People: Ardent; Harper James; The Black Country Chamber of Commerce
Ardent, a land, consent management and stakeholder engagement practice has made six promotions in its Birmingham office.
Four people in the land assembly team in Birmingham have been promoted as Jim Lowe (Transport) moves to senior surveyor, Laura Crumpton (Utilities) and Abbey Read (Renewables) become associates while Hannah Purchase (Transport) becomes associate director.
Daniel Rowley moves up to consultant and D’Arcy Pearce to senior consultant in the land referencing team in Birmingham.
Elsewhere across the business, Charles Gregory becomes associate director in the valuation and compensation team while
Ellie Cornelius moves up to senior surveyor.
Orla Downs has been promoted to senior engagement consultant in the planning and engagement team.
There were a total of eight promotions in the company’s land assembly directorate including Elliot Chandler (Utilities) and Graeme Black moving up to senior associate director in Ireland.
Fiona Mulcahy (Transport) has become a senior surveyor, while Rosalyn Gledhill (Renewables) has been made an associate land officer.
There were nine promotions in Ardent’s land referencing team as Louisa Getley, Aidan Fox and Nicola Dwyer all joined Daniel Rowley by being made consultants.
Callum Channing and Shivani Kara both move up to senior consultant while Marcus Humphrey moves up to principal land consultant and Michael Kenny becomes principal consultant.
Jon Stott, group managing director of Ardent said: “This is another milestone in what has been another very positive period for Ardent. We continue to grow and continue to provide expert advice on major projects across the country that are fundamental to delivering more clean energy, better transport links and new homes throughout the UK and Ireland.
“It is only through investing in the growth and wellbeing of the people at Ardent that we can do this and that is why this is such a special moment as we see 20 colleagues earn promotions. We will see our teams grow even further in the coming weeks, months and years to help deliver on our very ambitious targets and it’s also important that we recognise the efforts of every single person who has helped us to get to where we are today.”
Law firm Harper James has appointed Diane Yarrow as a commercial partner, adding to its 15-strong team of commercial law experts.
Qualifying in 2003, Yarrow brings with her over 20 years of commercial experience in advising businesses ranging from start-ups and privately owned enterprises to multinational organisations, not-for-profits and NGOs.
Her practice spans various sectors and she has experience in commercial contracts, shareholder agreements, restructuring, compliance and risk management.
Before Harper James, Yarrow spent over 14 years at BP Collins LLP as a partner in its corporate and commercial team. She was also previously a partner in the business team at Gardner Leader LLP.
Diane Yarrow
Recognised as ‘highly recommended’ in the Legal 500, Yarrow’s expertise extends to providing in-house legal support. It includes her role with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where she prepared contracts for major sports events.
She said: “From my first conversations with the team, I felt a strong connection to the culture and values of Harper James. I’ve been advising businesses for over 20 years and have worked remotely since 2020. The subscription-based service plans, remote operating model and specialist support teams make Harper James very different to any law firm I have previously worked in. The lawyers in the Commercial team all have excellent experience and have made me feel very welcome. I am looking forward to getting to know the businesses that Harper James supports and helping them on their growth journey.”
Partner and head of commercial at Harper James, Stephen Pearne said: “I am thrilled to welcome Diane to our Commercial team. With over 20 years of experience, Diane brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of supporting clients across a diverse range of sectors. She is highly engaging, takes a genuine interest in the businesses she works with, and consistently goes above and beyond to deliver tailored practical advice. Diane is undoubtedly a valuable asset to our team and will be instrumental in driving continued success for our clients.”
The Black Country Chamber of Commerce has welcomed new and returning members to its board as part of its efforts to strengthen and grow in 2025.
Lynn Wyke, senior business development manager at BCRS Business Loans, has joined the board, bringing with her a wealth of experience.
Wyke has worked at BCRS since 2018 and previously served as a director at NatWest, covering the Black Country, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
With over 12 years in leadership roles, Wyke is passionate about supporting the local economy, having grown up in the Black Country.
She holds various qualifications, including a Chartered Banker certificate and a diploma in credit skills, and is known for her expertise in team engagement.
Amy Brokenshire, partner, training principal and employment law specialist at George Green LLP, has been reappointed to the board.
Brokenshire has more than 18 years of experience in the legal field, having specialised in employment law and HR matters for 16 years.
She has been a partner at George Green LLP since 2022 and provides valuable legal insights to the Chamber board and management, acting as a trusted adviser to local businesses in the region.
Chamber CEO Sarah Moorhouse said: “The Chamber has a leading role to play as the most established regional business support agency for Black Country firms, so I am delighted to have board members with the calibre of Lynn and Amy as we build an exciting future. In the year ahead we will continue to deliver on our key theme of ‘strengthen and grow’. Our focus as an organisation remains upon developing an aspirational mindset and culture, activating pathways to deliver and executing our plans with excellence.”
