People: Avison Young; Beswicks Legal

Commercial real estate firm Avison Young has announced three new appointments in its building and project consultancy team in the Birmingham office.

David Northwood has joined as a senior quantity surveyor, Femi Adeleye as a senior electrical engineer and Paul Abbott as a senior building surveyor.

News of their arrival lands after the business announced the appointment of Helen Collins as managing director of the firm’s Birmingham office last week.

The office, which operates across the West Midlands and East Midlands regions, is supporting a number of key regional projects, including Paradise Birmingham, Arden Cross, and the regeneration of both Derby City Centre and the Ladywood district of Birmingham.

With over two decades of surveying experience, Northwood joins the Avison Young team from Castle Construction Consultants, where he also served as a senior quantity surveyor, working on a wide range of projects, across sectors including residential, industrial, education and healthcare, as well as supporting a number of social housing schemes.

Adeleye arrives at Avison Young with over ten years’ experience in electrical design engineering, joining the team from Couch Perry Wilkes, where he spent three years as a design engineer, working on a range of projects across the UK.

Abbott joins the business from Hollis Global, where he spent seven years and became a chartered building surveyor in July 2023.

He has experience in undertaking dilapidation claim assessments for commercial properties, including retail, office and industrial, representing both landlords and tenants.

David Martin, Principal, of building and project consultancy at Avison Young UK, said:  “I’m very pleased to welcome our three new team members to Avison Young. They join us at a really exciting time for the business, as we continue to strengthen our position in the Midlands market and expand our offering to support the needs of our growing roster of clients.

“Our focus remains on delivering high-quality work and expanding our project portfolio, and the arrival of David, Femi and Paul, all of whom bring a wealth of experience to the table, will support the business in achieving these goals. We have a brilliant team in place in Birmingham and the future looks very bright indeed. I look forward to collaborating with our new team members, continuing to grow the Building and Project Consultancy team, and delivering exceptional work for our clients.”

Dispute resolution lawyer Peri Mornington has been appointed as a fee-paid judge of the first-tier tribunal in recognition of her legal experience and technical expertise.

When sitting as a judge, Mornington, a disputes associate with Stoke-on-Trent law firm Beswicks Legal, will hear appeals relating to information rights, transport, pensions and biodiversity net gains.

Peri Mornington

Mornington was appointed to the General Regulatory Chamber, which means she will hear appeals from across the country against decisions of regulatory bodies such as The Information Commissioner and The Pensions Regulator.

The majority of her time will still be spent advising her clients at Beswicks on a full range of dispute resolution matters. However, she will preside over tribunal hearings as and when required.

She said: “I was motivated to apply for the role as I’m passionate about the judiciary becoming more diverse with more female judges and other underrepresented groups. It is a huge honour to have been appointed and I’m excited to see how the experience can support my practice at Beswicks and vice versa.”

Ryan Yates, group operations director at Beswicks Legal, said: “Congratulations to Peri on this appointment. She is an outstanding disputes lawyer and it comes as no surprise to me that the General Regulatory Chamber would want to share her skills and knowledge.”