People: Devonshires; Aon; Greenfields Energy Group

Law firm Devonshires has boosted its housing management and property litigation team with the hire of new partner Justine Hunkins.

Hunkins has joined from Forbes Solicitors, where she spent a decade providing assistance to Registered Provider and Local Authority clients.

She will be based in the Birmingham office. She will be joining an HMPL department headed by Donna McCarthy and an office led by Gemma Bell.

Hunkins said: “The Housing Management and Property Litigation Team at Devonshires is absolutely first rate. I am delighted to be joining such an outstanding team and being part of its continued growth.”

Gemma Bell, head of the Birmingham Office said: “Justine is a fantastic addition to our Birmingham office and wider social housing team. Her wealth of experience and history of delivering quality service and leadership will be invaluable to our team. Her decision to join underscores our Birmingham office’s commitment to growth, both now and in the future, and our desire to provide an excellent service to our clients, in the Midlands and nationally.”

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Aon, the professional services firm, has announced that Birmingham-based Lyndsay Cole has been promoted to client director within its commercial risk team as it continues to build its capability for clients within the waste management and renewable energy sectors.

Cole has more than two decades of experience in the insurance industry and has spent the past 12 years with Aon. During this time, she has gained experience across a broad range of client industries including education, manufacturing and financial services, and has also gained her CII Diploma.

She is now supporting clients in the waste sector including one of the UK’s leading waste-to-energy companies and provides valuable insight which enables them to make better informed decisions. In this new role, Lyndsay collaborates closely with Aon colleagues in Birmingham and across the business, notably those in the energy transition team supporting clients with innovative risk solutions.

Chris Barley, head of office for Commercial Risk at Aon in Birmingham, said: “Lyndsay thoroughly deserves this promotion to client director. She works hard to gain a detailed understanding of clients’ needs and also thrives on working with colleagues across our business to bring different skills-sets together.”

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A fledgling energy management consultancy has enjoyed a promising first 12 months, prompting a recruitment drive.

Greenfields Energy Group, which was set up by Liam Conway and Rich Clark, has gained 72 clients in its first year, with the majority coming from the intensive sectors of manufacturing, hotels and leisure.

The duo now manage more than 361,172,009 kWh of contracts and this is growing due to partnerships with the Surface Engineering Association and the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM) – providing support with technical webinars, seminars and advice for members.

With demand for its services growing, the Brierley-Hill based firm has pressed the button on a major recruitment drive, successfully securing two prominent hires in Neil Freeman and Lindsay Williams as account director and head of energy bureau respectively.

“There has been a real appetite for our services, which is basically an alternative approach to energy and utilities management,” said Clark.
“We’re all about people and relationships – getting to know the management teams, their businesses and how we can use our knowledge of the industry to ensure they are well placed with electricity and gas contracts.”

He added “This approach has been welcomed and we have more than 70 companies currently under our management, with energy spends ranging from £100,000 to £5m per annum.

“Management teams are turning to us because of our straightforward approach. We don’t try to bamboozle them with jargon and empty promises, instead understanding where we can use our knowledge of the market and bespoke energy strategies to deliver them significant savings.”