People: Law firm bolsters commercial law team; Tech firm appoints business development manager; and more

Leeds-based law firm Blacks Solicitors LLP has announced the appointments of Phil Parkinson and Jenna Meehan to the Commercial Law team.

With over 15 years of commercial law experience, Parkinson joins Blacks as a Partner where he will be leading, and developing, the Commercial Law team.

He advises on intellectual property and marketing arrangements, and has specialist knowledge in compliance (including GDPR), project management, planning change, and applications of the law in sport.

Following qualification in 2014, Meehan worked in-house for West Yorkshire Combined Authority and joins Blacks as a Solicitor. She will be advising owner managed businesses and SMEs.

Nigel Hoyle, Partner and overall Head of the Corporate & Commercial teams, said: “We are always on the lookout for new talent and Phil and Jenna bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise with them.

“This is a fantastic time for them to join Blacks and we know that they will be valuable additions to the Team.”

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A Harrogate-based technology firm, which uses artificial intelligence to increase knowledge retention and improve skills for companies, has appointed a new Business Development Director.

Georgia Harbison’s new role at Intuitive Learning will involve integrating AI technology with HR to drive business growth through the adoption of its micro-learning platform, Cognito.

Harbison, a business and product development professional, has a proven track record working in the learning and development and automotive sectors. Previous roles include positions held at O&H Vehicle Conversions, AA DriveTech, Intelligent Data Systems and Trafficmaster.

Jonny Jerome, Commercial Director at Intuitive Learning, said: “Georgia’s appointment comes at a very exciting time for the business and she is already playing a critical role in the growth and development of our groundbreaking Cognito platform.

“Microlearning offers a more convenient and faster method than traditional e-learning. Our research shows that the use of Cognito has a significant effect on the retention of learning knowledge and with the simple operation of the platform, even the busy users can take two minutes to learn every day.

“Georgia will be working closely with new and existing clients to demonstrate how the system can replace traditional learning management platforms or work in tandem with them to boost results.”

Intuitive Learning is led by the management team of Jonny Jerome, Mike Routledge and Evan Ritchie.

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Leeds-based Castlehouse Construction has appointed Chris Drake as Contracts Manager to oversee key projects across its growing portfolio.

Drake joins from Harris Construction where he was Contracts Manager working on a variety of projects, including Britvic’s £35m new build in Leeds, Beckton and Rugby and the £1.8m listed building works at Sheffield Girls School.

Prior to that he was freelance Contracts Manager at Wates living space where he delivered a £26m PFI project for Oldham Council.

Drake brings more than 30 years experience in the construction industry to the company and will oversee a range of projects for Castlehouse from start to completion, ensuring work is completed on time and within budget.

Frank Kofler, Managing Director of Castlehouse Construction, said: “We are delighted to welcome Chris to the team. He brings with him a wealth of expertise, having worked on a diverse range of contracts from new build refurbs, apartment blocks and office developments to retail builds, sports complexes and industrial sites.

“Chris has also extensive experience in both the education and healthcare sectors and his skills and knowledge will further enhance our service to clients.”