This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Corporate law firm, Shulmans LLP, is further expanded its construction team with the appointment of two new solicitors.

Jayne Smiles, formerly of Gordons LLP, brings over 10 years’ experience in the construction industry. Smiles’ extensive knowledge of non-contentious matters includes work on complex construction projects in a variety of sectors including hotels, supermarkets, student accommodation, leisure and retail. Additional specialisms include advising on off-shore investment funds on construction related security.

Further strengthening the team is Hayley Hayes, formerly of Cohen Cramer Solicitors, who brings expertise in both contentious and non-contentious legal matters, advising on standard industry contracts relating to professional team appointments, building contracts and collateral warranties. Her experience includes running proceedings in both County Court and High Court cases, in addition to facilitating alternative dispute resolution.

Phil Morrison, head of construction, said: “The addition of Jayne and Hayley to such a highly respected firm marks the genuine establishment of a team that is a force to be reckoned with. It’s already looking like a very busy year for the UK construction industry, particularly with fast-paced developments in the Northern Powerhouse cities of Leeds and Manchester and as such, we fully expect our client list to grow further in the near future.”

Tim Halstead, Shulmans’ managing partner, added: “We are delighted to welcome our new recruits. As a UK200 full service law firm we focus on giving our clients the highest standard of service and and construction is very much at the heart of that offering. Our strengthened team will give us a strong foundation from which to grow our already thriving construction portfolio.”

Sophie Morley, Schofield Sweeney

Schofield Sweeney has strengthened its Property Litigation team by appointing Sophie Morley as a Director.

Sophie has specialised in Property Litigation for over 13 years having previously worked at DWF in Leeds and Hammonds (now Squire Patton Boggs) in Leeds, Birmingham, London and Brussels.

Sophie will be working with Laura Salvati, an Associate in the Property Litigation team, to increase Property Litigation services to both current clients and those wanting standalone advice on contentious property matters.

Throughout her career Sophie has developed a specialism in all areas of estate management issues for landlords and tenants including forfeiture, 1954 Act issues, rent reviews and dilapidations. In particular Sophie has expertise working for retailers and shopping centre managers.

James Staton, Schofield Sweeney’s head of Dispute Resolution said: “We are very fortunate to attract a property litigator of Sophie’s calibre to the team. She has a wealth of relevant experience which will undoubtedly enhance the already strong offering we have in this field. I am very pleased to welcome her aboard.”

Sophie Morley, director, Schofield Sweeney, added“I am extremely impressed by the quality and variety of work at Schofield Sweeney. The property team is incredibly experienced and has a client base of household names with which I am looking forward to working. The reputation of the firm is strong and the client base is impressive; the opportunity to be part of the team was too good to miss.“

Schofield Sweeney recently merged with Armitage Sykes, creating a legal firm of 150 people, with offices in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield.

Anna Houghton, Victoria Blackburn and Sarah Davenport, XSEM

Yorkshire-based conference and event specialist, XSEM has made three new appointments.

The Leeds outfit has increased its staff to 14 full time members with the addition of Anna Houghton, Victoria Blackburn and Sarah Davenport.

Sarah joins as XSEM’s first dedicated sales and marketing manager and will be working closely with co-owner and director, Michael Gwilliam on developing new business opportunities.

Her first interactions with XSEM were as a client of the agency, when she was at Wavin UK, a global supplier to residential and non-residential construction projects. She then spent more than seven years at an event management agency in Manchester, where she served a variety of high profile clients in the betting and manufacturing industries.

Victoria arrives as senior project manager with more than 17 years of experience in the events industry. Most recently, she’s worked as freelance consultant for the likes of Vista, Fresh and Ashfield Meetings and Events, delivering a wide portfolio of projects in the pharmaceutical, automotive, financial and retail industries.

Anna, also joins as project manager at XSEM and brings a strong background in the meetings, incentives, conference and events industries. Anna has worked with Best Western and Hilton Hotel groups and arrives off the back her most recent role as customer relationship manager at Calder Conferences, where she managed a large number of high profile Government and NHS England events and conferences.

Michael Gwilliam, XSEM director and co-owner, said: “It’s wonderful to kick off 2016 with three brilliantly qualified new faces in Sarah, Victoria and Anna. They bring with them a depth of experience, skill and talent that I know will help us achieve our goals over the next 12 months.

“The whole team has maintained a strong focus on delivering professional and unforgettable solutions for our growing list of clients.

