People: Law Debenture; AspinallVerdi; Capify; JD Sports Fashion; Harrison Drury; Farleys Solicitors; Jackson Lees;
Law Debenture, a provider of Independent Professional Services, has appointed Helen Tabiner as a Pensions Trustee.
Manchester-based Helen brings a wealth of experience to the Law Debenture team, having previously spent 10 years at Eversheds Sutherland, most recently as a Principal Associate, following seven years at DLA Piper.
Helen has a strong background working with both corporate and trustee clients of all sizes, ranging from multibillion-pound funds to sub-£20m funds; advising on all aspects of law and strategy throughout the full lifecycle of schemes across both DB and DC.
Law Debenture’s trustees have a diverse set of specialisms, including actuarial, legal, banking and investment, financial, corporate and pension management expertise. The team works across 220 schemes, governing pensions for approximately 10% of the UK’s population.
Helen is working with Pensions Managing Director, Sankar Mahalingham, and the team of 50+ pension professionals at Law Debenture.
She said “Law Debenture’s reputation in the trustee space and track record of success made this an easy decision.”
Sankar Mahalingham said: “Helen brings vast experience and an in-depth knowledge of the pensions space and will bolster our credentials as the UK’s leading provider of trustees.”
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Emma Whitley
Independent nationwide property regeneration consultants, AspinallVerdi, continues to expand with a key appointment at its Liverpool office serving public and private sector clients in the North West of England.
Liverpool born and bred, Emma Whitley, joins the firm at its office at 1 Mann Island as a graduate surveyor following the completion of her degree in Real Estate at Liverpool John Moores University.
Her appointment follows the recent addition of Tom Smith, who joined AspinallVerdi’s northern team as associate director from Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation and Stockport Council.
Their arrival marks an exciting phase of growth and development for the firm, positioning AspinallVerdi to expand its client services across the North West, with a particular focus on Greater Manchester and surrounding area.
Emma said: “I’m excited to be joining such a dynamic and forward-thinking company. I look forward to contributing to the team and making a positive impact on the North West’s regeneration landscape.”
Andy Delaney, lead director for the firm in the North West, said:“Tom has been with us since May and it’s great that our clients can benefit from the valuable knowledge he picked up from delivering several major projects in fast-regenerating Stockport. Emma’s arrival will help us to expand further.”
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Sam Colclough
Capify, the Altrincham-based online SME lender, has appointed Sam Colclough as Head of Technology for both the UK and Australia.
Sam joins Capify at an exciting time for the company, which is experiencing a growth trajectory, leveraging a new £100m credit line from Pollen Street Capital, recent senior team appointments and an expanded product suite.
Sam brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Capify. With more than 20 years of IT leadership experience, Sam will spearhead Capify’s technological and data-driven innovations, empowering the business to continue its growth across the UK and Australia.
He said: “I’m thrilled to join Capify at such an exciting time, Technology is a key enabler of growth, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to further enhance our technology, data and artificial intelligence capabilities.”
Capify COO/CFO, John Rozenbroek, said: “We are thrilled to have Sam join the team. His impressive track record of leveraging technology to drive business growth aligns perfectly with our mission. As we look to scale further, Sam’s leadership will be crucial in taking our data and technology to the next level, ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation in the alternative finance space.”
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Suzi Williams
JD Sports Fashion, the Bury-based athleisurewear retailer, has announced that Suzi Williams, Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee, has notified the group of her intention to step down on November 1, 2024 having completed the foundational phase of remuneration governance change for the group.
Suzi joined the group in May 2022, and has since led the design and delivery of a new remuneration policy and operating structure. With this complete, Suzi will hand over the Remuneration Committee Chair role to Angela Luger on October 1, 2024.
Angela, who joined the board and the Remuneration Committee in June 2023, has previously chaired the Remuneration Committees at Manchester Airport Group and SCS.
Given Angela’s new role as Remuneration Committee Chair, Angela will stand down as ESG Committee Chair, but remain as a member, and Darren Shapland will replace her in this role on October 1, 2024.
Darren joined the board in June 2023 and has served as a member of the ESG Committee since its inception.
Suzi Williams said “Given my expanding commitments, and with the fresh remuneration policy and approach fully delivered, the time is right to hand over to a new chair for the next chapter.”
Andy Higginson, Chair, said: “Suzi is a valued colleague and board member, and we are grateful for her contribution.
“As Chair of the Remuneration Committee she has led the rapid normalisation of remuneration policy and governance structures, delivering much improved support from shareholders. On behalf of the board, I wish her every continued success.”
