People: Switalskis; SportsShoes.com; Caddick Construction; and more

Law firm Switalskis has promoted personal injury and clinical negligence lawyer and risk management strategist, Lesley Graves, to director.

She has over 32 years’ experience within the claimant clinical negligence and personal injury sector.

Before joining Switalskis in 2018, she was a Legal 500 rated partner and head of catastrophic injury in three leading claimant law firms. She also set up a consulting law firm advising banks, accountants and law firms on risk management strategy.

Strategy and risk management also underpin her work, having brought risk management to a greater fore since joining Switalskis.

Graves now leads the claimant departments’ Strategy and Professional Support team to help adapt to the significant pressures on work in clinical negligence, personal injury and child abuse. 

She said: “Since joining Switalskis I’ve committed to understand and manage risks, unlocking opportunities for new ways of working.

“I have also made strategic improvements to increase performance and build on our team’s achievements.

“I’m privileged to support my fellow directors who head up teams in clinical negligence, personal injury and child abuse.

“I’m always learning and always looking to improve the outcomes for our clients and their families and supporting my colleagues whilst doing so.” 

John Durkan, managing director, said: “Bringing Lesley onboard in 2018 was part of our growth strategy, to keep ahead in this fast-paced area of law.

“Having worked in a consulting role with law firms as clients, Lesley has seen what makes a business thrive and fail and having that insight is a rare commodity.

“Her dual expertise as a former partner and specialist advisor to the claimant legal and banking sector fits well with our vision for the future.

“I’m therefore sure Lesley will be an excellent addition to our board of directors and will play an active role in our continuing success.”

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Shipley-based SportsShoes.com has appointed its first partnerships co-ordinator to manage its running and fitness community partnerships.

Georgia Malir joins the online running shoes, running clothing and outdoor retailer from athletic footwear and apparel brand Saucony where she was a technical representative.

In her new role, she will be responsible for supporting SportsShoes.com’s partnership strategy with the day-to-day management of the retailer’s running and fitness partnerships.

This includes communicating with more than 1,000 individual running clubs, co-ordinating high profile event sponsorships and optimising media and wider group partnerships.

Alongside her professional role, Malir is also an active runner and is currently placed 772 in the world rankings for the Women’s Marathon category. She achieved a 2:39:47 time at the Valencia Marathon in December last year.

Established in 1982, Shipley-headquartered SportsShoes.com offers more than 17,000 products from 150 global running and outdoor brands.

Malir said: “I am excited to join the SportsShoes.com team and I am looking forward to working with our new and existing partners to help support everyone, at any stage of their running and fitness journey.

“As a keen runner, I experience the benefits of physical activity daily, therefore I am happy to join SportsShoes.com on their mission to help customers lead happier and healthier lives through running and fitness.”

The company recently revealed an exclusive retail partnership with community event network, parkrun. It marks the biggest retail partnership the business has secured to date.

Alongside parkrun, the firm also has exclusive running events and community retail partnerships with England Athletics and RunThrough.

Managing director, Brett Bannister, said: “Helping people lead healthier and happier lives lies beyond offering a best-in-class retail experience. It also means playing a meaningful role within the running community.

“Achieving this means ensuring our running and fitness partnerships deliver value and visibility.

“Georgia brings with her a wealth of experience and knowledge of our sector, and will play a crucial role in driving forward our partnerships strategy.”

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Caddick Construction has appointed Scott Clark as business development director for Yorkshire and North East as the business continues to grow in its core markets across the regions.

His appointment will see the promotion of his predecessor, Helen Drennan, to construction group business development director, including its Midlands and North regional construction businesses.

Clark joins Caddick Construction from Skanska where he worked with National Highways to deliver major projects across the strategic road network.

He also spent seven years in business development at ISG with a focus on the defence and justice sectors.

At Caddick Construction he will oversee work winning and performance in the business’ core sectors, including industrial, residential, healthcare and offices.

Clark will also be focused on the firm’s strategy to balance its project portfolio across the private and public sectors, the latter including a drive to increase Caddick’s presence on regional procurement frameworks.

As business development director for Caddick Construction Group, Drennan will now have a broadened remit across all regions and businesses that fall under the Construction Group, including Caddick Civil Engineering and the Group’s facades contractor, CCL Facades.

Paul Dodsworth, construction group managing director, said: “Scott has an excellent track record of leading business development in construction, and with his experience working with the MoJ and MoD through the Crown Commercial Services framework, he has a very strong background in the public sector.

“This experience will be vital in our long-term plans to steadily grow our project portfolio and ensure we have a balanced roster of private and public projects.

“Since her appointment in 2022, Helen has been a fundamental part of our continued expansion and success, and her promotion to lead business development across the Caddick Construction Group will ensure we continue to achieve consistently high standards as we grow.”

Clark said: “I am passionate about building client relationships and ensuring we give our customers a voice; delivering high standards is only possible if we really understand our customers’ needs.

“I look forward to developing our offer and being part of the Caddick team as we take on new and exciting projects.”

Drennan added: “Growing our portfolio and our footprint means growing our team and capability.

“Part of this is ensuring we align partnerships with the right people so that we continue to operate with integrity, creating a positive working culture and delivering exceptional standards for our clients.

“We’re very excited to have Scott on board and look forward to continued success for each of our regional construction business as well as that of Caddick Civil Engineering and CCL Facades.”

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Leeds-based full-service agency, IMA-HOME, has promoted former head of HX (Hybrid Experience) Jack Sails to become associate director of technology.

The newly created role will still see him working across HX and reporting into Jonathan Price, IMA-HOME’s director of digital.

But his reach is now broadened to provide cross-agency support and act as a bridge to ensure technology uplifts every part of IMA-HOME’s operations.

Sails said: “I’m so keen to get cracking with this new role. Having led our hybrid experience team and focused on innovation, this isn’t necessarily a departure.

“It’s a deeper dive into what I love – integrating and elevating tech, especially AI, across our entire operation.

“It’s about dedicating more to technology, making sure it isn’t just an add-on but a core part of how everyone works. Pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve with AI and new platforms.”

Alex Uprichard, managing director, added: “Jack’s promotion is so well deserved and we’re incredibly lucky to have him in this position at IMA-HOME.

“Our future is tech, and Jack and his team will be there to leverage our advancements in AI effectively and guide clients through the ever-changing tech landscape, where many can see the potential but don’t know where to start.

“Technology, particularly AI, is our biggest lever for unlocking new potential. It’s not just about staying current, it’s about leading the charge, transforming how we work and what we create.”

Sails joined IMA-HOME in 2019 as a digital account director, after spending more than six years as an account manager and then account director at the Leeds-based Parallax Agency.