This week's Yorkshire appointments

Yorkshire law firm Keebles has announced a series of new appointments on its corporate and commercial team.

Headed by dealmaker Matt Ainsworth, the 12-strong team, one of the biggest of its kind in Yorkshire, has increased significantly over the last 12 months.

The latest new roles include associate, Laura Giles, who joined from a leading national charity and education law practice and advises on matters including mergers and acquisitions, group restructurings, shareholders’ agreements and governance.

Legal director solicitor Carys Everitt brings significant expertise in the manufacturing sector and specialises in complex commercial contracts, trading agreements, technology arrangements and data protection.

Fellow solicitor, Charlotte Higgins, has expertise across a wider variety of commercial contracts and corporate transactional work.

The trio has jointly amassed two decades of expertise in corporate and commercial law.

Matt Ainsworth said: “Our expansion was prompted by the growing client base and pipeline of deals which we are being approached to advise on.

“Laura, Carys and Charlotte’s combined depth and breadth of experience will ensure our corporate and commercially offering which is among the most highly regarded in the region, builds on its strong track record.”

Richard Gillatt, Amy Venson and Rob Lucas, Gateley Plc

The Leeds office of Gateley Plc, the legal business of law-led professional services group Gateley, has launched a Commerce, Technology & Media (CTM) offering with the appointment of CTM partner, Rob Lucas.

The firm’s property departments have also seen two new hires to the Residential Development and Real Estate teams.

Rob Lucas joins Gateley Plc after almost 10 years at Shulmans LLP as a partner and head of intellectual property (IP). He specialises in the full range of IP rights, including patents, trade marks, copyright and design rights.

Rob has a particular specialism in acting for packaging, fragrance, cosmetic and retail businesses, as well as being well known for acting for international clients, from Brazil and the USA to Europe.

In addition to the new CTM offering, Gateley’s Leeds office now covers Banking & Finance, Financial Disputes & Regulation, Restructuring, Corporate, Regulatory, Dispute Resolution, Residential Development, Employment, Construction and Real Estate.

The Residential Development team has also appointed associate Richard Gillatt, who joins from Atherton Godfrey, as Gateley continues to bolster its rapidly growing team. In the past few months, the department has added two paralegals, two plot conveyancers and two admin assistants, while January this year saw three new solicitors and eight paralegals join this area of the practice.

Gateley Group’s recent acquisition of GCL Solicitors in Guildford positions the firm as now having one of the largest specialist Residential Development teams in the UK, covering Birmingham, Leeds, London, Reading, Manchester and the East Midlands.

Additionally, the Real Estate department has appointed solicitor Amy Venson from Wosskow Brown Solicitors in Sheffield, where she worked as a solicitor after completing her training contract with the firm.

The appointments follow on from the Leeds office announcing a new head in May this year, with Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR) partner Andrew Johnson taking over from Restructuring partner William Ballmann.

Andrew Johnson commented: “It’s fantastic to welcome three new appointments in my first few months as head of the Leeds office. Rob’s appointment and the launch of a CTM offering continues our ambitious growth in Yorkshire since opening the Leeds office in 2012, as we continue to build on the success we’ve had in the past six years.

“Rob brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of IP, and I welcome him, Richard and Amy to the team. They will all be a great asset to our firm as we continue to advise clients throughout Yorkshire and beyond.”

Jack Hutchinson, Ed Hine and Chris Nettleton, Eddisons

Property consultant Eddisons has expanded its Leeds head office with two new appointments and an associate director-level promotion.

Chartered surveyor Ed Hine has been recruited to the valuation team as a director, joining the firm from Sanderson Weatherall, where he spent six years in the Yorkshire and Midlands valuation team.

Ed is experienced in valuing all types of residential and commercial assets for secured lending purposes.

Also in the valuation team, Jack Hutchinson has been promoted to associate director. Joining Eddisons in 2014, Jack is a chartered surveyor with a degree in business property management from Sheffield Hallam University.

He also chairs the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Yorkshire networking and support group for students and trainees.

Chris Nettleton is the latest recruit in Eddisons’ growing Building and Project Consultancy division. Chris carried out a year’s industrial placement with the firm while studying for a degree in building surveying at Leeds Beckett University and has now come on board as a full-time member of staff.

Richard Roe, Eddisons managing director, said: “Eddisons has seen continual growth over the last year and we’re really pleased to be welcoming new members of staff as well as congratulating Jack on his promotion.

