on their generated leads as well as helping with the collation of medical paperwork for mmadigital’s clients. Collaboras has a sister company, CLMR, a medical reporting agency that will assist with the obtaining of expert medical reports for the panel firms. Dez added: “We’re now responsible for supplying leads into some of the UK’s leading law firms and a large number of fee earners. We believe we’re capturing 20-25% of the enquiries in our chosen consumer legal markets through digital marketing

using our own consumer brands. We currently have a team of 10 with plans to double, and an additional 10 with Collaboras coming on board.” Three recent senior appointments add to mmadigital’s growth strategy. Lisa Clothier joins as director of operations and Timothy Felkin joins as head of client services, both with extensive experience at similar lead generation companies. mmadigital has also appointed Andy Parkinson as head of legal services, who has accumulated 18+ years’ experience in consumer services operations management. “By focusing on technology, innovation and our unique in-house expertise, we believe mmadigital has the potential

for continued growth both within the legal sector and new markets, such as financial services,” added Daz. Director at Collaboras and CLMR, Jan Thompson, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with mmadigital. We can see the mutually beneficial value that our screening service adds to mmadigital’s innovative business model. This approach will be very attractive to law firms by saving them time and resource in providing them with only the highest quality leads. In addition, our other bespoke services, including records collation and medical reporting, ensure that our expert team can provide continuity and support through those all important investigatory stages.”

MediaCityUK based hosting company Datacentreplus on track to create 20 new jobs MEDIACITYUK based hosting company Datacentreplus is on track to create 20 new jobs in Salford and Manchester in the next 12 months. Set up in 2015, Datacentreplus provides cloud hosting solutions and other data centre solutions for businesses from its ISO27001-certified data centre. The facility is 100% privately owned by Manchester entrepreneur Mashukul Hoque. The new jobs will cover both technical and sales positions at head office and data centre buildings. The company is also setting up a number of apprentice positions to provide opportunities to young people who may not otherwise be able to

obtain positions in a technology company through lack of traditional qualifications. Datacentreplus CEO Mashukul Hoque commenting on the growth of Datacentreplus,

said: “As the company continues to grow, we are very excited to be expanding our team to help us in our commitment to deliver world-class customer service to our customers and also to help better understand their needs. “As part of our business model we are not looking to become just another data centre service provider – we want to be a key contributor to the growth of the digital sector in the North West. “We very much want to play a strong role within the technology community in and around Salford and Manchester and hopefully encourage, attract and nurture digital talent to this region of the country”.

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Manchester City announces partnership with tappit in UK and Asia Pacific MANCHESTER City has announced a new partnership in the UK and Asia Pacific with tappit, a solution that provides cashless experiences at sports, festivals and entertainment events. The deal will explore the use of this technology at club events across the world, including global live screenings and mass participation events. tappit shares Manchester City’s passion for digital innovation, with the technology enabling fans to have a better experience at an event via easy-to-use cashless payment methods. Insights generated by the technology also provide the club with the opportunity for continuous development based on fan usage.

Manchester City will work with tappit to offer a variety of addedvalue features for fans, with tappit’s worldwide footprint meaning the club’s global fanbase will also benefit from this new partnership during live experiences throughout the season. Damian Willoughby, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at City Football Group, said: “Manchester City is excited to be entering this partnership with tappit, whose cashless technology has proven popular at many live events. The partnership comes at a time where football and technology are more closely linked than ever before, working with tappit will certainly help us utilise this.

We want our fans to enjoy interacting with the club when attending one of our many live events around the world and we hope this partnership will give our fans some great new experiences.” Jason Thomas, CEO at tappit, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Manchester City and its fanbase across the world. We are

committed to helping clubs deepen relationships with their supporters and Manchester City shares our vision to deliver an incredible fan experience. On top of this, the fact that they are a truly global organisation matches both our ambition and geographic reach, making them the perfect sporting partner.”

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Innovative digital street units go live in Manchester MANCHESTER has become the first city in North West England to benefit from the free InLinkUK from BT service, which already has over 200,000 subscribers across the UK. It offers the UK’s fastest free public wi-fi plus a range of digital services, including local council and community information. The first 17 InLinks being installed in central Manchester provide ultrafast wi-fi speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1Gbps), the fastest free public wi-fi service available in the UK. The InLinks also provide free phone calls to UK landlines and mobiles, rapid mobile device charging, the BT Phone Book app, as well as easy access to charity helplines. Manchester joins London, Southampton, Leeds, Glasgow, Swansea, Sheffield, Gateshead and Newcastle as the latest city to benefit from the new service. InLinks mean more space on pavements, as on average, each InLink replaces two BT payphones, with 34 set to be removed in Manchester. BT’s iconic red phone boxes will remain. The first of the fullyaccessible InLinks have already gone live on Portland Street. Further locations, including High Street and Peter Street are expected to join them in the coming weeks. Home to the Manchester Arena, one of the biggest indoor arenas in the world, and the world’s oldest library, Manchester is a key location for visitors and tourists. This new communications service in the heart of the city will help cement Manchester as one of the UK’s most digitally connected cities. Manchester City Council and the local community are also benefiting from the digital

displays on the InLinks that display real-time information, including the weather forecast and other local information. Each InLink provides more than 1,000 hours of local messaging a year, acting as a community notice board for the local area. These services are provided to the community at no public cost, as the project is funded by advertising revenue. Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council welcomed the news: “I am pleased that Manchester is the first city in the North West to welcome the InLinks. We have always been a city with an eye for opportunity and believe the range of free services the InLinks provide is a significant contribution to the Greater Manchester Digital Strategy. As a city, we plan to continue to encourage and support digital innovation which strengthens businesses and investment.” Kieran Charleson, BT regional director for the North of England, said: “The launch in Manchester brings the fastest free public wi-fi in the UK to the North West. Residents and visitors alike are set to benefit from this new services, where they can make calls for free, access local information and even charge their phone when out and about.” Matt Bird, general manager for InLinkUK, added: “Our network is currently in a period of rapid growth and we’re excited that Manchester has joined us on this journey to creating smart communities, supporting their digital innovation ambitions. With Manchester being such a core hub for workers, tourists and residents alike, the range of free digital services provided by the InLinks is a great asset.”

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GM Mayor opens academy to help tackle region’s skills shortage GREATER Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham has underlined his commitment to improving opportunities for young people in the region as he opened a new engineering academy in Salford. At the launch of Academy at Thermatic, Mayor Burnham said that the importance of creating new training facilities could not be understated because they respond to a very current need and contribute to the growth of the regional economy. The Academy has been created by Thermatic, a national provider of bespoke heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, based at Sovereign Enterprise Park in Salford. It has been developed in partnership with the Salford Foundation which supports social and academic development of young people and adults in Greater Manchester. Its aim is to help address the growing skills shortage in the engineering sector and to make engineering more appealing and accessible for young people, regardless of gender. Annually, there is a shortfall of around 59,000 engineering graduates and technicians to fill core engineering roles in a sector which employs 5.5m people, generating revenue of £456bn to the UK economy, 27 per cent of the total UK GDP. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, said: “Facilities such as Thermatic’s are not only providers of knowledge and skills but they are also economic drivers, because they help increase opportunity, improve productivity, reduce wealth inequalities and help meet the need of the communities and region in which they are based.

“My ambition in Greater Manchester is to create an integrated employment and skills eco-system which has the individual and employer at its heart and contributes to the growth of our economy. “I want to see an employment and skills system where young people will leave education with the attributes they need to succeed. There is a skills shortage in key sectors in this country and it is vital that we work together to equip young people, as well as adults, to bridge that gap, improve their chances, develop a career and help drive the region forward. “This a huge challenge and one that might only get worse during this time of unprecedented change, so Thermatic’s specialist academy is a wonderful and much needed addition to our education offer. “It has the capability to encourage young people and those from outside the industry to consider a career in engineering and construction and I am confident that Thermatic’s ambition will be realised and its success will benefit many.” Thermatic’s hope is also to encourage a new perception of the engineering industry and the new academy is part of their ongoing ‘Women in Engineering’ campaign which has already seen two new female HVAC engineers taking up roles. Colin Tennent, Chairman of Thermatic, said: “Our sector is simply not the go-to sector for those leaving school and so this academy is about investing in the future of the community and the industry with the purpose of not only tackling the skills gap in our industry, but also to inspire the next generation to pursue a career in engineering.

“It is also about showing that this sector is open to anyone with a willingness to learn and we want to see many more women joining our team in the near future. We feel that it is our responsibility to sell engineering as a career of choice for all. Our apprenticeship programme will also take high priority in the coming months, with a focus on engaging more apprentices and providing them with the training and development needed to progress within the business and the industry.” Thermatic’s partnership with The Salford Foundation means the company is able to work with young people in the community and to shine the spotlight on engineering as a career, educating them about the potential of the engineering and construction industry. The team is also liaising with colleges and universities to allow use of their facilities as a venue for lectures and educational visits. Phil East, Deputy Chief Executive at The Salford Foundation, said: “We are passionate about providing the young people and adults of Salford with the skills and the voice to achieve their goals, be they personal, professional or academic. The new Academy at Thermatic will provide opportunities for education, skills and a sense of community for those involved and it will be exciting to see what the future holds. “Together with Thermatic, we are able to educate youngsters in the area about the engineering and construction industry in the hope of interesting them now and attracting new talent in years to come.”

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EDUCATION

Ocean to showcase Manchester pupils’ artwork on its screen to help continue the fight against plastic pollution OUTDOOR media owner Ocean is inviting five Manchester schools to collaborate in its campaign against single-use plastic pollution by using its big digital screens to showcase pupils’ art. The company is asking selected schools to help illustrate how single use plastic is polluting our seas and killing marine life by creating their own outdoor posters. The theme of the project is Ocean Plastic Pollution. Ocean, which works

with Manchester City Council, will provide the chosen schools with A3 templates from which to work on their posters. Ocean launched its Ocean for Ocean campaign in association with the Marine Conservation Society at the start of this year and has been using its advertising displays to try and persuade people not to use plastic bags and to recycle bottles responsibly. The chosen schools will have until Christmas to submit pupils’ drawings

to be considered for display on Ocean’s large Manchester screens. These are located in places like The Printworks, outside Piccadilly Station and on Mancunian Way. Ocean chief revenue officer, Nick Shaw, said: “Here at Ocean, we believe education is crucial to the campaign to turn the tide on marine litter. We’re sure plastic pollution is already on the radar of many schools, but what better way to share the message from the younger generation than by using our

screens which are seen by millions of people every week. “To help us do that, we’ll work with Year 6 pupils to create colourful drawings inspired by the sea that show just how harmful plastic bottles and other rubbish can be to marine life. The students will be encouraged to work together in pairs and a selection of the best submissions will feature across Ocean screens throughout the spring of 2019.”

All-in-one portable device to treat common sports injuries to be further developed with university research A MEDICAL device company is drawing on university research to further develop a portable techenabled device that can cool, heat and compress muscles to treat common sports injuries. The lightweight Swellaway, a shin guard-type electronic-enabled device with a fan that clips around the affected body part, does not require ice, water or heavy items of equipment that are normally needed to treat such injuries. Swellaway shareholders include professional footballer Wayne Rooney,

in a fully portable device for the first time. To draw upon the skillsets of researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Swellaway’s shareholders have sponsored a Knowledge Transfer who is the lead investor in the company Partnership (KTP), where academic that bears the product’s name. expertise is applied to private sector The innovative piece of kit allows product development or work physiotherapists and healthcare processes – so that Manchester professionals to accurately treat injuries Metropolitan University’s Professor through controlled compression, James Selfe can work along Professor combined with cooling and heating Jim Richards from UCLan to help

further develop the device. James Selfe, Professor of Physiotherapy and lead academic from Manchester Metropolitan, said: “Traditionally, there has been a lack of devices that provide all-in-one solutions to common sports injuries.” “Our research will provide evidence as to what the best dose response is for the device. By the end of the project, we hope to have a number of protocols that will guide practitioners to optimum use of this device. We also hope to see improved patient outcomes as a result of its use.”

