People: Director announced at law firm; Senior Surveyor taken on; and more

National law firm Freeths LLP has bolstered its Insolvency & Restructuring practice with the appointment of Director, Helen Bates.

This latest appointment to the expanding Leeds office of the business will see Bates establish a new team in this city, while working alongside the wider team of 14 across the north in Manchester and Sheffield.

With over 17 years’ experience, Bates is well regarded in the local market. She deals with all aspects of insolvency and restructuring, including contentious and non-contentious matters, regularly bringing or defending claims, advising businesses and individuals in financial distress and advising the various parties to transactional matters, whether this be the seller, buyer, guarantors, funders or other parties to a transaction.

She provides commercial and practical advice to clients, working with many of the national and regional Insolvency Practitioners, lenders, creditors, companies, directors and individuals. Her expertise includes advising on corporate insolvencies (including administrations, receiverships, liquidations and CVAs) and personal insolvency cases, such as IVAs and complex bankruptcy matters.

John May, Managing Partner for Yorkshire and the North West, said: “We are delighted to welcome Helen to the firm. Helen brings with her a wealth of experience to expand the team’s already extensive restructuring and insolvency capability in Yorkshire.

“Helen is part of our commitment to recruit and retain the highest calibre lawyers in the city and, as a result, the team continues to see fantastic growth, providing first class advice to our impressive range of clients. We know Helen will be a valuable resource for our clients.”

Bates said: “I’m delighted to have joined Freeths. It is an exciting opportunity for me to be able to create a team that builds upon the firm’s existing regional capability, while offering a local point of contact in Leeds.

“I’m thrilled to have joined such a progressive firm and I look forward to contributing to the firm’s continued growth and success in Leeds and Yorkshire.”

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CBRE Leeds has appointed a new Senior Surveyor from Garness Jones. Charles Parkinson joins the company’s growing Office Agency team to strengthen its Yorkshire offer.

While at chartered surveyors Garness Jones, Parkinson was Senior Surveyor with experience spanning office, retail, leisure and industrial projects. His work on industrial deals over 850,000 sq ft earned him the CoStar ‘top deal maker’ award this year in the Yorkshire/Humberside region.

In his new role, he will be working alongside Director Alex Hailey and Associate Director Clair McGowan on Landlords office space and with Senior Director Jonathan Shires on Occupier work. Parkinson will undertake projects across Yorkshire and the North East on both sectors.

This latest appointment complements CBRE Leeds’ wider expansion plans, which has seen the growth of the Project Management and Quantity Surveying teams within the Building Consultancy division in recent months.

Jonathan Shires, Senior Director for the Leeds Office Agency team, said: “We are delighted to welcome Charles to the team and look forward to harnessing his skills and expertise on a diverse range of work to strengthen the Office Agency offer in and beyond the region.”

Parkinson added: “I’m proud to be part of the ambitious growth plans for the region and to be making a difference. I am looking forward to working for CBRE and this great team to build on my success in the Humber region.”

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A key figure from Sheffield roofing specialists, Martin-Brooks, is stepping up to lead the regional arm of a trade body for the profession.

The firm’s managing director, John Elmore, has been appointed Yorkshire and North East Chairman of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC).

John took office at the NFRC’s regional annual general meeting, held at Catterick Racecourse in North Yorkshire. He succeeds former Chairman, Gerald Parker, of Holmfirth-based, Parker Maythorn.

Andrew Turnbull, NFRC regional manager for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “We are honoured that John has agreed to act as a spokesperson for our members and I have no doubt he will be an excellent ambassador for the region. He has vast knowledge of the industry and leads an experienced, highly skilled team at Martin-Brooks, who have made a name for themselves nationally as experts in all types of roofing, particularly within the heritage sector.”

In his role as Chairman, Elmore will oversee the NFRC’s seven regional meetings and the AGM. He is also in his first year on the national board of directors, to help shape policy and represent the interests of local members and continues to sit on the organisation’s heritage committee, a position he has held for two years.

Elmore added: “I would like to thank Gerald Parker for the leadership he has provided the region’s roofers for the last two years. As NFRC chair, I aim to focus on training and work closely with members to highlight the need to refresh and advance their skills.

“Martin-Brooks is a great advocate of professional development and I believe membership of our industry’s most respected trade body is hugely beneficial, particularly for start-up businesses, who can not only access training, but also help with health and safety regulations and building standards. It is also an excellent selling point within the private sector.”