People: DLA Piper announces raft of appointments; Property management group bolsters senior management team; and more

DLA Piper is continuing its growth across Yorkshire with a number of hires in both the Practice Group and sector teams in the Leeds office.

Ross Corser and Tav Bonsall, both associates, join the Real Estate team.

Corser is working in the planning team and joins from Addleshaws and Bonsall who joins as a newly qualified from Walker Morris in the core real estate team.

The Finance and Projects team also welcome two new recruits.

Jane Mackreth, Legal Director, who brings her 15 years’ experience of working in industry for a multinational FTSE 250 infrastructure business and associate Joanne Bennett who returns to DLA Piper having completed her training at the firm before joining Eversheds.

Richard Johnson has also joined Tax partner David Smith from Eversheds as they head up the practice group across Yorkshire.

Shabaz Ahmed, associate in Litigation and Regulatory, joins from Brown Rudnick and brings his experience in FinTech and Litigation to the Leeds office.

Allison Page, Leeds office managing partner, said: “These latest recruits into the Leeds office continue to show our commitment to the region and offering a breadth and range of expertise which is unparalleled outside London City”.

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RFM Group, the Leeds-based Integrated property services provider, has strengthened its Senior Management Team with the appointment of Leigh Edmonson as Managing Director of the Construction division and Mark Flanagan who has been promoted to Client Services Director.

The duo joins former Managing Director Ian Flanagan who has now assumed the role of CEO and Fiona Stewart, Managing Director of Facilities Management and Building Repair divisions.

Edmonson joins the business from Morgan Sindall and brings with him over 18 years experience in the industry. He will head up RFM Construction Ltd and is tasked with developing and growing the offering which forms part of the Group’s Turnkey service.

Flanagan, who has been with the business since its inception, has been promoted from Commercial Manager to Client Services Director of the Group and is now responsible for overseeing Group Sales, Business Development and all Marketing activity.

Ian Flanagan, CEO of RFM Group, said: “Over the last few years we have experienced a period of expansion and so these new additions to the Senior Management Team are perfectly timed as we move into the next stage of our growth.

“The strategic appointment of Leigh will help us to develop the Construction Division which was born from our original Interiors offering. His wealth of experience will enable us to drive steady and continued growth and he is an incredibly welcome addition to the team.

“Mark has been with us since the very beginning and this move to Client Services Director is extremely well deserved.”

RFM Group was established in 2003 and delivers integrated property services across the UK. With offices in Leeds and Edinburgh, RFM Group provides a seamlessly integrated mix of Construction, Facilities and Repair services which begin with a consultancy led approach.

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JLL has announced the appointment of Graham Blenkarne to its Yorkshire and North-East Valuation Advisory team.

Blenkarne joins as an associate and will be responsible for undertaking commercial property valuations primarily across the North East of England, covering a geographical patch from Northumberland to North Yorkshire.

Blenkarne qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2011 and was enrolled as an RICS Registered Valuer in 2012.

He has since been undertaking both commercial and residential property valuations within the North East of England for a variety of purposes including secured lending, pension fund, accounting, acquisition and disposal.

Simon Cullimore, director in the JLL Valuation Advisory team, said: “Graham is a welcome addition to our 12-strong team and is well established across the North-East market. This is an important region for us, with many existing clients, and I look forward to working with him as we grow our business further in this region.

“JLL has continued to be successful in providing high quality, independent advice, with excellent local market knowledge.”

Graham has joined from the Teesside office of Sanderson Weatherall.

JLL’s Yorkshire and North-East valuation team provides consultancy and valuation services to a range of clients on commercial assets and residential assets including investment and development opportunities.

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The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) have announced that Kieron Batham-Tomkins has been appointed Chair of their Sheffield branch.

At 27-years-old, Batham-Tomkins, a Tax Advisor at BHP, Chartered Accountants, will be the youngest chair to have held the position.

Paul Benton, Tax Manager at Haigh & Co Chartered Accountants based in Doncaster, will take over the role as Vice Chair.

Batham-Tomkins said: “I am delighted to have been appointed and as Chair I want to show how rewarding a career in tax can be to the next generation of trainees, whilst fulfilling the CIOT and ATT’s main aim of promoting education in tax.

“The two bodies both offer exceptional support to their members and I look forward to continuing this whilst encouraging other tax professionals to join and see the benefits.

“The year ahead looks like being an especially busy one for taxpayers and their advisers, with the introduction of quarterly digital reporting for VAT, and businesses which export or import needing to manage the impact of Brexit.”

Zoe Roberts, the outgoing Sheffield branch Chair, added: “I am delighted that Kieron has been appointed Chair and I look forward to seeing how he continues to showcase the great work that the Institute does.

“At BHP, Kieron has demonstrated clear knowledge in the tax arena as well as providing excellent mentoring support for trainees and other members of staff. I have no doubt that with Kieron as Chair the branch will go from strength to strength.”

The branch offers a wide range of technical seminars, tailored soft skills training and social events to its members and non-members.