Appointments: Shakespeare Martineau, Levi Solicitors, Rise at Seven, WaterBear

South Yorkshire law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed corporate partner Ryan Fitzpatrick to its Sheffield hub.

Formerly with local firms Taylor Emmet, Ironmonger Curtis, and Bell & Buxton Solicitors, Ryan has acquired more than 10 years’ corporate legal experience advising businesses based in Sheffield and throughout South Yorkshire.

As well as dealing with buying and selling companies and investments on behalf of entrepreneurial clients, Ryan has accumulated a wealth of experience of transactions in the healthcare sector, including working with dental practices, care homes, GP surgeries, pharmacies and opticians.

Ryan said: “I am proud to have joined Shakespeare Martineau. The firm has an outstanding reputation for investing in its people and clients, resulting in a high level of service, which is clearly evidenced by its numerous awards and accolades, including its prestigious B Corporation status.

“Sheffield is a vibrant city and is celebrated for its innovative technology companies and strong commercial market, which makes it an inspiring place to work as a corporate lawyer.”

Day-to-day, Ryan handles all types of corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, management buyouts, business start-ups, setting up joint ventures and partnerships, negotiating corporate restructuring and strategy, and drafting shareholder agreements. He also supports NHS and private healthcare providers.

Michael Stace, partner and head of corporate at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “We are continuing our investment in the Yorkshire market – a region in which we see a lot of potential – and we are thrilled to welcome Ryan to the Sheffield team, a move that will help to boost this commitment.

“Ryan has a strong reputation in Sheffield, and his technical knowledge and broad experience will be a real asset to our team as we look to enhance our transactional offering and cement our reputation in South Yorkshire.”

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Levi Solicitors has appointed Andrea Wilby as head of HR and talent acquisition.

Andrea Wilby

Andrea joins Levi’s management team to work with partners and staff on recruitment, retention and all our people development needs.

She has over 20 years’ experience and has held senior HR positions in the professional legal sector for the past nine years. most recently as HR Director for a national midsize firm.

Commenting on her new role, Andrea said: “I am excited to join Levi Solicitors at this important period in their growth strategy. Linking with the great staff and partners at the firm to build and develop the entire employee lifecycle making the firm a great place to work for all generations.”

Her appointment was prompted by Levi’s continued growth. Managing partner Steven Newdall said, “We are delighted to welcome Andrea to our ever-growing team. She will be working to provide strategic guidance on all people matters as well as developing our recruitment initiatives.”

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Will Hobson

Sheffield-based creative agency Rise at Seven appoints Will Hobson as vice president of PR of Rise at Seven US,  to lead the next phase of growth in the United States.

Will held the title as PR director of Rise at Seven UK and sits on the senior leadership team within the agency after founding the London arm and scaling it to 25 people in 2 years. Will now takes on New York as VP of PR, based in their Manhattan office.

Will’s new role within the agency will be to champion the growth of the PR team and lead the Digital PR industry across North America.

The search-first creative agency, founded by Carrie Rose, has four offices globally, with the American arm of the business already storming the states. Over the past 18 months, the agency reports growth figures of $1.5m in the US market with no plans to slow down.

On his new challenge, Will Hobson, VP of PR at Rise at Seven said, “I am honoured to be given the opportunity to lead Rise at Seven US to success in the states, the market opportunity is huge for us and we’ve been welcomed with open arms with our innovative approach to SEO, creativity  and content marketing.  To live in the US has always been a dream of mine so I am beyond excited to announce that I’ll be now based in our Manhattan office, to help expand the business across America.”

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Music college WaterBear Sheffield has bolstered its careers and industry team with three new appointments.

Damian Morgan

Damian Morgan, who joins as head of careers and industry liaison, has worked in the music industry for over 25 years within music management and artist development with bands such as Oasis, Happy Mondays and The Smiths. He said, “I am incredibly excited to be joining WaterBear and sharing my knowledge and industry contacts with students. It’s a thrilling time to be working in the creative industries, and it is a real honour to be working with the next generation of music pioneers.”

Music talent manager, video producer and DJ Lamour White joins the college as A&R, and songwriter and guitarist Greg Archer joins as student experience co-ordinator.

Eve Massaad, Director of Marketing, said, “We are very excited to welcome the new team members together with their years of experience, skills and knowledge in the music industry. The role of Higher Education is to support those looking to build a career and within a changing world it is essential we have our finger on the pulse. By creating the right opportunities, we can help our students become resilient, adaptable and arm them with the experience and knowledge to help them navigate their future careers. By investing in our careers and industry department we aim to provide a fully rounded offer to our students and continue to ensure WaterBear is run by musicians, for musicians.”