People: Property management firm bolsters team; WBD welcomes new lawyer; and more

Fox Lloyd Jones, the Leeds-based commercial property agents, development advisors and project managers, has expanded its team.

Philip Wilkinson joins from G&T’s Central London Project management team, where he was a director on the Woking Town Centre regeneration project.

With experience across all sectors, his more recent focus has been within retail in both a pre- and post-contract capacity, having worked on major new build and redevelopment schemes for both the John Lewis Partnership and Fenwicks.

Also joining the company is Rachel Groves, having spent the last seven years with Turner and Townsend. Her architectural background will strengthen Fox Lloyd Jones’ project management service, having delivered projects across commercial, retail and government sectors during her career.

Finally, as part of the CEG inspired ‘Forging Futures Professional Apprenticeship’ programme, the company has welcomed Keann Shaw on a two year structured apprenticeship scheme.

Paul Fox of Fox Lloyd Jones, said: “It is great to have been able to attract the calibre of Philip and Rachel to the company both of whom will be able to provide the quality of advice and client management upon which we have grown our reputation.

“We also recognise the importance of helping those starting out on their careers. We will therefore be investing a great deal of time in helping Keann to develop a unique development based skill set and gain the experience which will give him the best possible start in the sector.”

:::

Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson has hired trade mark lawyer, Robin Richardson, to join its Leeds-based Intellectual Property (IP) team.

Richardson joins from KISCH IP, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the South African Institute of IP Law and a South African-qualified Trade Mark practitioner and domain name adjudicator.

His focus include trade marks, social media, domain names and brand protection in the commercial and digital arena.

Patrick Cantrill, Head of IP at WBD, said: “We are delighted that Robin has joined our IP team. He has valuable experience in delivering clear and practical advice to major clients.

“Our trade mark lawyers form part of our full-service IP team which supports our clients across the UK and abroad in need of advice on patent, trademark and design right matters. He is a great addition to our team and we all look forward to working with him.”

Robin added: “I am delighted to be joining the intellectual property team at WBD here in Leeds. The firm as a whole has very strong credentials across its 11 key sectors with a fantastic client portfolio. WBD is clearly committed to growth and is well positioned in the ever changing legal marketplace for success in the future.”

The intellectual property team at WBD has more than 150 qualified IP lawyers and patent and trade mark attorneys across its 26 offices in the US and UK.

:::

A new solicitor has joined the tax, trusts and estates team at national law firm Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth’s office in Leeds.

Sarah Wintle joins the Leeds tax, trusts and estates team from Ward Hadaway, having qualified as a solicitor this year. Her experience includes a wide range of issues with tax and trusts including estate and trust administration, handling probate matters and drafting complex wills.

Wintle also handles planning for later life issues – in which Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth has a specialist national team – including lasting power of attorney and deputyship matters, making applications to the Court of Protection and assisting clients with their affairs under deputyships.

Wintle’s arrival brings the tax, trusts and estates team in Leeds to four – senior associate Andrea Jones formed the team in February this year, joining from Ward Hadaway, and since then has recruited paralegal Stephanie Smith and tax manager Paul Spenceley.

Andrea Jones, senior associate and head of the tax, trusts and estates team in Leeds, said: “I am delighted to have my former colleague Sarah join the team at Irwin Mitchell Private Wealth in Leeds, where a lot of exciting work is being undertaken.

“We have grown very quickly in the last year and Sarah’s appointment proves we are establishing ourselves as an outfit of excellence that can attract new talent in the Leeds market.

“There is a huge amount of investment going into Leeds over the coming years and we want to make sure our team is at the forefront of this exciting development in order to meet our growing client base’s needs.”

:::

The Leeds office of Lifecycle announced the appointment of Harriet Gibbs as manager.

Lifecycle is a collective of specialist, non-core professional services provided to over 2000 SME accountants in the UK through Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group (LCBSG) companies.

Gibbs joins Lifecycle from a FTSE 250 recruitment group, where she was a senior consultant specialising in appointments of senior finance candidates across Yorkshire.

She brings with her over six-years’ experience of corporate finance, gained in analyst roles involving business acquisition, disposal and refinance, as well as transactional assignments.

In her new role, Gibbs is responsible for developing the profile of Lifecycle amongst accountants in the city and across Yorkshire.

She is now based in the company’s Park Row office in Leeds city centre.

Sean Williams, Director at Leonard Curtis Business Solutions Group in Leeds, said: “As the popularity of Lifecycle continues to grow – and demand for our services increases in Leeds and across Yorkshire – we are delighted to welcome Harriet on board.

“She has enviable financial and commercial experience which, when combined with her proven track record in relationship and business development, is hugely beneficial to regional accountants.

Gibbs added: “Lifecycle is already well established amongst SME accountants and the business owners they advise. I’m delighted to now be giving those local to me in Yorkshire access to specialists and expertise that has previously been the reserve of larger companies.

“By plugging any gaps, we’re helping enhance their service offering, which makes a real difference in terms of practice growth.”

:::

STRI Group, based in Bingley, has announced the appointment of Gwynn Davies as a turfgrass consultant.

Davies has accumulated a wealth of specialist experience during his 15-year career. Initially gaining a First-Class Honours degree in Turfgrass Science and receiving an R&A Scholarship.

Since then, Davies has held several senior positions in golf course management and consultancy, including a stint in turfgrass agronomy at STRI.

He said: “I am delighted to be back with the STRI team and I am looking forward to being able to share my knowledge and experience, supporting the development of sports facilities across the UK.

“I always enjoyed the camaraderie of the team at STRI and Iam excited to join them as they enter a new phase of growth and development in 2019.”

Lee Penrose, STRI Group director, added: “Gwynn is an outstanding sports facility consultant who has expert technical knowledge.

“I have no doubt that Gwynn will hit the ground running and continue to deliver STRI consultancy services to the highest level as expected by our clients.”