People: JLL; Colmore Business District; Tara Group

JLL’s Midlands offering continues to grow following the latest round of promotions in its Birmingham office.

The global real estate services firm has invested in its teams covering industrial & logistics, capital markets, value & risk advisory, hotels and hospitality and property asset management.

Steven Jaggers, who joined the business 13 years ago, has been appointed director for industrial and logistics, while Michael Todd has been promoted to senior vice president within the hotels and hospitality team.

They’re joined by Hattie Matthews, who has been promoted to associate director for value and risk advisory, while Sam Smith, Beth Popple and James Holden have all been named as senior surveyors for value & risk advisory, capital markets and property asset management.

Stuart Smith, head of the Midlands at JLL, said: “The strength of the Midlands business community, strong connections to both the capital and North, and the ambitions of its local political leaders make the region an attractive proposition for economic growth. Despite the headwinds of recent years, the property market in the Midlands remains active and is attracting strong levels of inward investment.

“This latest round of promotions highlights not just our commitment to maintaining the service standards our clients expect, but also to giving our people the opportunity to grow as professionals. They are also recognition of the excellent work carried out by these individuals and I would like to congratulate everyone involved.”

Colmore Business District has appointed three female leaders to its board of directors.

Joanna Lee-Mills, partner, head of social housing development and deputy head of office (Birmingham) at Shakespeare Martineau is the first addition to the Board.

With a background in real estate, her expertise encompasses all aspects of affordable housing development, including portfolio/large-scale acquisitions and sales.

Dedicated to promoting underrepresented communities, Lee-Mills is regularly engaged locally on initiatives that seek to overcome regional and sector challenges and has worked closely with the Birmingham business community, local government and supporting organisations.

She has a passion for mentoring emerging leaders and young professionals and has been on Colmore BID’s Community Building Working Group since 2022.

The second appointment to the board of directors is Alison Kilby, associate director, and Midlands workplace advisory lead at Arup.

Kilby spearheaded the relocation of the firm’s third-largest global office from Solihull into the Business District at the end of 2023.

It included the delivery of social value activity as part of the firm’s commitment to support local communities during the move, which she seeks to continue through this new position.

She brings to the board over 20 years of experience in the built environment, applying global expertise to guide the delivery of local construction projects and sustainable building design to the benefit of the ongoing work of the BID.

Hannah Voogd is a development manager at HBD and marks the firm’s third appointment to the Colmore BID board.

Her previous experience includes roles at Savills and JLL.

Within her current role, Voogd is leading various high-profile schemes to support regeneration and development in the Midlands, ensuring growth within our local communities.

Her ongoing commitment to Colmore BID has seen her involvement in the community building working group evolve into leading the new professionals working group.

She is dedicated to providing career development opportunities for young professionals in the District.

Nicola Fleet-Milne, chair of Colmore BID said: “We are so excited to welcome Joanna, Alison and Hannah and expand our fantastic Board of Directors. Their diverse experience and insights will be invaluable as we continue to drive forward our mission to enhance the economic vitality and quality of working and visiting our District.

 “The appointments reflect the BID’s ongoing efforts to ensure that its leadership is representative of the diverse community it serves. The inclusion of these accomplished women aligns with our strategic goals of fostering inclusive growth and innovation as we enter our BID4 term.”

A family-owned business that unlocks land and builds homes that improve lives has made a trio of director appointments and twelve internal promotions to support its future growth.

Beth Stimpson

Tara Group, which consists of three construction specialists in Chasetown Civil Engineering, Cameron Homes and Keon Homes, has promoted Bethan Stimpson and Robert Tarn as group finance director and group health, safety and environmental director.

The duo is playing a role in the plans of the group, which together sources and acquires land, provides civil engineering and groundworks, builds homes for open market sale and private rent, and works with local authorities and partners to deliver affordable housing.

Rob Tarn

Matt Beckley is the third senior promotion, taking on the role of partnerships director at Keon Homes after overseeing the acquisition of key sites and navigating the firm’s move into the Extra Care space.

Sir John Crabtree, chair of Tara Group said: “We are committed to supporting all our people and providing as many opportunities as possible for them to develop their skills and anchor their careers with us.

“Our expansion is down to the industry-leading individuals that we employ, and I am delighted to see Bethan, Robert and Matt come through as Directors. The surest way for our business to succeed is to encourage and support the great people who work for us in every way we can.”

Matt Beckley

Bethan Stimpson joined the Tara Group Finance department last year, after completing a role as head of legacy for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

She will now be responsible for overseeing the Finance functions for all three companies.

Robert Tarn, who has recently been appointed to the chartered institute of building’s health, safety and wellbeing advisory panel, has been with the group since 2020.

His new role is critical for the development of the business, as it looks to meet the latest legislation and continue to leave a positive social and environmental footprint on the societies in operates.