People: New MD for homes builder; Family law firm strengthens children’s department; Commercial law solicitor taken on; and more

Housebuilder Avant Homes has promoted group developments director, Chris Coley, to the role of Managing Director for its Yorkshire operation.

Coley has been with Avant Homes for 14 years, originally joining as a Graduate Surveyor in the Yorkshire business before progressing to Commercial Director in 2012, Operations Director in 2018 and Group Developments Director later that year.

Based in Wakefield, Avant Homes Yorkshire employs 170 people delivering about 500 new homes a year. There are currently 14 developments under construction in its portfolio stretching from Knaresborough in North Yorkshire down to Rotherham in the south of the region.

Coley said: “I feel very proud to have worked at Avant for the last 14 years and to play a part in its success and transformation in recent years. Avant Homes is highly regarded in Yorkshire and it will be my aim to further build on the excellent standards we are renowned for and continue to deliver an outstanding design-led product to our customers.

“Our commitment to exceptional design, combined with our powerful brand and intelligent land buying strategy, puts us in a great position and I am hugely excited to lead the Yorkshire business and achieve our growth ambitions.”

Avant Homes is privately-owned and, in addition to Yorkshire, operates in Scotland, north east England and the Midlands. The company’s next strategic growth objective is to double output to 4,000 homes a year and become a £1bn turnover business by 2023.

The firm’s Chief Executive, Colin Lewis, said: “Chris has been with the business since he was a trainee and has proven himself to be a leader with an excellent commercial mind. He is ideally suited for his new position and I have every confidence he will play a significant role in ensuring Avant Homes Yorkshire’s continued growth and success.”

:::

Specialist family law firm Jones Myers, which has offices in Leeds, Harrogate and York, has further boosted the expertise of its children’s department.

Solicitor Laura Walsh has amassed over 13 years’ experience in private and public children law matters which includes representing parents, children and family members in public law proceedings brought by local authorities. She is a member of the Law Society’s Children Law and Family Law Advanced accreditation scheme.

Headed by Kate Banerjee – who has Higher Court Rights and is a member of the International Child Abduction and Custody Unit – the nine-strong children’s team jointly combines over eight decades of expertise.

Attracting complex and varied casework in the UK and overseas, the department’s knowledge spans private law residence, contact and adoption as well as special guardianship, relocation and public law cases.

Banerjee said: “Attracting top talent remains a priority as the volume of instructions from our clients, who are based regionally nationally and internationally, continues to increase. Laura has earned a strong reputation in children law and child protection and highly complements our team’s extensive expertise.”

Key developments across 2019 have included Jones Myers launching an office in York with a three-strong team headed by partner Nicki Mitchell, an expert in the financial aspects of relationship breakdown and particularly complex cases involving family businesses, multiple properties and complicated pension arrangements. The firm has also expanded its Harrogate office.

:::

Harrogate and Leeds based law firm Berwins has appointed Sarah Levrier as a solicitor in its growing commercial team.

Levrier, who completed her training contract with the firm, will support a range of businesses, particularly those engaged in the digital and technology industries.

“I’m delighted to have been appointed as a solicitor with Berwins at a particularly exciting time for the firm and in particular the wider commercial unit,” she said.

“Having been involved in a number of high value transactions – particularly in the fast-paced industries connected with digital law – I’m excited to further both my career and involvement in this work.”

Commenting on the appointment, Head of Berwins’ commercial team Mike Patterson, said: “Over the past three years, Sarah has proved herself to be a highly capable individual and an asset to the firm.”

“Her new role will bring added resilience to our growing commercial unit, as it supports a growing number of commercial clients from across Yorkshire to achieve their business goals.”

:::

Harworth Group, a listed regenerator of land and property across the north of England and the Midlands, has appointed Katerina (Kitty) Patmore as its new Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of the company with effect from 1 October 2019.  

She joins Harworth from Harwood Real Estate, the property arm of Harwood Capital Group, where she has been a Director since 2016.

Patmore has a strong capital markets background, with 14 years of finance, banking and real estate lending experience drawn from roles at Harwood, DRC Capital and Barclays Bank.  She was also formerly a National Director of the Investment Property Forum.

Jenny Cutler will continue to act as Interim Finance Director until Kitty takes up her new position.

Owen Michaelson, Chief Executive of Harworth Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kitty to the Board following a rigorous recruitment process.

“She brings a wealth of real estate expertise and capital markets knowledge and will be an extremely strong addition to our senior team.

“Kitty’s skills and experience will be invaluable in supporting our ongoing growth ambitions and the continued delivery of market-leading returns.”

Patmore added: “I am very excited to be joining Harworth, given the company’s long-term track record of success in realising excellent returns, whilst remaining true to its principles of planning and delivering high-quality regeneration schemes.

“I look forward to making a significant contribution to the company’s future success.”

:::

Selby-based training provider The Skills Network (TSN) has announced two key appointments to its Executive Leadership Team. It has made James Earl its new Executive Sales Director, while Mark Flannery has become Executive Marketing Director.

TSN specialises in online distance learning qualifications and learning technology and is looking to continue its expansion across the 2019/20 financial year.

Earl joined TSN in 2012 and has previously held positions as TSN’s Commercial Director, Director of Education Sales, and Director of Communications and Business Development.

Over the last year, he has proven fundamental in promoting TSN’s online learning technology on the international stage. He recently spearheaded an e-learning contract in Botswana to provide online learning content to over 5,000 students and launched a partnership with global services company, Sodexo, to deliver mental health training in universities across the UK.

As Executive Sales Director, he will oversee TSN’s learning resource sales, technology sales, contract wins, corporate account management, and sub-contracting partnerships with over 40 Further Education (FE) colleges.

Earl said: “It’s a really proud moment for me to be taking on the role of Executive Sales Director, having started with the organisation over seven years ago.

“We’ve built a solid team of a few people to over 200 full-time employees and continue to strive for growth year-on-year, helping organisations across the globe with learning solutions. The future looks extremely exciting for anyone involved with TSN.

“I believe we have now set the foundations with our new structure to grow to the next level and make an even larger impact across the learning and development industry.”

Flannery spent two years at Stockton Riverside College Group, as Group Director of Marketing and Communications. His extensive marketing experience in the FE sector also includes his four-year tenure as Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment at Newcastle College.

He will lead on overseeing TSN’s marketing strategy, whilst managing multiple telesales divisions.

Flannery said: “It is an absolute privilege to be joining The Skills Network at such an exciting time, in a role that combines a number of my interests, including education and skills, sales, technology and innovation.

“The Skills Network has a strong presence in its sector and some exciting and ambitious plans for the future. These plans are being driven by a talented and ambitious group of people who are passionate about what they do.

“I am looking forward to the exciting years ahead. My vision is simple – to position The Skills Network as number one in its sector, really growing the brand by delivering new and innovative educational products and services to meet the needs of customers now and in the future, while focusing on exceptional customer service.”

The 2018/19 financial year was TSN’s most fruitful to date, with the company attaining an annual revenue of £16m – a double-digit growth from the £14.2m that was achieved the previous financial year.

In the same year, TSN’s provision enabled over 35,000 students to access a funded distance learning qualification, aided 5,000 organisations to improve their staff learning and development, and saw TSN register 900,000 users onto its online learning platform, ‘EQUAL’.