People: Simpson Millar; Fuuse; KPMG; Convatec; Hurst; Weightmans; Montane Finance
Law firm Simpson Millar has appointed experienced paralegals Josie Ryan and Katie Green.
Spearheaded by industry heavyweight and co-chair of the Court of Protection Practitioners Association (CoPPA), Melanie Varey, the firm’s national CoP team provides expert advice on matters relating to the management of property and financial affairs, as well as disputes relating to the personal welfare of people who lack mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.
Both Katie and Josie join the business with immediate effect as part of the firm’s ongoing recruitment drive within this specialist area and will be based out of the firm’s Manchester office.
Josie Ryan will support on a wide range of health & welfare cases, which address complex issues such as residence, care, sexual relations, contact, and medical decisions.
She joins Simpson Millar after three years working as a barrister’s clerk (practice manager) at a clinical negligence and public law set in London, where she managed Court of Protection and medical treatment matters and assisted with urgent and out of hours high court applications.
Working alongside Josie to support the team, Katie Green will also play an active role in liaising with clients and the Court of Protections in relation to applying for deputyships and managing personal injury Trusts.
Having previously worked in the personal injury field to support people who have been injured at work, the road or a public place, Katie brings to the role a wealth of expertise working with property and affairs, including setting up and maintaining trusts and deputyships for vulnerable clients. She is now studying the LLM LPC part time alongside working, with a view to qualifying as a fully qualified solicitor in the future.
Mel Varey said: “It’s a real pleasure to welcome our latest recruits to the team. Both Katie and Josie bring a wealth of expertise to their roles, and their passion for the work that we do in the Court of Protection department – and across the public law division as a whole – means they are perfectly placed to support our clients, many of whom are vulnerable and have complex needs.”
Josie said: “Mel and the wider team have made both Katie and I feel very welcome, and we are very much looking to working with and on behalf of our clients.”
::
Simon Tate
Electric vehicle charge point management software leader, Fuuse, has named Simon Tate as chief revenue officer, to further accelerate sales in the UK and internationally.
Simon is a respected member of the EV charging community placing number 29 in GreenFleet’s 100 Most Influential of 2023, for his role in advancing the adoption of fleet EV charging infrastructure. He joins the team from Mer, where he spearheaded their rapid growth and helped guide the team to bring in clients, such as Milk & More, FedEx, Asda and IKEA.
He said: “This is a pivotal stage in the EV charging sector as the focus is rapidly shifting towards software and data.”
Michael Gibson, CEO of Lancaster-based Fuuse, welcomed Simon, saying: “His vast knowledge and experience of the EV and fleet markets, allied with his outstanding sales leadership skills, will enable Fuuse to rapidly build on its already considerable success. He also has experience successfully scaling a business in the EV sector as part of the leadership team at Elmtronics, which will be of huge value to me and the team.”
Fuuse has also made several other appointments to support its growth. Kayleigh Sheldon came on board as head of marketing from SWARCO, Rakhim Choudhury and Macauley Baker have joined Fuuse as technical support engineers from Pod Point, Ben O’Neill joins the project management team from Char.gy, Kurt Sanchez has started his role as business development manager having moved from charger manufacturer Wallbox, and Adam Morrissey joining the team from Clenergy EV.
::
Lee Ellis
KPMG UK has appointed three new tax partners in the North of England as the firm continues to invest in its tax and legal services particularly to support its regional business network.
Lee Ellis has joined the business as tax disputes partner. Lee previously worked as a partner for Stewarts Law, where he played a leading role in establishing its tax disputes practice and led the direct tax team. Prior to that, he worked for HMRC’s solicitor’s office.
Meanwhile, Michael Hope has joined as stamp tax partner to lead KPMG’s stamp tax practice. Michael joins after 22 years with PwC as a tax professional. Throughout his career, he has specialised in stamp taxes, a crucial element of large real estate and M&A transactions. In his new role, Michael will lead its stamp taxes offering for clients across the UK.
Andy Watford has joined as partner in the national treasury tax team, with a focus on growing KPMG’s client offering in the regions. Andy joined from Deloitte after 20 years in Leeds and, most recently, London.