“Both valuations and building and project consultancy teams are surging ahead with significant new business wins, such as our work with academy trusts, which in May secured £15m of new building and improvement projects for schools across the UK.

“We have also recently secured panel places on prominent national frameworks and Ed Hine’s appointment will undoubtedly help to strengthen our team as we continue to make a series of key new hires over the coming months.”

Katie Challis, Robinsons Facilities Services

Robinsons Facilities Services, the facilities management and compliance company, has appointed a new director to head up the firm.

Katie Challis, who previously acted as Service Manager at the company, has been promoted to director following a period of recent change.

Robinsons Facilities Services offers a full range of hard FM services to commercial customers throughout Yorkshire including boiler, plumbing, air conditioning, electrical maintenance and repair services as well as many other specialist services provided by its subcontractor partnerships.

The company manages maintenance contracts for over 500 sites in Yorkshire and employs 18 staff from its head office in Bishop Thornton, Harrogate.

Katie joined Robinsons Facilities Services soon after completing her degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. Since joining the business in a customer service role, Katie has progressed to take on more senior positions and has held the Service Manager position for the last two years.

Luke Kitchen, Managing Director of Robinsons Facilities Services, commented: “Katie is a fantastic, hardworking individual who consistently strives for customer satisfaction.

“She has shown herself to be highly skilled in the field of commercial facilities management and compliance and we are exceptionally proud to appoint her as a director of the firm at what is an extremely exciting time for the business.”

Luke Kitchen will remain in his role as Managing Director but will not be involved in the day to day operation of the business, instead taking a more strategic and advisory role to support Katie and her team as he works on the firm’s five-year business plan.

Andrew Flounders, DWF

DWF, the International legal business, which has an office in Bridgewater Place, has announced the appointment of Andrew Flounders as the business’s new Executive Partner in Leeds.

Andrew has been with DWF for over five years and in that time has helped develop the business’s Real Estate practice, through his role as Head of the Leeds Real Estate Team as well as National Head of the business’s Property Development Product Group.

He has advised many of DWF’s key national and regional clients, including Palmer Capital, Moda Living and Leeds City Council and has developed a national profile in the development and letting of live entertainment arenas.

DWF appoints Executive Partners for each of its office locations globally, each of whom plays a key strategic role in people engagement, client service delivery and community investment at a local level.

Launched in 2007, DWF’s Leeds office is one of the business’s longest-standing UK offices and now has over 250 people working across its insurance, commercial and central services divisions.

Leeds is also a key hub for DWF’s Connected Services division, which comprises a range of businesses focused on delivering specialist legal and non-legal as well as consultative services to clients.

Commenting on the appointments, Andrew Flounders said: “Our Leeds office acts for some really high profile names in the region and delivers a wide range of expertise to clients, but I’m equally proud to say that we have a very strong, people-focused office culture, with a good work-life balance and a very strong commitment to our community.

“The growth and evolution of the office in the past decade has been significant, and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to work more closely with our people going forward to keep building on this momentum.”

Andrew succeeds previous Executive Partner Nic Crocker, who retired from DWF as a Partner in early 2018 and is currently acting as a Consultant to the business.

John Russo, Emma Rouse and Dave Grant, Doncaster Racecourse

Three new appointments have been announced at Doncaster Racecourse.

Dave Grant, Emma Rouse and John Russo have been appointed to posts in finance, marketing and operations, strengthening the venue’s team of 70.

Dave Grant joins the Racecourse as financial controller, bringing more than 22-years of experience to the role having worked at accountancy firm Hawsons and in accountancy positions with companies including Cooplands Ltd, Doncaster Rovers FC and Partners in Costs Ltd in recent years.

Emma Rouse has been named new Head of Marketing, drawing on her experience within the leisure, entertainment and B2B sectors.

Emma has worked in a variety of senior marketing positions during her career, including Nottinghamshire Police, the National Citizen Service and, most recently, as head of marketing and communications for the University of Lincoln Students’ Union.

Finally, John Russo has been appointed as director of operations, with over 25 years’ experience in food service covering all areas of the industry from production and procurement to both front and back of house.

John joins Doncaster Racecourse after spending five years with Manchester City FC.

Tim Banfield, executive director at Doncaster Racecourse, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Dave, Emma and John to our team. All three bring an impressive range of experience and expertise to their new roles and I’m confident their skillsets will help us move forward with our ambitious plans for the future.”

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