People: String of hires for law firm; New chair for Severn Trent announced
Black Country law firm Higgs & Sons has welcomed six new legal trainees.
Victoria Boucher, Laura Hackett, Jagdeep Lall, Elizabeth Owen, Charlotte Tsang and Lucy Williams are the latest recruits to the firm’s training programme.
Sophie Wardell, HR Director at Higgs, said: “Our trainee programme is instrumental in our determination to deliver a combination of the very best legal services and client care.
“We are delighted to welcome our new trainees to the firm. We are also thrilled to have retained all of our second-year trainees.”
Former second year trainees Emma Williams, Shana Quinn, Matthew Norgrove, Jenny Tetlow, Ellie Norton and Rebecca Birch have now completed their two-year training programme at Higgs and have been retained by the firm as qualified solicitors.
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The board of Severn Trent has announced that Christine Hodgson has been appointed as the next chair of the company.
She will join the board as an independent non-executive director with effect from 1 January 2020 and will succeed Andrew Duff in April 2020.
Hodgson is currently the executive chair of Capgemini UK and the senior independent director of Standard Chartered. She was previously an independent non-executive director of Ladbrokes Coral Group until 2017.
She joined Capgemini, one of the world’s largest technology and professional services Groups, in 1997 and built her career in a variety of roles including CFO for Capgemini UK plc and for the Global Outsourcing business, CEO of Technology Services North West Europe and the Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. On assuming the chair of Severn Trent Christine will retire from her roles at Capgemini.
Kevin Beeston, the company’s senior independent director who led the planned succession process, said: “I am delighted that Christine will be joining the Company as our new Chair. I believe that she brings the right mix of Board and business skills and experience, as well as a real understanding of our culture and commitment to serve all of our stakeholders well.
“I would also like to place on record our sincere thanks to Andy Duff for his outstanding leadership of the company on behalf of our stakeholders and Board over the past nine years and we wish him the very best for the future.”
Hodgson said: “I am very pleased to have been appointed as a director and chair designate of Severn Trent. I look forward to working with the Board, the executive team and our stakeholders on the opportunities ahead.”