Daniel Head, tax partner and head of tax at KPMG UK in the North, said: “We’re growing our tax practice right across the UK and it’s particularly pleasing to see talent coming into the regions. All three of our latest partner recruits have a national role, but all are located here in the North. Their recruitment reflects the increased specialisation we are seeing in tax, and the specialisms they each focus on are all areas where we’re seeing real growth opportunities.”
::
Evelyn Douglas
The board of directors of Deeside-based medical products business, Convatec Group, has approved the appointment of Robyn Butler-Mason as company secretary with effect from September 1, 2023, whereupon Evelyn Douglas will resign as company secretary with effect from that date.
Evelyn Douglas will continue in her role as EVP, chief of corporate strategy and business development and general counsel.
::
New trainees with KPMG partner Anthony Woodings
Accounting and business advisory firm Hurst has welcomed its biggest single intake of trainees, a cohort of 11 new arrivals.
The group is made up of eight university graduates and three sixth-form college leavers. Five of the graduates have joined after gaining degrees in accounting and finance from Manchester Metropolitan University, reinforcing the firm’s strong links with the university.
The five are Antony Vettukuzhiyil, Fahim Ali, Faraaz Iftikhar, Hadiba Ali and Samuel Pakes. Taalyah Riaz has joined from the University of Manchester, Phil Rhodes from Sheffield Hallam University and Lucy Deegan from the University of Leeds. Savera Syed has joined from Loreto College in Manchester, Jacob Rhodes from Ashton Sixth Form College in Tameside and Jacob Popplewell from Ellesmere College in Shropshire.
Anthony Woodings, the Hurst partner responsible for trainee recruitment, said: “We have a long history of recruiting trainees, but this is a significant increase due to a rapidly-growing client base and internal promotions creating new vacancies. Alongside our intake of university graduates, our latest recruits include three sixth-form college leavers, and we anticipate this proportion will grow in the future.”
The 11-strong intake take the total number of trainees recruited by Hurst this year to 15.
::
From left: Emelia Bezant-Gahan, Andrew Steel, Tom Lambourne
Liverpool-based UK law firm Weightmans has further expanded its police team with the arrival of partner Andrew Steel, associate Emelia Bezant-Gahan and solicitor Tom Lambourne.
The trio join the firm from Plexus Law, where they were part of the public sector team, advising on police law and local authority cases. They are based in Weightmans’ Manchester office but advise organisations across the UK.
Andrew Steel said: “The team here has an outstanding reputation in the field of police and public sector law, with a laser focus on client service in what can be an incredibly complex, sensitive and contentious area.”
The news follows the arrival of Orla Scanlan and Nicola Howlett earlier this year.
Nathan East, head of public bodies and emergency services at Weightmans, said: “Andrew, Emelia and Tom are fantastic additions to our national team.”
::
Ian Heesom, left, and Scott Murcott
Montane Finance, a Manchester-based boutique independent broker, has appointed Ian Heesom to the role of director as it seeks to expand its offering across the hospitality and healthcare sectors.
Ian has had a long, successful career within the commercial and corporate banking sector. Specialising in financing property and trading operators across the UK, Heesom holds more than 30 years’ lending experience, having worked for four lending banks – Unity Trust Bank, NatWest, Co-operative Bank and Yorkshire Bank. His experience covers business development and senior lending roles.
In his new role, Ian will work with Scott Murcott and the team at Montane Finance to assist the hospitality and healthcare sectors across the UK, with refinance or supporting growth through acquisition.
Heesom said: “Having worked closely with the Montane team and their clients for many years as a lender, I have direct experience of their commitment to providing high levels of service and maintaining strong client relationships. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to become part of Montane Group’s future growth plans.’’
Managing director, Scott Murcott, said: “We are extremely proud to welcome Ian to the Montane family. His addition to the team heralds a new chapter for the business. Holding a totally unique skillset and reputation, Ian is the consummate professional and will further deliver a market-leading level of service and delivery to our growing client base.”
