People: Law firm announces incoming chair; Ball & Berry hires new director to cement Birmingham footprint; and more

Law firm Gowling WLG, the official legal advisers to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has announced that Andy Stylianou will become the UK LLP’s new chair effective from May 2020.

The appointment follows the decision of the firm’s current chair, Andrew Witts, to return to his fraud and asset recovery practice full-time in spring 2020.

Witts said: “It’s been a privilege to be chair and to be part of the transformation that has taken us to the thriving international firm we are today. I’m confident there will be more success to come – and I will be offering Andy my full support.”

Stylianou is a long-standing corporate M&A / private equity partner.

He is currently chair of the UK partnership’s Representative Council, through which he has already worked closely with the executive board in areas such as talent management and diversity and inclusion. He was a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Forum and is a mental health champion.

He said: “It’s an exciting new role for me – and we’re very ambitious about where the firm is headed. We’ve always been famous for our people, our culture and going above and beyond for clients – and we’re now competing on a much bigger international scale. I’ll be spending time with people across the firm and our clients around the world, so that we stay ahead of the pack.”

UK chief executive David Fennell commented: “Andrew has been a huge part of the firm’s success – and there’s no one who has put in more travel by planes, trains and automobiles to be there for our clients and our people. Andy is very much in the same mould. We’ve known each other for a long time – and he’s a great ambassador for everything we stand for. I’m looking forward to working with him to deliver our strategy for growth in the UK and globally.”

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Birmingham-based building control specialist Ball & Berry has further bolstered its senior management team with the appointment of regional director Richard Cymler.

Charged with overseeing the expansion of Ball & Berry’s new Birmingham office – which opened in March this year – as well as leading on several high-profile projects currently live within the city, Cymler brings with him 35 years’ experience across the building control sector, with specialisms in offices, industrial, sports stadia and education.

He will lead a growing team of approved inspectors and admin staff, providing building control services across a number of complex construction projects throughout Birmingham and the wider Midlands region.

Landmark projects he has previously provided building control services for in Birmingham include the iconic Fort Dunlop, the relocation of Birmingham City University, the National College for High Speed Rail and the Jaguar Land Rover Body In White (BIW) production facility. He also led the Building Schools for the Future programme in Birmingham, delivering 12 new build schools and 10 refurbishments.

He said: “I am delighted to join the Ball & Berry team, and to have the opportunity to support them in the growth of their third office in Birmingham. My main aspiration is to establish Ball & Berry as the leading corporate Approved Inspector within Birmingham and the Midlands in under five years, because we have huge opportunity to capitalise on.
“Despite the backdrop of doubts regarding HS2, there are so many fantastic developments in progress and in fact, outside of London and the South East, Birmingham has the highest economic growth figures.

“This gives me lots of motivation to seek out and work on projects that present the most value to our firm, and I’ll be focusing on coaching the team through the complexities of building regulations so we continue to be known for the outstanding support we offer our clients.”

Ball & Berry is currently providing services on a number of high profile projects within Birmingham, with Cymler responsible for overseeing developments worth a collective £240m. These include a 13-storey hotel at Exchange Square; 395 apartments in the Jewellery Quarter with Sir Robert McAlpine, and the construction of two 14-storey tower buildings in Coventry for Vita Student.

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Software testing company Edge Testing Solutions, part of Eurofins Digital Testing, has recently added two new financial sector clients to its roster with multi-year, multi-million pound engagements.

As a result of this success, the company has appointed Poorva Baderia as business development manager targeting financial services sector clients in the Midlands and South of England.

Current financial clients include several major building societies and investment companies.

Baderia will operate out of Birmingham with a primary focus on financial services and asset management.

She said: “Our London and Birmingham bases are ideally placed to make the best use of the M4 corridor and M5 link to find exciting clients and projects from Bristol and Wales all the way down to London and Exeter. London is the country’s financial hub, so I see my new role being one where I ensure Edge Testing’s UK-wide business plan progresses in line with the capital’s evolution.

“Additionally, the move of financial sector businesses out of London to the Midlands provides Edge Testing with further opportunities to deliver software testing services.”