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This month's London appointments

Victoria Symons, Cripps

London and Kent-based law firm Cripps has appointed experienced corporate lawyer Victoria Symons as a new partner.

Based at their Tunbridge Wells office, she brings a raft of legal experience to the role in a wide range of on and off shore corporate and commercial matters, including mergers and acquisitions, funds, banking and joint ventures.

Commenting on her new role, Victoria, who was previously a partner at Mayfair-based Brecher, said: “Cripps is regarded as one of the best law firms outside London and I am looking forward to working with the team to help continue build its reputation and supporting the firm in its strategic growth ambitions.”

James Beatton, Head of the Corporate Group at Cripps added: “Victoria is a great addition to the team bringing particular strength to our family business and finance capabilities. Her appointment will add to our growing reputation for corporate and commercial work.”

Sandeep Sankoli, Fizzy Living

Private rented sector developer Fizzy Living have a new Head of Acquisitions following the appointment of Sandeep Sankoli.

Arriving following a stint at London & Quadrant Housing Trust where he was Senior Land and Acquisitions Manager, Sandeep will be charged with helping London-based Fizzy Living build its portfolio of PRS housing to 5,000 within five years.

He has a wealth of experience in the sector, having started his career as a Housing Economist at City Hall and has previously trained as a surveyor at Savills.

Sankoli commented: “I am delighted to be joining Fizzy at such an exciting time for the business. Conditions are increasingly ideal for build to rent and Fizzy has first mover advantage plus the green light from its backers to invest.

“Political support for PRS is gaining real traction and I believe London’s new Mayor and housing team really understand this and get its potential. Fizzy is the most innovative PRS developer operating in London right now and joining the team is an incredible opportunity.”

Harry Downes, Managing Director of Fizzy Living, added: “Sandeep has the right combination of skills and experience to help us unlock new acquisition opportunities and he will play a central role in delivering our ambitious growth programme.

“Sandeep’s experience as a Housing Economist at City Hall will be invaluable to Fizzy as we work to develop a properly-functioning rental policy within London.”

Andy Boyes, Xceed Group

London-based IT management consultancy, Xceed Group, has appointed Andy Boyes to head up its Scottish operation.

As the firm’s Managing Director of Scotland, Andy will bolster the business’ banking and financial services portfolio in Scotland, and will help expand Xceed Group’s services into other Scottish industries.

He has previously held roles in the technology and systems integration practice at Accenture and most recently spent 18 years as a Partner at The Berkeley Partnership, an independent London-based consultancy, where he led the IT delivery of a £44m multi-channel sales programme for a major UK bank, and managed a $100m per annum business and IT oil trading programme at a global energy supplier.

Commenting on the new hire, John Casserly, Xceed Group Chief Executive Officer said: “Andy comes to Xceed Group with extensive experience delivering major business and IT transformations across the financial services, energy and retail industries.

“He is passionate about facilitating strong, long term relationships with customers to improve business, which is something central to Xceed Group. We’re looking forward to working with Andy to help our Scottish clients work more efficiently, and to support digital transformation in Scotland and beyond.”

Andy added: “I am looking forward to helping our customers create cost efficient operating platforms that support building long term relationships and deliver better outcomes for them.”

Lord Maude, OakNorth Bank

Challenger bank OakNorth Bank, which is nearing one year in business, has appointed former cabinet minister Lord Francis Maude as an Independent Advisor on its advisory board.

Lord Maude, who is a former Europe Minister under Margaret Thatcher, most recently worked closely with David Cameron’s government on a range of policies aimed at improving SME trading conditions, including reducing tax and regulatory barriers and promoting exports.

Commenting on Lord Maude’s pedigree, Rishi Khosla, Chief Executive Officer, OakNorth Bank said: “He has a strong track record, and in the last decade has been at the forefront of improving business conditions for SMEs. Additionally, the time he spent as Europe Minister should prove very useful as we take our first steps in a post-Brexit world.”

Lord Maude, added: “SMEs are the economy’s job creators and wealth generators, and it is their success that will ultimately make or break Britain’s move out of the EU.

“Support for these businesses has been a passion throughout my political and ministerial career; and a key part of that has been helping to improve their access to finance – so it’s great to be working with a lender whose primary focus is on providing growth capital to them.”

Jeffrey Adams, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Chief Executive United House Group, Jeffrey Adams, has been elected as Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), replacing Mark Adams, who retires after three years at the helm.

Previously Chairman of LCCI’s Property and Construction Committee, he has also nurtured United House Group into one of the capital’s leading specialist developers, contractors, and investors in the housing sector.

Chief Executive, Colin Stanbridge, said: “This was a momentous year in many ways and it is notable that we continued to grow in membership despite increasing competition and the background of a delicate economic environment.

“We continue to do all that we can to ensure that we remain relevant, that members continue to be able to make a wide range of connections through their membership and that we deliver the exceptional level of customer service rightly expected of us.”

Tom Glocer, Post-Quantum

London-based cybersecurity startup, Post-Quantum, has appointed former Thomson Reuters Chief Executive Officer, Tom Glocer, as its new strategy advisor.

The firm, which recently completed an £8m Series A funding round, is targeting significant growth in the finance, government and healthcare verticals, with its suite of defense-grade, modular cybersecurity products.

Tom, who previously invested in the business in 2015, will assist with business development at Post-Quantum drawing on his experience and connections in the financial services sector.

Following his appointment, Tom said: “I chose to invest in Post-Quantum and work closely with Andersen Cheng and his team because of the quality of the technology, the experience of the team and the urgent market need.

“My many years running Thomson Reuters, and its predecessor firm, Reuters, and my board-level experience at other large companies highlighted the demand for a modular toolkit of defence-grade security components for use in communications, trading and other critical systems.”

Andersen Cheng, CEO, Post-Quantum added: “Tom Glocer’s unrivalled experience at Thomson Reuters – one of the largest and most dynamic organisations in the world – will bring invaluable benefit to Post-Quantum. We are at an exciting stage of our development.”

Jon Heuvel, Shakespeare Martineau

London-based law firm Shakespeare Martineau has appointed Jon Heuvel as Employment Law Partner.

Jon’s specialisms include complex employment tribunal and High Court proceedings for employers and employees, as well as work within a wide range of industries and bodies including hotels and restaurants, regulatory bodies, educational establishments, recruitment and temporary workers.

He commented: “The prospect of working for a firm that has distinctive sectors to explore and help develop is a hugely attractive prospect.

“As many of the firm’s sectors and clients operate globally, the need for an international skillset and connections, such as through working with Multilaw, is an area that I’m looking forward to enhancing further.

“As a result of the Brexit decision, the need for employment law services in the capital is growing, in particular across the education, hospitality and energy industry and I’m keen to get involved in supporting the existing client base and growing the employment practice further.”

Michael Hibbs, head of employment law at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “Jon brings with him a wealth of experience, connections and a network which crosses borders on a regional, national and international basis.

“Jon will make a significant addition and contribution to our dynamic and expanding employment team.”

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