Who we are
Place North is an independent, employee-owned news publisher and event organiser, proudly based in the North of England.
We’re a team obsessed with quality and passionate about places and people.
We love to bring our community together, celebrate the North, and tell the stories that inspire you.
Fairness | Balance | Openness
Place North has quality journalism at the heart of what it does, bringing the best in business-to-business content to all we do – whether it’s on the page or the stage.
We believe in treating people the right way and forming meaningful and long-lasting relationships. This means fact-checking our news, transparently pricing our marketing services and being excellent event hosts.
Employee-owned
Place North is proud to be part of a growing movement of progressive businesses putting people first.
In 2023 we became employee-owned. This was a bold move and a proud endorsement of our future and the people who make up the business.
Being employee-owned means we run the business more openly, maintain the continuity of our regional roots, and support a team that’s driven and committed to the future. We also get to reward everyone with an annual profit share.
Please send ALL press releases to news@placenorthwest.co.uk
Place North West reports on activity in Manchester, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Merseyside, Preston, Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire, Warrington and North Wales.
Charity partner
Championing a diverse and more modern built environment has always been a focus for Place North. That’s why we partner with Regeneration Brainery to accelerate change to make our industry more representative of the world in which it operates.
Regeneration Brainery is a not-for-profit organisation that addresses the skills gap and the need for diversity in the property industry by working with young people from under-represented backgrounds to encourage them to pursue careers in the built environment.
Get involved with Regeneration Brainery
The Place team
Editorial
Julia Hatmaker - Editor
Julia is a veteran multimedia journalist, who joined the team in 2021. She comes to Place from the United States, where she worked for nearly a decade at the Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper The Patriot-News and its website, PennLive.com. In 2020, she was named one of the 25 rising stars of journalism under the age of 35 by Editor & Publisher, the American newspaper trade magazine.
Dan Whelan - Deputy editor
Dan graduated with a First Class honours degree in journalism from the University of Salford in 2015, before moving to Spain to work as an English language teacher. During his four years in Spain, he worked as a freelance sports reporter, covering football for a variety of publications. Dan joined Place North West in January 2020.
Charlie Valentine - Reporter
Charlie has a BA Hons degree in politics, philosophy, and economics from the University of Manchester and is an NCTJ certified journalist with News Associates in Manchester. He joined the Place North West team in August 2024.
David Thame - Analysis editor
David has more than 30 years’ experience covering the region’s property industry. He is responsible for producing The Subplot and contributing broadly to the editorial management team. The Subplot focuses on getting behind the headlines and examining the issues affecting the industry, as well as the significant role the North West plays in the national economy.
Sales
Dino Moutsopoulos - Managing partner, head of commercial
Dino has more than 22 years of experience in strategic business development and growing brands. Specialising in event sponsorship, Dino has worked both nationally and internationally, winning work with global brands and SMEs alike. Dino is responsible for leading the commercial offering of Place North and overseeing strategic commercial projects and managing key Partner work across the firm. He holds an MA in Communications and Public Relations from Manchester Metropolitan University.
Products & Events
Kirsty Butcher - Managing partner, head of product
Kirsty leads on the delivery and development of Place products and services, to ensure we’re providing engaging and quality publications across the North. She has nearly 10 years of B2B publishing experience and has been with Place since 2015, seeing readership grow by 300% in that time.
Marian Arnold-Lawson - Senior event manager
Marian has over 15 years of event management experience, working both agency and client side across B2B and B2C events. After graduating from UCLAN with a BA Hons in Public Relations, she has worked in senior level event and partnership roles in the media, advertising & charity sectors. She joined Place North In April 2024 as Senior event manager.
Rhianna Scott - Event producer
Rhianna graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Events Management. She has a background in venue finding and events as well as project coordination for small and large retail projects. Rhianna joined Place North in December 2023 as part of the events team.
Zara Ashraf - Event co-ordinator
Zara graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2022 with a degree in Business Management, before completing her MSc in Hospitality and Tourism at Northumbria University. She has several years of hospitality and event experience, joining the events team at Place North in 2023 as Event Assistant.
David Booth - Video lead & content producer
David graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Filmmaking and went on to work behind the camera for four years creating videos and digital marketing content for a recycled plastic manufacturing company in Lancashire. David joined in March 2020 to grow the video and content offering at Place North West.
Josh Kelly - Marketing & social media producer
Josh moved to Manchester in 2016 to work towards gaining a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Salford, graduating in 2019. He went on to work for a national charity leading on content and branding before joining Place North in 2024.
Office Management & Accounts
Fiona Davies - Office and accounts manager
Fiona gained a degree in Marketing with Management before moving to Manchester in 2011. Her background in the property sector consists of experience in legal, administrative and managerial positions. She positively assists and supports the day to day running of Place by managing our office and accounts.
Founder
Paul Unger - Publisher
Paul founded regional trade title Place North West in 2007. He started in journalism as a graduate trainee on the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo, rising to become business editor of the Daily Post. After moving into freelance business reporting, he spent six years as North West features writer for Property Week, before creating Place.
Address: Parsonage Chambers, 3 Parsonage, Manchester, M3 2HW
Company number: 09392799