People: Gordons; BHP; Hatch; Sky-House; and more
Leeds and Bradford-based law firm, Gordons, has strengthened its commercial team with the appointment of two new solicitors and a paralegal.
Zara Bojovic joins the firm as a solicitor from consumer credit reporting agency TransUnion, where she worked in-house since 2014.
Ella Fitzpatrick has been hired as a newly qualified solicitor, having completed her training contract at Gordons. During her training contract, Ella spent four months on secondment to Premier League champions, Manchester City FC.
Zara and Ella are joined by Hannah Cottrell, who has been appointed as a paralegal. She will commence her training contract with Gordons in September 2025.
Gordons’ commercial team supports clients with general commercial contracts, IT and technology, and privacy and data matters, and acts for clients such as Wren Kitchens, Moss Bros, Ocado Retail, AO.com, Evri and Sumo Digital.
The team’s revenue has doubled over the past three financial years, and posted 14 per cent year-on-year growth in 2022-23.
Commenting on the new appointments, partner and head of commercial, Andy Brian, said: “We are delighted to welcome Zara, Ella and Hannah into the team. We’ve grown quickly over the past few years and their appointments will set us up well for the future.”
Gordons head of digital and technology, Ryan Gracey, added: “Zara gained a lot of valuable experience on IT and tech projects during her time in-house, and it’s tremendous to have her join the team at such an exciting time.”
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Yorkshire and North Derbyshire accountancy firm, BHP, has welcomed a further 44 new trainees.
This latest intake is the second highest for the firm’s training programme, which provides those looking to break into the finance industry with the chance to gain hands-on experience while studying for a professional qualification.
It follows a record-breaking year in 2022, which saw 46 new trainees join the business. With this latest intake, the company has now invested in 134 trainees in the last three years.
Since joining the business, many have remained with BHP and further developed their skills. These include Ellie Dignam who joined the firm in 2012 to work towards her ACA qualification.
She has developed to become chief digital and efficiency officer and is the youngest person ever to have been promoted to the firm’s partner group.
The latest group of trainees cover a range of disciplines and span BHP’s entire network of offices, which include Chesterfield, Sheffield, Leeds, York, and Cleckheaton. In total BHP has appointed 21 graduates, 12 non-graduates, and 11 placement students.
Karen Arch, director of people, said: “We’re passionate about nurturing and developing the skills of young professionals looking to break through and leave their mark on the finance industry.
“With each intake of trainees, we’re also improving our own workforce by widening our blend of skills, expertise, and personality. These new recruits will bring many benefits, perspectives and added value to our clients.”
Dignam added: “I love working at BHP and have enjoyed watching the firm grow and evolve over the last 11 years.
“I’ve personally benefited from our training programme and it’s great to see that we’re continuing to take on fresh new talent and nurture them in their career development.”
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Aimee Crossland
Leeds and London-based creative communications agency, Hatch, has bolstered its service offering through a series of recruitment moves and internal promotions.
New digital PR lead, Aimee Crossland, joins from Wolfenden where she spent five years developing her expertise, while Daniel Cayzer joins as paid social media specialist from Search Laboratory.
In addition, existing Hatch team members, Matt Vowles and Jack Moore, have been promoted to head of content and head of social media respectively.
Daniel Cayzer
Performance and development director, Helen Simpson said: “We’re really excited to welcome Aimee and Daniel to our team of experts, and thrilled to see both Matt and Jack progress to heads of their departments after years of dedication and industry leading work.
“Video content has become integral to our activity across PR and social media, and we’re proud to see award-winning campaigns come out of our own studio.
“Likewise, the evolution of digital pr and social media has placed agility and reactivity as necessities in any successful team, something we’re equipped to deliver for all of our clients.”
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David Cross, chief executive of Sheffield-based housebuilder Sky-House Co, has joined the advisory board for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Housing Market and Housing Delivery (APPG) to amplify the view of SME housebuilders in helping to reform the UK housing market.
The APPG, chaired by Ben Everitt MP, is a cross-party group formed in 2020 to find solutions to catalyse the delivery of new homes across the country.
Its work includes informing and stimulate debating on relevant areas of policy affecting the UK housing market; to promote the importance of the delivery of new homes across all tenures; and to introduce parliamentarians to those involved in delivering housing and other experts and practitioners in the field.
Cross said: “I am hugely excited to join the Housing APPG and to get stuck into tackling one of our key economic and social challenges.
“The Government has a duty to ensure people living in the UK have decent, secure and affordable homes to live in. The truth is that we do not build enough in the right places, nor at a price that some people can afford.
“It’s also a tough time for SME housebuilders and their supply chain. I want to put my 25-year experience across the North as architect, developer, place-maker and housebuilder to good use with the group to ultimately help create the new homes and communities that people want to live in for decades to come.”
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