People: Harris Lamb; Lesniak Swann; Aon

Midlands property consultancy Harris Lamb has strengthened its commercial agency team with the appointment of Ashley Brown, a principal surveyor from Birmingham City Council.

Brown has worked in the authority’s property asset management and income team since 2019.

He said: “I am passionate about helping individuals and companies grow their business, whether it’s their first step with a physical property or whether they are an investor with a portfolio to build. Having interned within commercial agency teams in the past, I missed having a hands-on approach to building relationships with clients and was keen to make the transition from the local authority to an independent business.

“Having both worked and networked within the Birmingham property sector for some years, Harris Lamb needed no introduction. The business has an excellent reputation throughout the region, with a strong client base and a diverse range of instructions. I’d already socialised with some of my new colleagues ahead of the opportunity arising, so when the business announced it was recruiting, I knew it would be a good fit for me and jumped at the chance to apply for a role.”

Neil Slade, director, said: “We are delighted to have Ashley on board. There has been a positive start to the year with the team overseeing several acquisitions and disposals in the industrial and office markets, so Ashley will hit the ground running on several exciting projects.

“We were already familiar with Ashley’s reputation; he has an excellent work ethic and is dynamic and driven. He will slot into the team well and have no doubt he will be a huge asset to the department.”

B2B marketing and PR agency Lesniak Swann has appointed Terri Lowe as their new in-house marketing manager.

With over a decade of experience working in-house and in agencies, Lowe’s key focus will be to make sure the business increases visibility and enquiries from target audiences across the construction and engineering sectors.

Terri Lowe

Alex Swann, managing director of Lesniak Swann, said: “Terri has a strong background working with large international organisations to deliver effective marketing campaigns. So she understands the challenges they face, how a good agency can help to solve them and how we can best demonstrate this.

“It’s an exciting time for us as we continue to add notable new clients and grow our billings. To do this successfully we look to attract and develop the very best talent in the area, and Terri is a great example of this.

“We’re confident that she will play an important role as we seek to maintain our growth trajectory and spread the word about how B2B brands can gain an unfair competitive advantage by working with us.”

Lowe said: “Having admired the agency from afar for some time, it’s an exciting opportunity to join their ranks in the creative heart of Stoke on Trent. With the expert Lesniak Swann team as the force behind all our marketing activities, I do not doubt that we’ll continue to hit our growth targets. I look forward to nurturing our already outstanding foundations to grow our client base both in the UK and further afield.”

Wendy Griffiths

Global professional services firm Aon, has announced further significant investment into its Birmingham based commercial risk solutions team with the appointment of Wendy Griffithswho has joined as Executive Director.

Wendy brings to the role a wealth of insurance experience that spans over 30 years.  She spent the last two decades in client facing positions, including a 16-year period at Willis Towers Watson in Birmingham.  She has built significant industry experience across food, agriculture, and beverages both for UK, as well as global businesses.

In her new role, Wendy will support client teams to enhance further the strong capability that already exists.  She will, additionally, assume the account chairman role on several key accounts.

Griffiths said: “Getting to know clients, prospective clients and the team that will support me, is something that genuinely excites me.  I firmly believe that the service you deliver, is only as good as the questions that you ask – and it’s impossible to support a client if you’ve not fully identified the issues.

“Delivering the best to clients is predicated on putting the right team together and then building capability within it, so with this in mind I’m really looking forward to working with the entire team and delivering something meaningful to all our clients, both those we’re already working with as well as those who are currently prospects.”

Debbie Peters, Regional MD at Aon in Birmingham, added: “It’s great news that Wendy has joined our commercial risk team and I look forward to working closely with her to further build our capacity and enhance our service offering in this area.

“Her reputation in this field, both here in the Midlands as well as further afield, is second to none and her commitment to first-class client relationships is something that I will be excited to see Aon’s clients benefit from.”