This week's Yorkshire appointments

Wake Smith Solicitors

Sheffield-based Wake Smith Solicitors has boosted its legal team and support operations with five appointments.

Solicitor Matthew Duffy has joined the commercial property team from Wosskow Brown where he completed his training contract earlier this year, having started his career as a legal assistant there within the conveyancing team.

Paralegal Victoria Cook brings her experience of wills and probate to Wake Smith’s private client team having worked previously at Simpson, Sissons & Brooke Solicitors and Tierneys Solicitors.

Wake Smith has continued its apprenticeship programme with the appointment of Abigail Challoner to the finance team.

Apprentice Abigail will study business administration [Level 3] at Sheffield College as she gains experience in the firm’s finance department and within other support teams.

Experienced legal secretary Kirsty Rhodes has also joined the commercial property team from Parker Rhodes Hickmotts Solicitors, having worked within commercial property and immigration departments.

Kirsty also has extensive experience within client facing roles including as a busy receptionist and customer service advisor.

Holly Abbott-Cragg has started her training contract in the company commercial team. Holly originally joined Wake Smith as a paralegal in September 2018 and has spent a year in the private client team. She will now spend two years working at Wake Smith gaining experience in different areas of the law on the path to qualifying as a solicitor.

Alex Minett, Ossett Brewery

Yorkshire’s Ossett Brewery has appointed Alex Minett as managing director of the brewing company.    Alex was latterly on-trade sales director at Red Bull and part of its UK leadership team. 

Having been with the company for approaching 20 years, he was responsible for delivering the strategic direction of its UK on-trade business.

At Ossett, he will be tasked with accelerating growth following a £1.7m investment in brewing capacity, warehouse facilities and equipment, building works and new packaging resources.   A graduate in physical education at Leeds Metropolitan University, Alex joined Red Bull in an entry sales role in 1999. He joined Ossett Brewery at the end of September.

He said: “I am really looking forward to playing my part in taking Ossett forward at this very exciting time. The brewing and pub industry is experiencing a very vibrant period, with many new challenges and opportunities.

“Ossett has a reputation for having amazing people and for producing excellent beers and I look forward to harnessing both to help deliver a successful future for the brewery and the brands.”

Suneet Misra, Sherpal Singh and Natalia Megias, Northcoders

Leeds based Northcoders has added three new members of staff to its teaching team.

The new tutors are: Suneet Misra, Sherpal Singh and Natalia Megias. All three have industry backgrounds, are qualified coders and Northcoders alumni.

They will be responsible for delivering Northcoders’ curriculum, mentoring students on a group and one to one basis, as well as researching and staying abreast of industry news, technology trends and changes in tech.

Suneet said of his new role: “Myself, Sherpal and Natalia are all incredibly excited to be joining Northcoders at such an exciting time in the company’s evolution.”

Chris Hill, CEO of Northcoders, added: “All three of our new tutors are talented coders and will I’m sure inspire and bring the best out of their students.”