People: FASTSIGNS Sheffield; HF; Andrew Jackson Solicitors; and more

FASTSIGNS Sheffield’s new managing director, Martin Slater, has officially taken over the franchise with the aim of driving in new clients from the local area.

The franchise is part of FASTSIGNS UK’s growing network, currently made up of 25 other centres throughout the country.

The previous owners, Garth and Paul Allison, have provided Yorkshire-based businesses with signage solutions from their base on Old Station Drive since 1994.

The takeover marks the retirement of Garth, while co-owner and son, Paul, will remain in the business as a consultant for the Sheffield and Chesterfield centres.

Prior to joining FASTSIGNS UK, Slater built up three decades’ worth of experience working in various areas of Sheffield’s hospitality scene, including running the Abbeydale Sports Club, his own delicatessen, and managing a local McDonalds.

In his new role he will seek to continue to build the business, focusing on the sales element of the centre.

He said: “After living and working in Sheffield for the last three decades, I’m familiar with the local community, and many business owners within the city.

“Transitioning to a completely new sector could’ve been a daunting experience, but the support of the team at FASTSIGNS Sheffield, and drawing on those transferable skills, such as customer service, delivering quality products and memorable experiences, have made the change seamless.

“Signage is not just about displaying a company’s name or logo. At the heart of it, it’s about communicating a brand’s identity, its values and messages to its customers effectively.

“My background in hospitality has instilled in me a deep understanding of the importance of visual communication and fostering connections.”

John Davies, managing director of FASTSIGNS UK, added: “Martin’s transition from the hospitality industry to the dynamic signage sector marks a new bold chapter in his career journey.

“With roots firmly planted in the heart of Sheffield’s bustling community, we’re excited to see how this already-established branch will continue to flourish under his leadership.

“Martin brings a wealth of knowledge of how a franchise network works and what we can offer in his journal. I am confident he will be a valuable asset to our expanding team here in the UK.”

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Insurance and Commercial law specialist HF has appointed Emily Wheatley to head its newly established commercial property division based in Leeds. 

She brings extensive experience in all areas of commercial property law, strengthening the expanding commercial and corporate offering at HF.

Ronan McCann, CEO & managing partner at HF, said: “HF’s commercial law division has gone from strength-to-strength since it was formed three years ago.

“We recently added a corporate team to complement our dispute resolution and insolvency and restructuring teams and Emily’s appointment comes at an exciting time for HF as our commercial law division moves towards its initial targeted annual revenue of £10m.

“We see significant scope for scaling our commercial division over the next 12 months through M&A activity and through further selective lateral hires.”

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Andrew Jackson Solicitors has confirmed that Gillian Markland has joined its employment team as a partner. 

She brings several years’ experience acting across a broad range of employment matters.

She regularly advises both public and private sector employers on a range of matters including contracts of employment, handbooks, disciplinary and dismissals, poor performance, grievances, settlement agreements, restructure/redundancies and TUPE. 

Markland also has expertise of advising employees on grievances and settlement agreements.

She said: “Andrew Jackson’s employment practice has built a strong reputation for providing high quality advice to a diverse client base.

“I’m excited to have joined the firm and I’m looking forward to ensuring we continue to provide an outstanding service for clients, which is tailored to their needs.” 

Jonathan Dale, partner and head of employment, added: “I am pleased that Gillian has joined our team and she has already proven to be a fantastic addition.

“Her friendly, professional and knowledgeable approach has won praise from clients and I know she will be an asset to our employment practice.”

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Leeds-headquartered Bspoke Group has appointed Adrian Ewington as managing director of Bspoke Private Clients, the mid and high net worth specialist managing general agent (MGA). 

The newly expanded Private Clients Team will be led by ex-Home & Legacy director Ewington and Jonathan Kitchen, in the roles of managing director and underwriting director, respectively.

Ewington will be joined by other well-known members of the Home & Legacy unit, including Nicole Russell, Oonagh Berry, Chris Tysoe and Chris Coakley.

To support their growth aspirations, the team are recruiting the further expertise of mid and high net worth specialist underwriters, with several new appointments intended by the end of the year.

Ewington said: “Bringing together ex Home & Legacy experts with the existing Bspoke Private Clients HNW team makes for a powerful combination that will, I’m sure, quickly make a significant mark in this sector.

“We are hugely ambitious for the business; our brief is to deliver sustained profitable growth, making full use of our data analytics capability sitting alongside seasoned underwriters who really understand this market.

“We have good long-standing connections with brokers who will appreciate our absolute focus on high quality service that helps them to build deep relationships with their clients.

“We will continue to deliver the best service quality for our broker partners and it’s fantastic to have the brand strength of Bspoke Group behind the team.”

Tim Smyth, CEO said: “Bspoke Private Clients is the next development in our portfolio following our rebrand in 2023.

“The business will sit alongside other specialist products within the Bspoke Commercial division of the group, with a direct reporting line to Nick Grazier, Bspoke Commercial Ltd managing director, and will be a major factor behind our ambitious plans for profitable growth this year and beyond.

“I greatly admired the skills and experience within the Home & Legacy unit, and Adrian was an obvious choice to amplify the capabilities already within the team.

“It’s great to have someone of his calibre sitting alongside Jonathan, and I’m confident it will quickly become a ‘name to watch’ in the HNW space.

“We have already seen a significant uptick in organic growth since we rebranded last year, and I am confident that we’ll be able to maintain this trajectory in 2024.”