16 AWARDS

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Kuits named Regional Spinning Gate Employer of the Year Shopping MANCHESTER commercial law firm Kuits has been named Regional Employer of the Year in the 2018 Chamber Business Awards. Organised by The British Chambers of Commerce, the awards are to recognise and reward excellence in British business across all sectors. The Employer of the Year award recognises organisations that demonstrate excellence in the promotion and implementation of a learning and development culture. There was a detailed submission process for the award, which included Kuits demonstrating how its culture has contributed to the business achieving outstanding success. Steve Eccleston, Kuits managing partner, said: “This award is testament to the unique culture at Kuits and is clear evidence of the firm’s commitment to the continuous improvement of our people, something we are

extremely proud of. “We continue to proactively invest in our workforce by promoting and supporting their wellbeing and encouraging them to maintain a healthy work-life balance. This award reinforces that Kuits is a great place for people to develop their talent and receive the best training, coaching and mentoring to progress their career.” Stella Bowdell, Director of Membership at GM Chamber, said: “The Employer of the Year category entries were again of a very high calibre this year, and the Kuits team has seen off stiff competition to win this prestigious award. “It’s a well-deserved success, and I’m delighted to see them recognised in this way. We look forward to celebrating their success and highlighting their award-winning ways of working throughout the coming year.”

Centre achieves Green Apple Environmental Award DURING National Recycling Week, Spinning Gate Shopping Centre announced their achievement of a prestigious Green Apple Environmental Award for its 2017 waste processing achievements with their waste partner B&M Waste Services. Spinning Gate Shopping Centre and B&M Waste Services will both receive a Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice at a glittering presentation ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in November. The awards, now in their 24th year, reward and promote environmental best practice in the UK and elsewhere in the world. The award was achieved as a result of the ongoing waste management improvements and initiatives B&M Waste has provided and worked in conjunction with the Spinning Gate Shopping Centre team to achieve 100% diversion of waste to landfill. So far in 2018, Spinning Gate Shopping Centre has saved 52k kg of carbon through increased recycling with B&M Waste, which is the equivalent of 32 trees

or 18,000 car miles. Karen Cox, Centre Manager at Spinning Gate Shopping Centre, commented: “What a fabulous achievement, ensuring 100% diversion from landfill of over 103,000kg of waste produced from site during 2017 and to be awarded with an Internationally recognised Environmental award is tremendous news for Spinning Gate Shopping Centre. The centre team and centre retail partners are fully committed to recycling initiatives and are delighted to be presented with this award.” Jayne Kennedy, Marketing Manager of B&M Waste Services, said: “We are delighted to have won a prestigious Green Apple award which recognises the fantastic results our relationship with the Spinning Gate team have been able to achieve in a relatively short period of time. We highly praise Spinning Gate Shopping Centre staff, retailers and customers for buying into the new waste segregation and recycling strategy we have implemented together.”

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Awards

Three EVA winners from Manchester THREE businesswomen have scooped top prizes at a highly prestigious awards ceremony. Chloe Barrett of DigiDentistry Educational Resources, Sarah Senior of White Rabbit Creative Ltd and Caroline Stevenson, of Foodinate, are now the proud owners of a coveted 2018 Enterprise Vision Award (EVA). The three winners fought off intense competition from successful entrepreneurs across the North West to scoop the Young Entrepreneur, Creative Industry and Inspirational Woman categories respectively.

Rachel Beattie, of Careaux, was also named as One to Watch in the Young Entrepreneur category and Samantha Ryder, of Perky Pear, was also named as Highly Commended in the Business Woman category. Coral Horn, organiser of the awards and founder of networking group, Pink Link Ladies, said: “What a fitting end to another fantastic awards ceremony. “Our eighth year was simply superb, we had thousands of entrants and I’d say that this year was perhaps the most fiercely contested yet.” This year, the EVA’s Charity of the Year was the

Pankhurst Trust, a small charity in Manchester which plays a huge role in history. This was the home of Emmeline Pankhurst and birthplace of the Suffragette Movement. This year commemorates the centenary anniversary of women winning the right to vote. Richard Lefton, from Lefton’s Group, who sponsored the Professional Services category, said: “It felt particularly fitting that we raise money for this charity; without these brave and determined women, the role of women in business may have been very different today.” The event raised

£2,600 on the night for the Pankhurst Trust which will enable them to open more rooms to the public. “The EVAs is a truly amazing event I’m immensely proud to support,” MC Rebecca Jane said. “I know from speaking to the judges just how hard it was to separate the finalists this year. Year-onyear the standard keeps on improving, it was fabulous to see the excitement as these worthy winners collected their awards. Already the countdown is on for 2019!” The awards were founded in 2011. For the sixth year running NatWest has

supported the EVAs as the headline sponsor. Heather Waters, Enterprise Manager at NatWest added: “The EVAs is a truly fantastic event celebrating the business successes of females across the North West. Each year, the standard of entries improves and that only produces yet more tremendous winners. The awards highlight the dedication that each woman has for their business. Whether you were a finalist or a winner, all the businesswomen should be proud of their achievements.”

Awards November 2018

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Manchester Culture Awards – finalists announced FOLLOWING a phenomenal response to the call for nominations for the first ever Manchester Culture Awards, details of the shortlisted nominees can now be revealed. The awards recognise the best of culture in the city over the last year and have been established by the Council to recognise the massive contribution culture makes to the city’s economy, and the role of culture in helping make Manchester a vibrant place where people want to live, work, and play. The cultural call-out back in June this year saw nearly 300 nominations made across twelve different award categories. The volume of entries along with the exceptional quality of all those nominated, meant it was no easy task for the judges who had the unenviable task of deciding who should go through to the next round of judging. The judging panel was made up of Sara Todd, Deputy Chief Executive Manchester City Council; Alison Clark, Director North & National Combined Arts Director, Arts Council England; Mags Bradbury, Associate Director

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Central Manchester University NHS Trust; Keisha Thompson, Manchester writer, performance artist and producer; and Mark Dobson, independent cultural consultant; and Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure. After much discussion and debate, five nominees were shortlisted in each category and will now go forward to the final stage of judging. Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Executive Member for Schools, Culture, and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “We had a phenomenal response to our callout for nominations and such was the calibre of organisations, events, exhibitions, and individuals nominated that the bar was set very high for them to get through to the final stage of judging. “It was a really tough job to whittle all of the nominations down, and it’s going to be even tougher to decide which of the five finalists in each category should be crowned the winner.”

Finalists in each award category: Young Creative of the Year Ali Wilson Annalise Browne Jonathon Heyward Dominic Bennett Mohammed Leonardo Promotion of Health and Wellbeing Streetwise Opera HerArt Contact Manchester Museum Manchester Art Gallery Promotion of Equality & Diversity The Proud Trust Women’s Words on Manchester Venture Arts Olympias Music Foundation Amani Creatives Promotion of Environmental Sustainability Manchester Arts and Sustainability Team Manchester City Council Events Team and Walk The Plank HOME Bridgewater Basin Eco Partnership Z-Arts and St Philip’s Primary School Promotion of Talent and Leadership SharpFutures HOME Young Creatives Contact Venture Arts Young Identity Best Business Partnership Bruntwood Museum of Science and Industry Halle Orchestra and Siemens Z-Arts and One Manchester Commonplace

Best Event Paris-Manchester 1918 – RNCM What Is the City but the People? – Manchester International Festival commission This is Human – Project X, HOME Manchester Science Festival 2017 – Museum of Science and Industry This Vibrant Thing – PlatformMcr and Manchester Libraries Best Performance The Welcoming Party – Manchester International Festival, Z-Arts, Theatre Rites co-commission Tony Walsh – This is the Place #BeMoreMartyn – Hope Theatre Company Illuminate – Company Chameleon She Bangs the Drum – Contact Young Company and People’s History Museum Best Exhibition Sonia Boyce – Manchester Art Gallery Stories of Sacrifice – British Muslim Heritage Centre Waqas Khan – Manchester Art Gallery Beyond Dementia – The Whitworth Never Going Underground – People’s History Museum Inspiring Innovation Comma Press The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre Old Abbey Taphouse Z-Arts Manchester Street Poem – Manchester International Festival commission Outstanding Contribution Carcanet Press Manchester International Festival This is the Place (book) – Tony Walsh Royal Exchange Theatre Linda Brogan – Excavating the Reno

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Awards

SkyParlour wins gold at Emerging Payments Awards 2018 THE team at leading Fintech communications agency, SkyParlour, is celebrating after winning Gold at the Emerging Payments Awards 2018. Hosted by the Emerging Payments Association (EPA), the awards celebrate innovation, collaboration and emerging payments, recognising the companies that have made significant advances in Fintech and helped make the Fintech industry worth more than £6.6 billion to the UK economy. This year’s winners were announced at a glittering ceremony at The Hilton, Park Lane, London, attended by 700 of the industry’s most senior opinion-formers and decision-makers. The agency won in the Best Professional Service Organisation supporting Emerging Payments category, beating off competition from a number of high-profile businesses to bag the trophy. SkyParlour collected the award for its unique position as a specialist in communications for the payments, eCommerce, financial services and data security sectors. With this expertise, the agency has achieved success for global clients in these sectors over the last 12 months. Judges praised the agency’s profound insight into its clients’ businesses, as well as its boundarypushing, laser-targeted contentbased campaigns that have driven positive engagement for clients and generated vital sales leads.

Speaking about the accolade, Angela Yore, Managing Director and Co-Founder of SkyParlour, commented: “The Emerging Payments Awards is one of the most prestigious in the Fintech calendar, and it is a real privilege to receive such an honour. The award is testament to the hard work of everyone on the SkyParlour team, and their dedication to delivering the best possible results for all of our clients. I very much look forward to seeing what the team achieves next year.” Fellow Managing Director and Co-Founder, Kimberley Waldron, added: “Since we founded SkyParlour a decade ago, we’ve been focused on improving the way the payments industry communicates with target audiences, ensuring we help achieve clients’ business goals. It’s great, then, to see this strategy pay off for our clients and to be recognised alongside them, our unique expertise and insight into their business needs means we can create communications programmes that really supercharge their growth, so they can continue to thrive into the future.”

Enterprising women celebrated at IoD conference in Stockport THE North West branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD) hosted its eighth annual Enterprising Women conference at a sold-out event at the Plaza in Stockport. Celebrating the best in female business leadership and talent across the region, this year’s theme was ‘Inspiring Leaders’ with a panel of incredible women including Rebecca Long-Bailey MP, Shadow Business Secretary and MP for Salford and Eccles, who gave an insight into her political career, achievements and challenges, as well as Jess Moore, Executive Director, Corporate Responsibility at Warner Bros; a pioneer for nurturing talent, Jess spoke of her involvement in Warner Bros’ Creative Talent programme which invests in talented people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue a career in the creative industries. Other speakers included Kate Willard, Head of Corporate Projects at the Stobart Group and Vanda Murray OBE, who is nonexecutive director of Manchester Airport Group. Not forgetting

the inspirational male voices from the region’s business community, the speakers were joined by Tom Bloxham MBE, Chairman of Urban Splash, who gave his own talk and described an impressive 25-year long entrepreneurial journey. Speaking at the end of a daylong, successful event, regional IoD director Claire Ebrey, said: “The event was absolutely superb. When we launched the conference this year, we wanted to give our delegates access to a range of brilliant, influential and inspirational experts from across the UK, I really think we delivered on that thanks to an engaging panel, and a proactive audience who wanted to hear what they had to say. “I believe every attendee has been given a chance to enhance their own organisation, their leadership skills, their business acumen their personal impact in the region and beyond. I thank every single person who was there today and made the event the success it was.”

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Placefirst picks up a trio of awards at NWPAs RESIDENTIAL lettings company Placefirst has been honoured with three prestigious awards at the North West Property Awards (NWPAs). The Manchester based company won the Regeneration Award, Best Affordable Housing Scheme and the Judges’ Special Award for its impressive redevelopment of the Welsh Streets in Toxteth, Liverpool. The site was originally set for demolition in order to make way for new-build homes, however the plans were ruled out in 2015 and left Liverpool City Council with 400 empty homes that had suffered an incredible amount of neglect. Placefirst’s proven experience in regenerating Victorian properties and ability to provide fair value family rentals, enabled them to take on this mammoth project.

