• Jackie Waller has been made an associate at Swindon law firm, Charles Lucas & Marshall. Jackie has worked in residential conveyancing for more than 20 years, dealing with all aspects of residential property law. She has a strong IT background and has worked extensively on the development of case management systems for various legal teams, including residential property and remortgaging systems for one of the UK’s biggest lenders.
• Monahans’ recent growth has continued with a key appointment. Elsa Littlewood has joined as a senior manager within their thriving private client tax division. Elsa has relocated from Deloitte in Edinburgh, where she worked as a tax senior manager, advising a wide portfolio of private clients. She has also worked in Jersey and London for an independent trusts and tax advisory firm. 
• www.interviewcoordinator.com the Swindon-based recruitment management website, has appointed Stuart Collins as PR manager to expand the promotion of its online interview management software.The product is purpose-designed and tested for HR managers and recruitment agencies. Interview Coordinator saves time and costs by streamlining the recruitment and applicant tracking process and is used on a pay-as-you-go basis. With an extensive commercial and communications background, Stuart, a chartered marketer, will be responsible for building brand awareness of this new product, which is available on a 60-day free-trial basis.
• Anita Lowe, chief executive of Venues Event Management, which was acquired by Expotel in November 2010, will now be heading Expotel’s venue-finding and event management services division. Anita will bridge the gap between Expotel’s four sites in the North of England and Scotland and Venues Event Management, based in Swindon. Expotel and Venues Event Management placed a combined number of more than 40,000 meetings and conferences worldwide in 2010. Anita said: “This move is part of the integration of Venues Event Management and Expotel and is intended to bring together the group’s events teams to more effectively function as one team. “The events side of Expotel’s business has grown significantly since the acquisition and it makes sense for there to be a single point of responsibility for this. I am looking forward enormously to working with the 20-strong team, together with Venues Event Management’s 94 staff, to help continue to grow Expotel’s strong client relationships and reputation as a leading provider of venue finding and events management.”• Simon Moore, one of the region’s leading bankers, has joined accountants and business advisers Grant Thornton as a senior consultant, one of two top-level appointments made by the firm as it embarks on a new phase of growth in the South West. Simon joins from Barclays Corporate where he was chairman and managing director in Wales and the South West. Meanwhile James Morter, a director in the audit team, becomes a partner in Grant Thornton’s Bristol office. Grant Thornton senior practice leader in the South West, Nigel Morrison, said: “These appointments mark a watershed for our practice as we enter a period for which we have set ourselves some ambitious growth targets. We are an ambitious firm and will be creative in terms of generating opportunities in a market which will remain challenging for the foreseeable future.
• Etherlive, the IT specialist for the live event sector, is to increase its presence in the market with the appointment of Steve Birnage. He will join the growing sales team at the technology firm, based in Brinkworth near Swindon, as senior account manager from 1 September 2011. Birnage joins market leading Etherlive after over two decades in the industry having recently left his position as commercial director at Max Wi-Fi.
His remit is to manage existing clients and to develop accounts in several market sectors; from festivals and municipal events to corporate clients and venues. Activities that Birnage will oversee include large account management, the evolution of the conference/exhibition strategy for Etherlive and securing high profile delegates for Etherlive’s respected product junket, The Gathering.
Steve joins Etherlive three years into its development and as its roster of clients grows stronger; events include the WOMAD, Cornbury and Green Man Festivals, PSP Southampton Boat Show, BMW/Mini and Sky.
Recent work also includes the UEFA Champions League Festival, Dextrose World Triathlon Championships and the coveted IT contract for the London Media Centre, which will facilitate thousands of journalists during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Etherlive was founded in 2007 by local IT experts who had made their mark in the fast-paced world of global corporate IT and saw a need for their expertise in the events market.
Tom McInerney, director of Etherlive said: “We are delighted to welcome Steve to the team and he is sure to prove to be a great asset with his un-rivalled experience and understanding of the field. We are seeing a huge growth in demand and need a sales professional to help us manage and maximise the critical sales process.”
Steve Birnage said: “I have looked to Etherlive as one of the most forward thinking organisations in the sector and am extremely excited to have been appointed as part of the team. We have a lot of hard work ahead in the coming months and I’m pleased to be able to work with such an inspiring and committed team. I look forward to catching up with contacts and discussing the new opportunities my new role unlocks.”
