Property people: Gregory Properties; York Handmade Brick Company; Preston Baker; and more

Yorkshire-based development company, Gregory Properties, has appointed Nick Gillott as development director.

Gillott was previously executive director at JF Finnegan Ltd, a £50m plus turnover construction company based in Sheffield, where he spent nearly 20 years.

At Gregory Properties he will take a crucial role in sourcing land and delivering large commercial developments across Leeds City Region and beyond.

With an extensive career in commercial property construction and development, he will help to drive new opportunities within the business and manage relationships with partners for funding, construction and forward sales.

Barry Gregory, chairman of Gregory Property Group, said: “We are pleased to welcome Nick to the team from the start of December.

“He brings a wealth of experience and is hugely respected in the region, particularly in South Yorkshire where we see great opportunities to expand our portfolio of developments.

“We have a number of ongoing developments, including a 145,000 sq ft logistics scheme in Rockingham, Barnsley, a residential development in Bradford and a student accommodation project in York.

Gillott said: “I am delighted to join Gregory Properties at a particularly exciting time for the business and the industry.

“I look forward to applying my experience across the full spectrum of site acquisition and delivery through to marketing and sales to really make a difference and help steer the future within a family-led, hands-on team.”

Gregory Properties is responsible for landmark regeneration projects including the £40m Foss Islands Retail Park York, Darlington Retail Park, Gate Park Retail Park in Rotherham, Mabgate Junction in Leeds, Wheatley Hall Park in Doncaster and the £40m Broad Street Plaza destination in Halifax.

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Denis Throup, one of the York Handmade Brick Company’s longest-serving employees, is retiring.

Throup, who is 65, has spent half his life at the brick manufacturing company, based at Alne, near Easingwold.

He joined York Handmade as a general labourer in 1989, just one year after the company was formed.

“This was a new departure for me at the time,” said Throup, who lives in Haxby, near York. “I had spent the first part of my working life as a gamekeeper, first in Yorkshire and then in Scotland.”

“But when the opportunity came up to join a new and exciting brick-making company close to home, it was too good to miss. Little did I know that I would spend the next 32 years here. And I have enjoyed every minute.”

In 1994 he became York Handmade’s first-ever quality manager, a crucial role which was later expanded to include health and safety management.

David Armitage, founder and chairman of York Handmade, explained: “We have always placed tremendous emphasis on health and safety and quality control at York Handmade and both are central to our day-to-day operation.

“Denis has carried out his duties and responsibilities in the most exemplary fashion and has been the most loyal and hard-working of employees.

“He should be very proud of what he has achieved here. We shall miss him badly, but he deserves a long and happy retirement.”

Throup added: “I am very proud to have played my part in the success of York Handmade, which has grown from a small brick-making concern in 1989 to one of the most successful independent brickmakers in the UK, responsible for some stunning buildings across the country.

“I will miss York Handmade  – I have made some friends for life here, many of whom have worked for the company as long as I have, which says so much about what a wonderful place it is to work, but it’s now time for the next chapter of my life.”

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James Kear, the newly-appointed head of financial services at Yorkshire estate agents Preston Baker, is looking to grow the division three-fold and make it the go-to place for mortgages and for mortgage consultants to work.

Kear, from Harrogate, was previously mortgage services sales manager with estate agents William H Brown, covering Leeds and North Yorkshire.

A Sports Science graduate and keen sportsperson, he said he has big plans for Preston Baker Financial Services and is excited about helping to grow the division and develop its team.

He said: “Preston Baker is a very proactive, forward-thinking company and there is huge potential to grow the Financial Services division and its reach.

“I will be working to grow Financial Services through increasing our number of brokers, expanding our geographical footprint and ensuring we recruit the best candidates in the industry to drive success. I want Preston Baker to be the place for mortgage consultants to work in Yorkshire.”

Kear worked in sport prior to launching his career in financial services.

He was general and sales manager for two Powerleague five-a-side football centres in Leeds, enabling anyone wanting to enjoy five-a-side to play.

It was from here that he joined William H Brown as a mortgage consultant, going on to manage the financial services arm of the estate agency business.

He said: “As a sportsperson I am very much used to a team dynamic and being a team player and the team culture at Preston Baker is brilliant; everyone is so like-minded and so driven to take the company forward,” said James.

“I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”

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National commercial property consultancy, Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) continues to recruit specialist expertise to strengthen its Industrial and Logistics agency offering in the north of England.

LSH has appointed Lauren Swiers to join its Industrial and Logistics agency team as an associate director.

Based in the firm’s Leeds office, Swiers will be responsible for ensuring the upkeep of excellent service quality to all incoming and current occupier accounts across the region, such as Marks & Spencer, Hermes and Sainsbury’s.

She will also support director Scott Morrison to continue to strengthen the team’s service offering and property solutions in one of the UK’s most tightly supplied regions.

Swiers brings with her over 10 years of commercial property expertise gained in the UK property industry, most recently spending time at NCP as its regional surveyor across the north of England and central London.

This latest hire follows on from the appointment of Elliot Bloodworth, who joined the team from Cushman & Wakefield in 2020.

Lambert Smith Hampton’s Yorkshire I&L team has so far been appointed on over 2.5 million sq ft of new warehouse development land, with supply coming forward over the next 12 to 24 months.

Swiers said: “I am delighted to have to opportunity to join Scott, Elliot and the wider industrial team at LSH, during this exciting and fast pace stage for the industrial market.

“I am really looking forward to starting this great new chapter in my career.”

Scott Morrison, director – Industrial & Logistics at LSH, added: “Lauren’s previous experience in the occupier sector will be invaluable as we continue to expand our occupier services offering, as well as adding depth to the wider LSH industrial & logistics team, acting for pension funds, property companies and developer clients in the northern region.

“We are delighted to have Lauren on board.”