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QUARTET PROMOTED TO SENIOR ASSOCIATE

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Four solicitors have been promoted to senior associate at Tameside law firm Bromleys.

The quartet are Anthony Theakston, Kate Allsop, Rachael Frankland and Francesca Rigby.

Senior and managing partner Mark Hirst said: “This round of promotions reflects the acknowledged expertise of each individual in their respective fields as well as recognising their dedication, the success they have achieved for their clients and their contribution to the growth of the firm.

“Anthony, Kate, Rachael and Francesca all have a great future here with Bromleys and are integral members of our growing team. Their promotions are very well-deserved.”

Anthony, who joined Bromleys in 2018, works in the care proceedings and children services team. He specialises in child care work and deals with private and public law matters, representing children, parents and other family members where there are disputes within families or involvement with social services.

He is a member of the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation Scheme, which independently recognises and accredits specialists in children and family law work.

Kate also works in Bromleys’ care proceedings and children services team. She mainly acts for children, parents and other family members in care and adoption proceedings and in private law proceedings relating to children and special guardianship cases and advising parents involved in social services disputes. She also has expertise in the field of domestic abuse and forced marriage protection cases.

Kate has held the Higher Courts Rights of Audience qualification since 2012, when at the age of 27 she became one of the youngest solicitors in the UK to achieve this accreditation from the Solicitors Regulation Authority due to her expertise. She is also a member of the Law Society’s Children Law Accreditation Scheme, Resolution and Child Concern.

Rachael splits her time between dispute resolution and employment work. She has a broad practice in relation to disputes, advising on contractual and commercial matters, neighbour disputes, contested wills, landlord-tenant matters, professional negligence claims, insolvency and bankruptcy, debt collection and credit control.

Her employment expertise covers contentious and non-contentious work, including drafting contracts of employment, staff handbooks, employment policies and advice on TUPE transfers.

She also has wide experience of contested claims on behalf of employers and employees in the High Court and County Courts for injunctions to enforce restrictive covenants and money claims, and in employment tribunals for unfair or wrongful dismissal, discrimination and unlawful deductions from wages.

Rachael’s litigation work includes representing clients in cases involving injuries at work, road accidents, public liability claims and Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority claims. Rachael, who has been at Bromleys since joining as a trainee, is a member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Francesca joined Bromleys last year as the head of its Wills and Probate and Court of Protection teams. She specialises in all private client matters, including wills, probate, lasting powers of attorney, Court of Protection work, trusts and elderly client administration.

She is a member of both the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), a global professional body comprising lawyers, accountants, financial advisers, trustees and other practitioners who help families plan for the future. Her memberships recognise her as an expert in the field of wills and probate.

Meanwhile, several non-legal staff at Bromleys have also been promoted. Hailie Applegate has been promoted to associate in the accounts department, where Jackie Brindley has been promoted to legal cashier. Caroline Renshaw, a law costs draftsman, and practice manager Louise Nolan have also become associates.

They are the first non-legal members of staff to be promoted under the firm’s career path, which was recently amended to recognise people’s expertise in specialist areas, not just in the legal field.

Multi-million pound project seeks to understand future security threats to UK cities

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Understanding how the UK can be resilient against possible security threats in the future, will become the proving ground for a new collaborative technology platform that will see government, industry and academia come together to consider such threats built around the scenario of a catastrophic attack on digital and energy networks in the year 2051

Powered by Shift Platform, a collaboration tool developed by Belfast and London-based technology company Whitespace, the RBOC Community will enable the Resilience Beyond Observed Capabilities (RBOC) Network+ to develop and harness new understandings about issues that may threaten the resilience of UK cities in the future.

The RBOC Network+ will enable the multi-million pound research project, being spearheaded by Coventry University, to bring academia, industry and policy maker partners together to collaborate with real time events, meetings, chats, white boards and discussion areas. Here, individual elements of the project can be tested so that a coordinated and coherent response can be developed. This allows existing research to be identified and brought to the attention of relevant collaborators at speed, enabling expert, cross-sector teams to quickly establish where gaps lie and where new research is required.

Utilising the capabilities of Shift Platform, RBOC Network+ will allow experts to collaborate more effectively and efficiently in a manner which has previously not been possible. It is the first major roll-out of the technology, having previously been developed as an innovation collaboration tool for a community of C-suite level executives who are part of Whitespace’s Corporate Innovation Community. 

