People: Switalskis; York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub; BDO; and more

Switalskis has expanded its commercial property team with the addition of associate solicitor Saima ul-Haq and trainee solicitor Cyman Kaur.

They join director and head of team Claire Murphy at the firm’s Bradford office.

Haq and Kaur’s arrival marks Switalskis’ growth in the city, adding a commercial property team to its existing central Bradford office.

Before joining Switalskis in 2022, Murphy ran a commercial property boutique law firm in the Bradford district.

She is also a member and former chair of the Bradford branch of property and construction network Bradford Interact.

She said that Haq and Kaur’s appointments give the department a stronger local presence. This will allow the team to better serve its growing network and client base in the city.

With over a decade of legal experience, Haq has a proven track record of working across a number of clients in real estate.

This includes developers, landlords, tenants, investors, commercial portfolio owners, and high net worth clients. Her expertise spans a range of commercial property matters including land purchases and sales, development projects, landlord and tenant issues.

Having gained a Law Degree at Nottingham Trent University, she began her legal career as a paralegal in 2013. She has since gained 10 years’ experience in commercial property law, including five years post-qualification, before joining Switalskis this month.

She said: “This is an exciting opportunity for me to join Switalskis and to extend the geographical reach of its commercial property team.

“Switalskis has a great reputation in the sector and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues and clients in the area while supporting the growth of the business.”

Kaur obtained her Legal Practice Course (LPC) and Master’s degree (LLM) at Liverpool John Moore’s University.

She then began her legal career as a paralegal assisting with family law cases for high-net-worth clients.

She joins Switalskis to complete her training contract. Kaur said: “I am very excited to commence my training contract alongside such a versatile team.

“With exceptionally great talent and experience within the department, I have no doubts that I will acquire invaluable experience within my first seat.”

Murphy added: “Our business is going from strength-to-strength, not least due to our seven-strong talented team in West and North Yorkshire.

“There are exciting times ahead in Bradford, too, with its upcoming City of Culture status. We are keen to maintain a strong presence in the city.

“Saima and Cyman’s appointments are a step in this direction, and they both have much to offer.”

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The York & North Yorkshire Growth Hub has appointed new team members who will be supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs.

Faye Greer-Pickup, Jack Colding, and Adrian O’Neill each bring their own set of skills and experiences to provide free and impartial support as well as access to a range of resources.

Greer-Pickup has been promoted to delivery officer for the Growth Hub, with a focus on providing support to individuals looking to start businesses in the North Yorkshire area.

She said: “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with pre-start and early-stage start-ups full-time, helping them navigate the path to success.”

Part of her work will involve finding and referring businesses to the Growth Hub’s range of support for start-ups, including the Strive Live Start-Up Incubator designed to equip entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in today’s competitive market.

Colding, the Growth Hub’s new environment and sustainability business relationship manager, will work with businesses in North Yorkshire to cut costs and stay ahead of new regulations.

His professional background in the logistics sector has given him insights into decarbonising business operations, and he is eager to help local businesses reduce their energy usage and embrace sustainable practices.

He said: “Net zero is a tremendous business opportunity. It can save costs and boost your brand while helping the environment.”

As part of its £22.3m worth of Shared Prosperity Funding, North Yorkshire Council has made grants and support available to address funding and knowledge gaps preventing businesses taking effective action on net zero.

Colding can assist businesses in accessing this funding, opening the door to opportunities for sustainability and growth.

O’Neill, the new skills specialist business relationship manager, is dedicated to helping North Yorkshire businesses create a well-trained and fully engaged workforce to help with challenges such as recruitment & retention.

He will work with leaders and owners to put long-term skills development plans in place.

His diverse background, including adult teaching, working with disadvantaged groups, and various sectors including zookeeping, positions him to understand businesses’ individual needs and challenges.

He said: “I believe well-trained and motivated employees are the cornerstone of business success. I’m here to identify and address skills gaps, provide solutions, and connect businesses with the right training providers.”

O’Neill will be helping business access an array of support including a programme of 30 Skills Bootcamps, supporting more than 800 individuals.

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Accountancy and business advisory firm, BDO, has promoted 79 people across its team in Yorkshire and the North East, including two promotions to partner.  

Paul Gilbert has been promoted to partner in the firm’s Financial Services (FS) Advisory team and Catherine Whitelam, has been promoted to partner in the tax practice. 

Gilbert’s promotion will bolster BDO’s ambition to extend the breadth and depth of its Financial Services Advisory offering in the region. He has deep knowledge and experience in the specialisms of internal audit, risk, treasury, and prudential regulation. 

Whitelam, with her long-standing expertise in advising large corporate entities, has been recognised for her ability to forge strong, lasting relationships and her strong technical capabilities.

She has played a pivotal role in the expansion of the tax practice and her promotion will see her continue to develop opportunities with larger corporate businesses.  

Terry Jones, head of BDO in Yorkshire and the North East, said: “Both Paul and Catherine have demonstrated exceptional commitment and expertise in their respective fields.

“Their promotions reflect not just past achievements but also our confidence in their ability to drive our growth ambitions for Yorkshire and the North East.  

“The creation of an advisory partner role specifically for financial services in the North of England, will further strengthen our regional presence and open up new opportunities, while Catherine’s promotion will provide the capacity BDO requires at this senior level to continue growing our highly successful corporate tax practice.”

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Bradford-headquartered Advanced Supply Chain (ASC) has hired Steph Mitcheson as business development specialist.

Mitcheson joins ASC following roles with GXO – where she had been for six years – Clipper, XPO and Sainsburys.

A proven business development manager and reverse logistics specialist, she benefits from experience across manufacturing, retailing and 3PL across all sectors.

She will build relationships with retailers and ecommerce companies to support the delivery of end-to-end supply chain strategies, while drawing upon her extensive knowledge of returns to continue expanding ASC’s market-leading returns solution.

She said: “I’m really excited to be part of the Advanced Supply Chain team – it’s an entrepreneurial and agile business, while having the scale, reputation and reach to support fast-growing, fast-moving retailers.

“The choice of supply chain partner is becoming more and more limited, with retailers having to work with global operators with little flexibility and lower service levels or smaller organisations that can’t support businesses as they scale.

“I look forward to working with the commercial team to expand and develop ASC’s services and continue to build its customer base.”

Ben Balfour, chief operating officer at ASC, said: “We’re very pleased to have Steph on board – she brings a great deal of knowledge and experience within the logistics sector and is already proving herself as a real asset to our growing commercial team.”