This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Gateley Plc has further increased its offering in the Leeds legal market with the hire of its first Real Estate partner, Phil Gregory.

The firm has also announced three other key appointments in corporate, residential development and dispute resolution to strengthen existing teams.

With 15 years’ experience as a commercial property lawyer, Phil joins the firm from Gordons, where he spent 14 years including eight as partner; and where he boasted Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, the Glen Dimplex Group and Wilton Developments Limited amongst his clients.

In his new role with Gateley Plc, Phil will be tasked with building the firm’s real estate offer in the Yorkshire market with a focus on all aspects of commercial property.

Building on this and expanding the firm’s specialist international corporate offering to the Leeds market, Sandip Khroud joins Gateley Plc from Irwin Mitchell as senior associate. Sandip specialises in advising businesses on M&A, private equity and PLC client matters relating to both Europe and Asia.

Sandip sits on the Advisory Board of the National Asian Business Association and has worked in Mumbai and Delhi, helping to set up joint ventures between companies from Yorkshire and across the UK.

His appointment highlights Gateley’s co-ordinated strategy of focusing on international inbound and outbound work for the benefit of Leeds and Yorkshire, with each member of the corporate team having expertise in different regions.

Gateley Plc has also strengthened two of its teams with associate appointments. Keelie Evans joins the firm’s residential development unit as an associate.

In addition to Keelie, Peter Barr has been appointed to the commercial dispute resolution team (CDR) as an associate. Peter joins from Watson Burton LLP and will be working closely with CDR partner, Andrew Johnson.

William Ballmann, corporate recovery partner and head of the Leeds office, said: “When we established Gateley in Leeds in 2012 we said we had plans to develop the office into a full service commercial law practice. We have grown at a rapid rate in four years and are really proud of everything we have achieved, now offering services that include corporate, corporate recovery, residential development, dispute resolution, regulatory and now real estate.

“Having started with just five people in 2012, we now have well over 40 members of the team in our Leeds office and we are looking forward to building on this growth and our presence in the region.”

Michael Allen and Nicole Brock, KPMG

Professional services firm KPMG has announced the appointments of Michael Allen and Nicole Brock to strengthen its public sector practice in the north of England.

Allen joins the firm’s Leeds office as a partner, heading up the firm’s management consulting healthcare practice across the North and Brock, who has been with KPMG since 2008, will lead the development and growth of the firm’s northern public sector practice.

Allen, whose previous role at EY saw him lead a national team responsible for the delivery of hospital-based performance improvement and cost reduction programmes, has more than 20 years’ experience in the sector. He has also held a number of roles within the NHS, including three years as assistant director of operations at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, where Allen was responsible for a combined budget of £120m and more than 900 employees.

At KPMG, Allen will maintain his focus on healthcare and work closely with clients to improve the quality, access and performance of their operations.

With more than 15 years’ experience, Brock has led complex Public Sector Management Consulting projects with a particular focus on performance improvement and cost reduction.

In her new role, areas of focus will include working with local government and healthcare organisations to address fiscal challenges, as well as supporting integration and reform across health and social care. Devolution will also form an integral aspect of Brock’s role; she will support local government, Combined Authorities, LEPs and partner organisations to develop and implement their plans for reform, governance and growth.

Chris Hearld, north region chairman at KPMG, said: “The public sector, specifically healthcare organisations, face a number of sizeable challenges in relation to cost reduction and performance improvement.

“This is a growing market for our firm and with a deep understanding of our clients’ needs both Nicole and Michael are well-placed to lead the expansion of their respective areas in the north.”

Elizabeth Bell, Rosanna Kelly, Polly Coram and paralegal Kate Wootton, Jones Myers

Leeds family law specialist Jones Myers has announced four new appointments.

The 28-strong practice includes qualified in-house counsel, mediators, an arbitrator and a deputy district judge.

Elizabeth Bell, who is experienced in complex, high value cases and has represented clients across the UK and overseas, joins the divorce and finance team along with fellow solicitor Rosanna Kelly - a member of the West and North Yorkshire Young Resolution Committee whose expertise spans wide-ranging cases.

Solicitor Polly Coram and paralegal Kate Wootton are the latest additions to the contentious trusts and estates teams headed by Martin Holdsworth.

Martin said: “Jones Myers’ lawyers boast a combined 250 years of legal experience and attracting, training and developing young talent remains a priority for us.

“Our contentious trusts and estates practice has marked a 400 per cent growth in the last two years – enabling the firm to manage family distress from cradle to grave for our ever growing client base.”

Founder Peter Jones, who is acknowledged as one of the UK’s leading divorce lawyers, added: “We warmly welcome Elizabeth, Rosanna, Polly and Kate who are key to our expansion and vision - reinforcing our reputation as a young, dynamic team which consistently punches above its weight.”

Karl Hodson, Begbies Traynor

Karl Hodson, a former banker and investment manager with business finance provider Enterprise Ventures, has joined BTG Corporate Solutions, a division of Begbies Traynor, as a director.

Karl will have a national role and will be based in the quoted group’s Sheffield office as an adviser to clients seeking business funding, an area where there has been a great deal of market change since the 2008 financial crisis.

Karl’s previous roles include commercial manager for HSBC, investment director for South Yorkshire Investment Fund, and most recently six years as investment manager for Enterprise Ventures, primarily working on the Finance Yorkshire fund.