David MclHatton, RBOC Project Lead from Coventry University, commented: “Collaborating effectively on a project of this scale is key for maximum impact. It will enable us to bring the project members together beyond in-person sessions, to digitally co-create and co-produce for greatest effect. We have chosen to adopt Shift Platform from Whitespace as our digital collaboration platform for this project, with the primary goal of opening up cross-organisational collaboration between academia, government and industry. We see this as providing a future-proofed opportunity for starting conversations around a resilient UK, set against the background of possible security threats of the future.”

Shift Platform has been developed as a white label SaaS solution. It has been designed from the ground up to be scalable and to enable organisations and individuals around the World to collaborate in a familiar digital environment.  Shift uses a comprehensive set of leading collaboration tools that make it the perfect choice for the RBOC Network+ project.  

Focusing on developing knowledge of potential capabilities in future generations will provide the foundations for the UK to think differently and creatively about future resilience. RBOC Network+ enabled by Shift Platform, will help the UK research community achieve this by developing, for the first time, an extensive network of collaborators, many of which will have never been involved in resilience research before.

The RBOC Network+ will bring collaborators from Coventry University, Cardiff University, Lancaster University, University of Manchester, Ulster University and RUSI. The project has been supported by BAE Systems, Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Improbable Defence, International Leadership Association, Lancashire County Council, Ordnance Survey, PA Consultancy Services, and Whitespace, together to help consider security threats in the coming decades.  

Andrew Webber, CMO at Whitespace commented: “For us, it is a great honour to make Shift Platform available for this hugely important collaborative project. It will be the first of many such platforms that we will be building for clients in academia, the public sector, and the private sector who are interested in transforming how they collaborate.”

Mason Advisory ranks in UK Best Workplace in Tech™ report 2022

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The 2022 UK’s Best Workplaces™ in Tech list is announced today by Great Place to Work® UK and Mason Advisory has secured 26th place in the medium business category, among 67 ranked organisations.

This is the third time the independent digital and technology transformation consultancy has been listed in the report, and the second time it has secured a ranking in the medium category, following company expansion and team growth. Altogether, 140 companies have secured a place in the report.

Great Place to Work® UK administered their research-backed Trust Index© employee survey and analysed the responses of UK-based tech employees to determine their Best Workplaces™. The prestigious list is driven by the annual employee engagement survey – the largest survey of workplace cultures and people practices, and the unique methodology behind the rankings is regarded as the gold standard of employer awards.

Mason Advisory is proud of having established a great company culture, and continues to nurture this to attract, retain, and develop the best in tech talent. The team has increased the scale of the organisation and embedded operational excellence in everything they do to sustain credibility as a leading technology consultancy and great employer.

Steve Watmough, Mason Advisory CEO, says: “It’s a real honour for us to be recognised once again as a great workplace in technology, as we are an organisation that promotes trust, pride, high performance, creativity and ambition. This is a real landmark achievement for us and a morale-booster for our whole team and we continue to be committed to ensuring all our employees feel valued and supported every day.

“We are proud of our working practices and how we have managed to develop such a great culture – and of course, we are proud of every single member of our team. This accolade is testament to their dedication and commitment to our business, and to the high calibre of tech talent in our organisation and we thank all our employees for their commitment, enthusiasm and sheer hard work.”

As Benedict Gautrey, Managing Director of Great Place to Work® UK, explains:

“Now in its fifth year, our 2022 list showcases the largest collection of Best WorkplacesTM in Tech that the UK has ever recognised. These results are based on what employees working in the technology industry have anonymously reported to us about their workplace experience. In a fast and ever-evolving industry, these organisations are at the forefront of ensuring employees have the right environment to thrive, they are focused on providing positive work experiences, they value diversity, differences and better ways of doing things and, importantly, are investing in effective leadership to ensure continuous growth.”

Click here to see the full report.

Earlier this year, Mason Advisory was listed in the UK’s Leading Management Consultants 2022 report published by the Financial Times, and ranked in the UK’s Best Workplaces™ for Women report.

With offices in Manchester city centre, Mason Advisory enables organisations to deliver value through digital, data and technology transformation, solving complex business challenges through the intelligent use of IT resources including IT strategy and transformation, sourcing, architecture, cybersecurity, and IT delivery. It operates in sectors such as finance and banking, health, insurance, emergency services, education, retail, government, not for profit, and transport.

To find out more about Mason Advisory, visit https://www.masonadvisory.com.

Leasing Options Announces Significant Partnership with Footballing Giants

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Leasing Options is proud to announce that it has partnered with footballing giants -Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

This latest investment is part of a string of recent partnerships and acquisitions announced by Leasing Options and is part of the companies’ exciting long-term plans to grow their market share and profile in the UK.

