Appointments: Mills & Reeve; Vivark; Linden Homes; Fletchers Solicitors

LAW firm Mills & Reeve has announced Justin Ripman as new senior partner and Claire Clarke as new managing partner.

Ripman and Clarke, who have served on the Mills & Reeve board since June 2012, will officially take over from Mark Jeffries and Guy Hinchley respectively on June 1, 2015.

Clarke is the first female managing partner at Mills & Reeve, which has an operation in Manchester and Leeds.

Ripman joined Mills & Reeve in 1991 and is a private tax and landed estates expert. He has previously headed the firm’s private tax team and has been a key player in building private client work as a core sector at Mills & Reeve.

Clarke joined the firm in 1996 and has been a partner since 1999. A corporate lawyer focusing on education and business clients, she is also leader of the firm’s corporate and commercial services division. She has recently been involved in driving forward board initiatives around partner performance and development.

Hinchley will remain a partner, working on a number of projects including progressing the delivery of the firm’s growth plans in Leeds and Manchester. Jeffries, who has been with Mills & Reeve for 35 years and was also managing partner from 2001-2007, will also continue with the firm as a consultant, which will include work in the health sector and on client care and development programmes.

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LIVERPOOL-based facilities management company, Vivark, has appointed non-executive director Chris Saxton to the position of chair.

Saxton was previously chief executive at fit-out contractor and facilities management firm Morris and Spottiswood, and has also held director positions at Rok Property Solutions, Bluestone, Morgan Sindall and Snape Limited.

He said: “I’m delighted to accept the position of chair at Vivark and look forward to continuing to oversee the company as it develops, innovates and grows. During 2014, Vivark secured new business, contract extensions and the renewal of the contract with longstanding client, Knowsley Housing Trust, which was valued at £53m. I’m keen to further build on this success in the New Year.”

Vivark is part of the First Ark Group.

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HOUSING developer Linden Homes has strengthened its team in the North West with the appointment of a new regional sales manager.

Sian Pitt is responsible for the company’s sales and marketing activity across current and future developments in the North West, primarily at the Brunswick scheme in central Manchester.

Linden Homes is the residential arm of construction company Galliford Try.
Pitt previously worked for eight years at Bellway Homes and three years at Hollinwood Homes as head of sales and marketing at both companies.

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SOUTHPORT-based serious injury and medical negligence law firm Fletchers Solicitors has appointed of two non-executive directors.

Nigel Savage, the former CEO of The University of Law (formerly The College of Law), and Paul Duncanson, a marketing and brand specialist, have joined the board.
 
Savage stepped down as CEO of The University of Law in March 2014 after leading the organisation for 18 years. Duncanson was managing director of Creativebrief Ltd, a provider of agency intelligence to brand marketers.

Ed Fletcher, the firm’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted with these appointments. Nigel’s experience in governance, leadership and management, and Paul’s wealth of experience in markets and brand management, will help us to sustain the considerable growth that we have experienced in recent years.
 
“They both have very strong commercial expertise and appreciate the challenges of operating in the professional services sector. They join David Walmsley on our board who has a wealth of financial knowledge in running clinical negligence law service organisations.”