Kirstie Provan, partner at Begbies Traynor, said: “We are in a whole new era of commercial funding, with a raft of different lenders, new alternative sources and structures of finance for business. We wanted to bring in expertise to navigate the lending markets and ensure we are providing the best and most innovative and suitable advice and funding solutions to our clients.

“Karl has a proven background in commercial finance, from traditional banking through various hands-on roles arranging finance for businesses here in Yorkshire and across the country, and he will be able to offer our clients insight and funding options that other firms often don’t consider.

“When we are talking to funders, especially in this new economic climate, having our own expert in house will give us even greater insight and ability to determine which propositions will succeed.”

Andrew Playle, Mills & Reeve

National law firm Mills & Reeve has welcomed Andrew Playle as a partner to its private client team in Leeds.

Andrew joins the firm from Bond Dickinson, where he has been partner since 2007. Andrew will specialise in working with entrepreneurs and business owners.

Andrew is joining the private client team in the expanding Leeds office and will be working alongside partner Julia Rangecroft, who has built a practice in Leeds and the North of England.

Andrew said: “Mills & Reeve’s private client team has an outstanding reputation across the country. I’m genuinely excited to join the firm at a time when they are expanding and am looking forward to playing a significant role in their continued success.”

The appointment comes after Mills & Reeve moved to larger premises in Leeds and announced a commitment to making strategic senior lateral hires to strengthen the team further.

As part of that commitment, corporate partner Paul Johnson joined the firm from Irwin Mitchell in October last year, where he was head of the Leeds corporate team. Andrew’s appointment represents another significant milestone in the implementation of the firm’s vision for the Leeds office.

Chris Belcher, head of Mills & Reeve’s private client team, said: “We’re pleased to welcome Andrew into the team and we have no doubt that his contribution will strengthen an already formidable offering. We are continuing to build on our strengths in the Leeds office and Andrew’s addition is a further step in this direction.”

David Edgington, AMT Group

Leeds-headquartered AMT Group has appointed David Edgington as the national fleet manager for its contract hire and leasing division.

David has more than 30 years’ experience in the automotive sector, latterly working for Listers Group for 17 years where he was fleet director and pioneered its presence and growth into the fleet sector. His expertise includes input into business growth and strategy as well as financial and operational management, leadership and team building skills.

In his new role at AMT, David will be responsible for building a customer focussed sales force and growing the division’s contract hire and leasing business, particularly within the large SME and small corporate markets.

Neil McGawley, managing director of AMT Group, said: “David has considerable expertise in the automotive industry and will bring invaluable skills to the team as we continue to build our presence across the UK.

“AMT’s reputation within the specialist vehicle leasing and rental markets is, deservedly, already very strong. It is an ambitious business with real vision and I’m looking forward to further developing the contract hire and leasing operation and helping to raise the profile of AMT among a national audience.”

Established in 1995, AMT Group is a privately owned business, employing 190 staff at its seven locations around the UK. It offers a complete automotive solution via its vehicle rental; short term lease; contract hire and leasing; and specialist cars divisions.

Simon Patchett, Xpand

Bradford-based marketing agency, Xpand, has continued its recent growth with the creation of a new role at its Saltaire office.

The full-service marketing agency has hired Simon Patchett to fill the role of content marketer. Simon’s role will focus around building online presence for clients through social media and search engine optimisation. He becomes the sixth member of the team.

Jag Panesar, director at Xpand said: “We’ve had a great start to 2016. The increased demand for our online marketing services lead to us creating this new position.

“Simon will be working with our clients on helping them enhance their online presence through social media and other channels. Social media usage is now on an all time high so I wanted to make sure we are able to cater for this demand to help our clients win more enquiries.

“We needed to create this position due to the influx of the work we were receiving. The role now allows us to continue offering our clients the advice and quality of work they expect.”

Simon joins the agency having previously worked as senior PR executive at Branded3. He has over five years experience across a variety of marketing disciplines, both in-house and agency side.

Emily Roy, Andrew Everett and Elliot Readman, Dacre Son & Hartley

An estate agency firm has appointed three new members of staff across its North Yorkshire offices as its business continues to go from strength to strength.

Dacre Son & Hartley has appointed Emily Roy as lettings manager. Emily, has seven years’ experience in the property industry after previously working for a national agency. Emily is covering the Ripon, Pateley Bridge and Thirsk offices providing a range of services to both landlords and tenants.

Andrew Everett has been appointed as a senior sales negotiator at Dacre Son & Hartley in Thirsk. Andrew, who is from Thirsk, has over two years’ experience in both residential sales and lettings, specialising in rural properties.

Elliot Readman has been appointed as an accompanied viewer and sales negotiator. He will be based in the Ripon office and also cover Pateley Bridge carrying out accompanied viewings with buyers.

Chris O’Mahony, the area manager who is responsible for the Ripon, Pateley Bridge and Thirsk offices, said: “We are the top performing agent in Ripon, in Pateley Bridge where we are one of the most respected agents, and our most recently opened office in Thirsk is thriving. As a result, we were keen to recruit these new team members to support our growth and enhance the first-rate service we are renowned for.

“It’s been a busy start to the year for both our sales and lettings teams. Both Emily and Andrew have a lot of experience and a great understanding of the local market, and will be able to hit the ground running. Elliot will benefit from the wide range of training our firm provides to young people entering the property industry and he is a bright addition to our experienced team.”

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