People: Pinsent Masons appoints new head of its Leeds office; Accountancy firm hires KPMG’s former head of UK private client; and more

International law firm Pinsent Masons has appointed Jacqui Timmins as head of its Leeds office.

Timmins, who leads the Pensions team in Leeds, is a highly regarded specialist in pensions law advising UK and multinational listed companies and private businesses in relation to UK occupational pension schemes; she also has a national pensions group leadership role in relation to career and practice development.

Timmins takes up the role following a period of continued success for Pinsent Masons in Leeds. Jacqui Timmins succeeds Chris Booth, who retires from the position after five years.

Timmins said: “For me success is all about nurturing talent within the firm and helping to shape future leaders. Our firm’s success is underpinned by the remarkable local talent attracted to our global business, our collaborative culture and the deep sector expertise inherent across the firm. I look forward to building on the strength of our Leeds practice as we continue to develop this fantastic offering.”

John Cleland, managing partner at Pinsent Masons said: “As an international firm with a vision to be recognised as a market leader across our global sectors, our commitment to Yorkshire businesses on a local, national and international level remains strong. Jacqui has an outstanding market reputation and dedication to clients, as well as the ability to mentor talent within the firm and to focus on key strategic hires, making her the ideal candidate to build on the strength of our Leeds office.”

Over the last 12 months, the Leeds office has been advising on a number of significant projects that are redefining the shape of the region, including the award-winning Victoria retail destination and the delivery of 5,000 new homes in the East Leeds Extension including the related £100m, 7km dual carriageway, East Leeds Orbital Road for Leeds City Council.

Pinsent Masons also advised Grainger on its acquisition of the first phase of the former Yorkshire Post site in Leeds.  This project represents the first large scale purpose built private rented sector scheme in Leeds and secures regeneration of an iconic Leeds’ city centre site.

Other significant mandates have included involvement with power projects at Drax and Eggborough; and acting for Yorkshire Ventures on its redevelopment of the former iconic Aviva office building in York comprising a hotel let to Malmaison for 35 years.

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Saffery Champness has welcomed KPMG’s former head of UK private client as its sixth partner in Harrogate.

Dermot Callinan spent 26 years at KPMG specialising in domestic and international personal taxation for UK and non-UK domiciled individuals, global families, family offices, partnerships, entrepreneurs, trustees and family companies. He has advised on the sale and flotation of some of the North of England’s largest private companies and has gone on to advise the families behind them.

He sits on the board of trustees of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation and is recognised nationally as a tax expert, having been called to give evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee last year in relation to the Finance Bill.

In his new role with Saffery Champness, Callinan will be responsible for reinforcing the firm’s private client specialism regionally and building the senior tax team.

Martin Holden, partner and head of Saffery Champness’s Harrogate office, said: “As a firm we are highly regarded throughout the UK for our specialism in private client work and this reputation will be considerably enhanced by Dermot’s arrival.”
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Insolvency barrister Eleanor Temple has been appointed as regional chair of R3, the insolvency and restructuring trade body.

She is the first member of the Bar to be appointed as a regional chair in Yorkshire.

Temple is a barrister at Kings Chambers in Leeds; she practices in all aspects of chancery and commercial litigation and advisory work, with a specialism in corporate and personal insolvency, company and partnership law, directors’ disqualification, banking and finance, and asset tracing claims.

She has been a member of R3 for over 15 years and is the founder of the R3 North West Women in Business Recovery Group as well as serving on the Yorkshire Regional Committee since 2012.

Having acted as vice-chair for R3 in Yorkshire for the last year, Temple takes over from Adrian Berry, restructuring partner at Deloitte in Leeds, who has been regional chair of Yorkshire and the Humber for the last two years.

Temple said: “It is a great privilege to be appointed chair, and over the next two years, I aim to raise R3’s profile within the local business community and to forge strong links with the local judiciary, other trade bodies and practitioners, particularly currently under-represented groups such as the Smaller Practices Group, during what promises to be an interesting time for business and our economy.”

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Guiseley-based veterinary group White Cross Vets has recruited its 200th employee with the appointment of Eilona Savage, who joins the Kings Heath practice as a client care co-ordinator.

White Cross Vets, which is currently celebrating its 80th year, now operates 17 UK practices, including West Yorkshire sites in Guiseley, Roundhay and Eccleshill, which opened last month.

The company has grown rapidly in recent years and has created 50 jobs in the last 12 months alone, across a wide range of positions including vets, nurses and client care co-ordinators.

Earlier this year, the family-run group was named one of the best places to work in the UK, for the fifth year running, in The Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Best Small Companies To Work For’ league table.

Tim Harrison, managing director of White Cross Vets, says: “Welcoming 50 new team members into the White Cross family in the last 12 months is a major coup and we’re delighted to have created a 200 strong team with Eilona’s appointment.  We are already planning to expand our team further over the coming months, with another new practice due to open before the end of this year, which makes it a very exciting time for us.”