People: Senior hire for Harrogate planning consultancy; New addition to RSM’s Leeds office; and more

Harrogate planning consultancy Steve Hesmondhalgh & Associates has appointed Mark Russell as head of planning.

Russell, previously principle planning adviser at the Scottish housebuilders’ national industry body, Homes for Scotland, joins the planning and development practice with more than 17 years’ of public and private sector planning experience.

Recent planning successes for the company, which also has offices in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham,  include enabling fashion design business Inspire Intimates to create new offices in the former Bilton Library in Harrogate, the redevelopment of the highly controversial Boosbeck abattoir near Redcar  for housing, gaining planning approval for a £3m tourism and leisure development at Angrove Country Park near Great Ayton; and gaining planning permission for 145 homes on the edge of Kirklevington near Yarm.

With particular expertise in housing and tourism schemes, the firm works on projects for organisations and individuals across the North of England, collaborating, when projects demand, with a team of specialist consultants including architects, economic and tourism consultants, transport engineers, ecologists and landscape architects.

Managing director Steve Hesmondhalgh said: “I am really pleased to be welcoming a new colleague on board with Mark’s breadth of town planning experience. The changes to the UK planning system mean there are many opportunities emerging for new development that will address the shortage of homes across the country.  As head of planning Mark will lead on a range of the new projects we will be seeing in the coming months.”
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Cushman & Wakefield has made two appointments to its asset services team based in Leeds.

Joe Brinton joins as property manager whilst Elizabeth Millard joins as assistant surveyor.

They join the 12 strong asset services team in Leeds which has recently secured a number of new instructions from both institutional investors and local property company clients.

Brinton joins Cushman & Wakefield from Carter Towler in Leeds where he spent the past two and half years predominantly as a property manager but also has experience in agency and valuation.

Millard began her career with East Riding of Yorkshire Council undertaking estate management and professional work. More recently worked she worked at St Ledger Homes in Doncaster providing valuation advice in respect of assets owned by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

Carl Howarth, partner and head of asset services for Cushman & Wakefield’s Leeds and Newcastle offices, said: “Clients rightly have increasingly high expectations from their managing agents and our property management service offer is continually evolving and making significant investment to surpass those requirements in a changing world.

“Elizabeth and Joe have quickly become established members of the team and both possess the qualities needed to deliver proactive property management with a customer-focused approach. I look forward to seeing both progress their careers with Cushman & Wakefield as we continue to expand our client base across Yorkshire and the North East.”

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Audit, tax and consulting firm RSM has strengthened its HR services practice by recruiting a senior HR consultant in its Leeds office.

Nanette Brimble has more than16 years’ experience working in-house and consulting for a range of businesses, including Yorkshire Building Society, Opera North and the Hay Group; and brings a wealth of people and business management experience to the role. She specialises in management, learning and development, training, reward and change management.

In her new role, she will provide strategic HR support to a growing number of middle market clients in Yorkshire and the North East, whilst growing the practice and its offering across the region.

Kevin O’Connor, RSM’s regional managing partner for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “It’s great to have Nanette on board. In an ever-changing people management landscape, more and more clients are turning to RSM for key HR advice to support development, engagement or strategic change.”