Prologis UK; Wright Hassall; Crowe; Johnson Fellows
Darren Freed has joined Prologis UK as a director within the real estate and customer service team in a newly created role for the company.
He joins the Solihull-based owner, developer and investor of logistics property with 20 years of experience in asset and fund management.
Previously employed by Aviva Investors as a director of real assets, Freed successfully repositioned assets totalling £2bn assets under management across Aviva Investors’ real estate business.
Specialising in commercial real estate development and JV stakeholder management, he was previously responsible for managing a range of asset classes in UK real estate and running a team of asset managers across a variety of funds.
His new role will create and execute strategies to maximise income and capital returns and his experience will grow Prologis UK’s Asset Management team, with a focus on deployment of strategic business planning, placemaking, and value-add opportunities.
Freed will also deploy these skills to ensure assets earmarked for redevelopment are capable of being converted to sites ready for capital deployment. This will target lifecycle asset management through repositioning older assets and working with the variety of stakeholders to drive occupancy, value, and NOI improvements.
Prior to Aviva, he was formerly at Hammerson and JLL.
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A law firm has promoted seven solicitors across a variety of its legal teams as it continues to support the development of talent from within.
Wright Hassall has promoted six new senior associates including experienced family solicitor Laura Stocks (Family) and Danielle Pawson (Contentious Probate), who specialises in disputes relating to wills, trusts and the Court of Protection.
The latest round of promotions has also seen Jenny Rhind and Parminder Takhar become senior associates in the company’s expert Commercial Litigation team.
Elsewhere Laura Steel and Patrick McCallum have been promoted to senior associate in Commercial, while Stacey Lambert has been promoted to associate solicitor (Business Immigration).
The seven form the second round of promotions announced by the Warwickshire law firm in recent months, taking its total number to 14 this year already.
Phil Wilding, managing partner at Wright Hassall, which is headquartered at Olympus House in Leamington Spa, said: “We’ve had a really strong start to the year and that is down to the continued hard work of our staff across the board.
“Investing in the development of our people and talent retention is so important to us as a company, so I am really pleased we have been able to reward all seven for their outstanding work and contribution as they continue their journey with us.”
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Crowe, the audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, welcomes Sofia Mohamed and Abdalla Abullahi to its Midlands office as part of its new cohort of ten interns to support the UK-wide programme to get 10,000 young black people into paid internships.
The 10,000 Intern Foundation (10kIF), which began as a UK-wide trial in 2020, offers those from underrepresented groups a flying start at building their career.
The 10kIF intern programme gives young black people the opportunity to receive a minimum six-weeks paid employment, helping kickstart their career at Crowe or develop new skills to support their future in a profession in another sector. Each intern at the firm is supported by a dedicated mentor to guide and support their development.
This year’s cohort join colleagues in Crowe’s other regional offices in Kent, Cheltenham, Manchester, Reading and the firm’s London office.
The experience could also lead to a full-time position as Crowe employed two successful interns following the firm’s inaugural participation in the programme last year.
Crowe UK joins 700 other participating professional firms, multinational corporations, ambitious startups, and public bodies across finance, technology, advertising and over 25 other sectors in offering opportunities for young black people.
Johnathan Dudley, head of manufacturing and managing partner Midlands and South at Crowe UK, said: “Crowe is committed to uncovering talent and creating new horizons for under-represented people, no matter what their background, ethnicity or where they are from; because we want to provide opportunity to all who subscribe to our values.
“We are proud to be partnering with and promoting the 10,000 Interns programme for another year because helping change a societal mindset is a mammoth task and requires positive action from all quarters, to break down unnecessary barriers, for everyone.
“We’re delighted to welcome Sofia and Abdalla to our team as part of this year’s cohort of ten interns across Crowe’s UK business and look forward to helping shape and support their future.”
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Property consultancy Johnson Fellows has expanded its property management team in Birmingham, with the appointment of Angela Lindop, after winning several new instructions.
Lindop, who has been working in commercial property and estate management for four years, joins the company as a senior surveyor. Her experience includes managing offices, business parks and security sites.
In her new role at Johnson Fellows, she will join the team dealing with the management of corporate estates, investment portfolios, landlord service charges, databases and service charge budgets.
Her property career to date includes spells at Mainstay Commercial, in Worcester, and Pennycuick Collins in Birmingham. Before that she worked in the automotive industry delivering compliance.
Property management partner Ian Starbuck said: “I’m sure Angela will prove to be a very valuable addition to our property management team. The department is expanding because we have recently won more management instructions including a significant new contract. We are also seeing some other instructions filter through from existing clients and we have decided the time is right to grow our team.”
