People: Adkirk Law; Tetra Tech; AST Plastic Containers; Vistry Partnerships; MHA Moore and Smalley
Regional law firm Adkirk Law has appointed a new director to strengthen its senior team offering dedicated specialist services.
Deepika Raino joins the Preston-based firm as head of practice in professional regulation and healthcare from law network Slater and Gordon where she was principal lawyer and brings a wealth of experience in her field.
Deepika said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the dynamic team at Adkirk Law at this stage of growth.
“The company is very clear about its direction and the specialist services it is developing and we are building and enhancing that as we move along. We already have a strong reputation in the region and further afield, and this is growing as clients appreciate the service excellence and advisory support they are receiving.”
Deepika’s experience covers more than 19 years of post-qualification experience in representing professionals facing disciplinary action or fitness-to-practice investigations through to remediation training.
She has also worked in front of the General Medical Council, General Dental Council, Health and Care Professions Council, General Pharmaceutical Council, General Optical Council, General Chiropractic Council, Social Work England, NHS England, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority, the Royal Chartered Institute of Surveyors and the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Rachel Adamson, director and head of fraud and regulatory at Adkirk Law, said: “We feel we’ve hit the jackpot in getting Deepika on our team and we look forward to working with her as we make the next steps in growing the firm across the region and the UK in our specialist services.”
Adkirk Law offers a niche practice with expertise in lease extensions, residential conveyancing, regulatory law, including healthcare, fitness to practice, serious fraud, general regulation and police misconduct.
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Tetra Tech, a provider of high end consulting and engineering services, has announced that Craig Hatch will lead its UK operations that are focused primarily on the defence, housing, transportation, low carbon energy, highways and water sectors.
“Craig has been instrumental in securing new programme wins and has expanded our services for the UK defence agencies,” said Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech CEO.
“His management approach epitomises Tetra Tech’s focus on clients, projects, and staff. With his leadership our UK operations are well positioned for continued growth.”
Craig Hatch
Craig brings more than 30 years of experience in client management, business development, project execution, staff management, and business leadership to the role. He has a Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Diploma in Surveying from The College of Estate Management, University of Reading. Craig is also a chartered surveyor and chartered construction manager being a fellow of the RICS and CIOB.
He was formerly the regional leader for Cumbria at professional services firm WYG. He went on to become managing director of the GB region after the firm adopted the name of its parent company Tetra Tech earlier this year. He will now see his role expanded again as the firm’s UK president, which will see him take on additional responsibility overseeing the UK organisation that operates across a number of sectors in regions such as Yorkshire, Cumbria and Northern Ireland.
Craig said: “With more than 1,100 employees in the United Kingdom, we have been very successful at providing solutions that leverage Tetra Tech’s Leading with Science approach to solve our clients’ most complex challenges.
“We are integrating high end climate change consulting, advanced site mapping and data analytics into our support for a wide range of clients including transport, defence, and the healthcare industries. I look forward to working with our operations to bring best-in-class service to our clients.”
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AST Plastic Containers, a manufacturer of high quality plastic containers based on the Wrexham industrial estate, has expanded its team by appointing a site manager to its recently opened recycling site.
Gavin Shepherd has been involved in the plastics business for 26 years, with previous experience in multiple sector recycling such as fridge, CRT and PET recycling.
Gavin Shepherd
Since joining the company, Gavin has been focusing on delivering of the new recycling initiative as well as ensuring the recycling division flows as efficiently as possible. Additionally, his role involves actively sourcing raw materials and finding buyers for finished products, as well as ensuring compliance to all the regularity authorities.
The site started activity this month, and over the first three years the company aims to recycle 6,000 tonnes of plastic that it uses for its HDPE containers.
Gavin said: “Having spent much of my career at family businesses, I immediately warmed to AST, as it has a distinctive family feel about it. I’m looking forward to helping Matthias and the team fulfil all their ambitious projects, which are right up my street – and will do a lot to promote the benefits of recycling in the plastics industry.”
AST Plastic Containers manufacturers from six sites across Europe and distributes more than 100 million units a year to customers in more than 15 countries.
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Regeneration specialist Vistry Partnerships has appointed Pete Hayes as its new land and partnerships director for the North West region.
The appointment reflects Vistry Partnerships’ ambition to identify additional development opportunities across the North West, and Pete brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in the industry for more than 19 years.
He joins from ENGIE, where he was head of land and partnerships for the North West, and he has previously held roles at Countryside and P&L Construction.
Pete said: “I am immensely proud to be joining Vistry Partnerships’ established team in the North West. For numerous years, the business has proven itself to be a leader in identifying and delivering schemes that transform both the site and surrounding area, and I can’t wait to get under way with the task ahead as we look to deliver our ambitious Project 6000.”
Pete Hayes
Partnerships recently launched Project 6000, an ambitious objective to build 6,000 homes a year by 2022. Pete’s new role will see him tasked with identifying the opportunities to help reach these targets, and he will also be responsible for maximising output from existing secured sites which have the benefit of outline planning permission and strengthening the region’s existing strategic partnerships with housing associations, private investors, local authorities and Homes England.
Vistry Partnerships’ divisional managing director for Central and North, James Warrington, said: “The North West continues to play a central role in supporting our growth strategies and Pete’s appointment reflects our commitment to continue identifying available land which can boost the construction of homes across the region with the pace and urgency we need to deliver our Project 6000 aspirations.”
Pete will join Vistry Partnerships’ regional office in Warrington, and his appointment is part of the business’s broader recruitment drive as it looks to strengthen its workforce. Over the past few weeks, the North West team has added several employees to its ranks, including a new sales director and community engagement coordinator.
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North West accountancy and business advisory firm MHA Moore and Smalley has strengthened its audit team with the promotion of Paul Spencer to the role of partner.
Paul, who joined the firm in September 2010, after graduating from Lancaster University, was previously corporate services director, a role he had held since April 2019.
A specialist in International Financial Reporting Standards and head of the firm’s pension scheme audit team, he manages a diverse portfolio of clients across the retail and manufacturing sectors as well as advising several international groups.
Paul is MHA Moore and Smalley’s 26th partner and the promotion comes as the firm embarks on a three-year growth strategy across its eight offices. Based primarily at the firm’s Preston office, he will continue to work with clients across the region, as well as further afield.
Graham Gordon, managing partner, said: “MHA Moore and Smalley is a firm committed to helping people develop and grow and Paul’s appointment as partner is a prime example of that.
Paul Spencer
“Since joining the practice, he has become integral to our audit team. His experience in financial reporting across a range of sectors and company sizes will continue to be a huge asset to the firm as we embark on a phase of growth over the next three years.”
Paul said: “I am very proud to work for a firm that is committed to developing its people. MHA Moore and Smalley has an excellent training programme and has invested heavily in this in recent years.
“I’m now looking forward to helping the next generation of talented young people reach their potential at MHA Moore and Smalley. I’m also looking forward to working with our colleagues domestically and internationally via MHA and Baker Tilly International.”
MHA Moore and Smalley is part of MHA, a UK-wide association of eight independent accountants and business advisers with 50 offices nationwide. MHA is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, the world’s 10th largest accountancy and business advisory network.