The partnership, which sees the UK’s leading car leasing company join the likes of Macron and Service My Car as partners of the EFL League One club, includes exclusive naming rights of Bolton FC’s Fan Zone, situated outside the West Stand near the Nat Lofthouse Statue.

The Leasing Options’ Fan Zone is a place for Wanderers’ supporters to get together both pre and post-match in a friendly, relaxed environment to grab a bite of locally-sourced food and to enjoy a drink in the new bar, which has been named in memory of Wanderers’ legendary commentator Dave Higson.

With a capacity of 1,000, the outdoor space opens three hours prior to kick off (from 12pm – 3pm) and one hour after the final whistle on Saturdays (5pm – 6pm). For mid-week games, the Fan Zone opens from 5pm and close at 7.45pm (kick-off time).

Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Leasing Options, said: “To sponsor the mighty Bolton Wanderers is not only a childhood dream for me but for many of the Leasing Options’ family.

“We have a huge number of avid Bolton fans within our team and have always been looking for the right opportunity to get involved with the legendary club.

“Bolton Wanderers ethos is the epitome of everything we stand for. As a local club, it prides itself on its Northern roots and its commitment into supporting local talent and grassroots sport. Leasing Options has been a partner and supporter of Bolton-based Moss Bank Junior Football Club and has been established within the North-West for over 32 years.”

As part of this partnership, Leasing Options has its presence widely across every element of the club including, inside and outside stadium signage, branding running along the LED boards surrounding the perimeter of the pitch and features within the match day programme.

Supporters will also see Leasing Options feature across Bolton FC’s social media channels, as well hosting different events at selected games in the Fan Zone with fun activities for the family. Plans also include plenty of fun with the first team squad in a number of activations that Bolton’s faithful following will enjoy and appreciate.

Bolton Wanderes’ fans will also be able to access special deals to lease a vehicle from Leasing Options.

Neil Hart, Chief Executive Officer of Bolton Wanderers, said: “We’re delighted that Leasing Options is partnering with us here at Bolton Wanderers. It’s a testament to Mike and the owners’ vision and how they want to grow their organisation and we know we can help them achieve that.

“Our heritage and pride in being a local club is very important to us and is reflected in everything we do, including working with likeminded, local, companies. Leasing Options is certainly a company that prides itself on its Northern roots and evidently invests its local community and next generation – making it the perfect partners for us.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the team to The University of Bolton stadium and creating special memories with all our loyal fans.”

Leading Fashion Brands Appoint Manchester-Based Marketing Agency to Drive Digital Growth

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Lavish Alice and Femme Luxe have recently appointed award-winning digital agency Embryo to handle their paid marketing campaigns in order to boost digital growth.

Both fashion brands were looking for more support with their paid strategies, whilst Lavish Alice are also looking to join up their paid and organic SEO strategies to achieve their goals.

The fashion retailers chose to work with the Manchester-based digital marketing agencydue to their expertise, success and proven track record for securing results for clients across a range of industries.

Lee Bloor, Director at Lavish Alice commented:

“We were looking for an agency partner to help revise our paid advertising and share new ideas to help drive our growth further. We chose to work with Embryo due to their expertise and knowledge in paid social and PPC. The campaigns are in the early stages, however, we’ve already been impressed with the team’s suggestions and level of service, and look forward to seeing the results.”

The new clients have joined Embryo at a very exciting stage, with the business experiencing staggering growth, with a YOY increase in headcount of 170%.

Having earlier this year appointed key industry leaders, including Andrew Holland as the new Head of Organic, the thriving agency is regularly recruiting to add to their headcount of 54.

Paul Cunningham, Sales Director at Embryo, commented:

“These last few months have been fantastic for growing the business and creating partnerships with lots of new clients. We look forward to delivering outstanding campaigns for the clients and creating even more partnerships moving forward.”

ALMOST 200 MANCHESTER FLOOR MANUFACTURERS STAGE THREE WEEK STRIKE

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Almost 200 workers at a Manchester floor company are staging three weeks’ solid strike action,

Staff at Polyflor Ltd, in Manchester, will down tools until 14 October.

Pickets will be staged from 8 to 10am and 4 to 6pm, Monday to Thursday, outside the factory on Radcliffe New Road, M45

Workers voted to strike over a pay dispute. Shortly after they received a message from the company saying ‘process shifts for process workers continue to be suspended…please do not turn up for your shift(s) from 6am on Monday 5th September.’

The company is a leading manufacturer of vinyl floor coverings.

Stephen Boden, GMB Regional Organiser, said:

“These dedicated workers are suffering from the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, rising interest rates and a crumbling economy.

“They need help from the company, and instead their getting vindictive attacks.

“Polyflor has money – it dished out £24 million to shareholders.

“The workers who prop up the company need a proper pay rise too.”

Kuits welcomes seven new trainees

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Manchester commercial law firm, Kuits solicitors, has welcomed seven trainee solicitors to the firm.

Dominic Hopkins, Tom Griffin, Abby Mercer, Billy Liggins, Stan Stephens, Jasmine Harland and Christopher Lane have started their training contracts and will undertake four six-month seats, during which they will work across various specialisms. As well as experience of the firm’s core business lines, the trainees will work with Kuits’ support areas in order that they receive an in-depth understanding of the firm.

Stan, Christopher and Billy have already been working at Kuits as paralegals before successfully applying for a training contract. The aim of the training programme is to develop an outstanding talent pipeline of future Kuits’ solicitors.

Steve Eccleston, Managing Partner at Kuits, commented; “It is always a pleasure to welcome new trainees to the team at Kuits and the fact that three of them have already been working here as paralegals is testament to our continued investment in our teams. Each one of them demonstrated our core values which are fundamental in building strong relationships with clients and colleagues. We’re delighted to support each one of them as they take the next step in building their legal careers.”

Kuits employs 200 people in its office in Manchester acting for some of the most successful businesses and individuals in the North West.

Image: L-R: Dominic Harland, Tom Griffin, Jasmine Harland, Billy Liggins, Abby Mercer, Christopher Lane and Stan Stephens.

Greater Manchester’s People’s Choice Drinks Awards strengthens support for retailers and brands

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UK supermarkets, retailers and drinks brands who enter the People’s Choice Drinks Awards will be given even more support for their winning products this year, with a bolstered package of support designed to directly drive sales for their wines and spirits.

The Manchester-based People’s Choice Drinks Awards – the only annual competition that uses enthusiastic consumers as well as industry experts to judge the entries – is open for wine and spirit submissions now.

The platform urges wine brands, spirit brands and UK retailers to get involved to benefit from the extended package that award winners receive – which, this year – includes a new online Drinks Finder for consumers.

All medal winners and finalists will be uploaded onto the Drinks Finder as part of the 2022/23 package. Using popular drinking moments, such as wines to go with Christmas Dinner, the unique Drinks Finder provides consumers with a tool that takes the hard work out of searching for great wines and spirits for various occasions. The Finder also includes a direct hyperlink to the retailer’s website, meaning that consumers can buy directly or add their selections to their online shopping baskets in a few clicks.

The Drinks Finder is being supported by a national consumer PR campaign in 2022 that will see the platform communicated to consumers throughout the festive trading period. Coupled with a digital and social media campaign to drive traffic to The Finder, the campaign aims to establish the service as a go to for consumers who need impartial help buying drinks.

Janet Harrison, co-founder of the People’s Choice Drinks Awards, said: “We’ve invested this year to establish The Drinks Finder with consumers. By ensuring the site is a destination throughout a key trading period, we’ll be supporting sales for brands and retailers and further building our unique Awards proposition. We have always placed consumers at the heart of the process alongside experts, because ultimately, they’re the ones who vote with their spend. In addition to The Drinks Finder, winners receive artwork for their bottles and judges’ comments for point of sale and marketing purposes – all valuable tools for attracting sales and consumer awareness of their brand.

“There are many opportunities for the off-trade wine aisle to shine this Christmas; after two years of stay-at-home festive seasons with limited access to family and friends, we expect get togethers to be extra special this year for consumers. However, with one eye firmly on the purse strings, any support they can access to ensure their drinks selections prove good choices for Christmas food matches and celebrations are always welcome.

“For entrants, the PCDA offers incredible value for money for entrants.  With a branded Podcast and YouTube channel, exclusive content can be created for those involved in the competitions. The Drinks Finder is designed as a direct sales tool for consumers in order to help the brands and retailers even further.”

Submissions for entries are open now for wines and spirits, with an online entry deadline of 17th October 2022.  The ceremonies will take place in Manchester in Feb (Spirits) and March (Wine) 2023 at Manchester’s Stoller Hall.

City of Champions Charity Gala Dinner Returns to Celebrate Manchester’s Influential Figures

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The City of Champions Charity Gala Dinner returns this year where Manchester’s most inspirational sports stars and businesspeople will be recognised and celebrated at the Lowry Hotel, Salford, on 31st October.

Organised by Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist, Diane Modahl MBE, The Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), Manchester City Council, and hosted with GM Mayor Andy Burnham, the annual gala dinner will see Manchester’s shining stars acknowledged for their monumental contributions to sport, education and business.

The dinner will be a unique opportunity to support disadvantaged young people across Greater Manchester as the DMSF continues to provide access to mentoring, skill development, qualifications, and countless opportunities.

Recognised for their ability to give back to the next generation of champions, the inductees for 2022 include British Paralympic athlete, Dame Sarah Storey OBE; co-founder of Parklife and The Warehouse Project and night-time advisor to GM Mayor, Andy Burnham, Sacha Lord, and peace promoter and counter terrorism campaigner, Figen Murray OBE, who tragically lost her son, Martyn Hett, in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack.

Previous inductees have included British Athlete Dame Kelly Holmes DBE, Olympian Sir Chris Hoy MBE, and ex-footballer, broadcaster and serial entrepreneur Gary Neville.

Gary said: “To be included into the City of Champions Hall of Fame is really a great honour. I didn’t receive many individual honours during my sporting career, but I was part of a fantastic team.”

“There are so many people in this city doing great things. To think that I am now sitting alongside them on the same level and going into the Hall of Fame is something that I’m really proud of.”

This year’s event will be held at The Lowry Hotel with entertainment from The Manchester Survivors’ Choir made up from people who were injured in the arena attack. Awards will be presented by GM Mayor Andy Burnham and DMSF founder Diane Modahl MBE.

Diane Modahl MBE, CEO and co-Founder of the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation, said: “It is a real privilege for the Diane Modahl Sports Foundation to once again host the City of Champions event in this great city. The inductees honoured this year are inspirational to people of all ages, not because of their name or title, it’s their dedication and commitment to make a positive difference to people’s lives and provide tangible opportunities for people and communities to be their very best”.

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, said: “This city is full of inspirational people doing incredible work that is truly worthy of recognition. I’d like to personally congratulate Dame Sarah Storey DBE, Sacha Lord and Figen Murray OBE for their commitment and dedication to Manchester and its communities, making them worthy recipients of City of Champions awards.”

For more information visit www.dmsf.org.uk. Tickets for the event are £225 or a table of 10 can be purchased from £2,000. These can be booked by emailing [email protected].

Image: Sacha Lord

Demand sees Macmillan Davies boost North West HR Recruitment Team

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Macmillan Davies has expanded its Manchester-based team with the appointment of Senior Recruitment Consultant, Amy Mottershead.

Amy, who has over six years’ experience within both contingency and interim recruitment, began her career recruiting regional business support and accounting professionals within the real estate sector before moving to specialise in HR appointments.

At Macmillan Davies, Amy says she will focus on bringing in the next generation of HR professionals to businesses across the North West, as she explains: “This is a significant and exciting period of opportunity in the North West market.  With so many businesses looking to invest in talent for the future and attract aspiring leaders within their people functions, this seemed like a natural move to make.

She adds: “I was highly impressed by Macmillan Davies’ company values and culture, strong position in the marketplace and commitment to identifying and supporting HR professionals. Without doubt, the firm is ideally placed to support clients in finding HR talent for this phase of growth in the region.”

Focus on future HR talent

Responding to a surge in demand, Amy will bolster the firm’s FuturExec team, who work with leading organisations to provide exceptional HR professionals largely at the early stages of their careers. The rise in hiring opportunities mirrors the trends shown in the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking; Confidence in the UK economy was at its highest in the North West.  With local businesses identifying top growth opportunities for the next six months as investing in their teams (55%), diversifying into new markets (30%) and evolving their offering (29%).

Natural fit

Nick Allwood, Director and Head of Macmillan Davies Manchester office comments: “I am delighted to welcome Amy Mottershead to our growing FuturExec team. We’ve seen a sustained increase in demand at all levels in the HR market and Amy’s personality, style and experience made her a natural fit for our business and for the FuturExec team. Bringing Amy on board has been a real demonstration of how attracting talent is more of a long-term strategy than a short-term fix. After being in contact on and off for around 4 years, despite never working together, the stars finally aligned and Amy is now on board and a real complement to the existing North West team.”

Macmillan Davies

As the UK’s longest established HR recruitment consultancy, Macmillan Davies specialises in recruiting the top HR talent across the private, public and third sectors – both in the UK and globally. The firm has seen double-digit growth and a surge in demand for its services over the last 18 months.  Darren Hayman, Managing Director at the firm believes this is partly down to a buoyant market but also down to the firm’s business development strategy: “At Macmillan Davies we pride ourselves on creating long-term relationships with our clients and candidates. Our team of experts offer an outstanding level of service, finding the right fit for both client and candidate. The team manage people’s careers effectively by offering crucial advice and information around what’s going on in the HR marketplace.”

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