People: New appointments for financial services company; Realty Law strengthens leadership team with senior hire; and more

Two appointments have been made by Brierley Hill financial services company Abacus Wealth Services.

Helen Spicer joined the company, in Two Woods Lane, as operations manager after having been an office manager for NHS Blood and Transplant, based in Birmingham.

Meanwhile Mike Round has come on board in the role of financial adviser following a successful career in commercial partnerships which included time working in Australian sport.

MD Nigel Round said the new appointments were part of ongoing growth plans for Abacus Wealth Services.

He  said: “We are keen to build on our success and see these new appointments as complementing the strengths  of our business. Our customers appreciate the personal touch to our work which helps us stand out, so adding  to the team will further improve our client services.”

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A Birmingham-based law firm specialising in commercial property debt collection has announced the appointment of a leading property litigator.

Realty Law has hired Darren Clegg to lead the commercial property debt collection practice and develop its extensive portfolio of regional and national clients.

A former partner at national firm Shoosmiths, Clegg is a property litigator who has specialised in commercial and residential property dispute resolution for almost 25 years.

He has previously worked at Martineau Johnson (now Shakespeare Martineau) and Wragge & Co (now Gowling WLG).

Gregory Emms, director of Realty said: “We are very pleased that a lawyer of Darren’s experience and skill has joined us. He has an outstanding track record in advising on all aspects of property management and commercial debt recovery involving land. We know that our commercial clients, who want their debts collected quickly and cost-effectively, will benefit from his appointment.”

Clegg said: “I’m pleased to be joining Realty at this exciting time in its development.  As the economy returns to normal, there will be further opportunities for growth and I look forward to driving Realty’s business forward.”

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Photo by Sam Allard, Fisher

Nigel Hugill has completed his term as chair of The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and has been succeeded by Shriti Vadera.

Vadera is chair of Prudential and was previously chair of Santander UK and served on the boards of Astra Zeneca and BHP.

She has more than 35 years of experience spanning public and private sectors, domestically as well as internationally. She served as a Minister in the Cabinet Office and in the International Development and Business Departments from 2007-2009 and was on the Council of Economic Advisers, HM Treasury from 1999-2007.

After leaving government she served as an adviser to the G20, and to governments across the globe. She started her career as an investment banker.

Hugill said: “‘It has been an absolute privilege to chair the RSC over the past ten years.  Even the most challenging of recent circumstances only served to propel our enduring commitment to education and growing expertise in digital to the fore.  Moreover, with The Comedy of Errors now touring regionally, Matilda the Musical and The Mirror and the Light in London, and a characteristically inventive The Magician’s Elephant as Christmas show in Stratford, ours is a performing organisation coming back strongly off our heels, not our knees.”

Vadera added: “I am very grateful to Nigel Hugill for his commitment, care and extraordinary contribution to the RSC for over a decade.  He has steered the company through the most difficult period of Covid and left the RSC in resilient shape.  Through long-term, steady and regular decisions taken under Nigel’s chairmanship, the RSC has a physical estate in very good shape, especially The Other Place, Swan Wing and Costume Workshop and has become the leading cultural education organisation in the country.

“I am delighted and honoured to be taking on the role of chair. The RSC is rooted in our history, but we strive to be dynamic, relevant and to have the courage to experiment, as our founders did. As a truly national company with a globally recognised brand, we will continue to work for a future dedicated to defining and redefining excellence in the arts, and touching and inspiring as many lives as we can.”