People: KBL Solicitors; Fairhursts Design Group; Inquesta; K3 Business Technology Group; WHN; UK Container Maintenance
Private client specialist, Zoe Fleming has recently joined KBL Solicitors as Partner and Head of Department, overseeing Wills, Trusts, Tax, and Probate related matters.
Over the past year, the department has seen significant expansion, with the collective experience of the team enabling them to handle some of the most intricate and multifaceted legal challenges facing clients today.
Zoe said: “With offices in Bolton and Blackburn, KBL are a well-established practice with an excellent reputation and enviable client base. This role perfectly aligns with my career aspirations, allowing me to work closely with clients on a personal level, particularly in the complicated and often sensitive realm of the law.”
Zoe holds full professional accreditation with Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE) and serves as a Director of the regional SFE group for the North West. She is also a long standing member of The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), a prestigious professional qualification for solicitors specialising in Wills, Trusts, and Probate.
Debbie Roberts, a Partner at KBL Solicitors, said: “Zoe’s expertise in managing high net worth and complex estates, together with her commitment to understanding each client’s unique circumstances will be invaluable as we strive to achieve the best possible outcome for each and every client.”
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David Batt
Manchester-based architecture and interior design practice, The Fairhursts Design Group (FDG), has appointed David Batt as Head of Interiors. Maria Sidebottom has also joined the team as an interior designer.
Batt joins FDG from Vita Group where he was Head of Interiors for the company’s award-winning premium student accommodation brand, Vita Student, and played a key role in the creation, design and development of its 17 properties in the UK and two abroad.
Previously, Batt has experience working across public and private sector projects from a practice perspective having delivered projects including Double Tree by Hilton Liverpool (Falconer Chester Hall), Co-operative Group’s corporate HQ and Liverpool Library (Austin Smith Lord).
Sidebottom, who is moving from EPR Architects, has a proven track record of creating high quality residential and commercial spaces for the likes of Bruntwood, and will work alongside the existing team from concept stage, through to feasibility studies, space planning, and full design packages.
Mark Adey, managing director, said: “2023 has been a hugely exciting year for the business and we are delighted to end it with not one, but two extremely talented designers joining our interiors team. David has a wealth of experience delivering exceptional environments for a variety of users, as well as having the drive to help us grow the profile and reach of the ID team. We look forward to introducing him to our client base and getting his unique insight on the many interiors projects we have on the books currently.”
Batt said: “Having worked client-side for the last 10 years, joining FDG and having the opportunity to create inspiring environments for a wide variety of clients is something I am looking forward to immensely.”
In addition to the new appointments, FDG has also made a number of promotions across the wider practice. Within the Manchester office, Chris Garrard has been promoted to Executive Associate, Leticia Rodriguez and Jackie Gaitanelis are now Associates and Paul Smith is the firm’s new Head of BIM and Innovation. In FDG’s Southampton team, Matthew Samuels and Andrew LeMarquand have both been promoted to Executive Associates.
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Peter Connor
Insolvency and corporate recovery practice Inquesta has strengthened its team with the appointment of Peter Connor, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the field.
Peter has joined Inquesta as a business development manager. He has previously worked in similar roles at firms including Begbies Traynor and Leonard Curtis. His arrival at Inquesta follows the recent appointments of Jeffrey Cheung and Alex Kay as senior insolvency administrators.
During his career, Peter has dealt with numerous types of insolvencies, including administrations, receiverships and liquidations. His arrival at Inquesta, which has its headquarters in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, comes amid rising corporate insolvencies across England and Wales.
Steven Wiseglass, director of Inquesta, said: “Peter has worked in the corporate rescue and recovery field for 27 years and has built an excellent reputation and strong connections. He has a great track record and proven business acumen, and he is a great addition to the practice alongside Jeffrey and Alex as we develop our team in line with the growing demand we are seeing for our services.”
Peter said: “I’m excited by the challenge of the role and to build on the relationships I’ve established over the years.”