Consisting of two, three and four bedroom properties, each house has been carefully refurbished and combine the best of old and new. As well as designing and building the properties, Placefirst manages them too and offers residents flexible deposits and no administration and referencing fees. The first phase was launched in August 2017 and all 24 homes in the first release were reserved within 24 hours. To date, 70% of the 100 homes in phase two have been reserved off-plan. This standout redevelopment caught the eyes of the esteemed judging panel and received the Judges’ Special Award which is given to projects and organisation which have commercially and visibly had the greatest impact on the property industry in the last 12 months. The NWPAs is an annual event, sponsored by Stewart

Milne Homes, which celebrates a year of success across the property industry. Nearly 300 guests attended the glamorous awards ceremony. Thirteen awards were presented on the night, from Show Home of the Year, Best Property Law Firm, Best Student Landlord to the Regeneration Award. Kim O’Brien, director of the NWPAs, says: “The Welsh Streets has been a remarkable redevelopment in Toxteth. Placefirst has taken great care to ensure the properties are not only affordable but also reminiscent of how they were before which is really important for the history of the area. “It’s fantastic to see that so many families want to live there and we look forward to seeing the how rest of the phases develop. A big well done to the team at Placefirst.”

Awards November 2018

Regional leaders take top prizes at national IoD Director of the Year awards

THE University of Manchester’s Dr Julian Skyrme has won the national Institute of Directors (IoD) award for Corporate Social Responsibility, at its 2018 Director of the Year awards. With Skyrme as Director for Social Responsibility, the University has led a skills initiative to help over three thousand local unemployed people find work. One judge commented that Skyrme’s work amounted to a “compelling story of impact at scale and with thoughtful strategic purpose”. Stephen Martin, Director General of the Institute of Directors, said: “My congratulations go to all of our winning directors for the exceptional work they have put in over the year, contributing not just to the economy, but to society as well. Whether it be in private enterprise, charity, or the public sector, great leadership is immensely valuable, and our awardwinners have set the bar in this regard, and well deserve to be recognised. “An attribute shared among many of this year’s winners is the ability to harness emerging technologies, often for wider social purposes. The essence of business leadership lies in grappling with new ideas and understanding how these can fuel the success of your organisation, and our award winners set a great example.”

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McGinty Demack achieves prestigious Platinum Approved Employer status STANDISH accountancy practice, McGinty Demack, has achieved Approved Employer status from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). The award was given to McGinty Demack in recognition of the support they provided to ACCA trainees working towards their ACCA qualification at the practice. Receiving the highest level of accreditation, Platinum, the firm will continue to welcome local students hoping to begin their career in accountancy. The ACCA Approved Employer programme

recognises and rewards employers’ quality staff training and development. The programme ensures the highest standards for employers and students are met and maintained. Karen Richardson, Managing Director, McGinty Demack, said: “Everyone at McGinty Demack understands the importance of receiving good training, that’s why we do our best to ensure that the trainees we welcome receive the support they need to become a fully qualified accountant. “We are delighted to be awarded the prestigious

Platinum Approved Employer accreditation from the ACCA, since this exemplifies the hard work and support we put into developing our trainees and the excellent results they attain whilst working with us, are testament to the processes and engagement we provide.”

One of the firm’s ACCA trainees who went on to a full-time position at McGinty Demack was Alice O’Hanlon. She commented: “Undertaking my training here was instrumental in achieving my ACCA qualification. The help and knowledge I received from Karen and the rest of

the team helped me better understand my assignments. “I was delighted to be offered a full-time role at McGinty Demack after achieving my qualification and would urge anybody in the Standish area who is hoping to become an accountant to get in contact.”

Award-winning chocolatier to expand into city centre

AN award-winning West Didsbury chocolatier is expanding into the city centre with the launch of Cocoa Cabana Chocolaterie and Cocktail Lounge in Ancoats, and is offering chocolate galore in return for pledges on

Kickstarter. Cocoa Cabana Chocolatiers was opened in West Didsbury, Manchester, by founder Sarah Gallacher in November 2012 and, since then, it has gone from strength-to-strength, moving

to bigger premises on Burton Road as its customer base grew and winning Great Taste and Academy of Chocolate Awards along the way. “Opening my first shop in 2012 felt like a huge risk and there have been ups and downs, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I’m really passionate about independent businesses thriving and it’s always been my plan to have more than one Cocoa Cabana. However, this one will be a little different as besides our usual handcrafted bonbons, afternoon teas and chocolate making classes, we will also have space for parties, and will have great tunes and delicious cocktails such as Chocolate Martinis. Manchester Gin is curating our cocktail menu for us, so Mancunians can expect something special,” said Gallacher, who won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Inspiring Women Awards

2014. She continued: “Ancoats is such an up and coming foodie destination and there are already some brilliant independents moved in, so it feels the perfect place for us to launch another shop. “I’ve managed to raise most of the funds I need to make it happen, but have launched a Kickstarter campaign to help me reach my target and ensure there is enough money for all those special extras. It’s not easy for smaller businesses to raise finance through traditional methods; they don’t have the buying power of larger companies and it is more difficult to get loans. I’ve already raised £50,000 and have another £15,000 to go, so please do pledge in exchange for some amazing chocolate related rewards and experiences.”

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BUSINESS SUPPORT November 2018

In Touch Networks in FT’s Top 100 Fast Growing UK companies IN Touch Networks, the networking and training platform for senior board figures, has been named by the Financial Times as one of the top 100 fast growing UK companies that are also making an impact on their industry and wider society. Already a Deloitte awardingwinning company and recognised as one of the fastest growing technology businesses in Europe, the Green Quarter based company was recently named by the global media giant in the Future 100 UK, alongside names including Just Eat, MOO and Touchnote. In Touch was one of only five in

the list and the only e-Commerce company, to be credited with the accolade of “all-rounder” by making a positive social and environmental impact, addressing diversity, disrupting their sector and having showed consistently fast revenue growth. In addition, the list also confirmed In Touch as the eCommerce company with the highest compound annual growth rate and the only eCommerce company to achieve recognition for diversity. Since its launch, In Touch has excelled in the recruitment, training and networking sector.

Their disruptive approach to the industry has enabled members to showcase their talents, learn & develop and diversify. Ultimately enabling them to expand their portfolio of work. Matthew Roberts, CEO of In Touch Networks and also recently named in North West Insider’s 42 under 42, said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised by the Financial Times in the FT Future 100 UK, especially with regards to our social proponents. We work hard to lead by example, whether that’s through our inclusive policies or championing women directors in business.”

“The significant growth we have seen over the last four years has been phenomenal, and with that growth we have further extended the services and products for our members. Our continued success and commitment to innovation has allowed us to both disrupt the industry and carry out valuable work socially, including our activity through the many projects of our charity, In Touch Futures.” “I am proud of the team at In Touch, and we strive to continue our fantastic growth as we head towards 2019.”

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Mayfield Partnership becomes Manchester International Festival supporter for 2019

THE Mayfield Partnership, the public private partnership responsible for delivering a £1 billion transformative regeneration of the Mayfield area of Manchester city centre, has signed up to become an official supporter of the 2019 Manchester International Festival (MIF). Staged every two years, MIF is the world’s first festival of original, new work, and brings together world-renowned artists from different art forms to create dynamic, innovative and forward-thinking premieres for Manchester. The next Festival takes place 4 – 21 July 2019, with elements of MIF19 revealed later this year and the full programme announced early next year. MIF will also be

the operator for The Factory, a new £110m world-class cultural space being built in Manchester and due to open late 2020. Mayfield’s association with MIF stretches back to 2013 when the atmospheric Mayfield Depot hosted a collaboration between documentary film maker Adam Curtis and Bristolian drum and bass pioneers, Massive Attack, as well as a series of live art performances curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Alex Poots, Asad Raza and Tino Sehgal. It also hosted a huge celebration of MIF’s ten-year anniversary which included a rare live performance from Four Tet and a 12-hour extravaganza headlined by Carl Craig and Mike Banks

at MIF15, before the festival returned in 2017. Mayfield was home to the programme launch announcement along with two unique events: What if Women Ruled the World?, a film and performance project by Yael Bartana, and 10000 Gestures, a performance of experimental choreography created by Boris Charmatz, which have since gone onto tour in Berlin, Bilbao, Aarhus, Jerusalem and Vienna. Commenting on the sponsorship arrangement, James Heather, U+I’s Development Director for Mayfield, said: “From the very beginning MIF has been about creating unique experiences which cast the city in a different light around the world. Mayfield

has contributed to this on a number of occasions as there is nothing quite like the Mayfield Depot as an events space in the city. “The fit between MIF and Mayfield is perfect: both are about being world class, about creating world firsts and about being internationally ambitious, pushing boundaries to create something which stands out on a global stage.” Jenny Mungall, Development Director at Manchester International Festival, added: “All of us at Manchester International Festival are delighted that the Mayfield Partnership is supporting us as Official Providers of the Festival, and of course to be back in the truly unique Mayfield Depot

this Autumn as it hosts a series of Pre- Factory Events. “We are a festival of extraordinary work, and the support of some 90 extraordinary partners across Manchester makes that possible. The role that the Mayfield Partnership, and others in Manchester’s business community, takes in supporting a culturally vibrant city is inspiring and something that we, as a Festival, are hugely grateful for.” Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Innovation and imagination are central to Manchester’s identity as a city. Both MIF and Mayfield are great examples of this and the two are a natural fit.”

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BUSINESS SUPPORT November 2018

Significant growth sees law firm achieve top 100 status FLETCHERS Solicitors is now ranked as a top 100 UK law firm, following a continued period of growth. Fletchers Solicitors has made The Lawyer’s esteemed Top 100 list, which ranks the 100 largest UK firms by revenue, for the first time. The law firm, which has offices in Southport and Manchester, has been working towards Top 100 status for the last couple of years and its investment is now being realised, reporting strong increases in turnover and profit. In the last financial year (2017/18), turnover has increased by 43% taking it to £26.8 million. Profitability (EBITDA) has increased from £1 million in 2017 to £6 million in 2018 due to the continued maturation and expansion of the medical negligence side of the business. The law firm has also made a huge investment in its workforce to support its continued growth. Head count currently stands at 434. This has been significantly boosted by the opening of the Manchester office, which now has 50 medical negligence lawyers. The development of the team will continue to be a major part of future plans, reinforcing Fletchers’ core values and reaffirming the reasons it was listed in both the Sunday Times 100 Best Places to Work in 2017 and Great Place to Work UK. The firm will also continue its focus on becoming number one in the country

in the medical negligence, serious injury and motorbike accident claims sectors. Gary Carrington, chief financial officer at Fletchers Solicitors, said: “The whole team at Fletchers has worked incredibly hard to get us to the position we are now in. Making it into the top 100 UK Law Firms has been our goal for a number of years so we are delighted to make it into the list. “We put people at the heart of everything we do, whether that is our customers or staff members, and this has led to our continued growth. “While we are obviously delighted to have seen our profitability increase, we are pleased that this has been able to happen sustainably without compromising our values in any way. “The legal sector is rapidly changing but thanks to our team members being prepared for this, we are confident that we have another good year ahead of us.”

