People: Weightmans; mfg; Acivico

Law firm Weightmans has appointed Mike Brown to lead its counter-fraud team.

He joins from Direct Line Group, where he was head of counter fraud intelligence and disclosure.

At DLG, he successfully implemented a dedicated Intelligence capability and an industry-leading dedicated Data Protection Act (DPA) disclosure function both with a focus on fraud, compliance, and risk.

Prior to that, he was head of fraud intelligence at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, where he led an award-winning team for four years.

Although based in the firm’s Birmingham office, Brown will have national responsibility for the management and development of the firm’s fraud offering including cross class injury work and joining up with its commercial fraud capabilities across the business; developing products that assist in the identification, defence, and where appropriate, prosecution of fraudsters.

Brown said: “I am delighted to join Weightmans – the firm is clearly committed to providing an exceptional service to clients and is really pushing the boundaries in the technology and innovation space. But as we innovate, so too do the fraudsters, so it’s more important than ever that we continuously look at new ways to develop our services; meeting and exceeding the needs of our clients in response. I look forward to working with the team and our customers to develop and deliver new and exciting solutions to tackle fraud head on.”

Weightmans’ head of insurance and director of claims Rob Williams said: “Our counter-fraud work is a crucial part of what we do – insurance fraud is a serious crime, with real consequences for insurers and society at large. Mike is a real trailblazer, with an impressive portfolio of achievements under his belt. We are confident that with him leading the way, our offering will go from strength to strength.”

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mfg Solicitors has added to its agriculture and rural affairs department with the appointment of a new solicitor.

The legal firm, which has offices across Worcestershire, Shropshire and in Birmingham, has appointed farming and rural business expert Emily Regimbeau to the team, which is led by senior partner Iain Morrison.

Regimbeau, a specialist in rural property sales, easements and agricultural tenancies, qualified as a solicitor in 2009 and will handle a variety of casework on behalf of the department’s clients which include farmers, landowners, rural-based businesses and local authorities.

Morrison said: “We are continuously expanding as a team due to the growing number of complex rural issues which farmers and landowners are having to navigate at present.

“This means we need the best specialists in place and I am delighted Emily has joined us. She is experienced in a variety of rural matters and is already a hugely popular and respected solicitor with our clients. Emily is a tremendous addition not just in our department, but for mfg Solicitors as a whole.”

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Building design, consultancy and management company Acivico has announced a series of senior key appointments to drive its growth strategy against a backdrop of changing legislation and increased demand for its services.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduces the biggest changes in the industry for almost half a century, and Acivico is planning for success.

Mark Evans has been appointed a non-executive director for the group. He is currently a senior leader within British Land a FTSE 100 organisation and brings a wide breadth of experience from across commercial, retail, residential and mixed-use properties, with a particular focus on customer experience, digital place making and sustainable operations.

He also has skills in business sales, restructure and integration.

Kevin Blunden is a chartered engineer, a chartered environmentalist, a fellow chartered building engineer, and a fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. He joins Acivico as director of building consultancy, bringing to Acivico his experience of almost 40 years.

He has worked in both public and private sectors as well as providing a technical lead for a major professional body.

Darren Quincey joins Acivico as director of design, construction, and facilities management. He has more than 35 years of experience in the industry, 20 of which at director level and has delivered projects nationwide for well-known and blue chip companies.