People: Colliers International appoints new office head; Redrow welcomes Yorkshire technical manager; and more

Ben Hall, recently appointed Director in the National Capital Markets team at Colliers International, has been made Head of the firm’s Leeds office.

Hall joined Colliers in November 2018 from GVA, where he was a Regional Senior Director and Head of the Leeds office.

In his new role, Hall will be based in Leeds and have an objective of building upon Colliers’ profile in Yorkshire and the North East.

Hall is taking over from Greg Styles, who steps down in order to focus on his national role as Head of Colliers’ Retail Development team.

Tony Horrell, CEO of Colliers International, said: “Ben brings a fresh perspective to the role, while his work as an investment advisor in the region gives him a good overview of the complexities of the Yorkshire market and our clients.”

Ben Hall added: “As Yorkshire and the North East continues to be amongst the most attractive regions for inward investment, I am excited to be heading up the Leeds office, working alongside our extensive national platform to establish a market leading presence for Colliers in this city and the wider region.”

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Solicitor Harriet Reid has been appointed partner at specialist family law firm Silk Family Law, which has offices in North Yorkshire.  

Formerly an associate at the boutique firm, Reid has 25 years’ experience as a family law solicitor.

She is a collaboratively trained lawyer and member of Resolution, the national organisation of family law professionals that promotes a conciliatory and constructive approach to divorce and separation.

Margaret Simpson, who founded Silk Family Law in autumn 2010 with barrister Ian Kennerley and solicitor Kim Fellowes, said: “Harriet’s appointment reflects her contribution to both the firm’s growing client base and our enviable reputation.

“Harriet has particular expertise in complex farming divorces and children matters, often with an international dimension. Internal promotions such as Harriet’s are key to us developing and nurturing top legal talent as Silk Family Law looks forward to celebrating its first 10 years.”

Silk has offices in Newcastle and North Yorkshire (near Scotch Corner) as well as consulting rooms in York, Leeds and London.       

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Housebuilder Redrow has announced the appointment of David Connole as its new technical manager in Yorkshire.

Originally appointed as a senior designer in 2010, and then later promoted to design manager, Connole has now taken on a major role within the technical team of designers and engineers at the company’s Wakefield base.

Connole has worked in the new homes industry for 17 years after graduating from the University of Leeds with a BEng in civil engineering.

As design manager he’s been responsible for many of Redrow’s development layouts and landscaping schemes across the Yorkshire region over the last eight years, including developments like Horsforth Vale, near Leeds.

Paul Oldridge, managing director of Redrow Homes (Yorkshire), said: “Valuing people is one of three key pillars within the Redrow business, alongside creating thriving communities and building responsibly.

“We are committed to ‘home growing’ talent and invest heavily in the individuals we employ so they can maximise their potential. This is demonstrated by more than 50% of our directors coming from internal promotions and we firmly hope this is only the latest step in David’s Redrow journey.”

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Brewfitt, the Huddersfield-based liquid dispense specialist, has appointed Mark Fenton as the new Head of Brand for non-alcoholic brand ‘Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz’.

Launched last year, the Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz concept combines over 20 botanically infused flavours with pure filtered still or sparkling water dispensed from a bar font

Fenton brings with him extensive experience from his previous roles with The Craft Cocktail Company and London Cocktail Club Group, where he played a major part in bringing to market the first fully pasteurised ready to drink draught cocktails.

Fenton said: “Even the major brewers and spirit brands now recognise that the non-alcoholic drink category is growing rapidly but also with it the increasing pressure on the trade to fulfil the demands and needs of an ever increasingly educated consumer -and try to still make a meaningful profit.

“What I really love about Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz is that it delivers a solution for both by offering over 20 delicious and innovative drinks, bottled or table water, desert and (dare I say it) spirit mixer and tonic solutions whilst delivering category leading profits and revenue opportunities for sites.”

Fenton will be part of the Mr Fitz Aqua Spritz team exhibiting at this year’s Pub19 at Olympia.

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Property consultancy Allsop has announced the appointment of Brad Harris as Senior Surveyor at its Leeds office.

Harris has recently joined from Cushman & Wakefield to specialise in residential development and consultancy in the North.

Harris is a qualified Chartered Surveyor with over six years’ experience in land and development.

He has experience in advising both private and public-sector clients on a range of development projects and has been involved in a number of high value  land disposals across the Yorkshire region.

He started his career at Dacres Commercial where he held his position since graduating from Northumbria University in 2012 with a Building Surveying degree. He then joined the Residential Land and Development team at Cushman & Wakefield before joining the Residential Investment and Development team at Allsop.

James Wilson, partner at Allsop, said: “We are delighted to welcome Brad to the Allsop team. Not only will he bring a wealth of knowledge to the role that will complement our team, he has valuable experience in the North of the country, a key market for us.

“With the strength of the existing team and Brad’s arrival, Allsop can continue to provide clients with partner-led market advice.”

Harris added: “It’s a great time to join Allsop, the team are renowned for their expertise and for providing a high-quality service; I am looking forward to being part of this growing team.

“The land market in the North is a key area of growth for Allsop. There is a lot of potential in the region and I expect this to be a fast-growing market over the next few years.”