Microfinance funding fuels Oldham drinks business expansion OLDHAM drinks manufacturer Freez Global Ltd has secured a £25,000 investment from NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance a product fund managed by GC Business Finance in partnership with MSIF and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. Freez Global is working with the Department for International Trade and was introduced to GC Business Finance to help with the funding requirements to support their overseas expansion. The £25k investment will fund an ambitious growth and export plan. From their base in Chadderton, Freez Global designs, manufactures and distributes a range of non-alcoholic carbonated drinks aimed at the adult market with flavours including Miami Blue, Strawberry, Kiwi, Lemon, Appleberry and Mango. The company currently supplies retailers in the UK, Europe, US, Australia and will be using the funding to break into the Middle East market. Owner Tasadduq Ashraf will also be creating three new roles to provide logistic support and machinery operation as well as investing in additional stock and bringing bottle labelling capabilities in house. Tasadduq said: “Having built the business

up ourselves for the last four years, we had reached a point where we needed an extra injection of funding to really grow our export market in particular. The support from GC Business Finance puts us in a really strong position to develop our brand and to streamline and improve our production processes, all of which will enable us to create more jobs in Oldham as we grow.” Mark Gibbons, Senior Loan Manager at GC Business Finance, said: “Tas has already proved that there is real demand for the Freez Global products, both in the US and Europe. With the support of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, he now has the agility and ability to pursue and maximise these sales opportunities quickly and cost effectively.” Sue Barnard, Senior Manager at British Business Bank, said: “Freez Global already has an international presence, which is impressive for a company of its size. It is important that SMEs look into exporting, as it can encourage huge growth through increased sales and brand recognition. With the Middle Eastern market in its sights, Freez Global is in a good position to capitalise on thriving markets overseas, and NPIF is proud to support this ambition.”

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Vodafone first to switch on full 5G in the UK

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VODAFONE has become the first company in the UK to carry full 5G over a commercial network. Live mobile data traffic is now being streamed to and from the Internet exclusively over 5G from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester, connected to Vodafone’s nationwide converged fibre network. Until now, companies have tested the technology either within a single location, or using parts of the 4G network to complete the 5G service. In September, Vodafone conducted the UK’s first holographic call using 5G spectrum from its Manchester office with Steph Houghton MBE, England and Manchester City Women’s Football Captain. Providing coverage to MediaCityUK and the surrounding area, the new site in Salford is an important step in connecting businesses and consumers with 5G technology. It is enabling Vodafone to test the technology endto-end using wireless routers and forms part of its 5G trial in seven cities this year. Vodafone is now inviting local companies and organisations to register their interest in experiencing the faster data speeds and ultra-responsiveness of 5G at its new ‘Future Ready’ innovation centre and digital incubator when it opens in Spring 2019. In partnership with the Mayor of Greater Manchester and MediaCityUK, the innovation centre will be equipped with the very latest digital

Good Relations launches Good Relations North

technology. This includes 5G wireless routers, gigabit-capable optical-fibre links and Internet of Things (IoT) services, which can digitally connect everything from office security systems, vehicles, and household appliances to livestock and pets. When 5G-compatible handsets and devices become available, people will be able to play games on the go in 4K resolution with little or no time lag. They will also be able to immerse themselves in augmented reality where virtual objects appear in real-life surroundings and enjoy extremely fast Internet access. Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery, said: “We are leading the roll out of 5G across the UK, starting with Greater Manchester. A further six cities, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and London – will shortly receive full 5G too. Next year, we will bring 5G to the Scottish Highlands, Cornwall and the Lake District, among other locations. “We have worked closely with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to help ensure the city is not only an economic powerhouse, but also a digital powerhouse. That is why we are making a multi-million pound investment to offer world-class communications to Greater Manchester’s thriving media and tech community, consumers and our own 1,000 or so employees who work there.”

BUILDING on strong momentum in recent years, Good Relations, part of the VCCP Partnership, is acquiring the ‘The Little Big Agency’, founded by Jo Leah. The agency will be renamed Good Relations North and will be based in a new central Manchester office in Peter House, Oxford Street. Jo Leah, former Managing Director of Weber Shandwick in the English regions & Wales, will become Managing Director of Good Relations North and be part of the Good Relations executive team. Her remit will be to build a strong ‘challenger’ PR and content network for Good Relations outside of London. Richard Moss, Chief Executive of Good Relations, said: “Jo has a formidable track record of building high performing teams and delivering exceptional client results. I’m hugely excited about bringing together her capabilities with those of Good Relations to create a new dynamic PR force in the North”. Jo Leah commented: “This is a hugely exciting time to be joining Good Relations. They are delivering creative work with a focus on driving business performance – and they’re winning the awards to prove it. I can’t wait to get stuck in and do it all again with such a focused team. “I’m proud to be based in a city with a reputation as one of the world’s greatest capitals. Manchester is a cultural powerhouse with a thriving creative community.”

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BUSINESS SUPPORT November 2018

Pop up food business creates 13 jobs with GC Business Finance support

FIREBIRD Hope is transforming its premium fast food business in Manchester using a Start Up Loan from GC Business Finance. Serving a distinctive free-range chicken and vegan menu, Firebird Hope has expanded from a trial pop up earlier this year to launching a permanent kitchen at Manchester’s YES performance space which will employ 13 people. Having advised start-up food and retail businesses on their technology choices during his time working at Apple, Firebird Hope founder Dan Hope is now using a £5k Start Up Loan to develop his own food business specialising in free-range

chicken and vegan sandwiches made with a secret seasoning. The business originally launched as a pop-up at the Hatch scheme in Manchester and has gone on to be shortlisted for the Best Street Food Trader award at the 2018 Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards. Having built a loyal and appreciative customer base, Dan is now moving to a permanent kitchen at acclaimed performance venue YES as well as operating Pepperoni Playboy, the in-house pizza counter at the same venue. Future plans for Firebird Hope include establishing new trading locations that will enable

the business to operate over permanent and pop up sites as well as developing home delivery and event catering operations across Manchester and the North West. Owner of Firebird Hope, Dan Hope, said: “When I decided to start up my own business, GC Business Finance was very quickly able to help me with the finance and the mentoring support I needed. “Having worked with lots of start-up food and drink businesses in my recent time at Apple, it’s very exciting to be bringing my own business to life, creating jobs locally and to be putting plans in place to see where we can take Firebird

Hope over the next few years.” Ashley Alletson, Loan Manager at GC Business Finance, said: “Like many of the entrepreneurs we work with, Dan has taken a very big decision in changing his career path to follow his passion, something that without access to responsible and low interest finance like that offered by Start Up Loans, would be difficult for him to do. “He has developed a concept that is really taking Manchester by storm and we’re looking forward to supporting him with our mentoring programme and any follow-on finance he may need to take Firebird Hope to the next level.”

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BUSINESS SUPPORT

Scanlans chairman clocks up 40-year milestone THE chairman of property management and surveying group Scanlans is celebrating a 40-year career milestone. Ian Stanistreet considered becoming a journalist or lawyer after leaving high school in 1978 but got a job as a trainee surveyor with Manchester city centre practice Frank Westbrook on £25 a week. Ian, 58, qualified in 1987 and shortly afterwards acquired the firm and merged it with Scanlans in 1989 and became a partner. He was appointed chairman of Scanlans in October 2016. Scanlans is a national practice with seven partners and 64 staff across offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and London. It has a residential block division, a facilities management arm and a surveying consultancy which focuses on commercial and residential property valuations, building surveying, LPA receiverships, expert witness advice, rating and leasehold enfranchisement. Scanlans also has a 50 per cent share in Pad Residential, a sales, lettings and management agency based in Manchester city centre. In its most recent full financial year, Scanlans increased turnover by 16

per cent to £4.4m, with growth across all of its operations. Ian said: “When I began at Frank Westbrook, I was thrown in at the deep end. The firm was mainly involved in the management of properties owned by the Westbrook family and I was the first point of contact for tenants who needed repairs. “I was also involved in the management of a large property portfolio in the Northern Quarter in Manchester, most of which was occupied by clothing wholesalers.” Alongside becoming chairman, Ian said one of his proudest achievements has been increasing Scanlans’ residential block management business from a standing start to over £2m turnover and it's still growing, year-on year,” Commenting on changes to the profession

and the Manchester landscape, Ian said: “Regulation has increased over the years. While most of it is necessary, it has increased the burden on surveyors and property managers. We are all much more accountable. “Manchester is unrecognisable from 1978, when the nighttime economy barely existed. “The IRA bombing of 1996 was a catalyst for regeneration and the city has gone from strength to strength. “There are a number of exciting mixed-use and residential schemes currently under way that will improve the city centre even further and push its boundaries into areas that have been neglected for years. This will bring much-needed housing and facilities for families within easy reach of the city centre.”

Clough & Willis advises on multimillion pound commercial property deals THE Commercial Property team at Bury and Bolton-based solicitors Clough & Willis has completed two deals on behalf of local property developer Ron Wood which saw him sell the Atrium House warehouse and the adjoining office building on Manchester Road in Bury. Card & Party Store (Cash & Carry) Limited, which was already using the warehouse, has purchased it on an undisclosed long lease for £1,300,000; whilst Bracken House Properties LLP has acquired the freehold of

the office building for £1,000.000. David Leviten, partner in the Commercial Property team at Clough & Willis, said: “Ron Wood Developments is a much respected Bury business so we were delighted to work with them on these deals, especially as Atrium House is considered by some as a local landmark development.” Ron Wood added: “These were two complex transactions due to the multiple tenants and parties involved so we are pleased they completed successfully.”

28 INTERNATIONAL

First Law International secures Irwin Mitchell as main UK member

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LAW firm Irwin Mitchell has announced that it is to become the main UK member of First Law International (FLI). Established in 2001, FLI is based in Brussels and is a global network of over 80 independent national law firms, representing over 14,000 lawyers. Irwin Mitchell has joined the network as part of its international growth strategy which involves establishing and consolidating a network of closely aligned law firms across the globe. Joining FLI will facilitate inward introduction of English legal work to

Irwin Mitchell and it will also ensure it has a credible source of high quality law firms in most jurisdictions to which it can introduce clients requiring legal support outside the UK. As part of the relationship, Irwin Mitchell Corporate partner and Head of International, Bryan Bletso, together with IP and Media partner Georgie Collins, joined a FLI delegation to the ACC Annual Conference in Austin, Texas. The convention is the largest gathering of international General Counsels in the world. FLI will also unveiled

its newest IT innovations that will provide clients with a smoother and faster experience in dealing with multijurisdictional projects online from their mobile devices. Victoria Brackett, Chief Executive of Irwin Mitchell’s Business Legal Services division, said: “We have been hugely impressed with FLI and I am confident the organisation will play a big role in helping us meet our international growth aspirations. This is a key area for the firm and we are extremely excited to be joining one of the world’s most credible networks."

Manchester-based Kings Chambers barrister becomes first lawyer ever to practice foreign law in Australia ADAM Aldred, a barrister from Manchester-based Kings Chambers barrister set has become the first ever lawyer to be granted an Australian Registration Certificate by the New South Wales (NSW) Bar Association, entitling him to practice foreign law in Australia. Adam is now able to advise Australian solicitors and their clients on competition law issues affecting them which have a UK or EU dimension. This includes

merger control, regulatory investigations, dominance, global litigation, international trading arrangements and compliance. Adam specialises in Competition Law and Antitrust Litigation and is top ranked by Chambers & Partners in the UK. Adam said: “I am pleased to be able to extend my practice so I can help Australian businesses too. Competition law is global. A huge number of Australian businesses,

both large and small, operate on the global stage. With the Australian Registration Certificate, I can readily help Australian businesses and their solicitors when the competition law issues they face have a UK or EU element, as they often will.” Gary Young, Chief Clerk at Kings Chambers, said: “This is fantastic news. We are a globally minded set and we’re lucky to have barristers such as Adam who

specialise in niche areas of practice and are committed to offering the best service to a high professional standard.

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INTERNATIONAL

North West manufacturer and retailer sets it sights on international growth A GREATER Manchester manufacturer and online retailer is eyeing-up growth overseas thanks to a multimillion funding package from HSBC UK. Qualtex, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of domestic appliance spare parts, is using the funding to rapidly expand its market share in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

With the backing of HSBC UK’s funding package, the business has leased a new distribution centre in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, Qualtex has embarked upon an acquisition trail in the US and Europe. The business has a history of making strategic acquisitions in the UK with the purchase of JEGS,

an Essex-based electrical distributor, and Masterpart, a domestic appliance spare parts distributor, in 2017. Richard Storah, Finance Director at Qualtex, said: “While we have enjoyed strong sales in the UK, we see huge growth potential overseas, particularly in the US and Europe. We’ve made great progress tapping into these markets. HSBC’s

backing is instrumental to our continued success by enabling us to invest in local operations and make strategic acquisitions which will grow our global market share.” David Edwards, Relationship Director at HSBC UK, said: “Qualtex is following a great tradition of ambitious Manchester businesses looking to overseas markets to achieve growth.

