This week's Yorkshire appointments

Siobhan Jeffels and Sarah Manning, Clarion

Law firm Clarion has made two new appointments to its team.

Siobhan Jeffels has been appointed as a legal director, while Sarah Manning joined the team as senior associate mediator.

Having worked in family law for over 20 years, Siobhan has spent the last 10 years as a family solicitor for a North East-based family law firm.

Siobhan specialises in a range of areas of family law including divorce and separation, civil partnerships, prenuptial and cohabitation agreements, finance and child support.

Siobhan is experienced in handling complex financial matrimonial issues, for example, farming cases, and has acted for high net worth individuals, landowners and SME business owners. She is also Resolution accredited.

Sioban commented: “Clarion is well known for its positive culture, for example, it offers flexible working for parents, and it seems like a great place to work with a highly engaged and client-focused team.

“The family practice is renowned as one of the best in the North and I’m excited to play my part in its continued success.”

Sarah Manning joins the team having worked in a niche family and employment practice in Leeds for the last three years. She has over 13 years’ experience in family law and qualified as a mediator in 2012.

Sarah assists individuals in a range of of private family law matters, including pre-nups and post-nups, children disputes and finance disputes. She has experience of dealing with mid to high net worth clients on cases of a complex nature, including those involving overseas assets.

Sarah is a board member of the Family Mediation Association. which raises awareness of mediation within the legal sector and the general public.

Sarah said: “I pride myself on dealing with cases amicably and doing everything I can to keep matters constructive and non-confrontational.

“This approach seems to chime with the Clarion team and I am really looking forward to being part of a full services firm where all of a client’s needs can be met under one roof.”

Justine Osmotherley, partner and head of Clarion’s family practice, added: “The family team has seen three years of exceptional growth with the practice consistently beating targets as demand for our services has increased, based on the strength of our reputation. The recruitment of these two talented lawyers helps grow our technical expertise.

“Siobhan has an impressive track record of handling complex matrimonial cases and with her experience in the farming sector, she will further boost our specialist agricultural offering.

“Sarah also brings a wealth of experience with her and, as an accredited mediator, her skills fit well with our commitment to amicable dispute resolution whenever possible. Having built such a cohesive team that shares a common approach to providing outstanding client care, it is also great to find like-minded people who fit with the Clarion ethos.”

Johanna Roberts, ABL Business

Funding specialist ABL Business has appointed Johanna Roberts as finance operations manager.

With over 30 years’ experience in financial services – in sectors which range from retail to offshore banking – Johanna has provided working capital for organisations and facilitated growth strategies ranging from £50k through to complex, multi-million-dollar investments, both in the UK and overseas.

Under her new remit, Johanna will drive forward ABL’s applications for commercial finance, closing specialised client deals and working on key accounts while also spearheading the professional development of her colleagues.

Joint managing director of ABL, Alex Beardsley, commented: “We have bold ambitions for ABL in 2021, but we can only achieve these if we surround ourselves with the very best, straight-talking talent.

“Boasting unrivalled credit and underwriting skills, Johanna’s appointment will enable us to structure higher-level transactions, MBOs, mergers and acquisitions – yet it’s her credentials, passion, and personality which will ultimately drive our national expansion forwards.

“As well as working closely with our clients, Johanna will play a key role in colleague development and ABL’s apprenticeship scheme – nurturing the next generation of SME finance professionals and helping UK SMEs to prosper. We want to change the face of this industry, for the people who work in it too.”

Johanna added: “Although the financial services landscape has changed considerably since 1990, the cashflow needs of almost every SME remains the same.

“I’ve always held a keen interest in finding new ways to increase efficiency and efficacy and ABL is certainly not afraid to challenge the norm – something which is so refreshing as the nation starts to trade its way out of the pandemic.

“Now, more than ever, business owners don’t have time to get caught up in the minutiae of complex finance, so being able to work with a team which provides straight-talking, jargon-free advice is incredibly refreshing.”

David Simister, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce

Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce has appointed David Simister as chief executive.

