CORNERSTONE Design and Marketing is continuing its growth and development by taking on six new team members.
The Lees-based agency, founded in 2007, is estimating a growth of 20 per cent this year as the economy emerges from Covid and the impact of two national lockdowns, with greater plans on the horizon for 2022.
The new recruits take Cornerstone’s headcount to 22 people spanning multiple disciplines of its fully integrated offering, including digital, PR, marketing, client services and web.
Newest recruit is PR copywriter Nigel Wareing, a vastly experienced journalist with expertise in print and digital media.
Nigel has edited several weekly newspapers across Greater Manchester, going on to become editor-in-chief of what was then Guardian Media Group’s weekly newspapers in Tameside, south Manchester, Stockport, Macclesfield and Wilmslow.
He later became the editor of a daily newspaper in Belfast before returning home to lead the news team at Channel M, the now defunct TV station run by the Manchester Evening News, for five years.
More recently he has worked in internal communications at the John Lewis Partnership, editing the retailer’s staff and business magazines and websites before creating change and training communications on a nationwide roll out of a new customer ordering system.
Nigel said: “I am delighted to be a part of the Cornerstone success story. I have achieved a lot in my long career, but this client-focused opportunity gives me the chance to add to the breadth of my experience.
“I look forward to working with Cornerstone’s large and diverse client base, using my experience to provide them with the best possible PR service.”
Another new recruit is Cheryl Schofield, who joins Cornerstone as an account manager.
Determined to carve out a career in marketing, Cheryl joined a press and print agency in Manchester 17 years ago as a receptionist, later becoming an account handler and then account manager.
She then went to work for a firm producing glass and aluminium structures as marketing manager, later becoming its head of customer services and then operations director.
After taking a career break to look after her two boys, Cheryl first sent off a speculative CV to Cornerstone MD David Wadsworth after seeing one of the agency’s liveried vans.
She said: “I looked up Cornerstone’s website and loved the ethical and sustainability element of the business.
“David and I communicated intermittently for 18 months before the account manager job came up, but here I am!”
The other new recruits are:
• Rhiannon Prestage, account executive, who joins from British Taekwondo, the sport’s national governing body, where she was logistics and media officer.
Rhiannon, who gained a first-class honours degree in Sport Marketing from Coventry University, was attracted by Cornerstone’s work with leisure clients such as Active Tameside and Oldham Leisure Centre (OLC).
• Satinder Singh, WordPress developer, who joins from an agency based near Manchester.
He says he was attracted by the company’s culture and the opportunity for large and varied projects.
• Maddy Thorp, digital marketing apprentice, who is embarking on her chosen career after completing a virtual work experience internship at the Chartered Institute of Marketing during last year’s lockdown.
She says she was attracted to Cornerstone’s lively workplace, high quality of work and lovely people.
• Ram Sharma, senior PHP/Laravel developer, who is based in India and is Cornerstone’s first overseas-based employee.
He joins from a Bahrain-based pharmacy where he was responsible for managing all aspects of its e-commerce website.
Cornerstone has won a number of contracts over the last 12 months, which has helped it to accelerate recruitment and growth plans.
Managing Director David Wadsworth said: “We’re working with regional, national and international firms across a number of industries.
“This is our next step in ensuring our high-quality outputs are maintained as client growth continues into next year and beyond.”
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