People: New managing partner at law firm announced; Commercial law firm adds to team; New chief executive at icelolly.com; and more

Leeds law firm Walker Morris has announced that Malcolm Simpson is to become the firm’s managing partner upon the retirement of Ian Gilbert in May next year.

Simspon has been a commercial litigation and dispute partner for 17 years at Walker Morris and worked in the Yorkshire legal market for around 27 years. For many years, he has also headed up the firm’s US practice and is an advisor to global corporations across the UK, US, Europe and Asia. His particular focuses are around manufacturing, construction and house-building sectors.

The firm employs around 450 people in Leeds. Simspon said: “All of our work is handled from our Leeds office and we will continue to be very active with our clients in the local market but we are also focused on winning work from national and international clients which hugely benefits the regional economy here in Leeds.

“We will continue to develop our network of partner law firms so that we can deliver hand-selected teams of  trusted lawyers giving all of our clients the benefits of global legal coverage.”

Of his appointment, Simpson said: “It is currently an exciting and dynamic time in the legal sector, with the influence of technology, the impact of Brexit and new working practices all feeding into changing the way we respond to our clients’ needs.  I am looking forward to continuing to shape Walker Morris’ distinctive approach so that it remains the law firm of choice for business clients locally, nationally and internationally.”

Simpson also leads to IT for the firm and has recently overseen the first phase of major investment programme in the firm’s infrastructure, which he says will help to continually transform the way in which the firm delivers legal services to its clients.

Simpson will take over at the end of April next year when current managing partner Gilbert retires after eight years in the role and 30 years in the industry. Gilbert said: “I would like to congratulate Malcolm on his appointment as Managing Partner. Malcolm is taking over at be a very exciting time for the Firm and is ideally suited to lead Walker Morris through its next phase of development and to help the Firm deliver its ambitious plans for growth.”

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Commercial law firm Hill Dickinson has welcomed legal director Eleanor Tunnicliffe and senior associate Ruth Griffiths to its rapidly growing health practice.

Tunnicliffe joins from DAC Beachcroft where she spent more than 14 years working in the healthcare, regulatory and public law team. She specialises in information law (data protection, freedom of information and patient confidentiality), judicial review and equalities obligations.

Griffiths has considerable expertise advising on new care models in the NHS and has advised extensively on innovative contracting structures and corporate joint ventures for both commissioners and providers (primary, secondary and third sector). She joins the team from Capsticks.

Both will be based in the firm’s Leeds office, working with legal director Esther Venning and partner Rob McGough, who jointly heads the Leeds office with health litigation partner Mike McKenna.

“Eleanor and Ruth will bring their extensive combined experience and talent to the team and play integral parts in driving the growth of our Leeds office,” said McGough.

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icelolly.com, the Leeds-based holiday price comparison provider, has announced that Richard Singer has joined as CEO.

Singer joins the travel brand following five years at deals publisher Travelzoo where he was president of Europe. Prior to this he held senior level roles at Telegraph Media Group including general manager of Telegraph Travel.

Singer replaces Andrew Latham who has left the business after almost four years during which time he has led the brand’s transformation, repositioned the customer proposition and built an award-winning team.

Singer said: “I am delighted to be joining a dynamic and entrepreneurial business at such an exciting period. The icelolly.com team has built a fantastic brand which serves as an important distribution platform for travel companies. I am looking forward to working with the team to promote the brand further and develop new propositions for customers and partners. The UK travel market is fiercely competitive but I believe that a comprehensive price comparison model offers real value to consumers who want the best prices from the leading travel providers.”

Andy Lees, non-executive director of icelolly.com and partner at Palatine Private Equity, the company’s majority shareholder, added: “The board’s thanks go to Andrew Latham for his role in developing the icelolly.com brand into one of the most recognised in the UK holiday market. Richard’s experience in media, internet marketplaces and customer marketing will help build on the achievements of the icelolly.com team and we look forward to growing the business over the next few years.”

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Consultancy and construction company Mace has announced the appointment of four new associate directors to its Leeds office, bolstering the company’s expertise and experience across Yorkshire and the North.

Andy Hirst joins Mace as Northern Manufacturing Lead and will head up the industrial, logistics and manufacturing portfolio in the North of England and Scotland. He has over 23 years’ experience delivering projects across the UK, primarily within the manufacturing and food and beverage industry, for brands such as Coca-Cola Enterprises, Princes and Nestle.

Kerry Martin has been appointed as Mace’s Public Sector Lead in the region, bringing a wide range of expertise and experience in the delivery of public sector projects across the asset lifecycle. She will work closely with Mace’s education and other public sector clients, further developing the company’s portfolio of work within the sector.

Andrew Walker, who been at Mace for 13 years, working across the UK and in the Middle East, has recently returned to Yorkshire and transferred into the regional business. He brings with him a wealth of expertise in the delivery of large and complex projects across a range of sectors including residential, manufacturing and commercial development.

Completing the senior appointments, Chartered Quantity Surveyor Gary Allen joins Mace with established project experience in a wide range of market sectors, with particular expertise in the health sector. In his new role as National Health Sector Lead, he will be responsible for delivering high quality, innovative consultancy to Mace’s current and future health sector clients across the UK.

Richard Shaw, operations director for Yorkshire and the North East, said: “This investment in our team is a sign of Mace’s commitment to growth across Yorkshire and the North.

“The North is home to world leading companies and organisations that have ambitions to innovate, expand and create the conditions for future growth.  We are investing in the skills, experience and expertise to support the growth of these companies and initiatives particularly across the manufacturing, health and public sectors.

“I am delighted to welcome Andy, Kerry, Andrew and Gary to the team. As the government launches its industrial strategy this week, the expertise and experience that each of our new appointments bring will enable Mace to offer an enhanced service to our clients and meet the challenges and opportunities in the years ahead.”