People: CambridgeHOK; Harper James Solicitors; Victory Leisure Homes; and more

Horticultural engineering, glasshouse and energy specialists CambridgeHOK has appointed experienced commercial grower Alan Frampton to lead the firm’s sales in the south of England.

The East Yorkshire company is a specialist in planning, designing and building commercial glasshouses and indoor and vertical farms, whilst also offering expertise and consultancy in efficient energy solutions and systems.

Frampton, joins with decades of experience in the growing sector. He established what was to become the UK’s leading flower growing operation, Donaldsons Flowers, in 1987, maintaining its market leading position for more than 20 years.

In that time, from a 70,000 metre square high-tech glasshouse, the business supplied all leading UK supermarkets, including becoming the biggest English flower supplier to Sainsburys.

Patrick Harte, head of commercial at CambridgeHOK, says Frampton’s appointment comes at exciting times for the business, which is on course for its best ever financial year.

He said: “We are delighted to have brought somebody with Alan’s experience, success, contacts and understanding of the industry to our business.

“He has impressed us with his enthusiasm for the role and we know he is going to be a fantastic addition to the team as he brings a wealth of knowledge.

“Alan has excellent contacts and relationships within the industry and that can only help us building our sales and marketing presence.”

Frampton said: “I’ve spent my life in the glasshouse and horticultural sector and in all my years I have been heavily involved in both the commercial side and growing side.

“Growers like to speak to growers as you have to understand them and the challenges they face from production to sales and logistics.

“This is something I have lots of experience in from growing and distributing flowers across the world.

“I am really excited to be joining at this time. The business has really excelled over the past decade, it is in a really good position at present and has an excellent team.”

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A national law firm headquartered in Yorkshire has made a major new appointment as it pushes ahead with expansion plans.

Rob Court has joined Harper James Solicitors and will work as a specialist in information technology and commercial law.

He previously worked at Macfarlanes LLP before moving in-house, gaining experience in the Energy and Utilities sector at a subsidiary of United Utilities, as well as in the Telecommunications and IT sectors.

He has spent 13 years working as in-house counsel for one of Europe’s largest privately owned IT reseller and service aggregators.

But he said Harper James’ remote-working model and the chance to work with a varied base of “cutting edge clients” was behind his decision to make the switch.

Court said: “I’ve always wanted to offer an in-house level of service to clients from a private practice setting and there was a great synergy between my own principles in respect of this approach and those of the firm.

“In the short time I’ve been here I’ve been amazed by how many truly cutting edge clients that we work with and it’s a real pleasure to help not only those clients who are building their brands, product and service portfolios from the ground up but also to assist some of our more established name clients achieve their objectives.”

CEO Toby Harper said: “I am delighted to welcome Rob to the team at Harper James. His talent and expertise will be of tremendous value moving forward both to our team and our clients.”

The appointment means Harper James, which is based at Velocity Tower in St Mary’s Square, Sheffield, now boasts almost 40 senior solicitors.

The firm is now working with more than 1,000 clients. Despite the challenges thrown up by the pandemic, Harper said the company is still attracting new clients each week.

He added: “Our plans for the future remain as ambitious as ever. Providing accessible legal services to start-up businesses has never been more important.”

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Caravan industry stalwart Peter Nevitt has stepped down as chief executive of Victory Leisure Homes after 11 years at the helm.

Nevitt, whose career in the industry spans 45 years, has led the company since its launch in 2009.

His role will be taken over by James Doyle, main board director at Victory’s parent company, JR Rix & Sons Ltd.

Doyle has had overall main board responsibility for the manufacturer for the past two years.

He said: “Victory Leisure Homes launched amid the chaos of the 2008/2009 financial crisis, a difficult time for everyone in business, but Peter didn’t let that faze him; he led from the front and never looked back.

“We’re extremely grateful for all the energy and hard work he has put into creating the business and the Victory brand, and the new senior team are looking forward to building on those solid foundations.”

Nevitt said he had had a fantastic time building the company, but felt the time was right to step down.

He said: “I’ve had 11 wonderful years at Victory Leisure and enjoyed every minute. I’m proud of what we have achieved and what we have built in what is a relatively short period of time.

“I know the company will go from strength to strength with a strong management team, great products and the backing of a well-funded, family business.”

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A new director has been appointed by Pudsey-based G&H Group as it launches a growth strategy to build on its recent success.

James Taylor has joined from FHP Consulting Engineers where he held an Executive Board position and brings over 20 years’ experience of contracting and consulting in the building services sector.

As group director he will focus on business strategy for all six of G&H’s divisions that include Building Services, Renewables, Maintenance, Fabrication, Air Conditioning and Projects.

Taylor said: “The opportunity to play a leading role in the next chapter of G&H’s growth was too good a prospect to turn down.

“A key part of my role is to make sure the six divisions within the Group all grow sustainably. Identifying opportunities at the earliest stage is key in implementing this.

“We know from experience, the sooner we can be involved in a project the better the results for our clients and us.

“Our early engagement in a scheme allows us to prepare concepts that see our pre-construction, estimating and design teams involved from the outset which can shape projects far better and deliver more value.

“We are also looking to integrate our six divisions of the group in schemes more regularly.

“This allows us to provide a turnkey MEP and aftercare service where clients have a cohesive single point of contact that improves efficiencies across the board.”

G&H Group recorded revenues of £30m last year and already has a strong order book taking it into 2021.

Projects being delivered by G&H Building Services include the Majestic in Leeds, Hudson Quarter in York, a 400-unit residential scheme in Luton and Vida Court dementia care home in Harrogate.

These are in addition to long-term retained work delivered by G&H Maintenance and G&H Fabrication.

Managing director of G&H Group, Graham Kelly, said: “James accepted the position prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and although there are uncertain times ahead within the construction sector, we feel the timing of his appointment is ideal.

“He will help deliver our growth strategy by enabling us to increase our exposure to new opportunities and strengthen the relationship with our existing client base that is already very strong.

“We have developed the business successfully over recent years and the addition of James to our Executive Board will take the business to a new level, ensuring we engage with and deliver for our clients better than ever before.”