Despite the business enjoying a £20 million growth in turnover in the last five years, it was not content to stop there. I look forward to seeing the business develop these new market opportunities and HSBC UK is delighted to be able to support the business as it moves forward to the next level.”

Twinzz launches in US and China MANCHESTER based hat brand, Twinzz, has announced its exciting growth strategy with plans to launch in stores in the US and China before the end of the year. The brand, which was established in 2016, is already stocked in over 370 stores in the UK, including high street giants

JD and Footasylum. The brand has grown exponentially since it launched two years ago. The first high street store to stock it in the UK was Footasylum. Twinzz has also been very well received in Eastern European countries. Jez Farooq, said: “We are

really excited about expanding the brand into new territories. When we first saw people wearing our hats around Manchester, we felt really overwhelmed, fast forward two years and we’re now in stores all over the world, it’s been a whirlwind. Ali Farooq, added: “I think

people relate to the brand because of its authenticity. We’re not trying to be something we’re not, we’re just two regular guys with a passion for fashion. We launched the brand because we believe in our products and thought others might too, which has proven to be hugely successful.”

30 ACQUISITIONS

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Grant Thornton completes £100m social value investment deals

GRANT Thornton’s North West Corporate Finance team has completed two major regional private equity deals, together worth more than £100m, where social impact was a key factor. The Grant Thornton team led the strategic sale by pioneering Lancashire-based Recycling Lives of a minority stake to Three Hills Capital Partners and has also advised the founders of Estio Training, a leading Northern provider of IT, digital and technology apprenticeships on an investment deal with mid-market investor Palatine Private Equity’s

Impact Fund. In both cases the business owners made a conscious decision to look at the social value credentials of their prospective equity partner before doing the deal. Peter Terry, Partner and head of Corporate Finance in the North West, said: “Social and environmental impact is becoming increasingly important in the market place and we are already seeing some private equity firms using this as a differentiator. “Palatine’s Impact Fund, for example, is a £100 million investment vehicle targeting growth

companies that deliver a positive social and/or environmental impact. “Three Hills Capital Partners also has a dedicated social programme, THCP for Social, through which it supports various social and economic development projects. “For a business such as Recycling Lives, which employs ex-offenders, helps the homeless and addresses poverty in some of our poorest communities, it was essential for it to find a partner that shared its values and culture.” Recycling Lives’ founder Steve

Jackson OBE DL, said of the deal: “This represents a key milestone for Recycling Lives, giving us the firepower to accelerate further our growth both commercially and socially. “I am delighted with the partner we have found in Three Hills Capital Partners, particularly its shared ethos and support for the social values that are deep-rooted in Recycling Lives. This is a unique partnership, as private equity investors see the value of social returns as well as financial returns.”

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TeamSport Indoor Karting acquires Daytona Further growth Manchester at Mistoria Group with purchase of Pick My Pad MISTORIA Group, owners of Mistoria Estate Agents, North West specialists in residential and student property sales and lettings, have purchased “Pick My Pad”, the Walkden based lettings and estate agency who have approximately 200 properties under management across Greater Manchester. The acquisition of the business is part of Mistoria’s continuing growth strategy and follows on from the launch of their third estate agency office in Bolton announced earlier this year. All Pick My Pad staff will continue in the new business and will aim to build on their extensive landlord support services. They currently manage properties for more than 150 landlords covering areas from Widnes to Oldham and across the whole of Greater Manchester. Mish Liyanage, Managing Director of The Mistoria Group commented: “The friendly acquisition of Pick My Pad is in line

with my vision in the next three to five years for Mistoria to manage over 1000 properties and over 5000 tenancies and to be the preferred employer in the real estate industry in the North of England. With this acquisition the number of branches will also increase to five. "Pick my Pad, under Oliver Press has been a very successful business over the last 9 years especially in the Walkden and Little Hulton areas so it is an excellent fit with Mistoria geographically, operationally and financially. It was an easy decision for Mistoria to make to acquire this business and take it to the next level with my team.” Commenting on the sale Oliver Press said: “I have stepped away from the business as I felt I had taken it as far as I could, and it was time for it to grow. I feel with the current set up at Mistoria it is perfectly placed to go from strength to strength.”

TEAMSPORT Indoor Karting, has successfully completed its acquisition of Daytona’s Manchester circuit. Located within the wellknown Trafford Park industrial estate, and just a short drive from Manchester’s city centre, Daytona is one of the city’s oldest leisure attractions. Visited by residents and visitors, the site features a 450m indoor track, a licensed bar, a children’s party area and meeting facilities. TeamSport was established in 1992 and has tracks across the UK. The company’s success has been focused on installing multilevel karting tracks along with exceptional customer facilities and service. Dominic Gaynor, Managing Director of TeamSport Karting

said: “We’re delighted to have finalised the acquisition of Daytona. Manchester is a thriving city with so much to offer people looking for a fun activity to do. Karting is a great option and appeals to so many people; families can race together, it’s a great place to celebrate an occasion such as a birthday or stag do and the perfect activity for socialising or teambuilding with colleagues. “Our range of offers such as half price mid-week karting, discounts for students and our exclusive Grid membership have proved very popular with karting fans. Our new Cadet Academy provides expert tuition for budding F1 stars, so you never know, the next Lewis Hamilton could be from Manchester.”

Being at the heart of things. Central to where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at. Just over 2 hours by train from London, at the centre of the UK and in the heart of Manchester. Welcome to our iconic event space with unbeatable connectivity. To find out more, call 0161 834 2700 or visit manchestercentral.co.uk

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Stagecoach spruces up historical park for Community and Environment week SCHOOL children, local organisations and Stagecoach Manchester employees have celebrated the unveiling of the newly revamped Davyhulme Park in Urmston. Working with the One Trafford Partnership and Davyhulme Primary School, Stagecoach Manchester has transformed the park, planting a wide range of plants and shrubs throughout the space and installing a wood-sculpted bus. The bus replicates the sculpture in the new Green Flag park, Hullard Park, which benefited from a similar makeover in 2016. The Davyhulme Park scheme was part of the Stagecoach Manchester’s annual Community and Environment week, which encourages people to learn about their surroundings and the environmental benefits of public transport. Elisabeth Tasker, Stagecoach Manchester managing director, said: “Our annual Community and Environment week offers a

PROUD TO SUPPORT AND PROMOTE:

number of benefits; not only does it help us engage with our customers and employees, it is also a chance to raise awareness of schemes that have a direct and long-lasting effect on local communities, and showcase the lengths we go to reduce our environmental impact. “Projects like the Davyhulme Park revamp are a great way to create spaces that local residents can enjoy. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to teach children from surrounding schools the importance of preserving the areas where they live and may one day work.” With guidance from other volunteers, year five and six pupils from Davyhulme Primary School learned how to plant the flowers and shrubs, before setting them in the ground. Miss Brooks, Deputy Head Teacher at Davyhulme Primary School, said: “It’s really important for our pupils to be involved in nature. As we know, children today often spend a lot of

time inside, and we want to encourage them to spend as much time outside as possible. “Davyhulme Park is a space the children use a lot, so we’re pleased they could be a part of the redevelopment, and also be involved in a project that will benefit the local community.” Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality and Climate Change, Councillor Stephen Adshead, added: “The pupils from Davyhulme Primary School had such enthusiasm and have all done a brilliant job. The garden will be invaluable to the local community, and it’s something that would not have been possible without support from Stagecoach Manchester.” “One Trafford enjoyed volunteering their time to bring something to the Trafford community. This has been a fantastic opportunity to not only increase the diversity of flora in the park, but also work in partnership with Davyhulme Primary School and Stagecoach.” AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO BEING A GOOD CORPORATE CITIZEN

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CSR November 2018

Andy Burnham joins the Skullfades Foundation on charity walk challenge from London to Sale

Manchester Airport encourages local children to ‘reach for the sky’ MANCHESTER Airport is continuing its 80th birthday celebrations by reading its new free children’s book to local children at Haveley Hey Community School in Wythenshawe. The book, aimed at Primary School children, is titled ‘Reach for the Sky’ and tells an enchanting story about travel, determination and achieving your dreams. Fifteen colleagues from a range of airport departments read the story to classes of children before giving copies to the school. The airport is giving 5,000 free copies of the book to schools across the region to support children’s reading across its vast catchment area and offering aviation themed assemblies and workshops. The airport’s first reading to school children of the book also supports the launch of the Take 10 initiative, which is part of the Read Manchester campaign from Manchester City Council and the National Literacy Trust, to promote reading and its impact on mental wellbeing. Take 10 encourages people of all ages to take 10 minutes out of their day for themselves to read to help feel happier, more relaxed, and improve memory and concentration. Tricia Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “For our 80th year we wanted to do a host of activity that would inspire and inform a whole range of our stakeholders, so what better way to reach out to the flyers or workforce of the future. “As well as being fun and entertaining our very first children’s book also informs and educates, with our staff going into assemblies to inspire pupils with their tales of airport life. “The release of the book is just one strand of our dedicated year-round education programme at Manchester Airport. In the last year, our staff engaged with 15,000 pupils across our catchment area through a range of initiatives including A Level masterclasses, What’s My Job workshops and work experience programmes.” Mike Kane, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East and Shadow Education Minister for Schools, said: “Manchester Airport’s publication of its own children’s book is a fantastic way to support children’s reading, and I am pleased to see the first reading to students take place in Wythenshawe. Paired with the Take 10 initiative, this is a great way to highlight the importance of reading to children and the positive effect this can have on their mental wellbeing. “As Shadow Schools Minister, the moral of the airport’s book, based around determination, achieving your dreams, and never giving up, is really important as we work to inspire and educate local children. It is great to see this added to the wealth of educational outreach the airport already does.”

MANCHESTER-based barber shop Skullfades is to take on a London-to-Manchester charity walk challenge with a very special guest completing the last leg. Designed to raise awareness and money for their charity, the, Skullfades Foundation, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham joined the team in the final stretch, entering Greater Manchester and walking to Skullfades Barber Shop in Sale. Raising awareness of homelessness in the city and money for the homeless community, is a topic Andy Burnham and Ged King, founder of Skullfades, are both hugely passionate about. The walk will also see two Army Veterans, Jody Bell and Dan Smith, taking part in the walk alongside Jake Whalley and Danny Thomas, consistent supporters of the Skullfades foundation. The event follows a hugely successful first walk in September 2017, where members of the team at Skullfades walked the 201 miles from London to Manchester in only seven days, and were completely self-sufficient, carrying everything they needed for the charitable adventure.

Ged King, Founder of Skullfades and Skullfades Foundation, said: “We are committed to making a positive difference to the homelessness community. This walk physically represented that the problem is nationwide and by walking from the centre of London we are literally ‘bringing it home’ and ending it in our city. “The walk was a very tough and difficult challenge, even for ex army! But it’s worth it. We are very grateful to all of our fantastic volunteers and hope that our efforts will unite people up and down the country, encouraging those that can, to raise money for this great cause.”

Tudor boss cycles 430 miles for Salford homelessness charity

THE boss of Eccles-based Tudor Group has raised more than £4,300 for homelessness charity Emmaus Salford by completing a gruelling 430 mile cycle ride in Europe. Salford born Tony Camilleri, founder and managing director of the commercial cleaning services, Tudor Group, cycled from Venice to Rome over five days, completing more than 20,000 feet of climbing in temperatures of between 35-38 degrees. Tony took on the fundraising challenge after reading how Emmaus Salford helps people who have experienced homelessness achieve a long term change in their lives.

