People: Moda Living; Saffery Champness; Blacks Solicitors; and more

Harrogate-based build-to-rent developer and operator, Moda Living, has hired Guy Hurwood as its investment director to support the business’s growth across its UK living platforms.

Hurwood will spearhead global investor relations to facilitate substantial business growth across the living sectors.

He will be responsible for maintaining relationships with the business’s existing investor pool, which includes leading global institutions, as well as sourcing and securing new funding and investment opportunities.

He joins Moda from CBRE, where he was a director within the agency’s capital markets team and advised on a number of landmark transactions worth more than £2bn.

Prior to joining CBRE in 2019, he spent six years at PwC’s corporate finance team and previously worked for JLL’s pan-European corporate finance and debt advisory business.

Hurwood has worked with Moda for several years on a number of its market-leading next generation neighbourhoods.

Moda Living CEO, Johnny Caddick, said: “We are delighted to welcome Guy to the Moda family.

“Guy’s appointment will help us maintain our leading position in the UK living sector as we continue to create sustainable neighbourhoods, where our in-house technology platforms and health and wellbeing are intrinsic.”

Hurwood added: “I am thrilled to join Moda at what is an extremely exciting time for the business.

“The neighbourhoods they are creating across the UK set the bar for rental living and I look forward to making my mark and being a part of the change they are driving in the way people live.”

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Chartered accountants firm Saffery Champness has appointed Chris Luckett as a tax partner, based in its Harrogate office.

Luckett has over 20 years’ experience of providing tax advice to private clients and joins Saffery Champness from KPMG in Leeds, where he was a director. Prior to this, he spent five years at ‘Big Four’ firm Deloitte.

ATT and CTA qualified, Luckett works with high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients and their families, advising on issues such as succession planning and the tax efficient structuring of investments and transactions.

He also supports business owners, entrepreneurs and land owners, advising them on personal and business tax issues on business structuring and profit extraction.

Jonathan Davis, partner and head of the Harrogate office, said: “This is an exciting time for Saffery Champness in Harrogate.

“The region is attracting more high net worth individuals and businesses that are looking for quality tax advice from trusted and experienced advisors who are based locally.

“We are meeting this demand and expanding our client base, which is why now is the ideal time for us to be welcoming Chris to the team.

“That commitment to delivering exceptional standards of service to clients which Chris has demonstrated throughout his career, is also what underpins our office’s growth strategy, and we’re very much looking forward to working with him.”

Luckett added: “I am delighted to be joining the partnership at Saffery Champness.

“My approach has always been to really get to know my clients, gain a deep understanding of their needs, and become their trusted adviser – the firm’s commitment to providing outstanding client service therefore resonated with me strongly.

“I am looking forward to working alongside the fantastic team in Harrogate and the wider Saffery Champness partnership.”

Matthew Burton, managing partner of the business, said: “As we continue to develop our business after emerging from the past 18 months of difficult working conditions, our unrelenting focus is on continuing to deliver exceptional standards of service to our clients.

“This focus underpins the growth we continue to see in our key markets, not least private client, and I am pleased to welcome Chris to the partnership as someone who so clearly shares our values and vision for the future of the firm.”

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Blacks Solicitors is marking another successful year for its litigation services with the appointment of three new hires, taking the total number of team members to 19.

James Martin has joined the team as an associate solicitor, with Aaron Johnson qualifying as a solicitor after completing his two years as a trainee at the firm. Johnson will officially qualify in October 2021.

Martin brings with him over 10 years of experience in commercial chancery and contractual disputes, specialising in complex professional negligence, contractual and construction disputes.

He will provide support not only to the Commercial Dispute Resolution team, but also to the commercial and corporate client base across the firm.

Johnson is an example of Blacks’ ethos of investing in the talent of the future. He has completed three years in insolvency litigation as a paralegal, alongside his two years as a trainee in the Corporate, Employment, and Property teams.

As a newly qualified solicitor, he will specialise in insolvency and work alongside two senior lawyers in the Commercial Dispute Resolution team.

Luke Patel, head of litigation, said: “The demand for specialist litigation services has grown over the last 15 months.

“The combination of the pandemic, Brexit and the unstable economic climate have all been contributing factors requiring specialist legal support.

“The demand for these services was anticipated at the start of the pandemic and has expedited as we ease out of the lockdown restrictions, leading to us strengthening the litigation teams with new hires.”

Blacks Solicitors has also invested in its Property Litigation service with the appointment of Luke Maidens as Partner.

Maidens’ skill set spans all areas of complex property litigation with a particular expertise in the telecoms sector and also acting for property investor and developer clients.

Patel added: “The strengthening of the litigation team and its specialist offering will ensure the continued delivery of our exceptional offering to meet demand and service our client base.

“I am confident this expansion and integration of new talent will strengthen our teams to support our clients who are faced with continuing new challenges and “distresses”, fitting squarely with our vision. I wish all the new hires the best for the future.”

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Cushman & Wakefield has made two new appointments to its Northern Valuation & Advisory team covering the Yorkshire and North East region.

Sam Vinall joins the team as an associate bringing 10 years’ experience. He arrives from Avison Young where he specialised in delivering secured lending work for banking clients and valuation advice for public sector bodies.

Jess Hilton also joins the team as senior surveyor from Lambert Smith Hampton, bringing over five years’ experience in providing commercial valuations to a range of banking clients and private clients in Yorkshire, the North East and North West.

In their new roles, both Vinall and Hilton will be responsible for undertaking loan security and fund valuations as well as developing client relationships.

Chad Davies, head of valuation & advisory for Cushman & Wakefield’s Northern Region, said: “We are delighted to have Sam and Jess join the Valuation & Advisory team in Leeds strengthening the Northern team to 14, covering both commercial and residential valuations.

“Their appointments allow us to expand within the Yorkshire and North East region servicing existing clients and developing new relationships.”

Vinall and Hilton will be based in the firm’s Yorkshire & North East hub at St Paul’s House in Leeds city centre.

Keith Hardman, managing partner for Cushman & Wakefield’s Yorkshire & North East region, added: “I’m very pleased to welcome Sam and Jess to our long established and growing presence in Yorkshire and the North East to further build on the significant valuation work we undertake for our diverse national and regional, private and public sector client base.”