People: KPMG; Switalskis Solicitors; Women in Property Yorkshire & North East; and more
Professional services firm KPMG has appointed Giles Taylor as its head of corporate finance in Yorkshire.
He has more than 20 years’ experience as a corporate finance adviser and joined the firm in the mid-1990s.
He leads transactions and client relationships across the North of England with a specialist focus on the property, construction, and building products market.
In his new role, Taylor will lead a team of 15 corporate finance professionals in Leeds.
Recent transactions for the team include advising the sale of Bingley-based Emerald Publishing to Cambridge Information Group, LDC’s investment in York-based Cellhire and the sale of Progeny in Leeds to Further Global Capital Management.
In 2022, the Yorkshire-based corporate finance practice completed 15 transactions worth £1.3bn.
Taylor takes over the role from Christian Mayo, KPMG’s head of corporate finance in the North, who will now focus on supporting the team right across the North of England.
Mayo said: “We’ve got a thriving and incredibly successful corporate finance practice in Yorkshire, which is part of a 50-strong team right across the North and Scotland.
“Giles is a veteran of the region’s corporate finance community. He’s well respected and connected with investors, corporates and lenders, as well as our wider deal advisory practice across the UK, making him the perfect leader to take the team forward.”
Taylor added: “The Yorkshire deal making market is particularly special. We are fortunate to have an impressively strong community of advisers and investors working across the region, but also a rich fabric of businesses from a wide range of sectors that call this part of the world home.
“That dynamic has made M&A here so resilient over the years, but also an exciting market to work in.
“I’m privileged to lead our team at KPMG in Yorkshire as part of a wider Northern practice. Even after an incredibly busy 2022, economic instability hasn’t tempered our pipeline and we’re on track already for another good year.”
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Switalskis Solicitors has welcomed experienced solicitor Mark Blackburn and trainee Emily Chan to its commercial property team as part of its growth drive.
Blackburn brings over seven years’ property industry experience to the position.
His role involves providing legal advice on sales, acquisitions and commercial property leases to the owners, landlords, lenders, and tenants of commercial property.
He will work with regional and national clients across a range of sectors including retail, office, industrial and leisure.
Blackburn said: “I am excited to be joining the business at this time as it further expands and develops its team.
“Switalskis has a strong reputation, a quality team and I also see opportunities for further professional development, which is appealing to me.
“I look forward to growing my case load and working with a range of clients to answer their legal needs.”
Chan has been appointed as trainee within the department, taking the total headcount to six.
She will provide support to the team while developing skills and knowledge in areas of business, as well as law, to allow her to work towards progressing a career as a solicitor.
Recognising existing talent within the team, Switalskis has promoted Ryan Dhinsa to associate solicitor.
He joined the commercial property team in March 22 and has gone on to develop his role with support through Switalskis’ Career Development Programme.
Property lawyer and commercial property department head Claire Murphy was appointed in February 2022 charged with developing the firm’s commercial property department.
She said: “Our recent appointments and Ryan’s promotion are a clear sign of our department growing stronger and building upon its current success.
“Mark and Emily will assist the department as it grows, increasing our capacity to take on further complex projects.
“Ryan’s promotion reflects his ambition and drive as well as his commitment to the business and to providing high levels of service for clients.”
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Helen Randerson, of Gleeson Homes, is to become branch chair of Women in Property Yorkshire & North East.
She takes on the role on 1 March for one year, until 29 February 2024, with a remit to continue to grow and evolve the branch.
Randerson is a land director and specialises in land acquisition and planning in the North of England.
She is passionate about the delivery of quality, low cost housing and the regeneration of deprived communities. She has been a member of Women in Property since 2015.
She said: “Everything Women in Property is about chimes with the principles of inclusion, community and social value.
“We have always been committed to inclusion, engagement and an equitable society, so what a great time to be taking on the branch chair role, coinciding with worldwide International Women’s Day celebrations.
“We have a vibrant calendar of events planned this year, which will provide excellent opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing and professional development.
“From site visits and workshops to panel discussions and social events, we offer a wide range of opportunities for our members to connect and engage with their peers.
“In my role as chair, I want to continue to promote gender equality in the property sector, and to inspire the next generation of female leaders in our industry by creating opportunities and space for women to thrive.”
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Former apprentice Chris Turner has been appointed as the new managing director of modular construction specialist Integra Buildings.
Turner, who joined East Yorkshire-based Integra as an apprentice, has progressed over 20 years from an entry level role to now take on day-to-day leadership of the growing business.
Having been promoted from commercial director, he will take the company forward with a strong pipeline of projects and ambitious growth plans.
Former MD Gary Parker, who co-founded Integra 25 years ago, has become CEO in the restructure, with a new remit to focus on strategic opportunities.
Parker has led the development of the company from a start-up business employing a handful of people to a significant employer in the Humber region, delivering high-profile, multi-disciplinary projects across the UK.
Based at Paull, east of Hull, Integra employs 160 people and provides a range of modular and anti-vandal solutions for sectors including construction, education, health, sport and commercial.
Turner, 42, has been named MD just weeks after Integra became one of fewer than 30 companies to be named on a new £10bn government framework to drive investment in modular and offsite construction.
Turner said: “Becoming managing director is not something I could ever have expected when I joined the business 20 years ago, but I’m excited to take on the challenge.
“It’s also great that I will still be working closely with Gary in his new role. We have a shared vision for the further growth of the business and the continued evolution of our products.
“The modular construction sector has seen phenomenal growth over recent years and we’ve grown at an even faster rate.
“We see no reason for that to change, because modular building has so many advantages over traditional construction and is inherently more sustainable.”
He studied Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Humberside University before joining Integra in 2003 as an apprentice technical draughtsman.
He became estimating manager and commercial manager before being appointed commercial director in 2012. Since then, Integra’s turnover has trebled from £14m to £42m in 2022.
In his new role as CEO, Parker will remain fully committed to the business and focus on strategic developments, opportunities to extend the scope of the business, and potential acquisitions.
He will also lead a project to expand the Integra site at Paull, to create more production and storage space to support the company’s growing project portfolio.
Parker said: “This feels like the right time to hand over the day-to-day running of the business to Chris and to reward him for the outstanding contribution he has made to our growth and development.
“Chris brings proven capability and commercial expertise to the role. He is loyal, hard-working, experienced and also highly respected, within the business and outside it with our clients and partners.”
Turner is supported as MD by fellow members of the senior leadership team – safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) director Paul Tansey; operations director Jim Butler; technical director Mike Marriott; and finance director Sarah Marshall.
