This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Yorkshire law firm Gordons has announced three new partner promotions.

Sarah Ratcliffe, Greg Dixon and Richard Cressall have been promoted from within Gordons’ commercial property, private client and property litigation teams respectively.

Sarah joined Gordons six years ago and has over twelve years’ experience advising clients on commercial property matters, with a particular focus on retail and property development.

Sarah acts for clients such as Iceland, Town Centre Securities plc and Wren Living.

With a broad range of private client experience, Greg Dixon advises on inheritance tax and succession planning, with significant expertise in helping key individuals in owner-managed family businesses. Greg, who joined Gordons in 2008, also provides guidance and advice on power of attorney issues, trusts and administering estates.

Richard Cressall joined the firm in 2015 and leads the property litigation team, having previously practiced at a large international law firm. His experience includes property disputes, with a specific focus on retail, industrial and investment sectors. Richard’s clients include Iceland, B&M, Saint Gobain and Yorkshire Building Society.

Victoria Davey, partner and head of operations at Gordons, said: “These promotions illustrate the diversity of our work and highlight the wealth of talent and experience we have at Gordons.

“Sarah, Greg and Richard have each made a significant contribution to the success of the firm with their knowledge, expertise and much-valued advice helping to build strong relationships with clients.”

Gordons has offices in Leeds and Bradford and employs 196 people.

Rob Nightingale (pictured left), All My Systems

A Huddersfield-based business systems consultancy has announced a new senior appointment.

All My Systems has recruited business analyst Rob Nightingale. Responsible for devising and configuring process-led technologies for the company’s client base, he will increase capacity in the team.

The five-strong firm has recorded turnover of £145k for the current financial year. But early indications show that the company is on track to secure £444k of work for the 2017-18 period.

The company is also looking to recruit a sixth team member - a second business analyst – to support this development, as well as an apprentice. A second office at The Craggs Country Business Park in Calderdale has also been secured, meaning All My Systems now has a rural base to complement the town centre HQ at the 3M BIC in Huddersfield.

Mark Pullar, founder and managing director, said: “It’s been a whirlwind time for us, but it feels quite significant that, as we mark three years in business, we’re also projecting three times greater turnover for the next financial year.

“I think the evolution of our company to date is also a result of three key factors. We’ve got a highly specialist team, recruited from the local area, with technical skills that you would normally only find in organisations at least five times our size. We’ve also purposefully designed the business, from the outset, to scale it. This means that as we grow, we become even more productive and efficient than before!

“But, perhaps most importantly, I think there is an appetite among UK businesses, to turn to niche consultancies, such as ours, as they strive to work smarter. Gone are the days of hiring big, multi-disciplined suppliers, purely because of their size.

“There is a greater tendency to seek out experts – rather than generalists – with a depth of knowledge in their specific field. This has stood us in good stead to expand and is the real reason why our forward order book is strong.”

Karen Brookes (pictured centre), Clarion

Intellectual property (IP) specialist Karen Brookes has joined Clarion in Leeds as an associate solicitor in its IP team.

Karen, who trained with Pinsent Masons and has over three years’ experience in intellectual property, joins Clarion from a role as in-house solicitor at RH Smith & Sons (Wigmakers) Limited (t/a Smiffys), a supplier of fancy dress costumes and accessories.

She joins the seven-strong Clarion team which acts for hundreds of businesses in Yorkshire, across the UK and from overseas.

The specialist team undertakes a wide range of work including international trade mark filing and patent protection advice, UK and international IP litigation and preparing IP assignments, licences and collaboration agreements.

Clarion partner Esther Kirwan, head of the firm’s IP team, said: “Karen comes to us with a highly commercial and technical background and very relevant experience of protecting the intellectual property of a trading business in the real world, and she is a great addition to our growing IP team.

“We have a wide range of commercial IP clients, all facing different situations and threats to some of their most valued intangible assets, and our ability to increase and broaden our offering in the area of this protection for our clients is a key aspect of Clarion’s growth plans.”

Karen added: “I wanted to take the experience I gained in-house, combined with my academic science background, and grow within a firm that is building its reputation in IP and general commercial legal services.

“Clarion offers a great deal of opportunity and is already highly regarded in the region and nationally, and I look forward to helping grow the IP specialism.”

