People: Fieldfisher; HiB; Naismiths

European law firm Fieldfisher has announced the appointment of Tom Rush as a partner in its corporate practice, based in Birmingham.

Rush joins from Gateley Legal, where he was Birmingham head of corporate.

He has over 15 years of experience in public company transactions, private equity investments, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

He advises corporates, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs and has acted on many high-profile IPOs, secondary fundraisings, and complex M&A transactions, across various sectors, including retail, engineering, and healthcare.

He also assists investors with private equity investments, whether their funds are deployed to help a business grow, fund a management buy-out, or invest in larger investment funds.

His work credentials include advising Gymshark and its management on the minority investment by General Atlantic, advising Virgin Wines UK Plc on its vendor placing and admission to AIM with a market cap of £110m, and advising private equity firm Connection Capital on investments in Spotless Water, IFF Research, and various investment funds managed by Hambro Perks, DN Capital, and 17Capital.

Ranjit Dhindsa, head of EPIC (Employment, Pensions, Immigration and Compliance) and Birmingham Office Leader at Fieldfisher, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Tom to Fieldfisher. His arrival comes during a period of significant growth for the Birmingham office as we expand our offering in response to increasing market demand. I am confident that Tom will be an invaluable addition to the Midlands team as we continue to strengthen our presence across the region over the next 12 months.”

Rush said: “Fieldfisher is a firm with a strong reputation and ambitious growth plans. I look forward to joining the team and contributing to the firm’s corporate practice by leveraging my experience and relationships within the Midlands market. My goal is to build on the solid foundation that Fieldfisher has established and help drive the firm’s continued success both in the Midlands and beyond.”

HiB has announced the promotion of two key team members, marking an exciting new chapter in its national sales strategy.

Steve Wortley has been promoted to the position of national sales manager.

Having dedicated over 14 years to HiB, Wortley previously served as the regional sales manager for the North.

In his new role, he will take on the responsibility of managing the area sales managers and leading the installations and sales administration teams.

Steve Wortley and Rich Chmiel

He said: “I have been a part of the company for over 14 years, and it is truly rewarding to now represent HiB as National Sales Manager. This is an exciting time to be part of HiB, especially with the launch of the new sanitaryware earlier this year and more product releases planned for the autumn launch. I am looking forward to seeing what this new role brings and helping the company achieve even greater success in the future.”

With the company’s presence expanding across the UK due to a growing customer base, HiB has also created a new role to support their key retail partners.

Richard Chmiel has been promoted to the newly created role of national key account manager.

Chmiel has been with HiB since April 2017, was the regional sales manager for the South before his new appointment.

In his new position, he will focus entirely on managing HiB’s National Accounts and Buying Groups, ensuring that key retail business partners continue to receive the highest level of service and support.

Chmiel said: “I am grateful for this opportunity to continue developing our key retail business partners as part of my new role at HiB. The company’s commitment to design, innovation, and customer service is exceptional and with some exciting new developments in the pipeline, I am excited to start working with my new account base.”

Real estate consultancy Naismiths’ has boosted its recent growth with the appointment of its first chief financial officer, and has also seen two more senior recruits join the business.

Matthew Clay brings with him a wealth of knowledge in managing results, budgets and forecasts, and has worked at companies including Severn Trent Water, National Grid, and BP.

He will be dividing his time between the business’ bases in London, Nottingham and Manchester, but will primarily be based in the Birmingham office.

He said: “It’s an exciting time to join the business given Naismiths’ strategic partnership with Edmond Shipway, and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and learning more. It’s important to approach everything from a whole group perspective, and I’m excited to begin to streamline all our processes so that we can ensure we’re working most efficiently and that the teams can focus on what they do best, which is driving performance forwards.

Matt Clay

“The people at both businesses really stand out and it’s clear that everyone is valued and looked after, and I’m looking forward to being part of such an ambitious and enthusiastic team that is set on continuing to grow.”

In addition to Matt’s appointment Naismiths has also seen Mark Freer join as group chairman, while Antony Hunter has been appointed as associate director, signalling the business’ continued growth.

Ben Harwood, chief executive at Naismiths, said: “Matt’s appointment was the natural next step for the business, and his knowledge and expertise is going to be a real asset as we continue to grow and develop. His ambitions to streamline our processes and consolidate the efforts of the teams at Naismiths – and Edmond Shipway – are exciting, and I’m confident we will see fantastic results.

“With Mark and Antony also joining the team, this is a significant period for the business, and I’m looking forward to see what we can achieve in the remainder of the year and beyond.”