People: Warwickshire CCC appoints former Premiership Rugby chief as chairman; CBRE adds to flexible workplace solutions service; and more

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has confirmed the appointment of former Premiership Rugby chief executive, Mark McCafferty as chairman.

McCafferty has been a member of the club board of directors since 2016 and recently stood down from his 14-year term with Premiership Rugby. During his time there, he led negotiations on three major television deals and developed two long term title partnerships to support international expansion.

McCafferty also devised long-term agreements with the Rugby Football Union, on behalf of the Premiership clubs, which consolidated the Club and Country partnership in England and established the Professional Game Board.

He currently works as an advisor to CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm which has partnered with Premiership Rugby, and he has supported Warwickshire CCC management as a non-executive director since 2016.

McCafferty said: “English cricket fans have had an incredible 2019 and many of those memories were forged here at Edgbaston. We’re now in strong position to build on 2019 and, as has always been the case, Warwickshire will look to be a leader in the next phase of growth and development.

“We have a great group of people here to build further success both on and off the pitch and to achieve something special together. I’m excited about working with the Board to help realise those ambitions and honoured to take on the Chair role at this time.”

He takes over the role from Norman Gascoigne, who stands down following nearly 10 years in post.

During his tenure, Gascoigne oversaw the £32m South and West Stand redevelopment, which has helped Edgbaston establish itself as one of the world’s leading cricket venues and subsequently secure an outstanding allocation of international and domestic fixtures.

Gascoigne said: “It’s been an absolute privilege to have been able to help steer this great club through such an important period of it’s recent history and I am delighted to be handing over the reins to Mark McCafferty.

“In Mark we have someone who has a wealth of experience in sport administration and business and who is widely admired and respected across the sporting landscape. He has provided great insight and support to the executive team and the rest of the board during his tenure as a non-executive director and I know that he will continue to add great value to Warwickshire County Cricket Club having been appointed as chair.”

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Property consultancy CBRE is expanding its flexible workplace solutions service into the Midlands with the appointment of Daniel White to head up the new Birmingham team.

He joins the firm from PropRec, a recruitment consultancy based in the Midlands where he specialised in the flexible property sector. Prior to this, White developed his career as a senior consultant at the largest independent broker for flexible office space in the UK.

In his new role, he will be responsible for advising occupiers, investors and operators on their flexible office leasing and acquisition strategies, leveraging his knowledge of the sector and Midlands market. He will work with CBRE’s other dedicated flexible office advisors in Central London and other UK regions.

Will Ventham, senior director and head of CBRE’s Birmingham office agency team, said: “Daniel’s expertise amplifies our existing capability and builds upon CBRE’s full service offering to both our investor and occupier client base throughout the Midlands. Having built a career in the sector in the Midlands, Daniel is perfectly equipped to support CBRE’s already established Flexible Workplace team and broaden our geographical reach.

“Birmingham continues to experience increasing demand from both established and new entry serviced providers and this trend, coupled with an increasing appetite from SMEs in the Midlands, offers an enviable platform from which to grow our offer.”

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Provident Financial has appointed Neeraj Kapur, group CFO of Solihull-based alternative lender Secure Trust Bank, as chief finance officer.

He will take over from Simon Thomas who informed the board in July he was stepping down from the role for personal health reasons.

Kapur has a strong retail banking background, including consumer finance and savings products expertise.

Malcolm Le May, chief executive of Provident Financial, said:”I am very much looking forward to Neeraj Kapur joining Provident Financial as Chief Finance Officer. He has deep retail banking, consumer finance and savings experience and expertise, and will be an excellent addition to the senior leadership team as we continue to re-establish Provident Financial as the market leading sub-prime lender. Simon has been a great Chief Finance Officer, and on behalf of the Board I would like to thank him for everything he has achieved and wish him all the best for the future.”

Kapur said: ” I look forward to working with Malcolm and the Board as we enact Provident Financial’s social purpose of lending responsibly to the underserved, execute its strategy and deliver sustainable returns to its shareholders.”

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The family law department at Thursfields Solicitors has continued its expansion.

Harbinder Gosal has joined as a senior associate and team leader in the company’s Halesowen office after more than 20 years’ experience at various law firms in the north-west and Midlands.

Gosal, who has a law degree from Manchester University and a legal practice qualification from Nottingham University, lives in Dudley.

She is also a committee member of the Midland Asian Lawyers’ Association, which promotes diversity and raises funds for charities.

Gosal said: “I wanted to move to a local firm which was nationally recognised for its expertise and excellence in family law as well as having a strong sense of community and social responsibility.

“I have been impressed by Thursfields’ growing reputation in these areas, and like the fact that it is keen to invest in its employees.”

Jill Roberts has joined as a chartered legal executive in Thursfields’ Worcester office after more than 10 years’ experience at various law firms in London and the Midlands.

Roberts, who worked full time while studying at Worcester Law School and distance learning through CILEx Law School, now lives in Worcester.

She said: “I wanted to work for a forward-thinking, dynamic firm that is approachable, flexible and looks after their employees.”

Shane Miller, head of the family law department at Thursfields, said: “We’re delighted to have recruited Harbinder and Jill, who both have a wealth of experience in family law.

“Our growing reputation means we are continually appointing top legal experts to our expanding team, making Thursfields’ offer even stronger to clients across the region.”