Leo Jones-Rowe, Schofield Sweeney

Leo Jones-Rowe has joined Schofield Sweeney as a partner in the commercial litigation team, having previously worked at DLA Piper and DWF.

Based in Leeds, Leo has experience of advising on all aspects of commercial claims, with particular focus in tax, pensions and corporate disputes.

Acting on behalf of multinational PLCs, SMEs and individuals, Leo has dealt with claims before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Tax Tribunals.

The recruitment of Leo has further strengthened Schofield Sweeney’s litigation offering, which now has 16 lawyers, including 4 partners.

Alistair Kennedy, partner, said: “It is great to have Leo join the team. Leo is an excellent commercial disputes lawyer and is well-known and respected in the market.

“He brings specialist experience in tax and pensions disputes and is part of our ongoing strategy to recruit top quality lawyers and continue to develop the team, focusing on complex and significant claims”.

Schofield Sweeney offers advice and experience across a breadth of industries and sectors combined with specialist knowledge of complex areas of law.

Now employing over 150 staff across three sites in Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds, the firm continues to invest in its people and offices.

Dan Peden and Chris Rowett, Journey Further

Journey Further has appointed Chris Rowett and Dan Peden as performance and technology directors respectively, as the Leeds-based media agency enters its fourth month of trading.

Rowett is tasked with managing the agency’s team of analysts and fine tuning its pay-per-click, programmatic display and paid social offerings.

Peden takes command of Journey Further’s technology suite, implementing innovative tracking solutions and bridging the gap between online and offline purchase behaviour.

Chris joins after nine years at Epiphany Search where he managed the performance department, overseeing £30m of annual spend for some of the UK’s largest online retailers.

Dan departed his role as chief insight officer at Matalan Direct, where he partnered with Google to implement the latest omnichannel attribution techniques.

The new directors will be working alongside co-founders Robin Skidmore and Matt Kwiecinski.

Other new recruits include senior analyst Steve Baker, who also arrives from Epiphany, and programmatic analyst Jack Glanville, who has joined from iProspect.

Chris Rowett commented: “The anticipation of what we can achieve at Journey Further is huge. The lean model of the agency means we can drive greater performance for our clients, as well as our incredibly ambitious team.

“We believe that our clients will benefit from greater clarity when it comes to our approach, processes, technology and reporting, which stands in stark contrast to the service provided by many larger agencies. Offering clients direct access to their analysts ensures rapid and clear communication, and the opportunity to drive previously unthinkable results.

“We are ready to challenge convention and provide the transparency which is so badly needed in the biddable media industry.”

Dan Peden added: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity. As digital advertising has evolved, the technology available has developed exponentially. The need for businesses to track ROI and understand their single customer view is greater than ever, and we are able to provide that.

“I have known and worked with Chris and Robin for many years, so it’s not only the role but the chemistry of Journey Further which makes this the right move for me. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together.”

Carley Jackson and Matthew Jones, LCF Law

Yorkshire law firm LCF Law has appointed Carley Jackson and Matthew Jones as solicitors within the firm’s commercial property division.

Both Carley and Matthew completed their training contracts with the firm, and they join the 11 strong team specialising in all areas of commercial property, including commercial leases, option agreements, portfolio and pension fund management, property development, planning, property finance, extended leases, buying freeholds and property disputes.

Both are based at LCF Law’s Bradford office.

Paul Anderson, who heads up the commercial property department at LCF Law, said: “We work with a mix of developers, investors, retailers, leisure operators, insolvency practitioners, rural landowners, construction firms, landlords and lending institutions, and it’s a thriving department with plenty of variety in terms of the legal work we carry out.

“Both Carley and Matthew proved themselves to be talented trainees and having fully qualified, we were keen to offer them both a role, as we feel they will bolster our team’s offering, as we continue to gain new clients and service our existing ones.”

Simon Stell, managing partner at LCF Law, added: “The commercial property market is a major growth area for our business, and with plenty of development work taking place in the region, now is right time to grow our team with the appointment of two very dedicated and skilled solicitors.”

Kellie Humphries, 5Four Payroll

5Four Payroll, sister company to Hull-based 360 Chartered Accountants, has announced the appointment of a new payroll specialist.

