People: Womble Bond Dickinson; Conference Leeds; SCALA; Vida Healthcare

Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has announced four senior promotions in Leeds, including three managing associates and one new associate.

The promoted managing associates are Nick Moss from the corporate and commercial team. Moss specialises in the commercial side of public sector projects, having advised a wide variety of public sector bodies including central and local government, academy trusts, schools and colleges.

Ria Wilkinson (dispute resolution), who specialises in real estate disputes and advises clients on all aspects of commercial property litigation, and Frances Everett (real estate), who specialises in planning, and highways, and regularly advises clients on compulsory purchase and development consent orders.

Simon Wyatt from the firm’s dispute resolution team is named an associate. He focuses on transactional construction matters and assists the team on a range of different construction transactions covering the energy, real estate, education, financial, public and transport sectors.

The good news in Leeds is part of a wider raft of promotions with 26 promotions announced across WBD’s UK offices. In July, the firm also announced 12 partner and two legal director promotions.

Paul Stewart, UK managing partner, said: “As a firm, we continue to invest in our people, who are the core of the business. Our strategy has been one of consistent organic growth, and we’re incredibly proud of the talent we’ve developed. We are committed to enabling our people to reach their full potential and deliver exceptional results for our clients. Their promotions are very much deserved, and we are excited to see them continue to grow in their new roles.”

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Cindy Williams

Conference Leeds has welcomed Cindy Williams as conference officer.

Her role with the conferencing bureau will involve providing support to conference organisers; from the bidding process right through to the post-event evaluation.

Her first major project will be looking after the UK Corporate Games 2024, the UK’s largest multi-sport event focussed on employee welfare, which will bring thousands of visitors to the city.

She said: “I’ve been looking for a new challenge in the events industry, and with my background in international hospitality and tourism, Conference Leeds is the perfect fit. I’m looking forward to promoting the city, especially the vibrant cultural scene and some of the amazing projects Conference Leeds and the city is working on.”

Claire Heap, visitor economy manager at Conference Leeds, adds: “Cindy brings a wealth of experience to the team, as well as an obvious passion for the industry that we think event and conference organisers will really connect with. Her first project – the UK Corporate Games 2024 – promises to be a fantastic event for the city, so Cindy will be helping bring hundreds of businesses and thousands of delegates to Leeds from the off.”

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SCALA, a global supply chain and logistics consultancy headquartered in Huddersfield, has appointed a new executive director to help drive the business’ future direction and strategic growth.

With an extensive resume spanning roles at organisations from DHL and Galderma to Sika and Deloitte, Scott Whiffin brings a wealth of supply chain expertise and experience to benefit SCALA’s existing and future clientele. He also brings valuable business acumen to SCALA’s existing executive team, developed through previous leadership positions as supply chain director at Karcher, and most recently as chief operating officer at HiB.

At SCALA, he will be involved in strategic decision-making to support long-term business sustainability, as well as being responsible for building client and prospect relationships. He will also apply his expertise to manage various consulting projects, helping clients enhance their existing and future supply chain operations.

Whiffin said: “I’m delighted to have joined such an exciting and progressive business, which is committed to putting people at the heart of its operations as a newly formed Employee Ownership Trust.

“SCALA has a customer-first culture and delivers real business benefits, from helping clients to implement greener supply chain practices to enabling them to enhance their profitability.
“Businesses have experienced a turbulent few years which have impacted their supply chains and logistics in turn. But the pace of change, driven by factors from the environment to technology, will only continue to accelerate over the next decade. I’m looking forward to working alongside the SCALA team to help clients navigate changing business requirements, tackle future industry challenges, and remain competitive.”

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Harrogate-based Vida Healthcare has appointed Arron Bolland as learning development and quality manager to lead its bespoke training and development department Vida Academy.

He will be responsible for managing Vida Academy and the learning, development and performance team, overseeing the creation and implementation of continuous training programs for all staff roles at Vida Healthcare.

The news of Arron’s appointment comes after the opening of the new 2,500 sq ft training centre to house Vida Healthcare’s bespoke training department. Vida Academy was launched in 2021 to create a sustainable, specialist dementia care workforce that offers distinct career paths for staff. A range of programmes and initiatives are available to staff, including a mentorship programme to support new starters, managers development programme, student placements, and a reinvigorated Care Certificate offer. The training platform promotes lifelong learning across the organisation by providing opportunities for career progression including establishing staff as dementia ambassadors.

Bolland said: “As I approached the end of my university course, I wanted to become part of an organisation committed to innovation which also championed alternative approaches to health and wellbeing. Vida Healthcare shares my values and consistently invests in pioneering initiatives to support people with complex needs. After working at Vida for so many years, I’m honoured to have the opportunity to lead the Learning, development and performance department and give other staff members the opportunity to progress in their careers.”

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, added: “Arron’s dedication to providing our residents with the best possible care is evident in his career progression throughout his time with us. His appointment to head up the Vida Academy team and drive our training and development offering forward was the natural next step for us. Vida Academy underscores our commitment to both our residents and staff, and we are looking forward to seeing the impact that Arron has on the career progression opportunities available to all our staff members.”