People: ABL Business; Squire Patton Boggs; KPMG UK; and more

ABL Business, a Yorkshire-based national commercial finance consultancy, has appointed Jason Bentley as national operations manager.

The appointment comes as ABL – which has secured more than £90,000,000 in debt finance for SMEs in the last three years – chases growth plans and aims to reach £6m turnover by 2025.

Andy Redman, joint managing director, said: “As we continue to grow the business across the length and breadth of the UK, now is the right time to bring Jason to the team to streamline our national operations to help supercharge our growth.

“Having worked for Yorkshire Bank for over 30 years supporting SME and commercial customers with their funding requirements, Jason’s experience creating close working relationships to really get under the skin of why a business needs funding – and how they are going to use it – fits hand-in-glove with ABL’s relationship-based approach to discovering and delivering the right commercial finance facility for our clients.

“Jason will support myself and co-director, Alex Beardsley, with the next phase of our growth plans, providing strategic and day-to-day operational support across the business.”

Bentley added: “Since first meeting the ABL team, the expertise of the team and their emphasis on strong relationships – together with a willingness to do the deal – made me keen to get on board.

“The funding is out there and available for businesses, but many don’t know how or where to get independent, unaffiliated support to ensure they access the best solution for their business. People need to deal with people – and that is exactly what ABL is about.”

ABL Business – which recently launched regional offices in the north east and south west of England as well as Scotland – aims to open a further 12 locations across the UK in the next three years.

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Squire Patton Boggs says senior litigation lawyer Jenny Broderick has been promoted to partner.

Her practice comprises a range of commercial litigation and dispute resolution work for clients in the UK and internationally.

She has experience of representing businesses from a variety of industries, including media, financial services, oil and gas, engineering, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, life sciences and healthtech.

Broderick has particular expertise in public procurement law and public contract disputes. In addition to her contentious work, she advises clients on public procurement risk and solutions, acting for both contracting authorities and public sector suppliers.

She is also Pro Bono Champion for the Leeds office.

Jason Blakey, who leads the firm’s Litigation Practice in Leeds, said: “Jenny is a talented lawyer with first-rate technical skills and a deserved reputation for providing commercial, client-focused advice.

“Her promotion underlines the strength of our practice and our investment in its continued growth.”

John Alderton, managing partner of the Leeds office, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Jenny into the partnership.

“Jenny has made a name for herself in the Yorkshire market, and indeed further afield, and we are happy to recognise her achievements and the contribution she has made to the firm. We wish Jenny every success.”

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Euan West

Professional services firm, KPMG UK, has strengthened its Leeds office with more than a dozen colleagues being promoted to director.

In the firm’s Audit practice, Emme Gardiner, Jennifer Milburn, Matthew Ackroyd, Deborah Jamison and Michael Ward have all been promoted to director.

There have also been promotions for Adam Lund, Andy Naylor, Laura Sharp and Peter Norris in Consulting and Damian Boardman and Daniel Bunney in Deal Advisory.

Hannah Barraclough and Georgina Lamont have also been promoted in the Tax and KPMG Law practice.

KPMG UK now employs more than 1,100 in Leeds, which is one of the firm’s largest bases outside London.

The new appointments follow a period of rapid growth for KPMG UK in Yorkshire, which has hired 164 new recruits and welcomed 66 graduates and apprentices in the last year. The firm appointed six new partners in Leeds at the end of last year.

Euan West, office senior partner for KPMG UK in Leeds, said: “These promotions reflect the exemplary skills of my colleagues here in Leeds and are well deserved.

“It’s all part of our hard work to bolster the services we provide to our clients in Leeds and across the county, which will continue through 2023 and beyond.

“We have brought some of the brightest talent on the professional services sector to the city and providing an exceptional service to the region’s businesses, including Audit, Tax, Consulting and Deal Advisory.

“And we’re working across the business community to deliver the support firms need to successfully navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead.”

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Switalskis Solicitors has welcomed nine new trainee solicitors into its growing business, which has offices throughout Yorkshire and in London.

Of the nine trainees, seven are moving from internal positions. In addition, two trainees join from paralegal positions within external practices.

Trainees will spend time in different legal departments in one or more of the 12 locations within the Switalskis group. Each person will rotate seats to develop their experience and practical training in different areas of law. 

Joining the Court of Protection team are Georgia McKelvey, Maddy Boothroyd and Rebecca Wardle.

Maariyah Badat and Jasreen Bansil take their first seat in the Family Law team. Sally Hirst with the Child Abuse Litigation team, Fiona Haigh with the Wills and Probate team, Emily Chan takes her first seat in the Commercial Property team and Ellie McGuiness with the Clinical Negligence team. 

Amy Clowrey, a director and solicitor in Switalskis Solicitors’ Child Abuse Litigation department, has recently been appointed as dedicated training principal.

She said: “This is a brilliant cohort of trainees who all really impressed us throughout the recruitment process. We aim to equip our trainees with a broad spectrum of relevant skills and knowledge in areas of business, as well as law, to allow them to pursue a successful career as a solicitor.

“I am excited to watch them develop as their training principal.”

Tim Halstead, chief operating officer, said: “We invest heavily in our training programme as part of our growth and succession strategy.

“It’s a valuable opportunity for those seeking to start their careers in the legal sector and we are proud of our programme which gives trainee solicitors a strong foundation and start to their legal career with us.”