People: Housing company appoints commercial manager; Birmingham 2022 adds to team; and more

Living Space Housing has appointed Steve Oldacre as its commercial manager.

Solihull-based Living Space Housing launched to the market in 2019 as a specialist in affordable homes. It has a total of 674 residential plots under control, representing a combined value in excess of £113m. The company is on track to deliver 12 developments over the next two years.

Oldacre has joined Living Space from housebuilder Vistry Group, where he held the position of group senior surveyor.

He said: “This role at Living Space presents a great opportunity to work for a young and progressive affordable housing specialist. I have 35 years’ experience in the housebuilding and construction industry but have predominantly worked for large companies to date. Living Space is doing something really innovative and I am excited to take up this position and help drive the commercial department, as the business continues to expand.”

Paul Breen, commercial director of Living Space Housing, said: “Steve has a very strong track record and excellent industry experience, so he has a lot to bring to this pivotal role. Steve and the wider team are constantly working to varying needs and specifications in order to deliver homes for affordable rent and shared ownership, as well as homes to be sold on the open market. We now have 674 homes in our immediate pipeline and are very excited about how quickly the company is growing.”

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Coventry-based Creative ITC has welcomed Steve Patterson as general manager.

He will be responsible for all operational aspects of the company and for driving its continued growth as a provider of managed cloud services and the virtual desktop solution provider in the engineering professional services sector.

“This appointment marks a new era in Creative’s growth,” said MD Keith Ali. “Steve is an extremely capable pair of hands with a rich industry pedigree and I couldn’t be more pleased to have him on board to drive the Creative ITC business forward.”

“This is a really exciting time to be joining an ambitious, focused business with such impressive technical expertise and team culture,” said Steve Patterson.

“Creative has continued to go from strength to strength and I’m very much looking forward to taking the business to the next level.”

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Nathan Dennis has been appointed as an independent member to the Legacy and Benefits (LAB) committee for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Dennis, founder and director of Wolverhampton-based Legacy Consultants, was selected for the cross-partner group following an extensive recruitment process.

The committee is tasked with establishing a legacy strategy which brings together the ambitions of the Games legacy partners: Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Combined Authority, Department of Digital, Cultural, Media and Sport and the Birmingham 2022 Organising Committee.

This covers key areas which are led by each partner such as business and tourism, jobs and skills, education, sustainability, and culture.

Dennis has previously worked with organisations including KPMG, Mears, HS2 and the Royal Shakespeare Company to develop stakeholder engagement strategies for Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups.

He was consulted by former Prime Minister, David Cameron, following the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police in 2011 and was named in the Top Ten business heroes in The Barclays Trading Places Awards.

Dennis is also a co-founder of First Class Foundation, a charity which delivers services on behalf of West Midlands Combined Authority, the Youth Justice Board and youth offending services across the West Midlands, including a new project focused on reducing serious youth violence.

Dennis said: “I’m incredibly proud to have been appointed as a member of the Legacy and Benefits committee. The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games is such a huge event for our region and we have a unique opportunity to maximise its benefits. I’m really excited by the chance to leave a positive and lasting legacy that will be felt by all facets of our diverse communities in Birmingham and the West Midlands for many years to come.”

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A law firm is giving three young people the opportunity to take their first steps into a career in the legal profession, with a trio of apprenticeship appointments.

Daniel Johns, Ayman Idrees and Noah Lloyd, joined FBC Manby Bowdler in September to begin their studies and work experience.

FBC Manby Bowdler managing director Neil Lloyd said: “We are delighted to welcome our three new apprentices to the firm and hope they will enjoy their studies and experiences of working as part of our team.

“We’ve been offering apprenticeships through our company scheme for five years now and it’s helped us provide access and opportunities to lots of bright and talented young people who may not otherwise have considered a legal career, as the traditional route – through university – wasn’t for them.

“It’s a win-win situation. We provide a well-rounded introduction to the legal profession for our apprentices and support their studies, and in return, we are able to nurture and develop a stream of future lawyers and paralegals who will enhance our firm as they grow.”