Member Article

This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Jennifer Herdman, Leonie Sutherland, Marcus Watson, Alice Robinson & Catherine Woodward; Gordons

Yorkshire law firm Gordons has welcomed its next generation of lawyers, appointing five newly-qualified solicitors who have successfully completed two year graduate training contracts.

Three of the new lawyers trained with the firm while the other two joined from Leeds practice Metis Law.

Jennifer Herdman, Leonie Sutherland and Marcus Watson are the latest additions to Gordons’ commercial property team, which was already one of the largest departments of its kind in the region. Alice Robinson has joined the private client department and Catherine Woodward the commercial litigation team.

Jennifer joined Gordons as a trainee in 2013 and has subsequently undertaken six-month seats in the commercial property, litigation, banking and insolvency teams. Leonie and Marcus have both arrived after two years with Metis Law.

Alice has undertaken two seats in Gordons’ private client team, plus one each in its defendant personal injury and commercial property departments, during her training.

Catherine worked as an employment law advisor for two years with Simpson Millar in Leeds, before joining Gordons in 2011 as a legal assistant in the risk and compliance team. She became a trainee solicitor with the firm two years later.

Welcoming the appointments, Gordons managing partner, Paul Ayre, said: “We’re very pleased that all five of these excellent young people are joining the firm as fully qualified solicitors. We welcome Leonie and Marcus and are sure they’ll both do very well here. We already knew Jennifer, Alice and Catherine were outstanding lawyers-in-the-making thanks to their performances during training, and look forward to them further developing their careers with us.”

Gordons has offices in Leeds and Bradford, employs 235 people and has a turnover of £22.9m.

Tom Freeman, Charlotte Ollerenshaw and Stacie Hurt; hlw Keeble Hawson

Three new appointments are boosting the expertise of hlw Keeble Hawson, the Yorkshire-based law firm specialising in professional negligence and property litigation.

Ron Whitlam, senior partner at hlw Keeble Hawson, said: “Our robust selection process ensures that we recruit high calibre candidates. The litigation and dispute resolution team has a reputation for offering a first class service, which will be further enhanced with the addition of Tom, Stacie and Charlotte. We wish them every success as they progress their careers with us.”

With offices in Leeds, Sheffield and Doncaster, hlw Keeble Hawson continues to be recognised as a key player by Legal 500 after being recognised across 17 practice areas and with 19 lawyers recommended across both its commercial and private client services.

The latest wave of appointments for the 250-strong team follows the recruitment of seven new trainees, promotions for seven new associates - as well as taking on four newly qualified solicitors after completing their training contracts.

Paul Metcalfe, Owlerton Greyhound Stadium

Owlerton Greyhound Stadium has appointed a new marketing manager.

Paul Metcalfe will be responsible for the planning and delivery of marketing campaigns and promotional activity within the stadium, as well as managing social media activity.

Paul has a wealth of experience in the entertainment and hospitality industry, having started his career as events manager at a nightclub in Leeds, before managing nightclubs in Sheffield.

Before starting at Owlerton, Paul worked for Tokyo Industries as business development manager and was responsible for bars and clubs across the country.

Paul said: “I’m looking forward to really getting stuck in to my role at Owlerton and further building on the strong marketing team we already have in place.

“I want to bring new ideas to the team, looking at different forms of advertising, both on and offline, and developing our social media presence, which is becoming increasingly important for businesses.

“I also want to strengthen our local business networking to ensure we maximise the opportunities this can create for us, ultimately helping to drive the business forward and raising our profile as much as possible.”

John Gilburn, managing director at Owlerton Greyhound Stadium, said: “We’re really pleased to have Paul as part of the marketing team. He has many years of experience and I am confident he will use his skills to bring innovative ideas to the business, helping to increase our customer base even further.”

Jason Lynch & Jon Cooper, JCT600

JCT600 Vehicle Leasing Solutions, the specialist leasing and fleet management division of independent Yorkshire-based motor firm JCT600, has made a further two new appointments to extend its geographic coverage to the whole of the UK.

Jason Lynch (pictured above) has been appointed regional sales manager covering the North West of England. Jason has 14 years’ experience working in commercial organisations with an extensive background as an account manager for NatWest in the SME market and more recently with a direct marketing company specializing in the automotive industry.

Jon Cooper has also joined as a regional sales manager for the East and South East. Jon has over eight years’ experience in the motor industry having worked as an account manager for Arval, followed by several years in the Inchcape Motor Group where he was a local business development manager before moving into a regional role.

