People: The latest West Midlands hires
LCP, the national commercial and property investment company, has made four promotions as it looks to boost the business following a strong 12 months.
Barry Flint and Simon Eatough are now associate directors, while Martin Wade has been made senior asset manager, at the West Midlands headquarters in Kingswinford.
In the London office, Jonathan Hughes has been promoted to associate director.
James Buchanan, managing director of LCP, said: “LCP continues to be an ambitious business, with sights set firmly on growing its portfolios in the thriving local convenience retail centres. I’m pleased that despite the obvious challenges of the past 12 months, we are in a strong position for growth. Barry, Simon and Jonathan will be playing key roles in our plans and I congratulate them all on their new appointments.”
:::
Cllr Greg Brackenridge has been elected as the 162nd Mayor of Wolverhampton.
Brackenridge was first elected to City of Wolverhampton Council in 1996 and represents the Wednesfield South ward.
He has been Deputy Mayor for the past two years. He will replace Claire Darke as the city’s first citizen.
The Mayoress for 2021/2022 will be Brackenridge’s wife, Sureena Brackenridge.
Brackenridge represents Wolverhampton as Chair of the West Midlands Fire Authority. He also serves on the Local Government Association National Fire Services Management Committee and the National Joint Council for fire and rescue services and is currently chair of the Fire Safety Scrutiny panel.
He said: “It is an honour to be elected mayor of the city in which I was born and raised and has always been my home.
“Wolverhampton is diverse with people from around the world making our city their home, all religions are represented and a myriad of languages spoken. This is one of our key strengths.
“Our citizens are stoic, determined and welcoming. I promise to celebrate this diversity and support all communities in any way I can to the best of my ability at all times.”
Cllr Sandra Samuels was elected deputy mayor. Her consort is her husband, Karl Samuels.
:::
Zurich UK is to double the number of apprenticeship places in response to high demand.
The insurer says that 30 places will be available this year, up from 15 in 2020.
The initiative is open to applicants of all ages with school leavers and recent graduates being encouraged to secure places as they kick-start their careers.
Zurich UK is partnering with the BYP Network, a network founded to actively connect young black professionals with career opportunities.
Zurich UK’s apprenticeship scheme has been running since 2014 and this year will offer posts lasting from 18 months to three years.
Places are available across the UK including Birmingham, London, Fareham, Glasgow, Swindon and Cardiff.
Michelle Ransome, lead talent acquisition business partner at Zurich Insurance, said: “We are a UK-wide employer so ensuring we are represented throughout all the regions is of paramount importance. Our communities’ matter to us. Even as we approach a ‘post-pandemic world’ there remains a large shadow cast over the jobs market – competition for apprenticeship places is even more intense. We’ve therefore seen applications for all our graduate and apprenticeship schemes soar as students look to jump the jobs queue and gain valuable experience to set them apart from the pack.
“Completing a successful apprenticeship scheme will help school leavers and recent graduates build their skills, network and employability – which will be even more crucial as the UK economy makes it’s tentative steps towards recovery. Young people are the future of our business and Zurich has recently invested £1m in future-proofing its workforce so it can build a truly adaptable and agile teams, helping our employees future proof their careers.”
