Hendry takes over from Finlayson as senior partner at MBM Commercial

MBM Commercial, one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurial law firms, has announced changes at the top as the firm celebrates its first ten years in business. Its founder and senior partner, Sandy Finlayson, passes the baton on to Stuart Hendry, who was one of the founding partners in 2005.  Mr Finlayson, 64, remains a partner and as ‘enthusiastic and full of energy as ever’.

Stuart Hendry, 42, paid tribute to Sandy’s leadership in the growth of MBM Commercial, which has six partners and 24 staff and in its Edinburgh and London offices.

“Sandy has been at the helm since we concluded our successful management buy-out from full service law firm Murray Beith Murray in 2005. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his leadership and guidance over these past ten years. He has helped ensure that the firm has grown considerably despite the challenges of several tough recessionary years,” he said.

“Our clients have trusted us to help them with their businesses, make a difference in what they are doing, get their deals across the line and drive their businesses.  We have never taken that for granted,” he added.

MBM Commercial has built a multi award-winning reputation across the UK for its work with high-growth companies, investors and entrepreneurs, including the creation of several new UK investment funds. The firm also has an established track record in litigating banking disputes, and its litigation department received a number of awards at the Law Awards of Scotland 2015, including Solicitor of the Year for partner and department head Cat MacLean.  Regarded as experts in this area, the team secured a ground-breaking landmark win in the UK Supreme Court in 2015 for an entrepreneur client, which will change the law and certain banking practices.

 “I am handing over the reins as senior partner to my good friend Stuart Hendry with whom I started the firm ten years ago. It has been a real privilege to have led the firm over the past ten years and I have enjoyed every minute.  It has been a great team effort, and I look forward to continuing my work with the firm,” said Mr Finlayson.

Mr Finlayson also thanked former partners in Murray Beith Murray for giving him the latitude to build a commercial division.  Since starting the firm in 2005, MBM Commercial has worked on numerous innovative projects including the UK’s first Enterprise Capital Fund and has established a niche in the establishment of Venture Capital Funds and Business Angel Syndicates. The firm has a successful Financial Services Dispute Resolution business, led by Scotland’s Solicitor of the Year Cat MacLean; an online Employment Law and HR retainer service, Holistic HR, run by Hannah Roche; an Intellectual Property team led by Andy Harris; and a Green Energy Property team headed by Jane Ramsay.  The firm has been recognised for its adoption of technology and was one of the first ‘cloud based’ law firms in the UK.

MBM Commercial are sponsors of EIE, the annual investors’ showcase of technology spin-outs, and Business Forum Scotland, a platform for chief executives, investors and entrepreneurs. MBM Commercial is based in Edinburgh and London.

Cell Therapy Catapult appoints main contractor for manufacturing centre

M+W Group to build £55 million large-scale GMP manufacturing centre 

The Cell Therapy Catapult has appointed M+W Group to construct its £55 million large-scale GMP manufacturing centre in Stevenage, UK.

M+W Group, whose UK headquarters are in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK has been appointed following a comprehensive Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) compliant tendering process. Planning permission was granted by Stevenage Borough Council on 18 August 2015. 

The manufacturing centre is scheduled to open in 2017 and will be managed by the Cell Therapy Catapult. It will be used to manufacture products for late phase clinical trials and commercial supply of advanced therapeutic medicinal products, including cell and gene therapies. 

The facility is expected to create up to 150 jobs and its position on the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst campus will support SME biotech and life sciences companies based in the UK, complement the country’s existing capability and attract additional inward investment from global companies.  

Keith Thompson, CEO, the Cell Therapy Catapult, said: “I am delighted that we will be working with M+W Group to create a centre that will advance industry in the UK to become a world leader in cell and gene therapy development and commercialisation. The manufacturing centre will provide global scientific and medical communities with the assistance they need to convert research into products that have the potential to have a direct impact in advanced healthcare.” 

Spencer Baber, Managing Director M+W Group UK said: “M+W Group is a specialist contractor for the construction of state-of-the-art facilities within the life sciences sector. We are proud to be associated with a government funded project of this specific nature which will see the UK established as the leading centre for the development of new and innovative medicinal products for the treatment of debilitating diseases such as blindness, diabetes and cancer.  We are delighted to be selected as the Cell Therapy Catapult’s chosen partner in the delivery of this vision.” 

In its 2013 survey of the UK’s manufacturing capability, the Cell Therapy Catapult identified Manufacturing and Supply Chain as one of the barriers to the translation of research into commercially viable products. The UK is strongly positioned for early clinical phase manufacturing and the large-scale GMP manufacturing centre will help grow a UK based global industry that will have a direct impact in healthcare.  

COMMUNITIES ACROSS LEEDS CITY REGION SET TO BENEFIT FROM NEARLY £9M EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND AND BIG LOTTERY FUNDING 

The Big Lottery Fund is matching funds from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s allocation of European Social Fund (ESF) 2014-2020 to provide nearly £9m joint investment to support four local projects tackling poverty, promoting social inclusion and boosting local economies.

The LEP is working with the Big Lottery Fund to support identified projects that best meet local need and priorities. From today, organisations will be able to apply for funding to deliver these projects, including voluntary, community and social enterprise groups. Eligible projects will provide learning and training opportunities for people to increase their confidence and learn new skills that will put them on the path to employment

Roger Marsh OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and the European Structural and Investment Funds Shadow Sub Committee said:

“We are pleased to be working with the Big Lottery Fund to invest in projects across the Leeds City Region that will help tackle poverty, boost the economy and promote social inclusion.

“The Leeds City Region is within the top 10% most deprived areas in the country with 18% of our residents out of work.  I do not believe it is acceptable that in this day and age, almost a fifth of our households in the Leeds City Region live in fuel poverty. By working with our local voluntary, community and social enterprise groups to tackle this issue head on, we can support more people into good quality jobs, ultimately helping us achieve our ambition of transformational, good economic growth across our region.

“Given the global economic and political climate, it is especially pleasing to secure funding to help refugees facing barriers to work alongside the support for disadvantaged families in our region. We look forward to building upon this opportunity to bring further support to our residents looking to exploit opportunities for a better future.”

Three projects across the Leeds City Region were launched yesterday (8 October 2015) to address families facing disadvantage and give them the tools and support to turn their lives around. These will focus on addressing issues early before they develop into problems like antisocial behavior, criminal activity or exclusion from school, all of which create significant barriers to getting in to work.

Another project in the Leeds City Region LEP area will help refugees facing barriers to work, providing regular and flexible support from personal advisors, and engagement with potential employers to help secure jobs. The project will be culturally sensitive, with provision for people for whom English is not their first language and specialist support for issues like navigating the asylum system.

The closing date for applications is 12 noon 30 November 2015. For more information, please see www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/esf