People: Law firm makes senior hire from Eversheds; Events manager saddles up for racecourse role; and more

Law firm Weightmans has appointed specialist planning lawyer Bob Pritchard.

Pritchard joins Weightmans as partner in the national planning and infrastructure team, based in the firm’s Leeds office.

He previously worked at Eversheds where he was head of devolution matters. He has also worked at a senior level in local government including monitoring officer and head of legal roles in addition to specialising in planning and infrastructure.

He has considerable experience of all aspects of planning law and has played a leading role in  some of the most significant regeneration schemes and major development projects in the Leeds City Region. He also advises on issues concerning devolution and city region planning. In addition to his legal practice, Bob is a Legal Associate of the Royal Town Planning Institute, a visiting lecturer in planning matters at Leeds Beckett University and a regular contributor to legal journals.

Lee Gordon, partner and head of Weightmans planning and infrastructure team, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Bob to our quickly growing team. Bob has a fantastic reputation in the market, brings a wealth of experience and has already made a really positive impact. He is trusted adviser to many public bodies in the region and nationally on large scale and sensitive projects and his track record of delivery speaks for itself.”

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A sales professional is swapping three decades of airline experience to take up the reins as event sales manager at Doncaster Racecourse.

Joanne Grainger joins the team at the racecourse from China Airlines where she worked for 20 years.

She said: “I’m originally from the Doncaster area so it is fantastic to be taking on this role at such an iconic venue in the town.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out and about representing such a successful local venue and helping to grow new conference and event business for the racecourse.

“It is a very exciting time to be at the racecourse with the development of the onsite hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, which is due for completion by the summer. This will certainly attract business to the region from large corporations who have previously gone elsewhere due to the lack of onsite accommodation.”

The 154-guestroom hotel marks Hilton’s debut in the town and will offer guests extensive panoramic views of the racecourse.

Within the hotel, the Garden Suite is a multi-functional events space with a capacity of up to 500 people that can be used for conferences and events as well as hospitality on a race day.

Tim Banfield, executive director at Doncaster Racecourse, said: “We are very happy to have Joanne on board at this very important time in the racecourse’s history. The hotel’s arrival signifies a step forward for Doncaster’s tourism offering, providing much-needed quality accommodation for racegoers, leisure and business travellers alike.

“Joanne has fantastic sales experience and will be putting her skills to great use in attracting conferences and large events to the town, which will be a real boost to the local economy.”