Kellie Humphries has over 15 years’ experience working in payroll around the Hull and East Yorkshire area.

Andy Steele, director of both 5Four and 360, said: “We are delighted that Kellie has joined us. Her expertise in payroll is second to none.

“Operating a payroll these days can be extremely complex which is why it needs to be done properly.

“All of our senior team have worked with Kellie in the past. That’s why we approached her. We know that she is the best choice not just for 5Four but for all of our clients.”

Kellie will be working in all areas of payroll, including workplace pensions, auto enrolment, National Insurance, PAYE, student loan deductions, maternity pay, sickness and holiday entitlement.

Stephen Wilson, UBS Wealth Management

UBS Wealth Management has announced the appointment of Stephen Wilson as a director in its Leeds office.

Stephen joins from Coutts, where he spent 10 years. Stephen joined Coutts as a graduate and progressed through the private banking ranks, before taking on the role of Wealth Manager at Coutts in 2011.

Stephen will hold the role of client advisor at UBS. He will focus primarily on clients in South Yorkshire, expanding UBS Wealth Management’s capabilities in the region.

Leeds is UBS’s fastest-growing regional office in the UK, with the team now ten-strong.

Karan Sejpal, regional head, North West and Yorkshire at UBS Wealth Management, commented: “We are very excited to welcome Stephen to our Yorkshire team.

“Stephen’s existing relationships and knowledge of South Yorkshire will ensure we can continue to deliver the best possible service for our clients in the region, helping them to achieve their financial and life goals.

“We are always on the lookout for the best talent in the region.”

Stephen Wilson, director at UBS Wealth Management, said: “UBS offers first rate advice to clients in Yorkshire. I am looking forward to working with Karan and the team to build on the success they have had in the region.”

UBS has the largest UK regional footprint of any global wealth manager.

Hugh Fairclough, RSM

RSM, the audit, tax and consulting firm, has promoted Hugh Fairclough to partner enhancing the audit practice in Yorkshire and the North East.

Hugh, who is based at the RSM’s office in Leeds, joined the firm as a trainee in 2003 and specialises in working with regional businesses ranging from owner managed to listed companies on key audit matters.

In addition, he has key expertise within the leisure and hospitality, food manufacturing, financial and professional services sectors.

In his new role, Hugh will provide support to a growing number of audit clients, whilst working closely with the team to grow the practice and its offering across Yorkshire and the North East.

Kevin O’Connor, RSM’s regional managing partner for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “I’d like to congratulate Hugh on his well-deserved partner promotion.

“As a firm, we are committed to investing in and developing our talent; and it’s fantastic to see Hugh being promoted to partner having joined the firm as a trainee back in 2003.

“Hugh has played an active role in shaping our audit practice in Leeds and in his new role as partner he will play an even more significant part in enhancing our offering to help our ambitious clients grow their businesses profitably, in the UK and internationally.”

Sophie Colloby, Dow Schofield Watts

Sophie Colloby, a Yorkshire-based due diligence specialist, has joined Dow Schofield Watts as a Partner in Leeds.

Sophie, who joins from EY, will further strengthen its transaction services team.

With a career spanning almost 20 years, she has experience advising on a wide range of industries and deal types with a particular focus on helping businesses to prepare for a sale.

Sophie has advised many blue-chip businesses in Yorkshire and Humber including food manufacturer Cranswick and construction materials firm Marshalls, and been involved in some of the region’s biggest deals including the $2bn sale of TV technology company Pace.

She started her career at Arthur Andersen and worked with Centrica before joining EY.

She said: “The current availability of capital and relatively low cost of borrowing is driving a strong demand for quality businesses.

“However, for vendors to maximise the opportunity pre-sale preparation is key, with quality sell-side due diligence pre-empting and addressing buyers’ concerns and highlighting value creation opportunities.”

Rob McCarthy, who leads Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services in the region, added: “Sophie’s appointment underlines our commitment to the Yorkshire and North East market and reinforces our role as one of the region’s most experienced due diligence teams.

“In an uncertain business climate, experience counts more than ever. Senior advisers who can work quickly, and understand the complex issues and scenarios can help businesses and investors react to change and achieve value creation.”