Tony said: “I’m a Salford lad and want to support local causes that are close to my heart. I chose Emmaus Salford after reading how they work with the homeless giving them real prospects within the community to help achieve a long term change in their lives and I wanted to help in some way. “There were many highs and lows throughout the bike ride but it was a fantastic feeling to have completed this amazing journey for such a great cause. Big thanks to everyone who pledged their support to this fundraiser.” Simon Locke, Community Director of Emmaus Salford, said: “All of us at Emmaus Salford are bowled over by the dedication and enthusiasm that Tony has showed in support of our charity. His fundraising efforts will directly help more homeless people this winter – enabling us to offer them a home, support and work in Salford. Thank you to Tony for all of his support and to all the people who have made a donation to this appeal.”

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Sharks stars surprise Altrincham college students with 200 free tickets SALE Sharks rugby stars Josh Strauss and Cameron Neild were the surprise guests at a college in Altrincham, dropping in with 200 free tickets to the club’s upcoming game against Saracens. Scotland international Strauss and hooker Cameron Neild visited Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College (BTHCC) along with one of the club’s key sponsors, Printerland, to hand over the tickets and chat to some of the college’s young sports students. The giveaway marked the successful re-launch of a popular community inclusion project being run by Printerland – the UK’s largest re-seller of

printers, ink cartridges and toners, aiming to introduce more young people in the North West to the game of rugby. Over the past three seasons, 6,000 tickets have been given away to schools, community groups and charities across the region, and the firm plans to give away another 2,000 tickets this season. Khalil Hussain, operations manager at Printerland, said: “It was fantastic to surprise pupils from BTHCC with Sale Sharks tickets and an appearance from Josh and Cameron. “Community engagement is integral to our role as key sponsors for Sale Sharks and

supports our message of inclusion through sport. “We look forward to continuing this work with other schools and community groups across the region as the season progresses.” Mark Cueto, Commercial Director at Sale Sharks, added: “Printerland has been a fantastic supporter of the club so it was a pleasure to help them kick off their inclusion programme again this season with the help of Josh and Cameron. “I know the children in the school were happy to see a couple of our first team players walking around the building and hopefully this event can inspire some of them to go on and achieve success

in their studies and their careers. “We’re looking forward to seeing them in the Printerland stand for the Saracens match in November.” In addition to the tickets, the Sharks stars handed over a framed shirt for the school and took part in a 45-minute question and answer session with the students to offer some insight into the world of elite-level rugby.

John Cornally, Headteacher at Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College, said, “Having our local rugby union team drop in to the school and speak to so many of our students has been amazing. “We have a brilliant base here, lots of the children are interested and engaged with sports and we have some huge Sale Sharks fans too, so I’m sure this will be something they’ll

remember for a long time to come. “There were some fantastic questions from the students too and I am so pleased that the players discussed persistence, resilience and motivation in sport. That positive attitude is something we try to instil in our pupils and I think hearing that from the players will really leave a lasting impression on them."

Local opticians’ praised for commitment to staff wellbeing AN opticians in Openshaw has been awarded for its outstanding dedication to its employees and its ongoing work in inspiring the next generation of optometrists and audiologists. Specsavers on Lime Square was presented with the company’s Platinum Employer accreditation, recognising both the eye care and the hear care departments for their continued efforts in support of employee welfare and career development. The Platinum Employer status is measured by five indicators of the employee experience, including talent management, recruitment and induction, and performance management and reward. Rachel Harrison, store director at Specsavers Openshaw, said: “We count ourselves lucky to have a great variety of people working here, who have decades of experience under their belt. This

award is down entirely to their expertise and dedication which has fostered a brilliant working environment in which new talent can really flourish. “Their loyalty means we can deliver an amazing service to our customers and give back to the community through some fantastic employment opportunities. We are always looking at how we can improve as an employer and this is an amazing reward for the team’s continued hard work and enthusiasm.” Specsavers director of HR, Mark Moorton, added: “The Platinum Employer scheme is an exciting new addition to our extensive portfolio of training and development programmes, helping our staff to benefit from the opportunity of a full-career journey from entry-level to store owner.”

CSR November 2018

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Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure volunteers restore peat bogs on fire-damaged moor A TEAM of volunteers from Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure has taken part in an environmental volunteering day to help make local moorland less vulnerable to fire damage. Working close to areas of Saddleworth Moor which were severely damaged by fire during the summer, a team of 15 volunteers drawn from the company’s Manchester and Leeds offices, overseen by the RSPB, which manages moorland in partnership with United Utilities, spent all day restoring the moorland, which is protected due to its scientific and ecological value. After a one kilometre trek, the team carried out a vital conservation task, using heather bales to block up eroded gullies in the peat. By holding water back, the moorland

will become wetter, making fire less likely, and less damaging and easier to control if it does happen. In addition, Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure also donated £500 worth of tools and equipment to the RSPB to assist them on this and other projects. The fire in June and July, which was thought to have been started deliberately and fuelled by the summer heat wave– spread from Stalybridge across thousands of acres of moorland, and affected two square kilometres of the moorland. At its height, 100 soldiers were deployed to try to extinguish the blaze. It took more than three weeks to put out the fire and unfortunately, the damage to the moorland was considerable. The flames had in places burned deep into dried-out

peat, releasing huge stores of carbon into the atmosphere, setting back work by the RSPB and United Utilities to restore degraded blanket bog on their land, but wetter areas were more resilient, and it highlights how important it is to make the moor wetter again. In addition, the fires had a severe impact on wildlife such as ground nesting birds and voles, with many eggs and nests destroyed, causing a knock-on effect on the rest of the food chain. Discussing the initiative, Jane King, sustainability manager, said: “We are all local to the area and were very upset by the terrible fires that occurred on the moors this summer. “The dramatic landscape that fringes Greater Manchester is so beautiful, ecologically important

and very much part of the character of the area, so we wanted to play a part in helping to restoring it back to health. It was certainly hard work, but very worthwhile, and we all thoroughly enjoyed our day volunteering with the RSPB.” Dave O’Hara, RSPB Dove Stone site manager, added: “These fires unfortunately devastated moorland that is not just of local importance, but of significance nationally and even globally. “The restoration work carried out, which the team from Morgan Sindall so kindly assisted with, will help make the site more resilient to any future wild fire by making the bog wetter. We are very grateful for their support, not only on the day, but also in donating valuable equipment to help us carry on our work on the moors.”

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New programme to help officers build boardroom careers after the military A PROGRAMME to help departing military officers develop their boardroom skills as they build new careers in civilian life will be launched in Manchester this month. OnBoarding Officers aims to improve and hone their skills to help them become effective non-executive directors (NEDs) was on the boards of companies and non-profit organisations. Aimed at departing officers and senior non-commissioned officers, the five-day programme has been created by business advice specialist FDS Director Services and training specialist ONECPD, which is a subsidiary of the University of Salford. The first cohort will be enrolled in the city next February, followed by one in London in July and then another in Manchester in October 2019. The programme will focus on best practice in corporate governance, the legal role and responsibilities of directors, financial understanding and strategic and marketing duties of an NED. Following completion, participants

will be awarded a Level 8 certificate in strategic direction and leadership by the Chartered Management Institute. Funding towards the cost of the course may be available through resettlement grants or the Ministry of Defence’s Enhanced Learning Credits Scheme. OnBoarding Officers has been endorsed by The Army and Navy Club in London. Paul Bolton, managing director of ONECPD, said: “British boards need to be supported by skilled nonexecutive directors. “Military officers and SNCOs have strong transferable skills which can greatly benefit boardrooms throughout the country. “OnBoarding Officers will give them a critical insight into the commercial world and equip them with the knowledge and skills to make a real difference to the companies and organisations they join. “Our programme is supported by ambassadors who have served at a high level in the military and by ‘Super NEDs’ from the public and private sectors. They will provide delegates with support and

networking opportunities in their pursuit of non-executive roles. “OnBoarding officers provides an exciting opportunity for departing officers and SNCOs, and we look forward to the programme starting in the new year.” Jo Haigh, chief executive and founder of FDS, one of the course tutors and an award-winning serial non-executive director, said: “OnBoarding Officers is a unique programme whose mission is to assist departing military officers and SNCOs into corporate civilian life as highly-qualified non-executive directors, an aspiration which many of them hold. “Their leadership skills are unquestionable and their decisionmaking acumen is exemplary, and they will also possess bags of resilience and the ability to analyse and solve problems, handle pressure and control meetings. “OnBoarding Officers will enable them to transfer these skills into the boardroom environment and we have high hopes for the development of these amazing people.

“It will give them the confidence to ask the right probing questions of a governance, financial, strategic and marketing nature, and enable them to add value to a business, from ambitious startups to mature companies, and to third sector organisations. “We’ve received a great deal of interest and look forward to the formal launch in November.” Law firm Clarke Wilmott is the corporate partner for Onboarding Officers and is sponsoring the November launch. The firm will host the Manchester cohorts in its offices. Partner John Flint said: “We regularly work closely with businesses of all sizes along with directors and other stakeholders to provide pragmatic and commercial advice. “We are excited to be associated with this new project, which aims to add real value to the management and strategic thinking of businesses throughout the UK.”

Football team kicks off maiden season with sponsorship from Redrow A NEW football team playing in the Stockport Girls League has been kitted out by Redrow Homes. Queensgate FC teamed up with the homebuilder via its Woodford Community Fund, scoring an £800 sponsorship deal to enable the girls’ team to kick off its first season in style. Team coach Jason Morris said: “The team only formed in August so the players were excited to receive sponsorship

from Redrow. It’s made a massive difference to us and we have been able to purchase kits, training tops and training equipment with the proceeds. We’re grateful to Redrow as without the sponsorship we would have had to pass the cost on to the parents.” The Cheshire FA has set out to double the number of females taking part in football by 2020 with a localised plan to help achieve the goal. All games in the

Stockport Girls League will be played at a central venue at the new 3G Facility at the Sea Shell Trust in Cheadle, Stockport. Redrow offered Queensgate FC ‘home town’ support as the team trains at Bramhall High School, just a few miles from Woodford Garden Village. The landmark development will eventually comprise almost 1,000 new homes, a primary school, shops, pub and no fewer than

19 areas of play, parks or public open space. The Queensgate FC sponsorship is one of the many projects in the local area being backed by a Redrow community fund, which to date has distributed grants of around £15,000. Anna Evans-Kerr, area sales manager for Redrow Homes (NW), said: “Sports clubs like Queensgate FC are great for bringing the community together. They play a key role in

helping young people stay fit, healthy and active while also developing team spirit and confidence. Woodford Garden Village will eventually

include sports pitches too and so when we heard that Queensgate Fc was starting a new team we were happy to step in and kit the players out.”

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Landmark Development Solutions makes key hire BOLTON-based, Landmark Development Solutions (LDS), the innovative residential development underwriting concept from Landmark Investments Group, has appointed Ian Barber as head of new business. Ian has a long-established property background, most recently running Hunters flagship branch in Manchester. He will be working alongside CEO Mark Hawthorn in delivering this unique offering to developers. Mark Hawthorn CEO of Landmark Investments commented: “This is a very important hire for LDS. We launched the company last year and have had a growing stream of interest from developers and lenders. Ian will ensure that in addition to managing the current and growing demand across the North West, we can drive the concept nationwide. “Our main focus is on SME developers, typically developing 15-60 units per scheme or phase, with a

GDV between £3million and £20million. “We find this is a particular sweet spot as funding can be expensive and hard to come by due to the speculative nature of development. Our offering removes all pricing and demand risk changing the profile of the scheme enabling lenders and developers to confidently move ahead with new housing schemes. “SME’s are generally experienced and highly capable, but without certainty over sales, it can be a leap of faith that both they and their lender are unwilling to take. LDS removes this uncertainty allowing developers to get on site and create more housing supply.” LDS de-risks entire schemes, by underwriting sales, whist the developer retains the ability to sell at open market value and generate return. If there are unsold units at the end of the development, LDS will step in to complete ensuring the developer and their

lenders a clean exit. Ian Barber, added: “I’m delighted to join LDS. The concept behind the solution is so unique it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity. “With the government’s target to deliver 300,000 new homes a year, SME developers are the key to achieving this. I believe that LDS will enable them to get their developments off the ground and move onto the next project efficiently. “Speaking to developers, lenders and advisors, the initial view can be that the concept is too good to be true, but, after understanding as to how it works, all agree that it is market changing in its ability, and moreover, there is nothing comparable. Concluded Mark: “We are currently active on a number of housing sites, in towns and suburbs across the North West, working with a range of construction companies, developers, local authorities and lenders.

