People: Evolve Corporate Finance; Stone King; WAA Chosen

Evolve Corporate Finance, headquartered in Birmingham City Centre, has more than doubled the size of its team in the last 12 months to meet increasing demand.

In the last 12 months, the firm has expanded its team of corporate finance specialists, increasing its headcount to a team of 11 including the appointments of Jonathan Wright (partner), and most recently, Tom Hammond (director) and Georgie Arthur (executive).

David Neate, partner and co-founder said: “We launched Evolve to create a national corporate finance business that focuses on advising the owner-managed market across the UK – a part of the market which we see as being underserved. We are delighted about the progress we have made in a short space of time and the wide range of deals we have completed.”

Justin Sparks, partner and co-founder said: “Recruiting new talent in the corporate finance and advisory markets is incredibly competitive. We are excited that we have been able to attract high-quality people to the Evolve team. The individuals who have joined the firm will help us to continue to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients looking to sell, buy, or raise finance.”

Stone King has further strengthened its education practice with the appointment of a key lawyer specialising in education law.

Partner Richard Freeth has joined the firm’s Birmingham office and will be supporting school and college clients across the country regarding all types of legal issues relating to pupils and learners.

Richard Freeth

Freeth has over 20 years of experience in the sector and is a particular specialist in advising on special educational needs and equality issues.

He said: “Stone King is extremely well-respected for its work, particularly in the Education and Charity Sectors, and I am looking forward to working with the education team and wider firm in providing dedicated and excellent support to the wide range of clients to resolve their legal issues.”

Joint heads of the education sector Jean Boyle and Tom Morrison, said: “Richard is a fantastic addition to our specialist education sector group, and he joins us at a time when the demand for specialist SEND legal expertise has never been greater.”

Birmingham-based WAA Chosen has appointed John Edden as senior PR account director, working in the trade and construction team.

Edden has 13 years of experience as a PR practitioner with several Midlands agencies.

Before this, he spent eight years as a journalist with various regional titles where he created content for print and digital channels. He has also worked on a broad range of international brands across a wide spread of sectors.

John Edden

At WAA Chosen, Edden will be working on several key clients including Wienerberger, Geberit, Tarmac and Hamilton.

WAA Chosen managing director Dan Clifford said: “PR is one of our core disciplines and one where we are currently seeing great growth potential for our trade & construction team in particular – hence the appointment of John, who brings an
impressive track record both as a journalist and PR practitioner.”

Edden said: “I am excited to have joined such a talented team of specialist communicators, covering the whole spectrum of disciplines with an impressive international capability.”