This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has strengthened its senior team with the appointment of a new Forensic Accounting Partner.

Chris Clements joins the Leeds office from Grant Thornton, where he was Forensic and Investigation Services Partner - Head of UK Regions. His extensive experience includes arbitration, investigations, expert witness, alternative dispute resolution and advisory work.

At Deloitte, Chris will be the Forensic lead for the North East practice (Leeds and Newcastle offices) and Disputes lead across the North.

Chris, who studied at the University of Durham, undertook his first forensic work in 1992 and chose to focus on forensics full time in 1996, when he joined Grant Thornton. His experience covers UK and internationally-based matters, involving claims of up to £3bn. He has given expert evidence in the UK and overseas courts, tribunals and before public committees on over 25 occasions.

In recent years, he advised on compensation for the 2012 Olympic site and London’s Crossrail project, as well as forensic contract reviews for many multinational oil industry businesses and overseas governments.

As an expert witness, Chris has a working knowledge of the legal process in English civil and criminal courts, and in the international arbitration arena. He is a member of the Expert Witness Institute, the Academy of Experts and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is also a qualified mediator.

Martin Jenkins, practice senior partner at Deloitte in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “Chris has an exceptional track record and we’re delighted that he has brought that outstanding experience to Deloitte.

“His experience both in the UK and internationally, and across a range of sectors, extending to infrastructure and energy, will be invaluable to many of our clients in Yorkshire and across the North East, including those entering into trading arrangements with global partners where his knowledge of international disputes is a valuable asset.”

Claire Mayfield- Tulip, hlw Keeble Hawson

hlw Keeble Hawson has further bolstered its expertise with the appointment of a new partner in the commercial property team, Claire Mayfield- Tulip.

Claire has been with hlw Keeble Hawson since graduating from the University of Sheffield 14 years ago. During that time she has been involved in wide ranging deals which include acting for residential & commercial developers in site assembly and subsequent construction, as well as investor clients and funders looking to invest in the Yorkshire marketplace.

One of the largest law firms in Yorkshire, with offices in Leeds, Sheffield and Doncaster, hlw Keeble Hawson has also recently appointed seven new associates.

Paul Trudgill, managing partner, commented: “I am delighted to be able to recognise and reward the firm’s talent in this way. Claire has been a key contributor to the progress and achievements of our commercial property team during her time at the firm.

“Claire’s well deserved promotion reflects our commitment to developing our own talent and we wish her continued success with the firm.”

Claire Mayfield-Tulip added: “This is a formative development in my career with hlw Keeble Hawson and I’m looking forward to driving through more deals for our valued clients as our commercial property team continues to go from strength to strength.”

Robin Furze and Gavin Ackroyd, Grant Thornton

Business adviser Grant Thornton in Yorkshire has further expanded its Special Projects team with the appointments of Robin Furze and Gavin Ackroyd who will be based at the firm’s Leeds office.

Robin joins from Lewis Golden LLP in London where he was an audit and accounts senior working across a number of audits and ad-hoc projects for clients ranging from owner managed consultancy businesses to £500m turnover property developers. As well as being ACA qualified, he achieved a BSc/MPhys Theoretical Physics, 1st Class from the University of Leeds in 2011.

Gavin has been working as an accounting and business advisory supervisor at Baker Tilly in Leeds. He has experience across a broad client base, ranging from dynamic businesses to not for profit organisations and distressed companies, working in a variety of roles. He is also an ACA qualified chartered accountant.

Robin and Gavin join as executives in the eight –strong team which offers clients the option of appointing one of its experienced accountants in a ‘hands on’ interim role, or undertaking a particular accounting related project if the company lacks the necessary skills or resource in house on an ad hoc or long term basis.

Andy Wood, practice leader at Grant Thornton in Leeds, said: “Our Yorkshire Special Projects team, led by Emma Davies in our Sheffield office, has been going from strength to strength with a number of our Leeds clients benefitting from its ability to provide bespoke, on-demand accounting support.

“The appointment of two executives based here in Leeds will further strengthen our existing client service offering and help us to cope with growing demand. With many businesses finding it difficult to recruit the calibre of young finance professionals they need, our Special Projects team offers a flexible solution, providing interim secondments to resource restricted finance teams.”

Tom Brown, Carter Jonas

National property consultant Carter Jonas continues to expand its Leeds office with the appointment of Tom Brown as graduate surveyor within its commercial team.

Tom graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Real Estate in 2014. As part of his degree he completed a year in industry with chartered surveyors Carter Towler.

After graduating he joined commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) based in Manchester and worked in both commercial agency and professional valuation departments.

Tom said: “Joining a prestigious organisation such as Carter Jonas so early in my career is a great opportunity for me. I am looking forward to taking on this new challenge and learning from the commercial team along the way.”