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APPOINTMENTS

Irwin Mitchell Manchester appoints new Real Estate Senior Associate THE Manchester office of law firm Irwin Mitchell has appointed Paula Hanlon as a senior associate within its Real Estate team. Before qualifying as a solicitor Paula graduated in Urban Estate Management. Her expertise is development orientated, having been involved in a range of residential, office, retail and leisure development projects including site assembly, funding and disposal. During her career, Paula has acted for development companies, investment funds, financial institutions, leisure operators and retailers.

Additionally, Paula has worked in-house as legal director for North West property development company, Maghull Group, and has also worked at DLA Piper and Brabners. Commenting on her arrival, Real Estate partner, Roy Beckett said: “We are focussed on investing in our Real Estate team here in Manchester and I’m delighted to welcome Paula to Irwin Mitchell. She has a great deal of commercial property expertise and ‘ve no doubt that she’ll be an asset to the business.”

Clarke Willmott LLP expands Northern offering NATIONAL law firm Clarke Willmott LLP is expanding its Family department in Manchester with the hire of Emily Barcilon from Myersons, Altrincham. Emily deals with the full range of Family Law issues that arise following divorce and separation including financial claims, cohabitation disputes and child arrangements. She has experience of dealing with hidden assets, complex and high value financial claims and where there is a pressing financial need to claim against a spouse or

former partner. Emily also acts for parents and grandparents in matters dealing with the day-to-day arrangements for children, cases where there are welfare concerns or where there are allegations of abuse or other issues affecting the whole family. Partner Chris Longbottom, who leads the Family Law team in Manchester, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Emily to the firm. Her strong training and local background will be a great platform for her to build upon with us.

MAG appoints two new Property Managing Directors MAG, THE UK’s largest airport group, has appointed two new MDs to lead its Property business, which is responsible for a £526m UK airport property portfolio located at Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands. The two appointments are as a result of internal promotions and will see Jonathan Haigh appointed as MD, MAG Property and Andrew Blackshaw appointed as MD, MAG Investment Assets. The moves come as MAG has restructured the assets within its

Property business, with a dedicated team focused on different parts of the portfolio, each with their own lead. Jonathan Haigh will focus on MAG’s development land and “core” property assets across its three UK airports, and providing development management services across the Group and for the 5m sq ft Airport City Manchester scheme. Andrew Blackshaw will focus on MAG’s investment properties comprising c.8m sq ft of assets including offices, hotels, warehouses and hangars. His goal will be to maximise value and

efficiencies from these properties which are independent operationally of the airports. Commenting on the new appointments, Brad Miller, MAG Chief of Staff, said: “I’d like to congratulate Jonathan and Andrew on their promotions that are very well deserved. “Managing and developing property takes knowledge and expertise, particularly in complex airport environments. It also takes specialist skills and understanding to make sure the businesses that choose our locations get the most out of them.”

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APPOINTMENTS November 2018

Five new partners at KPMG in Manchester THE Manchester office of business advisory firm KPMG has announced the appointment of five new partners across its tax, audit and financial services practices. Liam Finnigan has been appointed partner within KPMG’s audit team. Joining the firm in 2000 as a graduate, he’s gained a wealth of experience working closely with privately-owned and listed businesses in the leisure and tourism, defence and aerospace and manufacturing sectors across Manchester and the North. Kathryn Harding has been promoted to partner in

KPMG’s tax practice. She returned to the firm in 2014 to lead its Global Mobility Services practice in the North. In her new role as partner, Kathryn will leverage 19 years’ experience advising multinational employers on all aspects of employee taxation and managing an internationally mobile workforce. After 18 years with KPMG, Rick Nash has also been made partner in the firm’s tax team. He specialises in M&A and for the last five years has been advising global institutional investors on their acquisition of UK and European

infrastructure assets. Splitting his time between KPMG’s Manchester and London offices, his clients include some of the world’s largest pension and infrastructure funds. Also being promoted to partner in KPMG’s tax practice is Sarah Anthony, who works within the firm’s indirect tax team. Sarah has 15 years’ experience and specialises in providing VAT advice, with clients spanning the public and private sectors. Alex Simpson has been appointed partner within the firm’s financial services practice. Based in Manchester, he brings over 15 years’

experience advising the UK’s regional banking, insurance and investment management sectors. His clients include financial institutions in the UK and EU and some of the North West’s most highprofile financial services businesses. Nicola Quayle, office senior partner at KPMG in Manchester, said: “It’s very satisfying to welcome so many to the KPMG partnership from our thriving St Peter’s Square office this year. Between them, Sarah, Alex, Rick, Kathryn and Liam, perfectly represent the vast experience and broad

skill-set we as a firm deliver to Manchester’s business community, and organisations across the North of England. “Manchester’s economy continues to thrive, with more and more multinationals choosing it as their UK headquarters and a growing community of innovative start-ups keen to make their mark. The strength and scope of our own offering as a fullservice business advisory firm reflects the city’s vitality, and I’m fully confident our new partners will help us continue to support the region’s upward trajectory.”

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APPOINTMENTS

Peel Land and Property appoints new Marketing Director PEEL Land and Property (Peel L&P) has appointed Ian Wilson as Marketing Director to lead the brand and marketing strategies across its £2.6 billion portfolio spanning 20,000 acres of land and 12 million sq ft of property. Peel L&P, which is part of the Peel Group, houses a 14-strong marketing team working across brand, digital, marketing, PR, social media, design and motion graphics. Ian brings over 20 years’ experience to Peel L&P, acquired through agency and in-house roles, including within two of the UK’s leading residential and commercial

regeneration companies, Urban Splash and Bruntwood. Ian will oversee the implementation of multichannel marketing strategies across Peel L&P’s diverse businesses including MediaCityUK, Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters which fall under Peel L&P’s strategic waters sites, as well as the land and planning division, waterways, nature reserves, airports, TraffordCity, leisure, logistics and industrial space, retail and business parks, energy and environmental. Ian said: “As a native Liverpudlian and adopted Mancunian, I’ve long admired

the scale and breadth of activity that Peel L&P has undertaken. The business is agile and ambitious with a long-term sustainable view and a legacy of delivery for some of the most transformational development projects in the North. With a proven track record of producing effective marketing strategies, Ian fulfilled a secondment as Head of Marketing to Manchester Science Partnerships (MSP), the UK’s largest science park operator where he led the marketing for the flagship Alderley Park site, MSP Central Campus, Citylabs 1.0

and Salford Innovation Park. Neil Lees Deputy Chairman of the Peel Group said: “As well as overseeing the marketing for our various businesses, Ian will be looking at how we better articulate the brand value proposition for what Peel L&P represents, both internally and to our broad range of external stakeholders. Ian brings a wealth of expertise and experience to Peel L&P and has a solid in-house team supporting him.” Ian added: “Over the next 10-20 years we have some truly amazing schemes in the development pipeline

including rolling out the next exciting phases for our Strategic Waters sites. “In addition to this, we will be creating 13 million sq ft of workspace and 14 million sq ft of public realm, so from a place making and property marketing perspective, it’s going to be a real challenge but when you realise how much socio-economic benefit these schemes will bring to the North, you can’t help but feel proud to play a small part in what goes on here.”

Family team at Stephensons appoints two new solicitors THE national law firm, Stephensons, has appointed two new solicitors to its family team as the firm continues to see growing demand for its specialist services. Nicola Clayton joins the firm’s Wigan office. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2012, Nicola specialises in public law proceedings representing parents and children as well as private law children applications. With private practice and local authority experience, Nicola is also a member of the Law

Society’s Children Panel, having achieved accreditation in 2016. Charlotte Ellingham has also joined Stephensons as a solicitor in the family team.Charlotte will be based from Stephensons’ office in Manchester city centre. The Stephensons family law team now totals 46, making it the largest family department in the North West with a wealth of experienced and accredited solicitors. The family team now has six Resolution specialists and

six Children Panel specialists. Victoria Gethin, recently appointed head of the family department and Jackie Price, senior associate, are two of very few family lawyers in the country who hold dual accreditation. Mike Devlin, a partner and former head of the department is also the president of the Manchester Law Society. Commenting on the appointments, Victoria Gethin, head of the family department at Stephensons said: “I am delighted to welcome two new talented

family lawyers to the team. We have a hard-earned reputation for excellence which has been reflected by the awards we have won and our standing in the profession. However, the test for me is the appreciation of our clients for helping them in a difficult time in their lives. This is reflected in a growing demand for our services. The department has a long tradition of recruiting excellent calibre staff and will continue to do so. ”

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APPOINTMENTS November 2018

Join the Dots welcomes Shoot the Moon appoints a two senior hires GLOBAL consumer insight agency, Join the Dots, has appointed two senior hires at its headquarters in Manchester city centre. Rory Corcoran joins as a research director from his previous role at a strategic brand consultancy in London. His sector experience includes utilities, finance, FMCG, retail, travel and leisure. Emily Goddard joins the team as an associate director and project lead. Emily’s role will focus specifically on digital marketing, brand strategy and the creative activation of insight. With sector expertise that spans social and political communications, as well as media, technology, entertainment and sport. Rory commented: “The agency’s commitment to the people that work here has been clear

from day one, promoting a supportive and really positive work environment for everyone. Manchester is a new city to me, but there’s lots happening here for the industry and I’m looking forward to taking on the challenge.” Emily added: “There is clearly a keen focus on innovation, learning and development, which is no doubt why the business has been able to grow at such a rate over the past few years. When I was looking for roles in the region, Join the Dots really stood out to me in terms of its identity and vision, alongside its clients, approach to work and people.”

Deloitte Real Estate announces raft of promotions DELOITTE Real Estate has promoted a number of staff across its North West practice, as the firm also confirmed the intake of new graduates to support its on-going work for clients across the region. In the planning and development team, Anna Dooley has been promoted to assistant director having advised on prominent projects across the regions, including HS2 in Birmingham and the ongoing regeneration at UX Manchester. Michael Percival and Lerato Marema have both been promoted to senior planner. Having joined Deloitte in 2014 and 2016 respectively, both have worked on a number of high profile applications in Manchester City Centre, including the Great Northern Warehouse, Nuffield Hospital, Manchester Business School, NOMA, and Manchester Metropolitan University’s Birley Campus scheme. In the Valuation Assurance and Professional Advisory team, Chris Farnworth has been promoted to senior surveyor. Chris joined Deloitte

in 2014 and provides real estate valuation, due diligence and assurance services to clients both throughout the UK and worldwide. Simon Bedford, partner and head of Deloitte Real Estate in the regions, said: “These promotions reflect the outstanding work of our team to deliver key projects across the North West and provide expert advice to the clients and cities we work with. We are seeing these efforts continue to bear fruit, with innovative new developments and neighbourhoods consistently under construction across the North West. “It is also with great pleasure that we welcome a number of new graduates to the team. We are constantly striving to attract the brightest talent, and we have high hopes that these individuals represent the next generation of experts to influence the direction of our cityscapes in the years to come.”

Head of Talent and an Operations Director

MANCHESTER-based creative agency, Shoot the Moon, has created two new senior roles, to support expansion and strengthen the talent pool as the head count approaches 40. Karey Wardhaugh, formerly of JWT, joins the business as Head of Talent to work on recruitment, retention, the long-term development of the team and wider development in agency capability. Phil Marshall, Managing Director, said: “To maintain our high standards, as we scale the business, it’s vital that we invest in both new and existing talent and ensure solid foundations are in place to support development both in capability and capacity. “I’m confident that Karey’s experience will help us develop the team in line with our growth strategy and ultimately create a team that will continue to support our wide range of clients as opportunities evolve.” As part of the recent restructure, Kieran Edwards will take up the role of Operations Director after almost three years with the business. He will be responsible for

developing the agency’s capabilities; looking at additional services and strengthening the current offering. The newly created role will also see Kieran manage the company’s new business and marketing as they look to secure new opportunities amidst the planning of a second studio. Kieran commented: “With our plans for growth, new services, new studios and team development, it’s an exciting and challenging time. I’m looking forward to realising our plan with the team, and expanding into new territories.” The move comes as part of a re-structure that sees Shoot the Moon, that celebrates 21 years in Manchester this year, prepare for further growth, including the launch of a second studio expanding reach across the M62 corridor.

