People: Lupton Fawcett; Scarlettabbott; PBH Rail Group; and more

Yorkshire law firm, Lupton Fawcett, has promoted one of its senior associates in its private client team to partner.

Charlene Vilia, who has been with the firm since 2021, specialises in all aspects of pre and post-death private client work.

Her expertise includes the preparation of wills, inheritance tax planning, preparing and registering Lasting Powers of Attorney and registering Enduring Powers of Attorney.

She has a varied caseload of clients both locally and further afield and deals with all aspects of estate administration, acting for executors and administrators following bereavement where the deceased has left a will and when they have passed away intestate.

Vilia qualified as a solicitor in 2012 and is based at the firm’s Sheffield office.

She said: “I am delighted to have been promoted to partner at Lupton Fawcett and grateful to the firm for the opportunities and support that they have provided to me.

“I am excited to play a key part in the firm’s ongoing success in the future and the expansion of our private client services.”

In her new position, she will focus on providing exceptional client care and service throughout the Sheffield area while raising the profile of Lupton Fawcett’s private client services in the region.

She will also play a key role in supporting and expanding the firm’s growing private client team in Sheffield.

James Richardson, managing partner, said: “Charlene is a welcome addition to the partner team; she is known for her friendly and approachable service and always goes the extra mile for clients.

“Her promotion underscores our commitment to recognising and nurturing talent within the firm.”

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York-based Scarlettabbott has appointed Rowan Manning as chief executive officer as the consultancy embarks on the next phase of its growth journey.

She joins with over 25 years of experience leading and transforming large scale media, digital and creative businesses, most recently at global advertising network dentsu, where she was president, dentsu Creative.

A qualified Psychologist, she will take over from current CEO Jeremy Petty, who will move into the newly created role of chief client officer with a remit to champion client excellence and supercharge client growth.

Euan Jarvie, non-executive chair, said: “Rowan is a passionate and empathetic leader with a highly commercial mind and an outstanding track record.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have attracted someone of her calibre to lead us at this pivotal point in our growth journey.

“We must also take this opportunity to recognise the leadership and effort that Jeremy has brought to his time as CEO of the business.

“This new role will allow him to return to focusing 100% of his time on better servicing our clients, whilst building a scalable growth engine.”

Manning said: “For me, stepping into this role is not just a professional milestone, it’s a unique opportunity, and a personal commitment to drive market-leading innovation and excellence in an area I’ve always been passionate about.

“Together we are on a mission to build better worlds of work, in which both individuals and organisations can truly thrive, and make a lasting impact on the workplaces of tomorrow.”

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Steve Scott

PBH Rail Group has appointed a technical director and a principal geotechnical engineer to drive operations within its newly launched Civil Engineering division.

Steve Scott joins as technical director and will oversee the Civils division from a technical standpoint. Lin Lee will be taking on the role of principal geotechnical engineer to provide geotechnical support to the business.

Scott is an Incorporated Engineer with 19 years of experience in the rail industry. He joins from Amey where he specialised in the inspection and assessment of bridges, particularly masonry arches.

In his new role, he will help lead the newly established civils consulting team and act as a contractor responsible engineer (CRE) for Inter-Disciplinary Checks (IDC).

In addition, he will develop and oversee civil engineering designs, and support the rail team with structure reviews for track renewal schemes.

Lee holds an MEng in Civil Engineering from the University of Leeds and has 17 years of experience in the rail industry. Before joining PBH he was a senior geotechnical engineer for The Spencer Group.

With a background in engineering and extensive experience in ground investigation, earthwork remediation, foundation design, and multidisciplinary projects, he will provide geotechnical support across the various teams, including Overhead Electrification (OLE) foundation, Permanent Way formation, and trackbed design.

Additionally, he will co-ordinate ground investigations for the Survey team.

The new appointments follow a successful 2023, which saw York-headquartered PBH Rail Group’s annual turnover increase by 10% to £11m. Last month, the company confirmed the appointment of Gary Robson, who spearheads the new Civils team.

Lin Lee

Scott said: “It is an honour to be joining PBH Rail. I have worked alongside PBH on a number of projects, and I am joining at what is a very exciting time for the company. I am looking forward to supporting the growth of the Civils division with new opportunities, and talent.  

“As a STEM ambassador, I am very passionate about inspiring the next generation of civil engineering professionals, and the new Civils division will create future opportunities, not just within the division but across the business.”

Lee added: “I am thrilled to be joining the team. As principal geotechnical engineer, I am looking forward to supporting the four core departments within the business, OLE, Permanent Way, and Survey as well as driving the Civils division forward to offers a full suite of design services.”

Mark Bonner, managing director, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming both Steve and Lin to the team. Their combined experience within the rail industry underpins our commitment to delivering the best service possible in full-service rail infrastructure.”

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East Yorkshire-based independent pet food manufacturer, Burgess Pet Care, has appointed Emily Watmough as trade marketing manager.

With almost 10 years’ marketing experience with a strong retail focus, she has worked across several sectors including pet care. In her new role, she will continue to build on Burgess’ strong relationships with independent pet care specialists.

Her key responsibilities include developing and implementing strategic marketing plans, creating trade marketing materials, co-ordinating product launches and managing trade events.

She said: “I’m excited to join Burgess Pet Care. As a huge animal lover, this is a great opportunity for me to combine my professional skills and personal interests.”

Peter Lancaster, head of marketing, added: “We’re really pleased that Emily has joined us. Her knowledge and experience is clear to see and she also shares our passion for responsible pet ownership and pets’ health and wellbeing.”

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