People: New partner boosts law firm’s corporate team; Graftongate welcomes construction director; and more

Helen Drayton and new partner Richard Wrigley alongside fellow corporate partners Adam McGiveron and Emma Bryant

Law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper has announced the appointment of corporate lawyer Richard Wrigley as a partner in its Birmingham office.

Wrigley, who was previously a partner at Shakespeare Martineau, is the fourth senior lateral hire the firm has made in the Midlands over the last 12 months, and the third senior appointment into the new corporate team that has been put in place to serve the region.

With more than two decades of experience advising on an extensive range of deals, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, restructurings, and corporate governance matters, Wrigley is well known for his work on complex, strategic and high value transactions, and those with an international dimension. He has a particular focus on the technology and energy sectors, where clients value the specific industry insights he has developed.

Penningtons Manches Cooper established the Birmingham office as its first UK site outside of London and the South East in 2019, following the recruitment of real estate partner Joel Kordan. In summer 2020 he was joined by Gemma Bell, a housing governance expert, and her team of three specialists, and later that year by Dr. Lisa Page, an intellectual property lawyer with a focus on the life sciences sector. in 2021, the firm has turned its focus to building a strong corporate practice, beginning with the recruitment of partners Adam McGiveron and Emma Bryant in May.

Wrigley said: “I’m delighted to be joining Penningtons Manches Cooper at this exciting time of growth for both the corporate team and the Birmingham office more generally. Despite the pressures of the pandemic and current wider uncertainties, the local economy remains strong and I’m keen to ensure we exceed the expectations of our clients active in the deals market.”

Partner and board member Helen Drayton, who leads Penningtons Manches Cooper’s non-contentious business services division, said: “I’m thrilled to welcome Richard to the firm. He is an extremely well regarded corporate partner, with a first-rate understanding of both the local market and the wider UK and international markets. He’ll be a key player to our corporate team as we look to further expand the practice here in the Midlands.

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Commercial real estate investor and developer Graftongate has hired a construction director.

James Martyn-Smith joins the Henley-in-Arden based business with responsibility for overseeing the design, procurement and delivery of its UK development portfolio.

Formerly an associate director at Trinity Property Consultants, Martyn-Smith has gained more than a decade of experience in the commercial property sector with PLCs and privately owned organisations, including RPS.

He will join Graftongate’s experienced development team, led by Colin Beasley and Phil Silk, which has delivered more than £1bn of industrial and logistics developments since its inception.

The investor and developer specialises in the areas of speculative and built-to-suit developments, asset management and land promotion and is wholly owner-managed.

Colin Beasley, principal at Graftongate, said: “We’re delighted to welcome James to Graftongate. He is highly skilled in leading the delivery of project and cost management services across a variety of sectors and has an extensive knowledge of the construction market. Through his expertise and understanding of the whole development lifecycle, James is well placed to identify opportunities and manage risk on behalf of Graftongate and our investment partners.”

James Martyn-Smith said: “Graftongate has an excellent regional and national reputation as an investor and developer, with the capability of developing on anything from green fields to regenerating contaminated brownfield sites. I am excited to have been given the opportunity to join a dynamic and ambitious business with an enviable track record and look forward to continuing the Graftongate’s growth and development.”

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Following the announcement of Damon Walford’s appointment as chief commercial officer last month, CrowdProperty has announced that Steve Morgan has joined the executive team in the role of chief financial officer.

He will also lead the risk agenda at CrowdProperty, as part of the Risk Committee which is chaired by non-executive chairman John Mould.

Morgan is a chartered accountant with 25 years’ experience across senior financial and operational roles, spanning both investment banking and retail banking environments.

Having held the position of head of finance at Weatherbys Bank since 2018, Morgan brings a wealth of financial services expertise, having previously been a managing director at both Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking and Daiwa Capital Markets, and an executive director at Lehman Brothers.

Mike Bristow, CEO of CrowdProperty, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Steve to our leadership team, where his expertise will be a powerful addition to the Executive Team and Board of Directors as we continue on our rapid growth trajectory. The quality, proficiency and deep financial services expertise that Steve will bring to the business adds further firepower to CrowdProperty and further demonstrates our commitment to building a strongly resourced business with market-leading talent through our high growth stages.

“We’re working on a number of exciting business developments behind the scenes, and Steve’s 15 years’ experience of operating at MD level including traversing regulatory scrutiny in large, regulated businesses will stand the business in very good stead as we realise our growth potential.”

Steve Morgan added: “CrowdProperty has an excellent reputation as a leading player in the property lending sector that has delivered hugely impressive results since its’ inception. The business is changing the game of property project finance with a clear vision and strategy for the future which is very exciting.

“I’m looking forward to working with the team on the opportunities and challenges ahead, embedding the right structure and bringing my experience in driving growth to support the business as it scales and further strengthens its proposition to both borrowers and diverse sources of capital.”

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Siobhan Fitzgerald, a partner in TLT’s national employment team, has received the honour of being appointed a Fee-Paid Judge of the Employment Tribunal by the Lord Chancellor.

She will continue in her current role as a partner at TLT, and start working as a judge in the Employment Tribunal’s Midlands West region based in Birmingham.

Fitzgerald joined TLT in 2006 and was made a partner in 2017. She advises TLT’s clients on all aspects of employment law, including in particular the application of TUPE and complex whistleblowing and discrimination claims.

She said: “This has been a career-long ambition of mine, and the timing couldn’t be better as the Tribunal faces such a significant backlog of cases following the pandemic. I’m glad that I can help to ease some of that pressure by joining this intake of new judges, and look forward to applying my knowledge and understanding of the law to my cases.”

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