People: Wright Hassall; adi Group; Evolution Claims Management

A leading Midlands law firm has announced a new residential property team which provides specialist expertise across England and Wales.

Wright Hassall has a new residential property team in place which has the experience to deal with transactions of all values and sizes, with significant expertise in high-value properties.

The team is led by Partner and Head of Private Client Services Neal Patterson and includes senior associate Toni Peppard, licenced conveyancer Fern Colwill, conveyancing executive Kavita Keshwala-Odedra and assistant Dion Bishop.

They have a combined experience of more than 80 years and are experts in all aspects of property law, including buying and selling freehold or leasehold properties, helping first-time buyers, transferring equity to add or remove owners, transferring property after divorce, remortgaging and buying investment properties for buy-to-let.

They also have particular expertise in high-end property sales and purchases having acted on a significant number of transactions, including homes based in London and the Cotswolds.

The team sits within the wider private client group which also includes lawyers specialising in family matters and farms and estates.

Neal said: “It is fantastic to have a strong and dedicated residential property team in place at Wright Hassall.

“Everyone within the team has a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience and can provide clients with the full suite of residential property legal services.

“Being a small, tight-knit team means that we provide clients with a cohesive and personal approach, resulting in a smoother transaction for all parties involved.

“We also keep across all of the latest developments in the sector and were eagerly anticipating this year’s Autumn Budget, where we saw the Chancellor increase stamp duty on second properties from 3% to 5%. As a team we deal with a lot of second property purchases so this is something that will affect many of our clients.

“Sitting within the private client group also means that we are able to collaborate with other colleagues to ensure clients are provided with a tailored, well-rounded service to suit their needs.”

Anthony Carter

Birmingham-based firm adi Group is thrilled to announce the appointment of Anthony Carter as its new sales performance director.

The announcement comes as the firm moves into its exciting five-year growth plan, with this new position playing a vital role in extending its double-digit growth year-on-year, enhancing sales capabilities and driving continued success.

Providing turnkey, end-to-end solutions to clients across the UK and Ireland, adi Group utilises its expertise and customer-centred approach to deliver innovative engineering solutions without a break in the supply chain. The Group now has 34 specialist divisions and over 800 employees, self-delivering most of the key engineering requirements of the manufacturing and built environment.

In this pivotal role, Anthony will focus on refining and optimising sales strategies, unifying efforts across teams and divisions, as well as streamlining processes to improve efficiency.

Anthony brings over 30 years of executive sales leadership experience in the B2B industrial products and service space across a number of sectors including food & beverage, electrical, maintenance, fire & security and automotive.

His expertise in developing and aligning high-performing commercial sales teams, driving performance, and delivering outstanding results will be instrumental as the business continues along a significant upward growth trajectory.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the possibilities this role opens up for the business, CEO Alan Lusty said: “adi Group has experienced double-digit growth for nearly 35 years. We’re proud to say we’ve reached great heights and achieved significant milestones thanks to the efforts of our multi-skilled team.

“The appointment of a sales performance director is going to take us even further, bringing us closer to our strategic growth objectives. I’m personally excited to welcome Anthony to the team, who brings an exceptional track record of innovation, execution, and consistent delivery of sales growth and increased profitability.”

With a background in electrical engineering, Anthony has spent a large portion of his career working in sales management and sales improvement, leading sales teams within international corporates, listed businesses and SMEs.

He brings extensive knowledge of large customer acquisition and management, as well as creating and implementing global channel/distributor/reseller and partner programmes, maximising all routes to market.

Speaking of his new role within the adi team, Anthony commented: “I’m delighted to join adi Group, a business with a hugely successful heritage in the industry and bright prospects for growth.

“I’m looking forward to help streamline our strategy and processes, ensure our teams are equipped to excel in a dynamic marketplace, and overall strengthen our approach to seize the right opportunities at the right time.

“The team at adi boasts some incredibly talented professionals in the field, and I’m excited to work closely with them to deliver the Group’s strategic vision.”

Russell Crewe

Insurance specialist Evolution Claims Management has appointed Russell Crewe to succeed Darren Cooper as CEO to lead the business forward.

Darren Cooper is to remain active within the business as a main board director, with Russell stepping up from the role of Managing Director.

Darren co-founded Evolution Claims Management and has been CEO since 2015. The company has built its reputation by using tech to handle claims for the UK’s top insurance brands.

Darren said: “I am very proud and excited that someone of Russell’s calibre has joined the business. I now feel it is time for me to allow Russ to take the business forward as CEO through our next phase of growth.

“Russell’s appointment is a very positive move for the business, building upon our progress to date. I look forward to continuing to play an active role in supporting the senior management team in generating further success.”

Darren, an entrepreneur who has established and grown a number of businesses over the last 20 years, has a wealth of experience in the claims management sector, having previously founded and led LAS which, following private equity investment, was successfully sold in 2014. Darren saw an opportunity to re-enter the claims management market and co-founded Evolution in 2015.

Russell said he is relishing the opportunity to lead Evolution Claims Management as CEO. He said: “The acceleration of the business has been impressive under Darren’s leadership. There remain new opportunities for growth ahead of us, which we look to unlock with the support of Darren and the rest of the board.”