People: Finance Yorkshire; Saffery; Lupton Fawcett; and more

Finance Yorkshire has appointed Nigel Ward as its new chair.

Ward succeeds James Newman who has been chair of Finance Yorkshire since its creation in 2009.

Ward joined Finance Yorkshire as a non-executive director in 2021. He was a partner at PWC and spent more than 30 years advising companies across a range of industry sectors.

He will oversee investment from Finance Yorkshire’s new fund which is expected to provide more than £50m to SMEs across Yorkshire and Humber over five years.

This fund was created using the legacy from Finance Yorkshire’s previous investment support to regional businesses through its Jeremie Fund.

Newman was the founding chair of both the Sheffield City Region and Hull and East Riding LEPs and has held many other prestigious and influential roles nationally and in Yorkshire in the business, academic and charity sectors.

He was Master Cutler in 2009 and was awarded an OBE for services to business, the economy and charity in Yorkshire in 2017.

During his time as chair of Finance Yorkshire, Newman oversaw the delivery of its original Jeremie Fund and an Extension Fund which saw £113m invested in over 500 companies in Yorkshire and Humber.

The investments created and safeguarded more than 16,000 jobs, enabling businesses to increase their turnover by a total of £474m and attract a further £374m from private sector sources.

Newman said: “I have very much enjoyed my time as Finance Yorkshire chair, overseeing the growth of the brand and delivery of investments which have made a real difference to individual businesses and the wider economic health of the Yorkshire and Humber region.

“It has been a privilege to lead such a committed board and I look forward to witnessing Finance Yorkshire’s continued success with Nigel at the helm.”

Ward said: “I am very pleased to be taking on the role of Finance Yorkshire chair. Finance Yorkshire has a formidable reputation for supporting the region’s SME community led by the board who will continue to steer the organisation as we deliver further investments for the benefit of businesses.”

Alex McWhirter, chief executive of Finance Yorkshire, added: “James has led the company since it was established in 2009 and has been pivotal in the successful delivery of our previous investment funds and its key objectives to deliver jobs and business growth across Yorkshire and Humber.

“His chairmanship has not only delivered a legacy we are proud of but the returns on our investments which are enabling us to continue to support SMEs.

“Since joining the board, Nigel has provided strong direction for Finance Yorkshire’s investment activities.

“I look forward to working with Nigel to ensure Finance Yorkshire continues to invest in SMEs that will make a difference and deliver a positive benefit to the regional economy in the future.”

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David Bussey has been promoted to partner at one of the UK’s longest standing firms of chartered accountants and business advisers.

He works within Saffery’s land and rural property group in Yorkshire and has been with the firm 24 years.

With a wealth of experience in providing accounting and tax advisory services to landowners, families and owner managed businesses, in his new role he manages a team of over 20, overseeing clients based across Yorkshire and the North of England.

He said: “Starting out at Saffery as a trainee in 2000, has turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made, though I didn’t know that at the time.

“It was a smaller firm in those days but with an excellent reputation and once qualified, I had a mixture of landed estates and trust clients, along with some family-owned businesses to look after.

“Since then, the firm has grown, but never lost sight of the importance of forging long-term relationships and always planning for the future. I still work with many clients from the early days, which is a testament to that.

“Much of my work now centres on advising rural landowners, helping clients navigate often challenging and complex situations and being a trusted advisor in what are increasingly uncertain times for the sector.

“Typically, there is a focus on succession planning, and ensuring clients’ financial affairs are organised in a way that is both tax efficient and commercially appropriate, but always with the needs of the family and their long-term strategy in mind.

“Similar themes recur in my work with family-owned companies, albeit their businesses are often very different.”

Fellow Saffery partner and head of the firm’s Yorkshire office, Jonathan Davis, explained: “David plays a pivotal role in our land and rural property group and his promotion is a reflection of our commitment to offering a partner-led approach for each and every client.”

Bussey is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Society of Trust and Estates Practitioners (STEP).

He sits on Saffery’s internal Estates Discussion Group and Agribusiness Group, as well as being a member of the firm’s Valuations Forum.

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Yorkshire law firm, Lupton Fawcett, has appointed a new partner to help advance its commercial offering.

Julie Evans will take a lead role in the firm’s Commercial Property team.

Her role will involve all areas of expertise relating to commercial real estate including acting on behalf of SMEs and individuals on landlord and tenant matters.

She said: “I’m looking forward to playing a key role in the supervision of junior members of the department as well as working with the leadership team to grow the Commercial Property department.

“Prior to joining the firm I was invited to spend time with the team so that we could get to know each other before my official start date – I think this was such a positive approach and a really warm welcome to Lupton Fawcett.”

Evans, who has more than 20 years’ experience and previously worked at Clarion, will be based at Lupton Fawcett’s Leeds office.

James Richardson, managing partner, said: “We are really pleased to welcome Julie to the team. She has a broad breadth of experience and has a proven track record in all aspects of Commercial Property.

“Having someone with her knowledge and capabilities joining the team is a tremendous boost in taking the Commercial Property department to the next level. Her no nonsense approach to serving our clients without compromise perfectly complements our ethos.”

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Regional housebuilder Harron Homes has promoted Jonathan Edwards to the role of Technical Director for its Yorkshire region.

The 36-year-old from Leeds has worked for Harron for almost 10 years, joining as an architectural technician in 2014.

In 2018 he briefly worked elsewhere as technical manager, but shortly returned to the company as architectural manager.

He said: “This promotion is what I’ve been working towards since I got to work in an architecture firm for work experience at school.”

Edwards studied Architecture at Leeds Beckett University and after four years working in residential architecture firms made the move into housebuilding.

He added: “Knowing I’ve had a lasting impact on the environment around me is incredibly satisfying; spotting a development I had a hand in building on Google Streetview is always going to be a career highlight.”

“Having worked my way up the company, I’m confident I understand the business and can have a positive impact on the way we work as a team.

“It’s a great opportunity to make some changes and streamline the way we operate.

“My new role will involve more strategy as it encompasses the architectural, planning, and engineering teams. Every day is different; from managing the pre-development process, preparing land bids, and working on planning applications.

James Poynor, group managing director, added: “Jonathan is a real asset to the Harron team, and we’re pleased that he’s accepted the role of technical director.

“We’re sure he’ll achieve great things in developing Harron’s offerings across Yorkshire.”