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APPOINTMENTS

K7 Media names new Managing Director

Gateley Plc further expands residential development offering with two key appointments in Manchester GATELEY Plc, the legal business of law-led professional services group Gateley, has continued to expand its Residential Development team in Manchester with the appointments of legal director Nick Beko and solicitor Keyan Hartley. Nick has more than 20 years’ experience in property law and has a wealth of experience in development work for both the private and public sectors, advising major housebuilders on large and complex transactions, including strategic land acquisitions and development schemes. Keyan joins as a solicitor from Kennedys, where he completed his training contract. Nick and Keyan’s appointments follow the launch of the Residential

Development team in Manchester in February, with the hire of legal director Louise Ilhan. Since May the national team has more than doubled in size, making it the largest Residential Development team within any UK law firm. The Residential Development team at Gateley Plc acts for all of the top 10 national housebuilders, and 18 of the top 20, in all regions of the UK. With the acquisition of residential development specialists, GCL Solicitors, by the Gateley Group at the end of May, Gateley Plc’s plot sales team now advises on circa £2.5 billion worth of plot sales annually. Rod Waldie, head of Gateley Plc’s Property group and head of

the Manchester office, said: “Our Residential Development team operates across the widest range of offices of any UK firm. “With the expansion of the Manchester team, we are able to offer this service at greater strength and I welcome Nick and Keyan to our rapidly growing department.” Nick added: “I’m very much looking forward to joining the growing team here in Manchester. Gateley Plc has an extensive and experienced national team with an excellent reputation for the breadth and depth of work that they do in this sector, and I am looking forward to helping continue with that success.”

FOLLOWING a period of sustained growth, K7 Media is strengthening its management team. The Manchesterbased global media consultancy has announced a number of key internal promotions to support new client wins in China and on the US West Coast. Under the new structure, Phil Birchenall is promoted from Projects Director to Managing Director, as Founder Keri Lewis Brown becomes CEO. A newly created Operations Team will see David Ciaramella, Ella Turner, Richard O’Meara and Michelle Lin appointed to management roles, handling client relations and overseeing a team of researchers providing broadcasters, producers and distributors across the globe with insight into the very best in international programming. Due to K7 Media’s growing Asia Pacific client base, Michelle Lin will lead K7’s expanding Asia Pacific team, specialising in the analysis of titles across the wider Asia region. Speaking on the restructuring, CEO & Founder, Keri Lewis Brown, said: “A business restructure has been on the cards for some time, recent new business wins have provided us with the perfect opportunity to reflect on the way the team works. “As a business we are committed to expanding our knowledge and expertise across global territories. The creation of a dedicated Asia Pacific research team is testament to our ongoing commitment to deepening our understanding of the nuances of global trends.”

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Canada Life acquires Barnett House CANADA Life has continued its appetite for Manchester, with the firm’s latest city centre office acquisition of Barnett House, for £7.82m. Barnett House, situated at 53 Fountain Street, was constructed during the early 1980s, and was extensively refurbished in the late 1990s. The building provides 30,000 sq ft of office accommodation over ground and eight upper levels with car parking provided at basement level. It is occupied entirely by Regus, operating the successful flexible office solution model, on a lease until October 2021.

Canada Life have raised cash through a recent office sale of 54 Princess Street in Manchester and were keen to re-invest. The property was acquired from the Eric Wright Group, based in Preston. Manchesterbased CBRE acted for the vendor. Neil Higson, investment director at Wildbrook CRE, said: “Barnett House is a very exciting opportunity, in a prime location in the traditional heart of the central business district in Manchester. Given the activities of the tenant, and the recent introduction of their Spaces brand in the City Centre at Peter

House, it makes Barnett House an intriguing prospect. The asset is also reversionary with rental growth possible, and provides a number of asset management angles in the medium to long term.” Luke Wilson, Associate Director at CBRE, added: “We were delighted to complete the sale of Barnett House on behalf of Eric Wright Group at a level significantly ahead of the quoting price. The asset received an excellent level of investor interest and we wish Canada Life all the best with their future plans.’’

Middlebrook Retail Park goes from strength to strength with new lettings

PROPERTY landlord Orbit Developments has added another restaurant favourite to the brand line up at Middlebrook Retail Park, the UK’s largest retail and leisure park. American themed restaurant chain TGI Friday’s have completed a fifteen-year lease in the space previously occupied by Next, before

the recent move to their new superstore home at the entrance to the retail park. The restaurant will total 10,500 sq ft and plans to open in early 2019 creating over 80 new jobs. Senior Retail Leasing Surveyor at Orbit Development, Mark Hanna, commented: “Middlebrook Retail and Leisure Park is

one of the most popular out of town retail destinations in the UK and we’re always working to include new brands in an effort to enhance the line-up and drive footfall. "We’re very pleased that Middlebrook continues to attract such strong operators which we know will be popular with shoppers on

our scheme.” The new lettings come following the arrival of a £12m new build Next Home and Garden concept store. The two storey Next store merged three existing stores at the retail park and provides a mixed retail offer including men’s, women’s and children’s fashions alongside a wide range of furniture and

home furnishings. Robert Hallworth, the park’s director, said: “We are always striving to pioneer the best shopping experience and offer a strong retail mix and with the completion of the Next superstore we have now expanded to over 65 retailers, still offering free parking and late-night opening.”

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Property

Barclays’ flagship Manchester Eagle Lab opens for Business BARCLAYS’ flagship Manchester Eagle Lab, located at Bruntwood’s Union building on Albert Square, has officially opened for business with a packed Autumn events schedule. The 8,000 square foot Lab, laid out over two floors, incorporates a brand-new café, an 80-seat auditorium, co-working and breakout space at street level and a combination of private offices, meeting rooms and breakout spaces on the first floor. Created as a space for businesses and ambitious entrepreneurs to scale and grow their ventures, and to innovate by adopting cutting edge technologies, the Manchester Eagle Lab is the seventeenth launched by Barclays, following successful sites in locations including London, Liverpool, Cambridge and Cardiff. The Lab has launched a packed Autumn events programme, offering more than 30 events.

These include early bird breakfast meetings, designed to help startups, scale-ups and SMEs to meet other entrepreneurs and professionals in friendly and sociable environment, and pizza and beer networking sessions, events which are open to the local business community. All businesses based at the Manchester Barclays Eagle Lab benefit from the support of a dedicated Eco-System Manager and on-site Barclays Business Managers who provide help and advice to local companies and entrepreneurs from across the city. The Eagle Lab also acts as the Manchester base for Barclays’ Digital Eagles community activity. Matt Priestley, Ecosystem Manager at the Barclays Eagle Lab in Manchester, commented: “We recognise the importance of supporting entrepreneurs, startups and accelerating high-growth companies, and the vital role they

play in creating a sustainable, prosperous Manchester economy. “Whether you’re an inventor, innovator or mentor, our Eagle Lab is

the perfect space to digitally empower your business, supporting scale-up opportunities, collaboration and innovation.”

The Purple Property Shop extends its customer service innovations BOLTON based estate agent, The Purple Property Shop, is expanding its existing innovative customer service offerings, with the introduction of free of charge 3D videos for its clients. The Bolton-based property experts have introduced the video creation service following a successful three-month trial with selected clients. The videography is undertaken by The Purple Property Shop’s qualified photographers, with the final video being available online, on both their website and social media channels, allowing potential buyers to get a greater perspective of the property. Founded in 2010 by husband and wife, Matthew and Sally Jones, The Purple Property Shop helps buyers, sellers, renters and landlords across the North-West, with a major focus

on customer service. The independent estate agent employs eight members of staff at its Bolton office, whilst serving an extended region including Bury and Burnley. Sally Jones, Director and Co-Owner, said: “We believe we are the only estate agent in the North-West to be offering this service, free of charge, to all of our clients selling houses with us. This ensures that our clients have the best opportunity for their house to be seen and appreciated. This is further enhanced by the fact that all the properties we showcase, are also featured on Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket websites as well as our website. “At The Purple Property Shop, customer service is at the heart of everything we do, therefore we encourage sellers to pick and choose the services they require from us,

meaning we can offer a bespoke plan for our clients. We find it very encouraging that our most popular package, is the premium package, which includes a fortnightly feedback report, outlining the interaction on the internet for the client’s property.”

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Property November 2018

Søstrene Grene to open in Altrincham’s Stamford Quarter Shopping Centre DANISH homewares store, Søstrene Grene, is set to open its third British store in Altrincham, just outside Manchester, this month. The store will be located in The Stamford Quarter shopping Centre. Customers can expect minimalistic, Scandinavian designs in a widerange of homewares, furniture, kitchen products, Christmas decorations, gifts, wrapping paper, cards, hobby crafts, toys, accessories

and “mini home” products for children. Jonathan Cooper, joint venture partner for the store, commented: “We felt our typical customer would enjoy the relaxed and warm feeling we got when visiting Altrincham. With a fantastic local market, variety of independent eateries and a true artisan feel, Altrincham is a perfect fit for us and we just can’t wait to open the doors to our latest store.”

Carrick Real Estate completes first year with £100m deals MANCHESTER-based investment agency Carrick Real Estate has marked its first anniversary with the completion of over £100 million of investment transactions. 70% of the 21 investment transactions were successfully completed off-market. Over the last 12 months, the niche investment agency has undertaken a range of investment acquisitions and disposals for clients including CDP Marshall, CBRE Global Investors, BMO, LCP, NWTC, Northwood, Orbit, Ribston, Savills IM and Wrather & Co. Steve Carrick, of Carrick Real Estate, commented: “Since our launch last October, we have been solely focused on our clients and providing them with a boutique service. We have a deep understanding of their requirements and focus on a limited number of investors to avoid any dilution of service. We strongly believe in zero delegation, absolute trust and conflict free advice. “Looking ahead, we will continue to advise clients through the challenges of Brexit and rise to the challenge of uncovering off-market opportunities.”

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Property

New state-of-the art meetings and events space unveiled in the heart of the Oxford Road Corridor STUNNING new conference and events space has been unveiled at Manchester’s newest hotel, the Crowne Plaza – Oxford Road. The seven state-of-the art meetings rooms are bathed in natural daylight, thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows and come equipped with the very latest in conference technology and high-speed Wi-Fi. Between them they offer Manchester’s businesse floor space which can cater for more than 200 conference delegates at any one time. And in a nod to its special location

within the university district on Oxford Road, the hotel team have paid tribute to Manchester University’s most famous alumni – by naming their meeting rooms in their honour. Those who have been namechecked include computing expert Alan Turing, Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, the famous British astronomer, Nobel prize-winning architect Norman Foster, chemist Sir Robert Robinson and former Chief Executive of Manchester City Council Sir Howard Bernstein. General Manager of Manchester’s

only dual-branded hotel said the benefits of holding meetings and conferences at the Crowne Plaza Manchester – Oxford Road, were bolstered, not only by the Oxford Road Corridor location, but by the fact the 19-storey hotel boasts both a Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites hotel. The development, known as “The Lume” is Manchester’s first ever dual-branded hotel. Andrew Fletcher explained that the Crowne Plaza boasts 212 guest rooms across the lower 12 storeys, while the extended-

stay brand Staybridge Suites, offers 116 guest rooms, all with exceptional views of the city. He said: “We are so proud of the conference and meetings space we have created and believe we have a truly unique offering for anyone holding a meeting or event in Manchester. “With a brand-new dedicated conference floor and flexible meeting space, we’re confident our hotel will give any organisation the options they need to do business, whether they’re organising an intimate board meeting or a large-scale conference.

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