Paul Walters, sales director of JCT600 VLS, says: “The addition of Jason and Jon completes our sales coverage of the whole of the UK and is further evidence of JCT600 VLS’s ambitions to continue to grow the business in a controlled, measured and sustainable fashion. Both are highly professional sales individuals with a wealth of experience both within and outside of the fleet sector. They will significantly contribute to our promise to deliver high quality, personal service to the SME sector.”

Jason added “I am excited to start a new challenge within JCT600 VLS and look forward to providing an excellent service to clients within the North West region. I am fortunate to be joining such a respected company that has significant growth plans and prides itself on top quality service.”

Charlotte Goldthorpe & Rachael Norrie; Faith PR

Brighouse based PR and communications agency, Faith PR, has expanded with the appointment of a new account manager and account executive.

Charlotte Goldthorpe joins the agency as account manager, where she will be working on PR, media relations and social media strategy for a variety of clients across both B2B and B2C sectors.

Alongside Charlotte, Rachael Norrie has joined as account executive and will support the wider team on PR activity and the daily management of social media platforms for the agency’s clients.

Charlotte is a journalism graduate from the University of Huddersfield, and will be working across some of the agency’s key accounts including Premdor, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of timber interior and exterior doors.

She joins Faith PR from Elland-based stone and concrete manufacturer Marshalls plc., where she worked as a PR executive across the Marshalls Group of businesses to deliver the company’s social media channels as well as internal and external communications activity to effectively position the brand on the marketplace.

Charlotte said: “I am pleased to have joined Faith PR at such an exciting time, as the company continues to expand and bring on board new clients across both the B2B and B2C sectors. I’ve already started putting my experience to good use across a range of accounts and look forward to developing my skillset alongside the team here.”

Speaking about the agency’s two new appointments, Faith PR founder and director, Stefanie Hopkins said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Charlotte and Rachael to our team and I believe both of their experience, skills and enthusiasm will add significant value for our clients. They have joined us at an incredibly exciting time and I’m confident that they will be a valuable asset to our business.”

Le****anne Leyland, Knight Frank

The Leeds office of global property consultancy Knight Frank has strengthened its Valuations team with the appointment of Leanne Leyland.

Leanne joins from Lambert Smith Hampton (formerly ES Group) in Leeds, where she spent four years in their Valuation Services division. She has also worked for Yorkshire chartered surveyors Eddisons in Leeds.

Mirfield-based Leanne, who studied Law at Newcastle University, also holds a Post Graduate diploma in Surveying from the College of Estate Management.

Leanne commented: “It was an easy decision to move to Knight Frank because they are such a well-regarded firm both locally and nationally. This was an excellent chance to join their strong Valuations team in Yorkshire and I look forward to contributing to the team’s success.”

During the past 12 months, the Knight Frank Yorkshire Valuations team, comprising both Leeds and Sheffield offices, has valued over £1.5 bn worth of assets.

Paul Hallam, head of the Valuations team in Leeds, said: “Leanne is a valuable addition to our team. She will be undertaking valuations across the commercial and residential sectors and her expertise and experience in the Yorkshire property market will help to further improve the service to our clients.”

Craig Hall, My Fathers Heart

Luxury bespoke kitchen and furniture company, My Fathers Heart, has made a new appointment to its expanding team.

Cabinet and furniture maker Craig Hall, 43, joins the company following its relocation to a £1m showroom and workshop at Broadfield Business Park in Sheffield.

Craig, from Eckington, in Sheffield, completed a furniture design and making course in High Wycombe, which is renowned for producing the industry’s top professionals working in wood

He held the role of a carpenter at various companies in London, before moving back to Sheffield to work for himself. Seeking a change earlier this year, Craig jumped at the opportunity to join My Fathers Heart.

He said: “[Its] great company and so I recognise what an exciting opportunity this is.

“I’ve definitely joined the team at a good time; the new building is brilliant and I love how progressive the company is.”

Joel Albyn, Roland Barzegar & Andrea Preston; CAP and HPI

Leeds-based automotive data firm, CAP and HPI employs 160 staff, and provides both data and insight to the automotive trade and consumers.

Joel Albyn, a former director of product management and global ecommerce strategy for Walmart, joins the business as director of innovation and product management. He will lead the rollout of new data products and devise new digital strategies.

Mr Albyn has been working between Walmart’s Innovation labs in San Francisco and the UK, leading a team of product and project managers.

