People: CMS; JLA; RWO; and more

International law firm CMS is bolstering its Planning practice with the appointment of David Hardy as a partner in its Sheffield office.

Dually qualified as a barrister and solicitor, he joins from Squire Patton Boggs where he was a barrister and partner in the Planning group.

Nationally recognised for his work in the energy sector, Hardy brings extensive experience advising on high profile projects throughout England, Wales and Scotland from inception through to final determination and appeal.

This is the second senior addition to the firm’s planning practice in the North, following the appointment of Chrisa Tsompani who joined CMS’ Manchester office two weeks ago.

Tsompani is a very experienced planning and environment lawyer and joined the firm from Chester City Council.

Chris Bowes, CMS planning partner, said: “The CMS Planning team has seen significant growth, particularly in the energy sector, and David’s expertise and established market standing will add significant strength to our existing practice.

“His joining sends a clear message of our ambition to build a market leading Planning team in the North of England and will further support the broader Real Estate team in growing development and infrastructure work.”

Hardy added: “With the market for property related planning work and  energy sector activity as strong as ever, it’s an ideal time to be joining a firm with an established reputation for planning, energy, infrastructure and real estate work.

“I look forward to working with specialists across the firm to build on the success of the practice and support my clients as they expand their investments within the region and further afield.”

The CMS Planning team has successfully advised on major projects across urban regeneration, retail, data centres, industrial, logistics, leisure, surplus land, infrastructure and energy. This includes providing consenting advice on the world’s future largest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank C, which is due to complete in 2026.

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JLA, a Ripponden-based critical equipment and services provider, has grown its fire safety and security team, after it experienced increased demand.

The team has welcomed two fire risk assessors and a trainee risk assessor as part of the appointments, who will service customers nationwide.

Fire risk assessor Tom Lewis joins from Delta Fire Systems, where he spent eight years carrying out in-depth fire risk assessments on a diverse range of businesses and buildings.

He is a member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (TIFSM) and is a qualified member (MIFSM).

Andy McGurk is a fire risk assessor with more than seven years of experience. He joins from Gateshead Council where he assisted with the provision of an occupational health & safety service for the local authority and its partners.

Trainee fire risk assessor Katie Grula joins from Dacorum Borough Council, Hemel Hempstead, where she regularly managed fire safety maintenance projects.

The new additions take JLA’s fire safety and security division to seven members, with plans to add more people in the coming months.

Following a significant investment into a range of acquisitions in 2020 and 2021, the JLA Group now incorporates multiple fire safety brands and businesses, including FireBright Solutions, Fire FM, Astral Fire, Firewatch, MacDonald Martin and ITS Group.

It brings together decades of experience within fire safety and security provision.

Chloe Vickery, national fire risk assessment manager at JLA Group, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome Tom, Katie and Andy to our growing team.

“JLA has experienced incredible demand for our fire safety and security services in recent years, as organisations work to ensure they meet changing legal requirements.

“As a result, we have significantly invested in our teams and the businesses we work with, through new hires and considered acquisitions.

“At all times, we want to ensure customers have access to the most up-to-date and comprehensive knowledge in this area. Tom, Katie and Andy will play a vital role in this, and their combined experience really expands the expertise our customers can call on.”

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A firm of Leeds civil and structural engineers has strengthened its team as it continues to invest in skills and technical expertise as part of planned strategic growth.

Matt Thackray and Alastair Neil join Park Square-based RWO as structural Revit technicians, bringing experience of liaising with architects, subcontractor designers and other technical disciplines as well as engineering design expertise, to the roles.

Key responsibilities will include working with the company’s engineers to produce Revit models and structural steelwork, concrete, masonry and timber drawings from initial concept stage through to the construction phase on a variety of projects.

Also joining the office is Morgan Mellor, who has been appointed as a graduate structural engineer.

Currently working towards attaining chartered engineer status, he will provide engineering design services on a range of industrial, offices and residential housing projects as well as undertake structural survey and alterations work.

Louisa Gardner comes in as a new administration assistant providing office support and back-up.

Andrew Fairburn, director of the Leeds office, said hiring experienced people is supporting growth while extending the scope of the company’s structural design capabilities.

He added: “We continue to see demand from the building and construction sector for high quality technical expertise and resources.

“I am pleased to welcome Matt, Alastair, Morgan and Louisa and look forward to working with them over the coming months. They are experienced and talented people with values that align closely with our business.”

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Malsis Hall, a mental health rehabilitation service based in Glusburn, North Yorkshire, has appointed Dr Abdul Qayyum as its new consultant psychiatrist.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector.

Qayyum has held positions within both public and private sector healthcare in a variety of settings, including anxiety and trauma, complex depression, acquired brain injury and psychiatric intensive care.

He acquired specialist expertise in treatment of Treatment Resistant Psychoses while working at West London NHS Foundation Trust.

He has supported NHS trusts in Cheshire and London in significant restructuring and introducing new services and during the Covid pandemic worked with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust to help raise local awareness and participation in Government safety and compliance goals.

Qayyum said: “I’m very excited to start working at Malsis Hall and provide support, treatment and care for our service users.

“Due to the complex cases that I have worked on throughout the years, I am certain I will provide the best possible care, working alongside the expert and skilled professionals at Malsis Hall.”

Andrew Shelton-Murray, chief executive officer, said: “Dr Qayyum is a very experienced medical professional and will provide invaluable managerial skills after having worked with both inpatient and community multidisciplinary teams providing clinical leadership.”