People: Ramsdens Solicitors; TransUnion; Zenith; and more

Liam Brooke has joined Yorkshire-based Ramsdens Solicitors as a partner to lead its growing will, trust and estate disputes practice.

With a wealth of experience advising on all types of contentious trust and probate matters, he joins Ramsdens’ Edgerton office from Rothley Law’s private client practice (previously part of Shoosmiths) where he spent two years, latterly as a principal associate. He has also worked for Clarion and Irwin Mitchell.

Brooke has expertise in disputes regarding the validity of wills, claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 and disputes involving executors and trustees. He also deals with disputes arising within the Court of Protection.

He is a member of ACTAPS (Association of Contentious Trust and Probate Specialists) and is also a member of the Northern Contentious Probate Group.

The firm is continuing to strengthen its five-strong dedicated team which also saw the appointment of Steven Murgatroyd as a senior associate earlier this year.

Murgatroyd is experienced in both dispute resolution and wills and probate, and has a strong technical legal background when dealing with deputyships, and powers of attorney.

The will, trust and estates dispute team support the firm’s 41-strong private wealth and succession and nine-strong Court of Protection teams, both of which are one of the largest teams in Yorkshire.

Nick Armitage, who heads the firm’s dispute resolution teams, said: “Liam’s arrival is a further welcome boost to our experienced will, trust and estate disputes team which now includes one partner, two senior associates and two legal assistants.

“With an impressive track record of advising in this complex and often sensitive area of the law, Liam will take the helm as we continue to drive our reputation as experts in this specialist field, offering the most senior regional team outside Leeds.”

Brooke added: “Having previously worked with Ramsdens and being well aware of their excellent reputation in the private client sector, I recognised this as a great opportunity to build a strong contentious probate practice which rivals the expertise of many of the large, national firms.

“We are fortunate to have such experienced specialist lawyers here, and further developing this growing area of law will complement the firm’s already strong non-contentious probate offering.”

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Sam Welch

TransUnion, a Leeds-based information and insights company and credit reference agency, has appointed Sam Welch as its new chief revenue officer, and Celso Nogueira as its new chief strategy officer.

Both leaders will serve the business across the UK and Europe in their new roles.

Welch will lead TransUnion’s go-to-market strategy across the region, driving sales and overseeing client relationships.

He has held senior leadership roles within the business since joining in 2019 as strategy and planning director and brings more than 22 years of strategy, commercial and operations experience across a range of sectors.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to my new role, as TransUnion continues to focus on how we can utilise the power of data and analytics.

Celso Nogueira

“This focus will help us build trust between our clients and their customers and enable their businesses to flourish by making better decisions and delivering the smooth customer journeys that today’s consumers expect.”

Nogueira joined TransUnion’s Brazilian business eight years ago as head of strategy and planning and transitioned to working within the UK business during 2022, bringing to the local team his knowledge and insights into Open Banking.

In his new role, he will be responsible for implementing TransUnion’s UK and Europe strategies, along with overseeing any new investment or acquisition activities.

He said: “TransUnion is well positioned to realise the significant opportunities for growth that are presented by the UK and European markets.

“So, with consumers central to our thinking, we will continue to develop the innovative solutions that will address the key challenges facing our clients.”

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Zenith, a Leeds-based independent leasing, fleet management and vehicle outsourcing business, has appointed Tom Brewer to lead its national rental offering, which provides cars and specialist vehicles on both short and long-term hire.

In his new role as commercial director, Brewer will lead Zenith’s Rental proposition, which last year supplied over 1.7 million rental days across more than 600 corporate customers.

Sitting within the group’s Corporate and Consumer division, he will manage the company’s 40-strong in-house Rental team and will focus on supporting Zenith’s existing lease customers with their rental needs as well as building the direct rental customer base. 

With more than 23 years’ experience in the automotive sector, he joins from Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), where he was most recently fleet sales director.

He has also held previous positions at Enterprise, Europcar and LeasePlan UK. 

Ian Hughes, CEO of the Corporate and Consumer division, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our rental offering, which provides unrivalled vehicle availability, exceptional customer service and a fully integrated solution for our customers.

“Tom’s experience and commercial acumen will enable him to continue the great performance while charting the course for future growth and development. We look forward to welcoming him to the team.”

Brewer, who officially starts in September, added: “Zenith has an enviable reputation in the fleet and rental marketplace, supporting some of the UK’s most well-known brands with their mobility solutions.

“It’s great to be returning to the rental industry where I started my career over 20 years ago and I’m really looking forward to working with the team to further enhance our proposition. 

“Rental will play a critical part of the mobility landscape over the coming years as suppliers, corporate customers and drivers navigate new technologies, seek unrivalled flexibility and transition towards net zero.”   

The appointment comes after previous Rental CEO, Andrew Kirby, took on a new role to lead the group’s transformation programme, which will see the business move onto one asset management platform, with a best-in-class user experience.

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Laura Strangeway has been appointed chief executive officer of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. (NYMR)

​She has been serving as acting CEO since the resignation of Chris Price. She brings with her a wealth of experience in tourism and heritage management.

Since 2015, her time at the NYMR has included working on a major rebrand, TV and filming projects, introduction of a new ticketing system and the launch of the Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey initiative.

Strangeway also helped the attraction navigate the pandemic and spearheaded crisis fundraising campaigns to keep the railway going.

Jerry Swift, trust board chair, said: “We followed a rigorous and structured process that sought out talent from across a wide range of industries, including heritage railways.

“In the end it came down to two and I am pleased that Laura is the successful candidate and was so clearly the best person for the job.

“Laura gave us a compelling view of the future of our railway and I for one am looking forward to working with her on that.”

Strangeway said: “As the newly appointed CEO of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, it’s an honour to lead our cherished heritage railway into a new era.

“Our railway not only preserves the rich history of steam, but also plays a vital role in connecting our local communities.

“I am committed to ensuring we continue to deliver magical experiences for our visitors whilst bringing history to life.

“My hope is to continue working with the railway’s resilient management team, staff and wonderful volunteers to keep the spirit of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway alive for generations to come.”