This week's Yorkshire appointments

Matthew Turnbull, Keyland Developments

Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has appointed Matthew Turnbull as planning and development manager.

Matthew joins from Peacock and Smith where he was an associate, and will be working with the team to pursue more prescriptive planning permissions and working with housebuilders and organisations such as housing associations and later-living housing providers.

Peter Garrett, managing director at Keyland Developments, commented: “Keyland is in an exciting phase of its evolution and we are incredibly proud to be implementing our new six Capitals approach to sustainable development.

“Planning plays a critical role in the work we undertake and Matthew’s expertise and in-depth knowledge of the statutory planning system will be a valuable addition to our dynamic team.”

Matthew added: “I am delighted to be joining Keyland as it implements its ambitious plans to be the development enabler of choice for both private and public sector landowners across the county.

“I am looking forward to utilising my experience in managing complex planning matters to add value to the business.”

Michael Robinson and Ashley Hollinworth, Our Agency

Digital agency Our Agency has appointed Michael Robinson as digital director and Ashley Hollinworth as technical director.

With 20 years’ experience, Michael first joined Out Agency eight years ago. He will continue to play a key role in the development of the agency’s digital, creative and web development services while providing clients with motion graphics, animation, user experience design and modern digital brand identities.

Prior to joining Our Agency, Ashley was head of digital at direct marketing and production services agency Telescope.

In his new role, Ashley will be responsible for providing clients with automated digital marketing to drive return on investment and develop bespoke systems to help clients convert to a digital workflow.

Ian, founder and managing director of Our Agency, commented: “Demand for innovative, results-driven digital services has accelerated over the past year.

“Michael has successfully led the agency’s digital approach and laid a strong foundation to build upon. The talent and passion he’s demonstrated at Our Agency has placed us at the forefront of web development and design, and he rightly deserves a place on the board.

“Ashley’s appointment further bolsters our team and is a significant part of our digital growth strategy, as too is our move to Leeds. I’m excited to be working with them both as they support our clients and solve their digital challenges.”

Tiffany Jackson, McCormicks Solicitors

McCormicks Solicitors has appointed Tiffany Jackson as a newly-qualified solicitor.

After graduating from the University of Law in Leeds, Tiffany joined the practice as a legal assistant and was awarded a training contract in 2019.

Tiffany assists the head of commercial property in acting for a range of clients, dealing primarily with commercial landlord and tenant matters, asset management and sales and purchases across a variety of sectors including retail, industrial and agriculture.

Tiffany also assists in property litigation work and in the property side of some estates and trusts work, as well as assisting with residential property transactions.

Senior partner Peter McCormick commented:: “Tiffany’s qualification strengthens our Property team still further at a very busy time.

“She has worked hard, shown ambition and is highly thought of by our clients.”

Peter Hampson, Gordons

Law firm Gordons has appointed Peter Hampson as head of regulatory.

An experienced solicitor specialising in business regulatory, crime and misconduct matters, Peter has represented individuals and companies across a range of regulatory and misconduct matters from regulators such as the Care Quality Commission, Trading Standards, HMRC, Environmental Agency and Food Standards Agency.

Peter was previously at law firm Rradar where he was a business crime and regulation solicitor and has more than nine years’ post-qualification experience.

At Gordons, he will lead a team advising clients on regulatory issues including hygiene, health and safety, environmental, data protection, product compliance, criminal investigations, business investigations and court proceedings.

Commenting on his appointment, Peter said: “Gordons has a strong reputation as a progressive firm that understands the importance of building long-term relationships beyond just transactional advice. This distinct approach provides the ideal environment to continue to develop our regulatory offer.

“Regulatory compliance is an increasingly important consideration for businesses. It is also a fact that Covid-19 compliance is one of the biggest challenges faced by businesses in the current climate.

“Organisations need to reopen safely with robust procedures in place, not only to reduce any chances of spreading coronavirus, but also to avoid any risk of enforcement action from the authorities.

“We are already helping our clients achieve those objectives and I will be seeking out other businesses that we can help navigate through these and other regulatory challenges.”

Gordons litigation partner, Steve McVey, added: “Peter has excellent regulatory and business crime experience, so he is well placed to expand on the great work already done by our specialist regulatory team.

“He is ambitious, knowledgeable and personable which makes him an ideal fit with both our culture and our clients.”

Lindsey Wrenn, Clarion

Commercial law firm Clarion has appointed Lindsey Wrenn as partner in its intellectual property practice.

Chartered Trade Mark Attorney Lindsey has spend more than 25 years as a trade mark specialist, holding senior roles within a number of national and international law firms as well as having worked for a boutique trade mark practice and in-house.

A member of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, Lindsey advises on all aspects of trade mark and registered design protection from brand clearance, filing applications in the UK, Europe and internationally, filing and defending oppositions, invalidity and revocation actions, through to drafting and negotiating licences and assignments.

Lindsey also has wide experience of the enforcement and preservation of trade mark and design rights, including the conduct of hearings before the UK and EU Intellectual Property Offices.

Fellow Clarion IP partner, Sue Streatfield, commented: “Having known Lindsey for many years, she is one of the leading players in this specialist area and will add to our trade mark and registered design expertise, as well as helping us to reinforce our international capabilities.

“I also think Lindsey will thrive in Clarion’s collaborative and nurturing culture – she is very much a team player who enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping to develop junior lawyers.”

Lindsey added: “Clarion was an obvious choice for me, not only because of its first-rate reputation, but also its forward-thinking approach to client service, combined with a collegiate and supportive way of working.

“The team ethos has come across loud and clear in all my dealings with the firm and this was a real draw for me. I was particularly impressed by Clarion’s recent accreditation as one of the ‘Best Small Companies to Work For’ by The Sunday Times.

“To be joining the dynamic IP team at Clarion to strengthen its trade mark offering is a very exciting prospect. The team has already built up a solid trade mark and design practice with an enviable client base. With my extensive experience and contacts, I am relishing the opportunity of helping to develop and move the practice forward, alongside the team.”

Alison Cook, Stafforce

Recruitment specialist Stafforce has appointed Alison Cook as operations director.

Currently head of the Stafforce managed services brand, Alison will now take over operational responsibilities with the long term goal of aligning the internal processes, client delivery and the candidate experiences of the Stafforce branch network and managed services brands.

Having started her career at Stafforce in 2005 in the Hull branch, Alison has progressed in the team over the last 16 years, becoming head of Stafforce managed services in 2018.

Alison commented: “The UK is currently experiencing some major challenges in the labour pool. Brexit has impacted the number of migrant workers in the UK and there are likely to be redundancies in the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors.

“It is vital that we re-position the industries we represent so that opportunities in food, manufacturing and engineering are seen as an attractive long term career choice and attract this highly skilled talent pool.

“Our aim is to position our clients as employers of choice and help people to retrain or transfer skills so that our vacancies are filled with the right people.”

Stafforce managing director, Tony Boorman, added: “Alison has the insight and past experience to help Stafforce and Stafforce managed services deliver our service in a way which meets both the recruitment needs of our clients and also ensures all candidates feel valued in the workplace.

“Each recruitment need requires a different approach depending on the industry scenario and location. Our goal is to ensure these needs are met by having the right systems and processes in place to assess candidates quickly and easily so that employers have access to the best quality workers.”