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Duncan Rawlinson and Jackie Donnelly
North West law firm, Harrison Drury, has further strengthened its residential conveyancing team with the appointment of experienced chartered legal executive, Jackie Donnelly.
Jackie has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry and joins from PD Lawyers, where she spent six years as a residential property lawyer.
She will be based at the firm’s Lancaster office and will advise clients across the region. It is the second appointment within the firm’s North West residential conveyancing team in 2024 and takes the number of solicitors and chartered legal executives in the team to 10.
Duncan Rawlinson, partner and head of home and family division at Harrison Drury, said: “Jackie brings a wealth of experience to the team and already has strong relationships with many local estate agents, mortgage brokers and surveyors. These connections will be invaluable when helping our clients navigate residential property purchases and sales.”
Jackie said: “I pride myself on offering a friendly but professional service to my clients and look forward to working with Duncan and the rest of the team to expand the firm’s presence in the region.”
Jackie’s appointment comes shortly after Harrison Drury recruited experienced solicitor, Jade Driver, to join the residential conveyancing team.
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Top l-r:Anna Billingsley, Amy Jones, Joseph Bridge. Bottom l-r: Lauren Lowens, Armin Pishro, Eve Abdel-Moneim
North West full-service law firm, Farleys Solicitors, is celebrating the retention of all of its qualifying trainees for 2024.
In total, all of the four newly qualified solicitors, who joined the firm’s training programme in 2022, have taken up permanent roles at Farleys.
Anna Billingsley, Joseph Bridge, Olivia Cooper, and Amy Jones have completed two years of training, gaining experience across several departments before finding their specialisms.
Anna has joined the commercial litigation team, based at the firm’s commercial offices on Shadsworth Business Park in Blackburn. She will advise clients on a wide range of litigation, including contract disputes, shareholder disputes, property litigation, and contentious probate.
Joseph takes up a position within the firm’s abuse and inquests team, specialising in abuse claims and claims against local authorities.
Olivia has taken up a permanent role in the firm’s insolvency and commercial litigation team in Preston, having begun her career as a paralegal in the team prior to commencing her training contract. She advises insolvency practitioners, directors, creditors, and debtors in both contentious and non-contentious matters across personal and corporate insolvency.
Amy has joined Farleys’ corporate team and will be based across the Shadsworth and Manchester offices, assisting business owners and management teams with sales and acquisitions of businesses, restructures, and mergers.
Alongside the qualifying trainees, Farleys has welcomed its new intake to its training programme. Eve Abdel-Moneim, Lauren Lowens and Armin Pishro have taken up their first training seats in the firm’s abuse and inquests, family and insolvency departments, respectively.
Nick Molyneux, partner and training principal, said: “I’m pleased to welcome our four qualifying trainee solicitors into permanent roles at the firm. They have all worked hard over the last two years and have now qualified into their chosen areas as highly competent and hardworking solicitors.”
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From left:Abigail Cuffe, Rebecca Neish, Claire Thomas, Oliver Banks, Esther Leach (MD), Haley Farrell (Deputy MD), Claire Martini
Liverpool law firm, Jackson Lees, has expanded its Court of Protection team with the arrival of four new lawyers.
Oliver Banks joins from Vincents Solicitors to head up the Court of Protection team, bringing with him significant experience in both Court of Protection and catastrophic injury work. Prior to this he worked for Fletchers Solicitors.
Also joining is Claire Martini from BBH Legal Services who will act as deputy head of the team, working closely with Oliver in supporting the wider team.
Abigail Cuffe arrives from Vincents Solicitors where she worked with Olivera and will act as a team leader and welfare benefits expert at the firm. Abigail is highly regarded for her expertise in public pensions and welfare benefits.
Claire Thomas, previously of Gamlins Law, takes on the role of team leader, overseeing paralegals, trainees, and newly qualified solicitors. Having first qualified as a chartered legal executive in 2018 and as a solicitor in 2021, Claire brings valuable leadership and expertise to the team.
The firm has also promoted Rebecca Neish from paralegal to Court of Protection executive to support the team. The Court of Protection team headcount now stands at 23.
Esther Leach, managing director of Jackson Lees Group, said: “These appointments reflect our commitment to providing high-quality, responsive services to our clients. We have no doubt that their collective experience will continue to meet the growing needs of our clients.”
Oliver Banks, said: “I am genuinely excited to head such a dynamic and talented team at Jackson Lees.”