“Our goal at XSEM has always been to develop mutually beneficial partnerships, and not just one-off solutions for clients. The approach has paid dividends and the varied destination list proves our ambitions go hand in hand with our clients’ own objectives. It’s really exciting to be able to add to the team with some wonderfully experienced and talented individuals.”

Liam Knaggs, Garness Jones

Hull-based chartered surveyors Garness Jones have strengthened its team with the appointment of Liam Knaggs as commercial management surveyor.

Liam gained a BSc Hons degree in property development at Sheffield Hallam University, before spending three years with Lambert Smith Hampton in the management department at their Sheffield office.

His responsibilities at Garness Jones will extend across the firm’s expanding commercial property portfolio and include dealing with rent collection and service charges as well as health and safety management on all the sites.

Liam said: “It’s great to be back in the Hull area. I wanted to move to be closer to my family and I was delighted to get the opportunity to join Garness Jones and help to grow the business here.

“I have kept an eye on the Hull area while I’ve been working in Sheffield and I can see that things are really picking up around the region, as demonstrated by the increasing activity within Garness Jones.”

David Garness, managing director of Garness Jones, added: “Liam is an excellent addition to our team as a qualified chartered surveyor who has strong expertise in commercial property management and good knowledge of the local region.”

Gill Elstob, Clarke’s Group

Northallerton-based Clarke’s Group has appointed a former asbestos specialist with North Yorkshire County Council as group health and safety manager.

Gill Elstob, who was responsible for the Council’s framework contracts for asbestos and water hygiene management for 11 years, will work across independent heating and plumbing supplier HCS Mechanical Services and asbestos removal expert Clarke’s Environmental.

Another key development sees Graham Deuchars, who has amassed over 35 years’ experience with wide-ranging companies, come on board as national marketing and business development executive.

Gill said: “For many years I enjoyed a good working relationship with the HCS Mechanical team, which is contracted by the Council.

“I’ve always been impressed with their commitment and ethos regarding health and safety – their focus on keeping their clients safe is at the heart of everything they do. This role highly complements my background, and I’m enjoying being part of a family business where I can make a difference.”

Richard Clarke, managing director, added: “Gill’s reputation is second to none in the region and Gill and Graham’s combined expertise will add considerable value and be instrumental to the group’s dynamic expansion and vision as we continue to grow our client base with talented people.”

Richard Garside and Li Wilson-Rogers, Enjoy Digital

Enjoy Digital has made two key appointments within its account management and business development teams.

The Leeds-based digital marketing agency has appointed Richard Garside as business development manager and Li Wilson-Rogers as account executive, to bolster its campaign offering and further increase its client portfolio of consumer and B2B brands.

Richard joins having spent five years at Epiphany and will be responsible for establishing meaningful relationships with new business prospects by providing strategic advice and guidance across all aspects of online marketing.

Li will be joining the account management team to further assist the agency’s delivery of successful projects spanning web development and content marketing through to search marketing and PR.

Jonathan Filewood, managing director at Enjoy Digital said: “We’re continually experiencing rapid growth as a business and so these new appointments will play a big part in helping us realise our ambitions for the year ahead.

“Richard obviously arrives with a wealth of experience and knowledge in the digital space whilst Li is just starting her career with us and will no doubt have a bright future ahead of her.”

Steve Breen, Ideal Standard

Ideal Standard, a provider of innovative and design-driven bathroom solutions, has appointed Steve Breen as UK Sales Director.

Steve joins Ideal Standard from Electrolux, where he served as Head of Kitchen Retail & Contracts. He worked across the kitchen retail and house-builder channels – with a high profile client portfolio, including Travis Perkins, Magnet and Homebase, as well as independent kitchen studios and all major house builders.

In his new role with Ideal Standard, Steve will be responsible for the overall UK sales performance and activities, overseeing the development and delivery of a fully integrated category, channel and customer sales strategy.

Steve spent three years with Electrolux, prior to that, he held several sales leadership roles with Akzo Nobel Paints, including UK General Manager and Europe Sales Manager, finally as Global Accounts Director-Marine selling to the professional sector in the domestic and international fields.

Dave Barber, Ideal Standard’s managing director, said: “The appointment of Steve Breen as Sales Director for the UK will strengthen our proposition and enable us to build on the growth and successes that we have been able to generate in 2015, as we continue to successfully execute our plans to deliver unparalleled value and service to our customers.

“Steve has strong calibre and his experience will ensure we can further leverage new opportunities in the market and develop the impact of our new product launches.”

Ideal Standard (UK) Ltd is headquartered at The Bathroom Works on National Avenue, Kingston Upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire.