People: Creative Retail; Harper James; Sporting Group International; Hub Transport Planning

Retail and leisure property consultancy Creative Retail has announced a partnership with a leading energy specialist to support the delivery of a new service for its clients.

Chartered surveyor, Ciaran Nolan, is working with the Birmingham-based firm as consultant director with responsibility for advising on all energy-related projects.

He has more than 20 years experience in the property industry, including senior executive roles within a national care group and a FTSE 250 company where he acquired and developed over 200 new properties.

More recently Nolan has advised several operators of electric vehicle charging and battery energy storage systems, and has negotiated a significant number of property and land acquisition agreements on their behalf.

He said: “I’m really pleased to be working with Creative Retail within this fast-growing sector. I have a long-standing relationship with the team; they are brilliant at what they do and are continually exploring ways to further enhance their already impressive offering. I believe this partnership will add significant value to their existing client base and play a positive role in the practice’s continued success.”

Matt Pegg, director of Creative Retail, said: “As the UK moves away from fossil fuels in its transportation system, the demands on the electricity network have increased exponentially. Whilst this represents a challenge for government and grid providers, it presents a huge opportunity for landowners and developers. The crossover of these two sectors requires special expertise in both the technical side of energy and the commercial nature of property, and Ciaran is uniquely placed to extract maximum value for our clients by marrying these two worlds.

“In a competitive market that is not yet fully mature, we recognise the significant benefit of providing our clients with a single point of advice. Ciaran is able to review existing property portfolios and quickly identify opportunities and angles unseen by other commercial advisers. It’s another service we are pleased to offer and means clients can be confident of accessing a complete one-stop solution.”

Creative Retail offers guidance on all stages of the retail development process, from initial appraisals and site sourcing to pre-let tenancy agreements, development management and exit strategies.

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Law firm Harper James has appointed Samantha Lenox as head of employee incentives.

Her appointment forms part of the firm’s plan to double its number of lawyers by hiring 60 new solicitors by 2025.

Throughout her career Lenox has worked at top-50 law firms Simmons & Simmons and Taylor Wessing and she has also previously worked in senior roles within the tax departments at PwC and Deloitte.

She said: “It’s exciting to be part of a firm which is disrupting the way legal services are delivered. I’m pleased to be joining Harper James because of their ability to deliver high quality advice to entrepreneurial businesses at affordable prices. I’m also thrilled to have the opportunity to work with a very experienced team to advise clients on employee ownership programmes and continue supporting business growth and wealth creation for all stakeholders.”

Legal services director, Ashley Mott, added: “Having someone with Samantha’s credentials on board is a significant step forward for our existing employee and equity incentive offering. Having a growing team of senior specialists in this important area of law, alongside our existing corporate and employment teams, enables Harper James to meet growing client demand. I’m excited that our clients will benefit from the depth and breadth of Samantha’s experience and expertise.”

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West Bromwich-based Sporting Group International is continuing its expansion with the recruitment of experienced player and coach development specialist Dave Lawrence to lead its new talent management division in football.

Sporting Group International Sports Management aims to provide a tailored management service for players from the men’s and women’s game, which helps them flourish and continue to enhance their talents on the field, but closely manages their off-field contract management, commercial opportunities and personal development.

Lawrence, who is a FIFA Licensed Agent and also holds a UEFA A Coaching Licence, boasts more than 20 years of experience in player and coach development.

Most recently he was director of football for West Bromwich Albion FC Women, where he managed all senior and junior staff, and created an environment that was designed to support the playing squad’s development on and off the pitch. Prior to that he delivered major community programmes, at local level and around the world, as a senior member of staff within the West Bromwich Albion Foundation during the club’s most recent seasons in the Premier League.

Lawrence is also an experienced coach who worked closely with the club’s academy, which produced several current Premier League players during his time at The Hawthorns. He also spent the summer of 2023 working in Category One Status Academy at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

“Dave has played an important role in the development of multiple men’s and women’s professional footballers from his time with West Bromwich Albion,” said Sporting Group International chief executive Adrian Wright.

“In a short time, he oversaw the transition of its women’s team from a community set-up into a professional operation. He is also acutely aware of the support that young footballers, and their families, need in stepping up from the academy into the professional game.

“Given the success of our talent management operation in India, we believe that Dave will be a fantastic asset for Sporting Group International in supporting young footballers on their journey in the game.”

Lawrence said: “Having worked extensively in in men’s and women’s player development for several years, it’s very exciting to provide more tailored support for players and their families through this new venture with Sporting Group International.

“Given the astronomical growth of the women’s game that we are seeing at home and around the world, we believe that we can play a big part in helping players navigate and establish themselves within the professional game, whilst also creating new commercial opportunities.”

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Birmingham city centre-based Hub Transport Planning has made two more appointments to support continued company expansion.

Neil Bateman has joined as a senior transport planner and Bailey Halls Backler has been appointed as a transport planner.

Bateman previously worked in the movement and technology team at Stantec and has a wealth of experience in transport planning across multiple disciplines including residential, energy, construction transport management, active travel, and parking.

Halls Backler’s last role was as a graduate transport planner also at Stantec, where he was involved in transport statements and transport assessments for various sizes of development across the UK.

In August, Hub Transport Planning also welcomed Eleanor Stickler to the role of graduate transport planner in her first role after university.

James Parker, director at Hub Transport Planning, said: “Demand for our transport planning services continues to grow across the UK, so we’re delighted to have Neil and Bailey on board. Together, they will significantly enhance our ability to deliver the service our clients expect. Both have settled in very well and we look forward to seeing their progression within the company.”