On the move: the latest East Midlands hires

A Lincolnshire law firm has strengthened its leadership team by appointing a new wills, estates, tax and trusts partner.

Sarah Adams has been appointed by Wilkin Chapman bringing over a decade of experience with her, to help guide clients through the management of their personal affairs.

Adams joins the firm after spending over 12 years at one of Yorkshire’s leading law firms in Hull. She qualified in 2013 and attained her Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners qualification with Distinction in 2015.

She aims to provide clients with a pragmatic approach, delivering complex legal matters. Her proficiency extends to advising clients on tax-related issues, demonstrating her capacity to navigate the often intricate and dry subject matter.

Adams said: “At my previous firm, I received a lot of positive client feedback; regularly going above and beyond for clients in terms of care and customer service and I provide relatable pragmatic advice, as well as technical advice. I can bring my expertise and leadership skills to the team in Grimsby to grow the team here.”

“I think my STEP qualification will greatly benefit our clients at Wilkin Chapman, as it’s technical and difficult to obtain. Becoming a full STEP member is a benchmark that many solicitors strive for – it’s the top qualification for a Wills, estates, tax and trusts lawyer. It allows us to demonstrate our knowledge, passion, and commitment to our specialism.

Michele Wightman, partner, and joint head of the Wills, estates, tax and trusts team, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sarah to the Wilkin Chapman family, who will lead the team in Grimsby. She is incredibly experienced, with being a full STEP member. By having a lot of team members with this qualification, it shows how the firm is constantly striving to provide the very best service to all our clients.”

Northamptonshire contractor, Kori Construction has appointed a head of IT to spearhead the business’s ongoing digital transformation.

Anthony Francis brings 24 years of digital experience to the East Midlands company, including stints in the legal and construction sectors.

In his new role, Francis is aiming to significantly reduce the administrative burden within the business via effective enterprise resource planning (ERP), as well as optimising cyber security to ensure all business and client data is safely stored.

His work will also enable Kori Construction to utilise project data more effectively to make better future decisions and track the carbon emissions of both the business and its projects, helping to minimise its impact on the environment.

Anthony Francis

He said: “Digital transformation is primarily about increasing back office efficiency to support the frontline team. If we can help them to do their jobs as best they can, they can focus on providing an exceptional experience to clients. In this respect, data is king. Data enables us to understand our processes on a deeper level and bring this understanding to our work. It enables us to make better decisions going forward and ultimately, provide a better service to clients.

“AI represents a huge opportunity for construction and as the technology evolves, the possibilities will be almost endless. As part of Kori’s ongoing digital strategy, I will be looking at ways to integrate this technology across the business, to help take us to the next level.”

Jordan Connachie, managing director of Kori Construction, said: “As a business, we have been going through a digital transformation journey over the past couple of years, particularly about financial management. However, we reached a point where we needed to bring in specialist expertise to continue that journey.

“Anthony is hugely knowledgeable about all things digital and has been brought on board to ensure we provide the best working environment for our team, that we handle our data and that of our clients in the most secure way possible, reduce our carbon emissions and integrate new technologies into the business. Over time, I believe his work will have a transformative impact on Kori Construction and the service we can provide to clients.”