People: Hägen Wolf; The City & Capital Group; and more

Property litigation firm Hägen Wolf has appointed Paul Sagar to support its continued rapid expansion.

He joins the firm as a senior associate from the Leeds office of DAC Beachcroft.

Sagar has 15 years experience in property litigation. He has worked for firms in Newcastle, London and Leeds advising a wide variety of companies, including major lenders, landlords, management companies and tenants.

He said: “Hägen Wolf is bringing a fresh and client-focused approach to supporting clients across an ever-growing range of sectors.

“I join the firm at an exciting stage in its development and look forward to contributing to its strong record of success.”

He has particular expertise acting for telecommunications operators, including taking a leading role in ‘New Code’ litigation and has managed cases through the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) and Court of Appeal.

Hägen Wolf is a specialist property litigation firm that operates nationally from offices in Leeds and London.

Its team is drawn from across industry and offers expertise across industry sectors from transport to retail and residential property.

Matt Pugh, managing partner, said: “Paul brings a wealth of talent and experience to the team at Hägen Wolf. As we continue to expand, we must attract the best talent to ensure we continue to deliver the best service to our clients.”

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Jonathan Barrow

West Yorkshire financial services growth consultant, The City & Capital Group, has taken on 35 years of additional mergers and acquisitions and talent attraction expertise with the appointment of two directors.

Jonathan Barrow has been named the firm’s director of City & Capital Acquisitions, while Mike Aitchison has come on board as director of City & Capital Headhunters.

The duo join company owners – and husband and wife team – Stuart and Victoria Hicks as senior decision-makers at the Leeds-headquartered Group.

Recruited prior to the global disruption caused by COVID-19, the appointments are designed to support plans for further growth within the wealth management M&A space, expansion into wider markets and as-yet-untapped financial services sectors.

Victoria Hicks, Group director, said: “These appointments signify The City & Capital Group’s ambitions for further growth – not only within the markets that we operate in with great success, but to new and upcoming markets across the finance and professional sectors.

“With the addition of such experience, both in terms of financial services, mergers and acquisitions as well as senior recruitment, the appointment of Mike and Johnny will also assist in the growth of the team, their development and ultimately the business itself.”

Having worked with a variety of clients across private equity-backed firms, PLCs, national firms and start-ups, Barrow has been involved in almost 100 mergers and acquisitions within the wealth management space to-date, and brings with him an extensive national network.

His role will see him focus on the strategic development of the division through the creation of robust systems and processes.

Mike Aitchison

Aitchison joins Group founder Stuart Hicks in pushing forward the headhunting and recruitment arms.

Following 20 years’ experience within the financial services sector, the last 13 of those have been spent recruiting for a wide range of specialist lenders, insurers, BPO providers and fintech businesses.

Having worked within global listed human capital companies, top tier boardroom search firms and owned his own firm, his experience “in the shoes of” the client, candidate and recruiter promises to offer a more holistic insight into the selection process.

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LCR, the Government’s regeneration and placemaking specialist, has announced the promotions of four key team members and the appointment of a new business manager.

The company, which was behind the Leeds Integrated Station Masterplan, has created three new regional director roles.

These will oversee key projects and strategic partnerships with local authorities, transport bodies and private developers as the company supports the UK Government’s drive to deliver new homes, jobs and investment.

Among the latest hires are new regional director for Yorkshire and the North East Catherine Birks.

Her focus will be supporting partners on major projects at railway stations, including Leeds and Sheffield, as well as spearheading regeneration and development opportunities with partners across the region.

Peter Hawthorne, interim CEO of LCR, said: “We want to accelerate the delivery of high-quality housing and community assets, and we are committed to leveraging our unique skillset and partnerships across the public, private, rail and real estate sectors to unlock land for development.

“These promotions equip us with national reach and give us the resource to engage with local authorities across the country and assess the potential for development at every railway station.

“This new structure will enable us to deliver on our ambitions, championing the delivery of new homes, jobs and public value.”