David, who co-founded Different PR in the town in 2006, has taken over the reins of the business organisation from outgoing CEO Sandra Doherty.

David began his working life in the town’s hospitality sector before moving into newspapers as a reporter on the Harrogate Advertiser, Ripon Gazette and Yorkshire Post.

David then moved into public relations, learning and developing his skill at Yorkshire Water, rising from press officer to PR and media manager. He is also a former Harrogate Borough Councillor and North Yorkshire County Councillor.

David commented: “It is a great honour and a privilege to be taking on the role of chief executive at Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce.

“This organisation is one that represents not only the businesses of Harrogate, but those of the wider district. Its job is to give them a strong voice and one that will be heard, loudly and clearly, where it matters.”

Harrogate District Chamber president Martin Gerrard said: “For the last 12 months, David has been our PR coordinator, and in that time he has grasped a thorough understanding of the Chamber.

“When Sandra announced her imminent retirement, I asked David if he would consider taking on the role. He is incredibly passionate about Harrogate, his business is based here, he’s very well connected and knows the political landscape well.

“I’m delighted he agreed, and look forward to working with him as Harrogate District Chamber begins another chapter in its long history. I too want to pay tribute to Sandra Doherty for all her hard work and efforts in leading the Chamber for the last five years.”

Chris Brownlee, Dow Schofield Watts

Advisory firm Dow Schofield Watts has appointed Chris Brownlee to the team.

Chris joins from PWC, where he qualified as a chartered accountant and spent four years in the audit department working with clients including ‘Magic Circle’ law firms, major construction companies and large US and European corporates.

At Dow Schofield Watts, he will be carrying out due diligence for companies and investors engaged in mergers, acquisitions and other corporate deals.

Sophie Colloby, head of Dow Schofield Watts Transaction Services in Leeds, said: “Chris’s arrival comes at a very busy time for us, with strong demand from clients and lots of exciting deals in the pipeline.

“We are currently undergoing a period of growth and look forward to announcing new appointments in the near future.”

Ellen Bingley, Erris Homes

SME housebuilder Erris Homes has appointed Ellen Bingley as aftersales coordinator.

New recruit Ellen will be responsible for the administration of homeowner enquiries, working alongside aftersales manager Colin Wilson.

Ellen brings several years of administrative experience and a range of industry knowledge to support her in the role.

Aftersales manager Colin Wilson commented: “I am thrilled to welcome Ellen to the aftersales department, and I have no doubt she will be an asset to the entire Erris Homes team.

“This expansion of the customer care team places Erris Homes on the front foot when it comes to providing the best service possible to our customers across Yorkshire.”

Daniel Walker and Matt Harriman, Gent Visick

Property consultancy Gent Visick (GV) has promoted Daniel Walker and Matt Harriman to associate directors.

Matt works in GV’s building consultancy division and Daniel works across the company’s agency and investment divisions. The pair have expanded their roles and responsibilities in the last 12 months.

Matt oversees an array of projects, including recently negotiating more than £1.6m worth of dilapidations claims as well as project managing the conversion of the 25,000 sq ft former Topshop building on Cambridge Street in Harrogate into a mixed-use retail and office development.

Daniel has been involved in several deals over the past 12 months, including leasing a 400,000 sq ft distribution centre off Junction 31 of the M62, the acquisition of 90,000 sq ft at Stakehill Industrial Estate and overseeing Total Park, a new 195,000 sq ft logistics development to the east of Leeds on Pontefract Lane.

Daniel said: “I’m absolutely delighted with this promotion. We work in a fast-moving environment and although I initially worked in the agency team, I’ve always been given the freedom and encouragement to respond to opportunities as they arise, whether clients are looking for investment opportunities or buying development sites.

“This has led to me evolving into a role working across several divisions and it’s these types of opportunities that differentiate GV from many other property companies.”

Matt added: “Our building consultancy team has had a very busy 12 months. We are now working on a vast range of refurbishment schemes and new build projects driven by high demand from landlords, occupiers and investors across the industrial market and all other property sectors.

“Receiving this promotion is part of it being a new era at GV and comes at a really exciting time for our team.”