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Kimberly Morgan
K3 Business Technology Group has announced New York-based Kimberly Morgan as Chief Commercial and Operations Officer (CCOO) leading the newly created ‘K3 Fashion Portfolio’, a K3 business unit encompassing K3 Pebblestone, K3 Fashion, and K3 ViJi.
K3 BTG is a top-ranked tech company with its HQ in Salford.
The K3 Fashion Portfolio brings product developers, fashion advisory experts and the go-to-market teams all into the same division. This new model will accelerate K3’s plans to take a prime position in business-critical software solutions focused on fashion and apparel brands.
As CCOO Kimberly Morgan will lead the advisory, sales, marketing, and product development teams to optimise K3’s commercial power, product market fit, and amplify the global market presence of the K3 Fashion Portfolio.
Executive Chairman, Tom Crawford, said: “I am thrilled that Kimberly Morgan will be leading our K3 Fashion Portfolio business. Kim has market experience, customer understanding, and the support of a great team to ensure K3 enables our customers’ businesses to thrive.”
Kimberly Morgan said: “We will actively involve our customers by inviting their feedback, enabling us to continuously enhance our results-driven IP. Additionally, we will consistently engage with key audiences, fostering open dialogue. To ensure the adoption of best practices and maintain agility, we will establish voice of the customer councils and voice of the partner councils, representing the most knowledgeable and talented individuals in the market.”
Kimberly Morgan joined K3 in 2021 and has rapidly risen to CCOO during that time, moving swiftly from North America Vice President of Sales to Global Head of Sales to Chief Commercial and Operations Officer.
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From left: Harry Owen, René McCarthy, Claire Birch, Krishan Mehta
North West law firm, Woodcocks Haworth and Nuttall Solicitors (WHN), has appointed four new legal professionals to support its ongoing growth.
The firm has appointed associate solicitor, Krishan Mehta, and trainee solicitor, René McCarthy, to its family law team. The duo will be primarily based at WHN’s Bury office, supporting clients across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.
Krishan’s role will involve advising and representing clients on children’s services while René will assist family law clients in drafting court applications and forms, preparing statements and dealing with new client enquiries. Krishan and René will also spend time at WHN’s new office in Salford, which the firm opened in November.
Claire Birch has joined WHN’s residential property team as a conveyancer. She brings more than 30 years’ experience in all areas of residential conveyancing and will assist on a wide range of issues including leasehold and freehold properties, new builds, shared ownerships, purchase of land and transfer of equity.
Harry Owen has also been appointed as a paralegal in the corporate and commercial team. He will provide client support on areas including preparing commercial contracts and commercial lease surrenders.
Michael Shroot, CEO, said: “We are seeing a real growth in demand for our services across Greater Manchester and the recent opening of our Salford office has helped attract a number of new personal and business clients looking for specialist legal advice.
“As we grow, it is imperative we find and develop the right people and our latest additions not only bring specialist legal expertise to the firm but a desire to help people solve complex legal issues.”
WHN employees more than 110 staff from offices in Accrington, Bacup, Bury, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Haslingden, Great Harwood, Rawtenstall and Salford.
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Lisa Allsop
Container repair and refurbishment specialist UK Container Maintenance (UKCM), has bolstered its team with the appointment of Lisa Allsop as Logistics and Purchasing Planner.
Lisa joins the Winsford-based firm with a wealth of experience and will utilise her expertise to support the business in a number of key areas including stock control, planning and purchasing of stock, and daily invoicing and tracking invoicing. With proven organisational skills, she will also raise job cards for production.
Lisa said: “UKCM continuously strives to provide solutions for a sustainable future, with a firm commitment to quality and customer service, and I very much look forward to playing an active role in that.”
Claire Capper, Production Director, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Lisa on board here at UKCM. She brings an abundance of knowledge, passion and dedication, and I am confident that she will be a valuable addition to the company.”
