This week's Yorkshire appointments

James Burgess, Eaton Smith Solicitors

Eaton Smith Solicitors has appointed James Burgess as a partner.

James, who qualified as a solicitor in 2004, joins the property department of the firm, with experience of a commercial property, including landlord and tenant work, acquisition and disposal, portfolio and estate management, commercial development, secured lending, and property and development finance.

After studying at Newcastle University, James began his career at a law firm in the North East, before moving to a niche commercial practice. After working at two other North East Law firms, he joined MKB Solicitors in Barnsley in 2011, where he became a partner specialising in commercial property.

James also has knowledge in business sales and acquisitions, as well as general commercial law.

James commented: “This is an exciting move for me as Eaton Smith is a fantastic company with a real feel for being part of the community. The team carries out some really diverse and interesting work over many commercial sectors

“But it has been a bit strange joining a company in the middle of the lockdown and not actually being in the office on my first day. I do look forward to my ‘proper’ first day and being with the rest of the team in person.”

Partner Deborah Melluish added: “We are delighted James has joined us at Eaton Smith. He brings with him a wealth of experience in the commercial property sector, which really strengthens the offer to our clients.

“We look forward to all our team getting back together in the office so we can welcome James properly to the Eaton Smith family.”

Alice Kelly, Scriba PR

Media relations agency Scriba PR has appointed Alice Kelly as PR executive.

Having previously worked as a content executive at a Huddersfield advertising firm, Alice is already working on 11 B2B accounts in her new role, drafting social media, newsletter and web news copy – as well as helping with the distribution of press releases and feature articles.

In addition, Alice’s interest in graphic design has contributed to the firm’s increased visibility on social media.

Katie Mallinson, founder and MD of Scriba PR, commented: ““We’re working incredibly hard to maintain ‘business as usual’ while adjusting to a new normal, and the appointment of Alice will help us – and our clients – to navigate these tricky times.”

“It’s been clear since day one that Alice is a perfect fit and we’ve all been impressed by her eagerness to roll up her sleeves and get stuck in.

“Not only in terms of workload, but by taking the mantle in organising weekly Scriba ‘social’ events – via video conference – too!”

Alice added: “I’ve admired the work Scriba PR does for several years now, and I’m excited to be a part of the team and taking my next step in the world of communications.

“While there’s no denying that starting a new job, then instantly being in the middle of a pandemic has had its challenges, the software we use and the understanding of the team has meant I’ve been able to get up to speed quickly, and grasp a range of clients with ease.”

Tom Fell, Leeds Building Society

Leeds Building Society has appointed Tom Fell as head of architecture.

Tom brings over 30 years’ experience in designing technology architecture and IT development across financial services and other sectors. He was previously Head of Enterprise Architecture at Lowell Financial Ltd.

Commenting on his appointment, Tom said: “I’m so thrilled to be joining the team at Leeds as it continues to invest in innovative technology as part of an ongoing transformation period.

“Leeds Building Society has a heritage to be proud of, but the people and teams here are clearly very forward-thinking too. It’s a very appealing combination, and I’m really pleased to be a part of it.”

Rob Howse, chief operating officer of Leeds Building Society, said: “Our purpose is to help people save money and have the home they want. Tom’s appointment underlines our commitment to transforming our technology so that we can improve the service we offer our members now and continue to do so into the future.

“Tom has a really impressive track record in designing innovative technology solutions, and I’m really excited about the role he will play in the continued transformation of the Society. We wish him a very warm welcome to Leeds.”

Allan Rowan, Adare SEC

Integrated communications provider Adare SEC has appointed Allan Rowan as director of growth and client development.

Allan joins the business after almost six years at customer communications provider Communisis where he was most recently sales and marketing director.

With more than 20 years’ experience at senior and board level within the customer communications industry, Allan has also held a number of client-facing roles at businesses operating in sectors ranging from financial services and insurance to FMCG.

In the newly created role, Allan will be responsible for overseeing client relationships, account management and sales development activities.

Commenting on his appointment, Allan said: “Like many businesses in our industry, Adare SEC has had to adapt at pace to the economic and cultural changes posed by Covid-19 and the manner in which it has done so has been admirable.

“The company’s latest financial results provided Adare SEC with the strong foundations and resilience needed to face this latest challenge head on. This has enabled the business to remain agile and continue to deliver service excellence throughout these current set of circumstances.

“I’ve been impressed at how Adare SEC has introduced new ways of working, developed new technologies and introduced new procedures that our clients can rely on and that we can use as a catalyst for growth.

“I’m excited to get started and I look forward to helping the business and my colleagues to build on its longstanding heritage and experience.”

Adare SEC’s chief executive officer, Rachael Nevins, added: “Allan has a wealth of experience in customer communications and delivering business growth.

“This newly created role will harness Allan’s expertise and further enable us to continue to delight and inspire our clients whilst providing the highest standards of service excellence.”

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