People: Lodders welcomes commercial partner; New CEO for Medilink Midlands; and more

Law firm Lodders has appointed commercial lawyer Stuart Price as partner in its corporate and commercial team.

He will work alongside corporate partners Graham Spalding and Brad Quin – who joined Lodders from KPMG in November last year – with responsibility to drive growth and develop the team’s intellectual property, commercial and technology contracts, and data protection work.

“It’s been a very busy and rewarding 12 months for the corporate and commercial team, with substantial growth and numerous notable high-value, high quality deals for principally privately owned regional and national businesses,” said Spalding.

“Stuart’s arrival is testament to our ambition, especially in the area of commercial contracts, IP, technology and data protection work, and he will have plenty of support from the corporate and commercial team as well as from across the firm, to develop this offering.

“Stuart has a great name and reputation in the market, and represents another significant, experienced hire for the team, following on from the recent arrival of partner Brad Quin, and solicitors Lydia Elvin and Nicola Vernon.”

Price joins Lodders from Thursfields Solicitors, where he was instrumental in developing the firm’s commercial and corporate services offering, and launching its Birmingham office in 2017.

He said: “This is a great opportunity to play a part in the continued growth and development of Lodders’ corporate and commercial law offering, and I am relishing the challenge and prospects of working at such an ambitious firm.

“The role will make full use of my expertise in commercial contracts, intellectual property, technology and data protection, along with my interest in media, music and film contracts. Law has many facets, so having a good knowledge of other areas of law that impact on business I feel helps to see the wider picture to the benefit of clients and colleagues alike.”

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Medilink Midlands has appointed Simon Himsworth as CEO.

Himsworth was until recently the life sciences industry transformation, change and key account manager to major BioPharma global brands at BioPhorum.

Darren Clark will remain part of Medilink Midlands as deputy chair of the board of directors.

As part of the progression and adaption into the next stage of Medilink Midlands development, Melanie Davidson has also been promoted to chief operating officer.

Prof Martin Levermore DL, chairman of the board, said: “We are delighted to bring someone of Simon’s talent to Medilink Midlands. Simon has spent over 25 years leading delivery programmes in the public and private sector, and his experience in the life sciences industry and impressive profile, are valuable assets to Medilink Midlands. We look forward to Simon’s injection of fresh and new ideas to enhance our membership and believe that he is the right person to lead the business as we continue to accelerate our strategic approach to nurture and strengthen the Midlands. Simon’s enthusiasm to succeed will heighten our ambitions to be a nationally recognised, well networked, entrepreneurial life sciences community with the skills and business support services that provide an environment for regional businesses to thrive.

“Medilink has delivered impressive growth under Darren’s leadership, for which we are extremely grateful, and I look forward to continuing our close working relationship in his new role as deputy chair. ”

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Estate agent Loveitts has recruited Geoff Solman as senior surveyor in response to increased demand in the commercial market particularly in the retail sector within suburban areas of Coventry.

Joining after ten successful years at Bruton Knowles, Solman now looks to pursue a fresh challenge at Loveitts.

In his new role he will be responsible for selling, letting and acquiring all types of commercial property, as well as helping landlords and tenants on rent reviews and lease renewals.

He said: “Despite city and town centres being very much hollowed out with regards to high street stores, retail properties situated in suburban areas such as Walsgrave Road and Earlsdon, for example, are highly sought after – which has come as quite a surprise given the vacuum created in other urban areas.

“This resurgence can mainly be attributed to the high yield and income that can be generated from such properties as they are more often than not situated in highly populated areas, which in turn provides the opportunity for high levels of footfall and a good return on investment.

“However, it doesn’t stop there.  Industrial property is still at a premium with warehousing and storage facilities in huge demand, land too is ever popular amongst developers and our management clients are constantly seeking more stock. Office property too is attracting interest.

“It is an incredibly exciting marketplace with several opportunities out there which is demonstrated in the number of appraisals we are carrying out in bringing property to market.

“Loveitts has a strong reputation locally as a trusted brand and I am looking to working with the team to further grow our presence in the commercial arena.”