Roland Barzegar has been appointed as chief of staff. Roland will coordinate programme management and support the managing director with the acquisition strategy.

Mr Barzegar joins from Plusnet, where he was finance director, and sat on the board. His previous roles include spells at Ernst & Young and PWC.

Andrea Preston joins the business as head of HR, Automotive. She will lead a record period of recruitment for the business, and implement talent development programmes. Ms Preston has worked in senior HR roles in legal firm Taylor Wessing and technology business, PACE.

Commenting on the appointments, Ian Rendle, managing director of CAP and HPI said: “We are building a world-class brand, and it is important to have the right people in place to support our ambitions. The coming months will see unprecedented levels of product innovation and the implementation of transformative digital strategies that will benefit our customers in the UK, and beyond. Joel will play a key role in leading this programme”

One of Sheffield’s fastest growing life sciences companies has appointed five new members of the team, as part of their expansion plans to grow both the consultancy and laboratory.

Andrew White, Kayleigh Tate, Chloe Marsden & Sarah Holland; Quality Context

Sheffield-based Quality Context has appointed Andrew White as a Technical and Quality Manager.

Andrew comes to Quality Context from global pharmaceutical company, Reckitt Benckiser and brings with him over 18 years’ experience within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Supporting Andrew and the wider technical services team will be Kayleigh Tate. Kayleigh joins Quality Context as a Technical Operation Officer.

The analytical services team boasts three new appointments: Chloe Marsden and Sarah Holland as analytical chemists, and supporting the laboratory team is Patrick Bigley, who joins as a Laboratory Technician.

Speaking about the recent expansion, founding director Kate Krachai said “Quality Context is expanding rapidly and goes from strength to strength. Our recent appointments will strengthen the company to help us grow even more.”

Jayne Clarke, Cascade HR

Leeds-based Cascade HR has appointed a new commercial director.

Jayne Clarke has more than 20 years’ experience spanning sales, marketing, brand evolution, management planning and strategic business development. She joins Cascade from the team’s parent company IRIS Software Group, where the last five years of her career were spent doubling the size of the payroll software division.

Jayne’s new role will see her supporting the organisation’s continued strategic expansion, and the development of Cascade’s authoritative voice in an industry which increasingly relies on the team’s expertise, advice and technological foresight.

Commenting on what attracted her to the role, Jayne said: “I have a wealth of experience supporting successful brands with their sustained growth, and I look forward to putting this skill-set to great use within Cascade.

“I hope my consultative approach will stand me in good stead here. Cascade’s culture is like no other I’ve ever seen – there is such a strong, customer-focused sense of teamwork and a genuine love for coming to work. This has undoubtedly fuelled the brand’s growth to date, and I look forward to harnessing the thoughts and expertise of those who have seen the company evolve, as we plan the next phase of the journey.”

Wayne Lynn, Harriet Read & Carol Arthur; Silk Family Law

Silk Family Law is further strengthening its North Yorkshire and Newcastle offices with two internal promotions – including a new partner - and the appointment of a consultant communications director.

Wayne Lynn is promoted from associate to partner, while Harriet Reid from the firm’s Aske, North Yorkshire office is made an associate. Carol Arthur, from Harrogate, joins the firm as a consultant communications director to help consolidate Silk’s reputation as a leading northern law firm.

Harriet Reid, who comes from York, is a member of the Harrogate Collaborative Family Law Group. Carol Arthur has 15 years’ experience at senior levels in two Harrogate PR agencies, and is a trustee of Leeds Mind.

Head of the Aske office, Margaret Simpson, who founded Silk Family Law five years ago with solicitor Kim Fellowes and barrister Ian Kennerley, said: “These internal promotions are part of our commitment to developing and nurturing top legal talent as the firm looks forward to the next five years.

“Appointing a communications consultant will enable us to raise our profile among key audiences, and drive the firm’s growth.”

Juliet Lawson, BCL Legal

Leeds-based BCL Legal has appointed Juliet Lawson as a senior consultant in the Yorkshire and North East team.

Juliet is a qualified solicitor and will be handling commercial vacancies at all levels from paralegals to partners within private practice across Yorkshire.

Juliet started her career in recruitment 15 years ago and has held positions at various firms including PSD Group. She also ran her own recruitment business - Lawson Brown Legal – for four years.

James Batt, managing director of BCL Legal, said: “2015 has been another fantastic year for BCL Legal and welcoming Juliet to our growing team is another milestone as we continue to grow.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .