Warrington housebuilder, David Wilson Homes, has recruited Jennifer Burns as its new sales director. She has taken charge of the homebuilder’s developments across Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Jennifer worked for British Airways for 13 years before transferring her skills to housebuilding, climbing the ranks to become sales director for another developer.
She said: “I am looking forward to being involved in the new developments that are due to open over the next year and creating new communities for our home purchasers.”
Also joining the management team is Joe Kerwin, who carries 38 years of on-site experience having completed an NVQ Level 6 and CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS).
He is responsible for the upcoming Queens Reach development in Daresbury. He said: “I enjoy learning new processes, but my favourite part of the job has to be handing over high quality homes to our clients.”
Another site manager taking charge is Jonathan Baldwin, who has taken the helm at the Centurion Village development in Leyland. Originally from Burnley, Jonathan holds an NVQ Level 3 in Carpentry and Joinery and an NVQ Level 6 in Site Management.
Joining the growing sales team is Penny Wallis who had carried 25 years of cabin crew experience before transferring to the housebuilding sector.
Penny said: “Meeting new clients and helping them to find their dream home is such a satisfying feeling.”
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Seán Hackett
Davis Blank Furniss, the Manchester- and Glossop-based law firm, has appointed Seán Hackett as an equity partner. His promotion follows the retirement of long standing partner Andrew Ryan, who has been with the firm for 23 years.
Seán will join the equity partnership alongside Richard Hamilton, Kate Oldfield and Sonio Singh.
Seán joined Davis Blank Furniss in 2023 as partner and head of property litigation. Since then, he has played a central role in expanding the firm’s property litigation offering and strengthening its reputation for handling complex, high value disputes.
He works closely with the wider Property Group, including managing partner and head of property, Richard Hamilton, and commercial property partner, Rosie Korcz, as well as the wider Dispute Resolution team.
He also hosts Portfolio, the firm’s popular property law podcast, alongside Korcz, as well as regular in-person events and webinars.
Seán Hackett said: “Since arriving at the firm I’ve been struck by the strength of its people, its client relationships and its ambition for growth. I’m excited to play a greater role in shaping the future of the firm and continuing to build on the excellent work of the Property Litigation team.”
Richard Hamilton said: “Seán’s promotion to equity partner is a natural and very welcome step. He has made a significant impact since joining us, bringing exceptional technical expertise, commercial insight and leadership.
“His appointment strengthens our partnership and positions the firm strongly for the years ahead. We are also deeply grateful to Andrew Ryan for his 23 years of outstanding service and wish him the very best in his retirement.”
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Dan Roe, left, and Cameron McMaster
National surveying practice, Trident Building Consultancy has promoted Cameron McMaster as senior associate director, who will lead efforts to strengthen the firm’s presence in Manchester with a move to a new, city centre office.
The company is relocating to Bruntwood SciTech’s Blackfriars House in Parsonage Gardens from its former base in Oxford Street, to facilitate its ongoing growth in the North West.
Cameron has also been made the firm’s head of Manchester.
He joined the practice in 2018 as an assistant, became chartered with the company and worked his way up through Trident’s offices in London, Leeds, and
Liverpool before settling in Manchester.
He said the move to Blackfriars House marked the beginning of a new chapter for Trident Building Consultancy in the city and the wider North West region.
Cameron said: “It’s extremely exciting to be growing our presence in Manchester.
“It’s a very vibrant city with a very active property, construction, and business community, and my aim is to become further embedded into that.
“From a personal perspective, I’m very proud to have been appointed to senior associate director and head of office, leading our new, expanded presence in the city.”
Managing director, Dan Roe, said: “Cameron has been with us since he left university and has made tremendous progress in his career.
“At Trident, we are always keen to reward that level of commitment and success, so it was an easy decision to offer Cameron his new role.”
He added: “Having spent a number of years with us, and having worked at a number of our offices, Cameron also has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of Trident Building Consultancy, including our culture and values.
“This makes him the ideal candidate to head up the Manchester office and to instil those values into our growing team.”
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Underwriting team: Sam Williamson, Isabel Robbins, Stephen Barrick, Eleanor Kenworthy
Manchester-based specialist property lender, Roma Finance, has strengthened its team with a series of new hires and internal promotions, marking a strong start to 2026 and continued growth for the business.
The company has welcomed eight new employees since the beginning of the year, alongside four internal promotions.
Among the new starters are two senior appointments. Matthew Measures joins as head of structuring, bringing significant experience in property finance, while Gaynor Doran takes on the role of head of people, supporting the company’s focus on employee development and workplace culture.
Gaynor Doran
Roma has also promoted a number of team members, underlining its commitment to developing talent internally. Samantha Williamson has been promoted to commercial underwriting manager, with Eleanor Kenworthy and Isabel Robbins progressing within the underwriting team.
In addition, Charlotte Rutter has been promoted to head of partnerships and marketing, reflecting her role in strengthening the company’s relationships and supporting its continued growth.
Further expansion of Roma’s underwriting, portfolio management and business development teams, sees the company welcome Stephen Barrick, Hannah Tillyard-Smith, Bradley Barlow, Tovia Balo, Ronald Ivan Flores and Amy Litherland.
Managing director, Scott Marshall, said: “We’ve had another really positive start to the year, and it’s fantastic to be able to grow the team while also recognising the talent we already have within the business.
“Promoting Samantha, Eleanor, Isabel and Charlotte into key roles is particularly important to us, as it reflects our commitment to developing our people and creating clear progression opportunities. At the same time, bringing in Matthew and Gaynor adds further strength and experience to our leadership team.”
He added: “As we continue to grow, maintaining a strong culture and investing in our people will remain a key priority for us.”
