People: Mills & Reeve; KPMG; Switalskis; and more

National law firm, Mills & Reeve, has appointed experienced intellectual property partner, Alex Newman.

Newman, who will be based in the Leeds office, has been a specialist intellectual property lawyer for over 20 years, with 14 years of experience as a partner, most recently at Irwin Mitchell, advising clients of high profile international and national law firms.

He supports businesses on all aspects of the protection, exploitation and enforcement of their intellectual property assets, with a particular focus on strategic dispute avoidance and resolution within the IP-rich technology sector.

He also advises businesses in relation to contractual disputes relating to the development and exploitation of their technologies.

Mark Pearce, head of IP at Mills & Reeve, said: “Alex joining us not only adds strength to our rapidly growing patent litigation practice, but also brings particular expertise in other areas of IP law which expand our offering to clients.

“His pragmatic and commercial approach will fit well into the team, and I am excited at the prospect of further developing our broad national practice with him.”

Newman added: “I have been impressed by the appetite and ambition which Mills & Reeve has shown for the further development of its IP practice and its genuinely collaborative approach to client engagement and service.

“I am really looking forward to working with my new colleagues to help businesses devise and implement IP strategies which maximise IP value and deliver real return on investment.”

He will shortly benefit from an enlarged national corporate and commercial team from 1 June 2022 with the merger of the existing corporate and commercial and projects and construction teams. The re-organisation will maximise collaboration and support further growth.

:::

Ed Bartlett

KPMG UK has promoted seven people to partner and one person to associate partner in Yorkshire and the Humber, further strengthening its proposition for clients in the region.

Corporate lawyer Ed Bartlett has been promoted to partner as KPMG Law bolsters its regional offering.

He joined the business in 2014 and moved to Yorkshire & the Humber in 2021 to help establish the firm’s legal presence in the region and advise clients on the full range of corporate law issues including M&A, international business reorganisations and equity incentives.

Brad Keast, Jonathan Turner, and Dion Windelinckx have become tax partners.

Adam O’Brien and Hugh O’Reilly have become partners in consulting, and Jules Watson has become a deal advisory partner.

Damian Sivajoti becomes an associate partner in consulting.

Euan West, office senior partner for KPMG in Leeds, said: “Congratulations to our new partners here in Yorkshire & the Humber. As part of a hardworking and high performing team, each of them will be a great addition to the partnership.

“The latest partner promotions also demonstrate KPMG’s continued investment in Yorkshire & the Humber and truly showcase what incredible talent we have accessible locally for our clients.”

:::

Yorkshire law firm the Switalskis group has recruited senior HR professional Julie Guest into its new head of people role.

Her appointment comes as part of the Switalskis group’s growth strategy which has seen the firm expand its presence with the acquisitions of Atherton Godfrey and Pryers Solicitors.

As head of people, Guest will drive the firm’s people agenda, taking the lead on developing its talent, leadership and inclusion strategies and will further bring together teams across the group.

Bringing 28 years’ HR experience to the position, she joins from Harrogate energy supply company, CNG, where she was HR manager, growing and upskilling a team of in-house HR professionals.

She has gained extensive experience within professional services, finance, manufacturing and service and retail industries roles, including positions with Morrisons, Pinsent Masons and William Hill.

Guest said: “It’s great to join a firm with such a strong focus on its people, culture and values and I am looking forward to playing a part in further cementing our group-wide focus in this area.

“My role will involve further integration of people and systems following the acquisition of Atherton Godfrey and Pryers, along with enhancing Switalskis’ already strong talent development and creating an environment and culture in which everyone is able to flourish.

“A key part of this will be ensuring every employee comes along on this journey with us.”

John Durkan, Switalskis group MD, said: “Julie’s appointment comes at an exciting time for the firm as we are working hard to develop our people strategy across Switalskis, Pryers and Atherton Godfrey.

“People are at the centre of everything we do, and Julie shares our ambition for the Switalskis group to be a firm which makes a difference; is a great place to work; and is somewhere that employees can thrive.

“Julie brings a wide range of valuable experience to this role along with a proven HR leadership track record.”

:::

Yorkshire-based Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists has strengthened its team with the appointment of new head of audiology, Rob Ormerod.

He began training as a hearing aid audiologist with Boots Hearingcare in 2005 and progressed through the business acting as regional sales manager ahead of a role as head of NHS, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of the Boots Hearingcare NHS and non-hearing aids sales strategy.

He also acted as head of transformation, head of commercial and head of business planning with Boots Hearingcare – achieving significant year-on-year growth.

In February 2020, he was appointed retail excellence manager with Amplifon. He oversaw the company’s response to Covid-19 and implemented a series of business transformation projects to improve its trading estate, brand proposition and customer journey, which led to a significant positive movement and profit within a year.

In his new field-based role with Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists, which is headquartered in West Yorkshire, he will lead on a major audiology recruitment drive and oversee an efficient rollout of industry-leading hearing services in all 38 practices across the country.

Ormerod said: “There are some really exciting plans for audiology in place right across the Bayfields business, and the strategy is very clear – we want to achieve growth while remaining true to our values.

“The opportunity to be part of that fast expansion and play a role in the future success of the roll-out programme, while being part of an organisation that is rooted in community, drove me to want to join the team.

“There is a great mix of very talented people already within the business, and in coming months, recruitment will be a priority to ensure we can expand audiology services at the pace and level of quality we want to achieve.”

Royston Bayfield, CEO and founder of the business, said: “To have someone of Rob’s calibre join our audiology division puts us in fantastic stead to continue improving on our service delivery, ensuring every Bayfields practice across the country offers the highest standards of hearing care possible.”