People: New general manager at Principal York; Irwin Mitchell hires associate; Director joins Turner & Townsend; and more

The Principal York has announced Tracy Harrison as its new General Manager. Harrison has joined the Grade Two listed hotel from Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, where she held the position of Regional Managing Director.

Harrison previously worked for five years at the Malmaison Hotel du Vin Group where she held the positions of Housekeeping Manager and Deputy General Manager at Malmaison Birmingham and subsequently General Manager at Malmaison Reading, receiving the award of General Manager of the Year in 2010. She has also held management roles at a number of hotel groups, including Village Urban Resorts and Marriott Hotels Resorts.

Her appointment marks a return to her childhood home of York where she grew up and, at the age of 15, first cut her teeth in hospitality with a weekend job at Swallows Hotel. Harrison was made Housekeeping Deputy Manager at the age of 17, leading a team of 20 staff.

Tracy said: “It’s an exciting time to join The Principal York – the team has just won a series of accolades, including Best Hotel Interiors in the UK for Laterooms.com, Hotel of the Year at the Visit York Tourism Awards 2017, and a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.

“I am thrilled to be returning to the city where I grew up, and I am looking forward to working with the hotel team to build on all its amazing recent successes.

David Taylor, COO of Principal, added: “I’m delighted that Tracy has joined our senior team and am sure that her strong work ethic and experience, combined with her passion and knowledge of the city of York, will be a huge asset to the business.”

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A new associate has joined the Family Law team at Irwin Mitchell’s private wealth’s Leeds office.

Sarah Buxton, who qualified in 2005, specialises in matrimonial finance matters including wealth protection for cohabiting and divorced couples as well as children matters such as child arrangement orders that often involve cross-jurisdictional aspects.

Sarah is the fourth fee-earner to join the Leeds office’s Family team this year, which now comprises seven fee-earners in total.

Teresa Davidson, Partner and Head of Family in Leeds, said: “The addition of Sarah to the Leeds team strengthens both the office and the firm’s overall northern offering. We’re very pleased to have Sarah, who has a strong background in all areas of family law, joining us.”

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• Turner & Townsend Leeds office has hired Peter Foy as director of the real estate team.

He returns to Yorkshire having previously delivered schemes at The Light on the Headrow and Leeds station upgrade.

Peter has forged a career across major redevelopment and infrastructure schemes such as MediaCity UK in Salford, the Civil Justice Centre in Manchester and more recently major infrastructure schemes for Transport for London.

Mike Briffett, acting strategic lead of the Leeds office, said: “We are delighted to welcome such an experienced practitioner to our team. Peter’s skills and experience will complement the existing team, as well as bring new insights to our clients. Peter’s arrival will enable us to continue to grow and meet the ever changing needs of our clients.”

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Employment lawyer Matthew Yates has joined national, new-model firm Excello Law working from the company’s Leeds office. Yates has a particular interest in the transport and logistics sectors and is also a founding director of road safety programme, Driver First Assist.

He qualified in 1994 and was a partner at DWF for over ten years heading up the transport sector group with responsibility for teams in Leeds, the North East and Manchester. He was most recently a partner at Brabners, heading up their supply chain, infrastructure and logistics sector group.

Yates said: “There are significant challenges facing employers in the coming months and years. The flexibility and modern approach of Excello’s business model will enable me to support my clients in an innovative and bespoke way to meet those challenges.

“I am also looking forward to playing a key role in continuing Excello’s growth across the North of England, particularly in the Yorkshire, Humber and North East regions.“

George Bisnought, managing director of Excello Law, said: “Matthew brings significant experience in the transport and logistics sector to our team at Excello and supports the strong growth we have enjoyed in Leeds since opening our office in 2015.  We are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”