David Aspland, Carter Jonas’ head of commercial agency for the North of England, said: “We are delighted to have Tom join Carter Jonas’ commercial team. This is an exciting time to join us as we continue to strengthen our Leeds team, following our record turnover in the financial year just ended and growing confidence and activity in the development sector across Yorkshire. Tom’s enthusiasm and fresh outlook will make him a valued member of the team.”

Charlotte Reynolds, Eddisons

Property consultant Eddisons has boosted its valuation services team with the appointment of three new graduate trainees.

Charlotte Reynolds has joined the valuation division in the firm’s Leeds office, while Chris Holt is based in Manchester and a third new graduate trainee, Tom Colyer, will also work in valuation services from Eddisons’ London office.

Richard Roe, the firm’s managing director, said: “Valuation services is a rapidly growing area of the business right across the UK and last year we valued properties worth a total of over £600m for a wide range of clients, from educational institutions, to banks, to small businesses.”

He added: “As the economy continues to improve, recruiting and retaining talented graduates is a priority for us as a growing firm and we are really pleased to welcome Charlotte, Chris and Tom on board as they start out in their careers in the property industry.”

The three new recruits will work towards achieving full membership of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) by completing their Assessment of Professional Competence, in which Eddisons’ graduate trainees have a 90 per cent first-time pass rate.

Charlotte Reynolds said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Eddisons. The firm has a fantastic reputation as a graduate employer, offering wide-ranging experience in its training programme, both in valuation and across the whole business.”

Sam Haslam, Lake Legal

Leeds based family law firm, Lake Legal, has supported its growth plans with the appointment of Sam Haslam.

She joins from Lancashire firm Harold Stock & Co. Sam, a qualified solicitor of over 15 years, has practiced solely in family law in both Leeds and Harrogate.

Sam is experienced in a wide range of family related issues, but with particular emphasis on financial settlements and child related issues arising on separation and divorce. She acts for parents seeking permission to move abroad with a child.

Lake Legal was recently named ‘Family Law Firm of the Year’ in the Yorkshire Legal Awards and operates across the UK from offices in Manchester and Leeds.

Commenting on the appointment, Lyn Ayrton said: “Lake Legal is building a national reputation as a leading family law firm and it is important that we continue to attract the best talent to support our growth.

“Having worked with Sam at a previous firm I know that although adopting a constructive and conciliatory approach to her work, she is a strong negotiator.”

Joanne Jenkinson and Lisa Artis, AKA PR

Skipton-based PR and marketing specialist, AKA PR, has appointed two long-serving employees as associate directors.

Joanne Jenkinson and Lisa Artis join co-owners, Jessica Alexander and Jan Turner, as part of a strategic move to take AKA PR to the next level.

Joanne, who has been with the company for 17 years, said: “I joined AKA as an office junior and have steadily worked my way up. I am looking forward to my new role and being a key part of AKA PR’s future.”

Lisa Artis, who has over 15 years of PR experience, 13 of those at AKA, added: “I am delighted to take this opportunity of working alongside Jessica and Jan, with Joanne, to drive the business forward.”

Jan Turner of AKA PR als commented: “We are delighted to recognise the contribution Joanne and Lisa have made to the business over the years and feel very sure they will embrace their new responsibilities very capably.”

AKA PR has been based in High Corn Mill, Skipton for almost 20 years and specialises in home furnishings and interiors. The 10-strong company has a country-wide client base - several of whom have been with the company for over 10 years.

James Duckworth, Squire Patton Boggs

Squire Patton Boggs has announced the appointment of construction partner James Duckworth, who has joined the firm from Nabarro in Sheffield.

Mr. Duckworth is a non-contentious construction and engineering lawyer specialising in the procurement of major infrastructure, industrial and commercial property projects.

Ranked in band 1 for construction in Sheffield by Chambers & Partners UK 2015, he has a particular focus on major energy and infrastructure projects and has advised on a number of high profile renewable energy projects, in particular in the wind, biomass, solar, carbon capture and energy-from-waste sectors, both in the UK and internationally.

Mr. Duckworth recently acted for the developer of a 120 MW wind farm in Jordan, which was the first utility scale wind farm in the Middle East. The project was awarded Middle East Renewables Deal of the Year 2013 by Project Finance magazine.

It is a return to Squire Patton Boggs for Mr. Duckworth, who previously trained and qualified with the firm in 1993. During his career he has worked at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, and he was responsible for launching the construction practice for Andrew Jackson Solicitors in Hull in 2005.

John Alderton, managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs in Leeds, commented: “James is an outstanding lawyer, well-known and respected in the region, with heavyweight experience in the energy sector. We know James’ practice and clients well; he is a fantastic strategic fit for the firm, and we are very excited to welcome him back.

“Our recent appointments underline the scale of ambition we have for growing our business both in Yorkshire and nationally.”

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