People: Publishing group founder and philanthropist passes away; Moda Living adds two directors and two recruits join law firm

Arts philanthropist and publishing group founder Professor Barrie Pettman passed away earlier this month.

Tributes have been pouring in for the philanthropist, a long-standing supporter of Opera North, funding the Pettman DARE Scholarship programme in partnership with the University of Leeds.

Professor Pettman was an academic, co-founder of Emerald Group Publishing, editor of several scholarly journals and President emeritus of Burke’s Peerage.

Along with his wife Maureen, Professor Pettman founded Diamond Patrons of Opera North and were instrumental in generating support for the company in Hull and East Yorkshire. The University of Hull was Professor Pettman’s alma mater and he returned there to lecture in industrial relations from 1970 to 1982.

Richard Mantle, general director, Opera North, commented: “Professor Barrie Pettman was a much-loved member of the Opera North family, and his death is a great loss to us all. His generosity in assisting young people in the pursuit of their dreams, his sharp intelligence and sense of mischief, his great love of Mozart and Haydn – rivalled by his sometimes vocal dislike of Wagner and Strauss – will all be keenly missed. Our thoughts are with Maureen at this sad time.”

Sir Alan Langlands, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, commented: “I was privileged to have met Professor Barrie Pettman and his wife Maureen on a number of occasions and was deeply saddened to hear of Barrie’s passing.

“Their unfailing commitment in supporting the development of talented young people through the Pettman DARE Fellowship programme has been outstanding, and life-changing for the nine Fellows who have benefited from their generous support since 2010.

“Maureen has always taken a close personal interest in the professional development of the Fellows and, alongside her, we look forward to welcoming a further six Pettman DARE Fellows to Leeds over the next three years. Barrie will be sadly missed by his many friends and admirers at the University and we send warm good wishes to Maureen at this most difficult time.”

Pictured: Maureen Pettman and Prof Barrie Pettman with Hedda Oosterhoff, the first Pettman DARE Scholar, 2009. Credit Malcolm Johnson

Private rented housing developer Moda Living has added two directors to its senior team.

Mark Howe and Matthew Gonzalez have joined the Harrogate-based business.

Howe will be focused north of Birmingham whilst Gonzalez will concentrate on London and the South East.

Howe was previously at BRDB Developments, a Malaysian-based developer, where he successfully delivered several luxury residential developments.

Prior to BRDB Developments, Howe was at ISIS Waterside Regeneration, a joint venture between the Canal and River Trust and Muse Developments.

Gonzalez joins Moda Living from construction consultancy Jackson Coles LLP, where he was project director. Key experience includes the Old Vinyl Factory, a massive regeneration project in west London on the site of an old HMV pressing plant.

Backed by Apache Capital Partners, Moda Living has a £1.3bn development pipeline of 6,000 apartments, with high-profile schemes in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester.

Tony Brooks, managing director of Moda Living, said: “Our ambition is to be the leading provider of high-quality rental apartments in the UK, and drawing on the wealth of experience Mark and Mathew have to offer will be crucial to meeting that aim.”

Mark Howe, project director at Moda Living, said: “Moda Living has worked quickly to amass an impressive portfolio of city centre sites, and I’m delighted to join the company as it moves into the next phase of delivery.”

Mathew Gonzalez, development director at Moda Living, said: “From Angel Gardens in Manchester to the Lexington in Liverpool, Moda Living is delivering a number of stand-out schemes across the country and I look forward to working with the wider team to deliver homes of the same quality and outstanding design in London and the South East.”

Two recruits join AWB Charlesworth Solicitors offices in Skipton and Bingley.

Diane Bootland joins the firm after working for over ten years as a conveyancing executive.

Julie Morris joins the Skipton conveyancing team after qualifying as a solicitor in 2014 and brings with her a range of residential property experience.

Felicity Green, practice manager, said: “Our property team provides expert legal support on a range of commercial and residential property transactions from each of our four offices.

“Every member of the department is committed to excellent client care and the Firm invests in training throughout the year to ensure our lawyers are able to offer both technical expertise and practical legal support to commercial clients and private individuals alike.”