People: Chase de Vere makes new hire as it plans to launch investment service; Law firm promotes; and more

Chase de Vere, the firm of independent financial advisers with offices in Birmingham, has announced that Ben Willis has joined the company as head of portfolio management.

Willis will have overall responsibility for managing Chase de Vere’s new discretionary model portfolio service, which is expected to be launched on June 4.

He will work alongside investment research manager, Justine Fearns.

Willis entered the financial services industry in 1999 when he joined Chartwell Investment Management. He left Chartwell in 2006 and joined Whitechurch Securities as head of research and senior investment manager. He was lead manager on several of Whitechurch’s discretionary portfolios which won investment awards for risk adjusted performance, and had joint responsibility for running around £400m, before leaving Whitechurch to join Chase de Vere.

He said: “I am very excited about launching Chase de Vere’s new discretionary investment service, as I know that I have the skill set, experience and expertise to make it a success. I am aiming to translate the award-winning performance I’ve achieved previously to the new portfolios I will be running.

“It has been relatively straightforward to make gains over the past decade, as most assets have risen in value. However, it is likely that we face more challenging times ahead and my experience in generating returns, while effectively managing risk, should prove beneficial for Chase de Vere’s clients.”

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Law firm Browne Jacobson has announced the promotion of 11 lawyers in its Birmingham office.

Ryan Harrison (Commercial) and Rachael Morris (Health) have been promoted to partner.

Bonita Trimmer (Commercial) has been made legal director.

Meanwhile, the following have been promoted to associate:

Jonathan Borer      (Property)
Claire Bridgman     (Health)
Lydia Cox               (Health)
Louise Jeffers         (Health)
Adriana Klincova     (Banking)
Olivia Pearce           (Health)
Charlotte Rathbone  (Health)
Lauren Webb           (Commercial)

Derek Bambury, senior partner at Browne Jacobson, said: “I am delighted that we are further strengthening our business with the development and promotion of these very talented lawyers.
“All 31 have each showcased their specialist expertise and their commitment to protecting the firm’s sterling reputation as leading legal advisers by continuing to deliver high quality advice and exceptional service to our diverse client base.

“We strive to create an environment where our people feel respected, rewarded and free to work to their strengths and where there are a multitude of opportunities available for development and progression so it is fantastic to be able to give them the recognition they each deserve.”

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Midlands-based recruitment specialist Hewett Recruitment has doubled the size of its specialist technical division.

The division, which comprises two separate specialist IT and engineering teams, has bolstered its ranks with the appointment of two new trainee recruiters; James Riach and Steven Harris.
Joining as part of the ‘Hewett Academy’, the pair will embark on a 12-week training course which supports the trainees as they learn on the job.

The recent appointments also coincide with the Year of Engineering, a Government-created year-long campaign designed to tackle the engineering skills gap.

“The skills gaps in the engineering and IT sectors are well-known,” said Laura Hewett, director at Hewett Recruitment. “Modern engineering is a highly-skilled sector that has been dominated by a generation of baby-boomers. With the number of engineers retiring set to outpace the number of engineers graduating demand for jobs in the sector is set to continue to rise.”

“Similarly, job creation in 2018 is being driven by continuous tech innovations. This is a fast-changing industry with many business-critical skills needed which makes it challenging for companies to find the right candidates for their roles. We’ve invested in the latest technology and techniques as well as consolidating and building our experience and contacts within these highly-competitive sectors. We believe now is the right time to expand the division to meet demand.”