People: Employment law specialist recruited; Double appointment at animal feed producer; and more

Mills & Reeve has boosted its Leeds employment team with the appointment of Jenny Perry.

Perry has joined as a senior associate from Womble Bond Dickinson. She has previously worked in-house at Asda and DAC Beachcroft.

An employment law specialist, Perry, advises clients in the public and private sectors on a wide range of issues including discrimination, redundancy processes, TUPE, whistleblowing, employment contracts, termination of employment and settlement agreements.

The team has grown significantly since partner Stuart Craig moved to the Leeds office to launch it in 2016.

It now includes five employment law specialists who advise organisations and individuals across key sectors including health, technology, education, charities, government, mid-market and owner managed businesses, food and agribusiness and life sciences.

Craig said: “We are delighted to welcome Jenny to the team. She brings a wealth of expertise and experience and will play a pivotal role in advising our burgeoning client base across the public and private sectors.”

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Masham-based animal farm feeds producer, I’Anson Brothers, has made a double appointment to its senior team to provide experienced financial and commercial counsel to the business.

The firm is currently marking its 120th anniversary with its largest ever investment.

Iain Moffatt has joined as non-executive director, bringing extensive corporate experience from his previous role as an audit partner and UK Head of National Market at KPMG which also worked with I’Anson for many years.

His role will see him help mentor the management team as well as the fifth-generation members of the I’Anson family who are now working within the company to develop succession planning.

I’Anson has also appointed Iain Wallace as finance director. He brings more than 30 years of experience to the position having previously held roles at KPMG and Austin Reed.

Chris I’Anson, managing director of I’Anson Brothers, said: “The business is at an important and exciting time as we take a big step forward on our growth strategy and make the biggest single investment in our history to build a new mill to complement our existing production facility.

“Bringing on board two highly experienced finance professionals will be a significant help in ensuring we realise our commercial objectives as the business moves to the next level.”

The appointments come as the firm is shortly to start initial site works on building a £12m production facility at Dalton New Bridge, the next phase of the Dalton Industrial Estate in North Yorkshire.

Construction of the mill itself is expected to begin in the autumn and last for 18 months. Completion and commissioning is scheduled during 2022.

Moffatt said: “The business is one of Yorkshire’s real success stories, steeped in family heritage and I am excited to use my experience and expertise to support the team as it navigates the next stage of its development.”

Wallace said: “This is an important stage in  the continuing I’Anson story and I am genuinely delighted to be able to play my part in helping create the sustainable future which will benefit our customers, staff and the communities in which we are based.”

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Leeds-based property investor and car park operator, Town Centre Securities (TCS), has made two new senior hires and an internal promotion to strengthen its development and asset management team.

Charles Newman and David Travis have joined as associate directors, in conjunction with a promotion to associate director for existing employee Chris Collins.

Newman joins the Estates Merrion team from Smith Young, where he was director and brings a wealth of retail shopping experience, acting on major schemes including Meadowhall, Sheffield; St Stephens, Hull; The Gate, Newcastle and Teesside Shopping Park.

He will be responsible for further developing TCS’s single largest asset, the Merrion Estate, which saw an income increase at the recent half year results, a 6.7% rise in footfall in the past 12 months against previous year and a continual influx of new and renewed tenants.

David Travis joins as associate director from Gent Visick, where he was director of the firm’s consultancy department.

His strong development and regeneration background will support TCS’s strategic plans for its growing asset portfolio in both Leeds and Manchester.

Travis has more than 12 years combined client-side PLC and consultancy expertise in the North and the Midlands property markets.

Previous roles include director of business space for Harworth Group; where he was a member of Harworth’s Management Board and led the development and asset management of the firm’s retained investment portfolio.

The senior appointments coincide with an additional internal promotion for Collins who has been promoted to associate director responsible for the company’s asset portfolio in Manchester, the West and London.

A surveyor with more than a decade of experience across several markets, Collins has a strong track record of successful asset and strategic estate management and since joining TCS has developed strategic relationships to deliver master plans for the company’s development sites.

Edward Ziff, chairman and chief executive, TCS, said: “The last 12 months have seen some great successes for the business including footfall growth at the Merrion Centre and the completion and subsequent award win for our first Private Rented Sector (PRS) development, Burlington House in Manchester.

“We are delighted to welcome Charles and David to our expanding asset management team and are confident that alongside the promotion of Chris Collins, they will bring a wealth of experience and expertise that align to our strategic plans in further developing and growing our asset base.”

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A sales and account executive with over a decade’s experience in the motor trade has joined the team at independent asset finance company, Ethos.

Joseph Knowlson, whose last position was overall sales leader at a West Yorkshire prestige car dealership, has taken on the key role at Ethos Asset Finance.

Last quarter the firm, launched in 2007 by former banker Chris Brown, saw completed deals rise by 27.7% compared to the same period 12 months earlier.

In addition, it has recently launched The Electric Broker, a specialist electric car division that is solely working in the green vehicle funding market.

Brown said: “We are delighted to welcome Joseph to the Ethos team. He brings with him considerable experience in the luxury car sales market and is keen to quickly make his mark with us.

“Over the last four months we have held two extremely successful electric and hybrid vehicle showcase events, attended by hundreds of businesspeople, which in turn led us to launch The Electric Broker.