People: Walker Morris; Key Capital Partners; Quickline Communications; and more

Leeds-based law firm, Walker Morris, has made 24 new internal appointments this May, including five partners, nine directors and 10 senior associates.

This is the highest number of partner promotions at Walker Morris for over ten years, with newly appointed partners including Claire Askew and James Crellin in the Finance team, Alan Harper in Intellectual Property, Trade Marks & Designs, Thomas Mieszkowski in the Corporate team, and Carly Thorpe in Construction & Engineering.

The news follows the appointment of partner and head of banking Philip Scott, banking & finance litigation partner Rob Payne, and real estate partner George Bacon in late 2021.

Malcolm Simpson, managing partner, said: “We are focused on creating an exciting, dynamic environment, where our staff can develop and grow their careers, and we are sure our newly promoted colleagues will help us to meet our bold vision for the future – which we have called Ambition 2024.

“As a firm, we are making a significant investment in internal talent development and talent acquisition to grow our business and practice expertise. Attracting and retaining the best people is at the heart of what we do.

“All 24 promotions are very well deserved as the team continues to work tirelessly to ensure the best possible service for all of our clients.”

Newly appointed staff include:

Partners

• Claire Askew                           Finance
• James Crellin                          Finance
• Alan Harper                            Intellectual Property, Trade Marks & Designs
• Thomas Mieszkowski           Corporate
• Carly Thorpe                           Construction & Engineering

Directors

• Kathryn Brook                       Infrastructure & Energy
• Lorna Hopps                           Employment
• Chris Hutchinson                   Real Estate
• Luke Jackson                           Commercial
• Louise Norbury-Robinson    Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Mike O’Halloran                     Corporate
• Charlotte Smith                      Employment
• Charlotte Spowage                Real Estate
• Sarah Williams                       Intellectual Property, Trade Marks & Designs

Senior Associates

• Samantha Fozzard                Construction & Engineering
• Jack Heward                           Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Jennifer Mann                        Finance
• Marianne McKeown             Corporate
• Giulia Patti                               Employment
• Kendel Shepherd                   Employment
• Seann Stobbs                          Real Estate
• Catherine Thompson           Construction & Engineering
• Kayleigh Watson                   Corporate
• Lucy Wild                                Construction & Engineering

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Key Capital Partners (KCP), a Leeds-based small-cap private equity firm, has made two promotions to its senior team.

Laura Howes and Matt Tice have been promoted to director.

Since joining KCP in 2016 to lead its direct origination efforts, Howes has recently pivoted to become finance & operations director, taking responsibility for the internal operations of the business including the financial affairs of the firm and its funds, compliance and marketing.

Tice joined KCP in 2018 and has since played a key role in the investment activities of the firm as well as supporting the portfolio through his position on numerous boards.

He has been involved in a number of notable deals including Total Integrated Solutions, Avantis Systems and Jellyfish Pictures.

James Hall, managing partner, said: “Both Matt and Laura have been an integral part of the development of Key over the last few years.

“We have built a fantastic reputation and with the continued development of our people as well as one or two new faces over the next few months I believe we are well placed to continue to deliver excellent returns for our investor base.”

Howes said: “Over the past six years, I have supported every facet of the business and feel privileged to now have responsibility of the finances and operations. KCP has a fantastic reputation within the SME buy-out space and I am proud to be part of the team.”

Tice added: “We continue to deliver on both new and existing investments and its great to see the firm investing in its people and teams to position ourselves for further successes in the future.”

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Rural broadband provider, Quickline Communications, has appointed a leading commercial specialist to further strengthen its executive team.

Sue Barnes joins the Hessle-based company as its new chief commercial officer from Voneus Broadband.

With over 30 years’ experience in senior commercial leadership roles, she has a proven track record of building world-class teams and driving growth in fast-paced environments across telecoms, digital, print and broadcast media within both start-ups and large organisations.

Sean Royce, Quickline’s chief executive, said her arrival demonstrates the rapid expansion  and ambition of the company following its acquisition by Northleaf Capital Partners last June and a £500m investment outlined by the new owners over the next four years.

He said: “This is a key appointment for us. Having worked for another national broadband company for the last three years, Sue is well acquainted with what customers need and expect from their broadband provider.

“She will now continue the great progress we are already making in building our ultrafast hybrid network to reach over 500,000 premises in rural communities across the North of England with an increasing focus on winning new customers, retaining and delighting existing ones and spreading the Quickline brand as we look to expand our network in new areas.”

Barnes will be leading all commercial teams for Quickline, including Product and Proposition, Marketing, Sales, Customer Experience, Performance and Engagement.

She said: “I’m looking forward to addressing the whole provision of lightning fast broadband in rural communities across the North of England and beyond to ensure no-one is left behind when it comes to fast, reliable internet connectivity simply because of where they live and work.”

This appointment comes just a few months after Claire Hickey also joined the leadership team from Howden Joinery as HR director.

She is leading on the company’s rapid recruitment drive as Quickline prepares to double its workforce again by the end of the year.

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Sheffield and London-based planning consultancy, Urbana, has continued its expansion with the appointment of Georgia Parker.

Parker chose to make the move to Urbana from Sheffield-based consultancy, nineteen47.

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with an MPlan in Urban Studies and Planning, she has been working for the past year as a graduate planner, where she gained invaluable experience.

She said: “I am thrilled to join the fantastic team of urbanists here at Urbana. As a business, they stand out from other consultancies with their sole aim of ‘making cities better’.

“I am excited to be part of a movement which seeks to deliver genuine placemaking and work within a team which is passionate about urbanism.

“I also have a particular interest in sustainability, and how we can use the planning process to ensure we protect our environment with quality placemaking decisions.”

The first female associate at Urbana, Chloe Parmenter, said: “The addition of another female to the team exudes positivity and reflects the change taking place across the industry, and we are so excited to see her thrive and deliver great urbanism with our clients.”

CEO Adam Murray added: “It was a no-brainer to take on Georgia, she’s the perfect fit for Urbana.

“Not only has she got a solid CV and skills to match, but she also shares each of our key values as a business whether it is our green credentials or our passion for simply making cities.”