People: JM Glendinning; The Works; Lanyon Bowdler

Birmingham-based real estate insurance broker, JM Glendinning, has made two senior promotions to improve client service and support growth.
Spencer Champion-Russell becomes client director and Amanda Rosser is promoted to broking team leader.
Champion-Russell joined the business in September 2020 as an account handler and was promoted to account executive in July 2023.
Over the past year, he has attracted new clients and leveraged his existing network, which has enabled him to move seamlessly into his client director position.
Rosser joined the Real Estate team in July 2023 as an account handler. Her efforts to ensure consistency across client and insurer relationships, along with her support for colleagues and new starters made her the go-to person within the handling team and a natural choice for the broking team leader position.
JM Glendinning real estate managing director Chris Hitch said: “It became apparent soon after Spencer joined us that he has a natural talent for connecting with clients and colleagues. He can also easily identify the challenges our clients face, allowing him to implement insurance programmes that give maximum protection. The respect Spencer has gained across the whole insurance market continues to grow and, as such, his promotion to client director is extremely well deserved.
“We could see Amanda’s potential from day one. She lives and breathes our values and she helps to engender those values in all of our new starters to ensure consistency across our client and insurer relationships. Amanda’s ability to lead in the office meant that her promotion was a natural step for her and for our business.”
TheWorks.co.uk, a value retailer of arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery, has announced that Catherine Glickman will step down as independent non-executive director after more than six years.
Catherine Glickman (credit: The Works)
Glickman joined the Board of The Works on July 19, 2018, and currently serves as chair of the remuneration committee and a member of the audit and nomination committees.
An external search to find Glickman’s successor is underway, and the Board will provide an update in due course.
Steve Bellamy, Chair of The Works, said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Catherine for her contribution to the business over the past six years. She has been a part of The Works’ journey since the IPO in 2018: her insight and experience have been hugely valuable during a period of considerable change. On behalf of both the Board and everyone at The Works, we send her our best wishes for the future.”
An experienced lawyer has joined Shropshire firm, Lanyon Bowdler, after working in London for 30 years.
Senior associate solicitor John Cox has experience in property litigation and has joined Lanyon Bowdler’s dispute resolution team in Telford.
He said: “I know the area well having been brought up in Kynnersley – it’s an ideal location, just five miles from Lanyon Bowdler’s Telford office. It was always my intention to return to the area and having left the very successful specialist firm I co-founded in London thirty years ago, this seems like a good opportunity.
John Cox
“I chose to join Lanyon Bowdler because it is a hugely respected local firm with a strong practice in my area of expertise and I hope to play a role in helping to grow the dispute resolution side of the firm.”
During his career, Cox has built up experience in property litigation, including professional negligence claims against solicitors, along with landlord and tenant disputes, vendor and purchaser disputes, boundary disputes, nuisance claims, and disputes between co-owners.
Andrew Pegg, head of dispute resolution at Lanyon Bowdler, said: “We are delighted to welcome John on board – an appointment that will strengthen the dispute resolution team at a time when we are seeing an expansion of our client base. John works hard for his clients, understanding that their interests are always our top priority. He has an impressive CV which has been built on many years’ experience and will prove to be a valuable asset to our team.”