People: Vail Williams appoints regional managing partner for the Midlands; New addition for Click Travel; and more

Vail Williams partner Carole Taylor is to lead the property adviser’s Midlands operations after being appointed to the role of regional managing partner.

She will take up the position from the start of June as Chris Cave steps down after eight years at the helm. Cave will continue in his role as a partner at Vail Williams concentrating on specific corporate clients, based at the Birmingham office.

Taylor has almost 30 years’ experience in the regional property market. Since joining Vail Williams over three years ago, she has lead on many major property acquisition and disposal deals for both regional and global companies.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be taking on the role of regional managing partner for the Midlands. Chris has done a fantastic job over the last two years and I plan to build upon that momentum by continuing to expand our offering in the region and beyond.

“While there are some uncertainties facing the property market at the moment with Brexit on the horizon, I’m pleased to say the Midlands is thriving. In the 12 months of last year, Birmingham saw one million square feet take up for offices for the first time ever. It really is an exciting time for the region and the work we are undertaking for our clients reflects the buoyancy of the market.

“Over the last three years, Vail Williams’ Birmingham office has doubled in size and we have doubled the amount of service lines we offer. I plan to continue this growth by bringing a building consultancy team into the office and also diversifying into doing more residential development work.”

Cave added: “I am very pleased to be handing over the reins to the very capable hands of Carole. It’s been a privilege to drive the growth of Vail Williams’ Midlands office over the last few years. I have no doubt that Carole’s extensive knowledge of the regional marketplace will see her achieve great things for the team and our clients as she takes on the role of regional managing partner.”

Senior Surveyor Adam Barnfield will take on Taylor’s previous responsibilities as business development manager for the Midlands.

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Birmingham-based Click Travel has appointed a new head of engineering, a move it says underlines the company’s commitment to becoming a technology leader within the business travel management sector.

Sarah Hale joins the team after six years at travel comparison website Skyscanner, where, as a senior engineering lead, she played a significant role in the company’s rapid growth.

Hale says: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining an aspirational company like Click Travel, especially as it embarks on the next major stage of its development. At Skyscanner, I had first-hand experience of leading an engineering system to facilitate considerable company growth, so I know what works and what doesn’t.

“Initially, I’m really interested in creating a powerful, data-centric approach towards Click Travel’s mission of reducing the cost and complexity of travel management. Through analysing metrics we’ll be able to truly understand our customers’ needs. We can then work to ensure we have a product that continues to meet those needs – and then exceeds them.”

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A & J Mucklow Group, the Midlands-based Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), has announced that James Retallack will be appointed to the board as an independent non-executive director on June 1.

He will join the company’s audit, nomination and remuneration committees.

Retallack, a solicitor, was senior partner at Edge & Ellison (now Squire Patton Boggs) until 2001. He joined Aggregate Industries in 2001 as group resources director and latterly legal and compliance director, as a board and executive committee member, until he left the company in 2011. He is a currently a director of two private property companies.
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