This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Oakapple Group, the Leeds-based property developer and investor, has expanded its team with the appointment of Arun Mistry as development manager.

Arun, a chartered structural engineer and member of the Chartered Institute of Building, has over 20 years’ experience within the construction and property industry.

Arun previously held positions with both Waterman Group and Wilton Developments.

His track record includes a number of significant schemes across the north of England, including the master planning through to delivery of the 715,000 sq ft Turbine Business Park in Sunderland.

Philip Taylor, group chairman of Oakapple, said: “We are delighted to welcome Arun to the Oakapple team to help us deliver our exciting and ever growing pipeline of projects in the commercial, retail and residential sectors.

“His construction and engineering background will be valuable throughout the development process.”

Arun added: “I am delighted to be joining Oakapple at a time of significant growth for the company. I am looking forward to being involved in a wide range of projects, starting with delivery of the Ilkley office scheme”.

Sarah Laughey, Ison Harrison

Ison Harrison, the Leeds-based law firm, has appointed Sarah Laughey to head up and help expand the family law department at its Ilkley branch.

Sarah joins the firm from Switalskis Solicitors in Bradford where she worked for 12 years.

Sarah has more than ten years’ experience as a family solicitor after qualifying in 2007.

Since 2012, Sarah has been a resolution accredited specialist covering domestic violence and private children law work.

In her new role at Ison Harrison in Ilkley, Sarah will undertake all types of family law work surrounding relationship and marital breakdowns, including protective injunctions, divorce, children and financial aspects.

Sarah said: “I’m excited to have joined such a progressive firm and look forward to working alongside Iain Oliver and Jonathan Padgett and the rest of the team in Ilkley to expand the firm’s expert family offering, while assisting families in this specialist area of law.”

Jonathan Wearing, managing partner at Ison Harrison, added: “Ison Harrison is dedicated to recruiting the best legal professionals out there, ensuring our clients have the best access to expert legal advice and we’re thrilled to have Sarah on board.

“With such a strong and experienced family law department spread across our 12 offices, we pride ourselves on being able to provide the best legal advice in a straightforward and comprehensive manner, whilst empathising with the emotional difficulties and situations that clients find themselves in. Sarah will be a major asset in helping us to provide an even more thorough family offering.”

Robert Stebbings, The Partners Group

The Partners Group, the York-based PR and communications specialist, has strengthened its client servicing team with the appointment of Robert Stebbings as account director.

With 15 years’ experience gained both agency and client side, Robert joins Partners from SEO agency WMG, having previously worked at the EVO Group and Good Relations in PR and digital marketing roles.

In his new position, Robert will focus on fostering existing client relationships and generating new business opportunities.

Robert said: “I’m delighted to be joining Partners. It’s an exciting opportunity to be part of a team with a long-established reputation where I can use both my traditional and online PR knowledge.

“With extensive experience in communications and digital marketing to draw upon, I hope to complement the team and take an active role in looking after existing clients whilst also identifying new opportunities for growth.”

Monica Green, Partners Group director, added: “Robert is a valuable addition to the team. His considerable online and offline PR experience across many sectors will enable him to contribute significantly to existing and new client campaigns.”

Sam Potrykus, CBRE

The Leeds office of CBRE has expanded its specialist markets team with the appointment of Sam Potrykus as senior surveyor.

Sam joins the CBRE Leeds team after 4 years with the agency division of James A Baker.

CBRE’s Leeds specialist markets team is headed up by senior director Andrew Watt and in addition to Sam includes surveyor Harry Adams and associate director James Laidler, who is responsible for CBRE’s regional Healthcare offering.

In 2016, the team undertook major instructions from Greene King, Marstons, Punch Taverns, EI Group (previously Enterprise Inns), Heineken, Ossett Brewery, Camerons, Charles Wells Pub Company, Provincial Pubs and within the Healthcare sector, Viridian Housing, Park Care Homes and Alpha Care to name a few.

In the first half of last year, the team witnessed a surge in valuation instructions and a continued high level of agency activity.

Andrew Watt, senior director of specialist markets at CBRE Leeds, said: “Our UK Pubs report showed that pubs are moving to mainstream real estate and are now being viewed as valid alternatives to offices and retail by investors.

“New buyers are emerging that haven’t previously been in the sector and long income funds are targeting operational real estate.

“In Leeds we have experienced a busy start to 2017 and this new appointment will further strengthen our regional offering and enable us to continue to offer the highest level of service to our diverse and growing client base.”

Richard Bean, Evans Property Group

Leeds-based Evans Property Group has appointed Richard Bean as senior asset manager to work on its portfolio and land holdings, assisting with the management and delivery of several projects across Yorkshire.

Richard joins after four years at the Leeds office of property firm JLL where he was associate director within the Office Agency team, prior to which he worked at CBRE.

In his new role at Evans, Richard will be working with portfolio director, Alan Syers, managing existing Evans Property Group assets.

Richard will be actively involved in the delivery of the ongoing £25m regeneration of the Bond Court area of Leeds city centre where the transformed Minerva and Capitol office buildings have created more than 50,000 sq ft of Grade A offices.

New restaurant operators Tattu and Manahatta will also launch and the new 5* Dakota Deluxe hotel is set to open in forthcoming weeks in addition to the delivery of some £1m of public realm works.

Richard will also work with Evans’ development director, James Pitt, on new development opportunities, such as Kimberlow Hill surgery and retail park at the University of York, but notably Gateway 45, Leeds City Region’s largest Enterprise Zone advanced manufacturing and logistics hub.

Aire Valley Land LLP, the joint venture partnership with Evans Property Group and Harworth Group plc, is speculatively developing circa 150,000 sq ft of industrial space at Gateway 45 this year.

Alan Syers, portfolio director at Evans Property Group, commented: “Richard is a huge asset to the team, bringing with him a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. We are pleased to welcome Richard on board at this busy and exciting time to support us in the delivery of key projects in Leeds and wider Yorkshire region.”

Tom Faller, Parallax

Leeds agency Parallax has promoted senior account manager Tom Faller to the position of associate director.

Faller, who has been with the company 6 and half years, joining the agency as a graduate in October 2010 as one of the first members of staff.

As associate director, Faller will continue to promote the agency’s services to new and existing clients.

As part of his new role, Tom joins founding directors Dario Grandich, Lawrence Dudley, Andy Fitch and James Hall on the board of directors.

The new position will also include key decision-making around business strategy and financial spend, as well as a more active role in employee reviews and recruitment.

Lawrence Dudley, Parallax director, said: “We’ve always been a company that recognises and values the talent we have, Tom has been with the company pretty much from the start and has been an integral part of Parallax’s development over the years, contributing to the culture and business growth.

“We’re pleased to be promoting him to his new position, continuing to drive the business forward as a team.”

Tom Faller, associate director, commented: “Having been a part of the Parallax story for the last six years I’m looking forward to playing a leading role in driving the business forward in my new role as associate director.”

Frankie De Giorgio, Front

Front, the Sheffield-based creative agency, has grown its senior creative team with the appointment of Frankie De Giorgio.

Frankie, who has joined from WPA Pinfold in Leeds, is reporting into Chris David, Front’s creative director.

Her focus is on both campaign and branding work for the agency’s clients which include Regatta, Costcutter and Chester Zoo. Her new role will also see her art directing photo-shoots and mentoring other team members.

Frankie studied graphic design at UCLan which included a placement year in London. Her degree work was shown at the 2013 D&AD New Blood Exhibition.

Chris David commented: “Frankie is a really talented creative with some fantastic ideas and we are delighted that she has joined us – especially as the next few months will be an exciting time for the agency with several high profile briefs encompassing both branding and campaign projects.”

Frankie added: “I’ve admired the creative output from Front for a long-time and I see it as one of the region’s leading agencies. I was ready for a new challenge - and wanted to work with new clients – so this opportunity was one that I couldn’t pass up.”

Giovannino ’Gio’ Conti (pictured left), Convive

Giovannino ‘Gio’ Conti has been appointed to the newly opened £2m Leeds restaurant and bar, Convive.

Gio was appointed by managing director of Weetwood Hall, Martin Hicks, who is behind Leeds’ newest restaurant venture, Convive.

Convive, which opened in mid-February creating over 25 new jobs, is an authentic Mediterranean restaurant bringing a Mediterranean lifestyle to the suburbs of Leeds.

Part of the University of Leeds-owned Weetwood Hall estate, the new restaurant retains an independent identity and is open to customers looking for a dining experience outside of the city centre as well as guests staying at the hotel complex.

Gio has previously worked at the Dubai-based BiCE Mare, serving Italian cuisine and fresh seafood. He has also worked at some of the finest Mediterranean restaurants in his native Italy and Europe.

At Convive, Gio has reunited with his ex-colleague, head chef Francis Cowlam with whom he worked for several years in Ilkley.

He’ll also be working with Leeds restaurateur Martin Pickles who is an ambassador for Convive, plus sous chef Najam Ur Rehman, who was previously at Brasserie Blanc in Leeds and the rest of the kitchen and bar team.

Martin Hicks, managing director of Weetwood Hall and Convive, said: “Gio is an outstanding manager with an impeccable CV, he is simply perfect for Convive.

“Since we opened last month we’ve proved that there is an appetite for high-quality Mediterranean dining beyond the city centre and I believe we’re helping to change the perception of dining in a dynamic city like Leeds.

“We’re glad to be part of the exciting food and drink scene that is growing throughout the city and excited to be bringing something fresh and exciting to the table.”

Matt Bloomer, Strata

Strata, the Doncaster-based home builder, has announced Matt Bloomer as the head of customer journey, where he will oversee the buyer experience from reservation right through to completion and beyond.

As part of his new role, Matt will meet and work with individuals, couples and families that are purchasing new homes across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Despite no previous experience in customer care, Matt was appointed to the Strata team based on his natural affinity with people and his ability to face challenging situations.

Andrew Weaver, chief executive of Strata, said: “We do things a little differently at Strata and that starts with the way that we engage with our customers.

“The problem with customer service teams is that representatives can become desensitised and often disengaged and often spend much of the day on the end of an angry telephone call.

“Thankfully that isn’t the case at Strata but bringing Matt to the team will help us to further shape the customer journey. It’s about appointing people with no preconceptions of the market norms and expectations.

“We need people who are open minded, positive in outlook and keen to ensure the customer receives outstanding service.”

As a former professional football player, with a 20-year career behind him, Matt joined the lineup with Hull City, Grimsby Town and Lincoln City amongst others.