People: Blacks Solicitors; Scarlettabbott; Herd; and more

Yorkshire law firm, Blacks Solicitors, has confirmed five new training contracts and welcomed two new apprentices into the team.

The firm has retained five newly-qualified solicitors since the beginning of 2023.

It is celebrating newly qualified solicitor, Georgina Beavis, who has completed her training contract and joined the Real Estate Litigation team, offering expertise in advising landlord clients as part of Blacks’ specialist Telecoms offering.

Talah Hussain and Daisy Jackman, who are also newly qualified, have joined the Banking & Finance team and Corporate & Commercial teams.

Hussain said: “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to complete my training at Blacks.

“The hands-on experience and support from the team has been invaluable in preparing me for this next stage of my career.

“I’m excited to now be part of the Banking & Finance team and continue honing my skills within such a dynamic and supportive environment.”

In addition to the two newly qualified solicitors joining the firm, Blacks has awarded five contracts to its 2024 cohort of trainees.

Philip Crampton, who has joined both the Corporate & Commercial teams, Leon Cordero who will secure experience in the Employment team, and Joe Marshall who will work with the Commercial Dispute Resolution team.

Samuel Morgan Wynne and Eve Errington have also been awarded training contracts in the Real Estate Litigation and the Private Wealth & Succession teams respectively.

Blacks also continues to expand its apprenticeship scheme having offered two apprenticeships to Jemima Parkinson and Tom Hearn.

Parkinson and Hearn are working in the Residential Property and Real Estate teams respectively.

Tom Moyes, training partner, said: “We are always on the lookout for up and coming legal talent and have a variety of options available, from training contracts to apprenticeships, which means that we can widen the net when it comes to attracting individuals to a career in law.

“I want to offer my congratulations to Georgina, Talah, and Daisy on successfully qualifying, and I wish all our trainees, NQs, and apprentices success in the coming months as they begin working across different teams and progress in their careers.”

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Employee experience consultancy, scarlettabbott, has appointed Charlie Sampson to its board of directors, as executive director of leadership development & consultancy.

Sampson, co-founder, and owner of the BCA (Business Coaching Academy) and long-term collaborator with scarlettabbott, brings with him his business, the Business Coaching Academy, which will be integrated into scarlettabbott’s stable of employee experience and communications services.

Sampson said: “To be joining the Board of scarlettabbot and working with such incredible talent is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“My great passion is helping organisations develop extraordinary leadership cultures, because leaders are both the fire starters and custodians for better worlds of work.

“So together we are now on a mission to build a truly exceptional, world beating, leadership development consultancy.”

Rowan Manning, CEO, said: “Charlie is best in class at what he does, understanding how to build and develop the very best leadership skills to ensure that modern organisations can thrive and grow.

“As we accelerate into the next phase of growth for scarlettabbott, I’m really excited about what Charlie and the BCA bring to our unique end-to-end employee experience consultancy.”

Specialising in the art of leadership, coaching and building high performance teams, the BCA delivers workshops, accredited coaching programs and both one2one and team coaching, working with some of the UK’s most successful organisations.

It was founded in 2012 by Sampson and his partner Dean Williams, who has now stepped away from the business.

Herd, a Yorkshire-based digital agency, has strengthened its leadership team with several strategic new hires, including digital PR expert, Ellie Wray.

This expansion follows significant new business growth, with the agency seeing 85% revenue growth over the past two years.

More recently, the agency has been confirmed as global SEO partner for airline industry market-leader, Emirates, and works alongside MKM Group across Performance Marketing and Shopify Development.

Wray will serve as head of digital PR, bringing her decade-long experience from agencies such as Rise at Seven, Stickyeyes (now Kinesso) and Branded3 (now Edit).

She has worked with major brands such as ghd, MTV, and Parkdean Resorts.

Herd’s leadership team now includes other former Stickyeyes colleagues, with Ryan Saltmer joining as strategy director and performance director Mark Preston joining the business 18 months ago.

Wray said: “After successfully running my own freelance business for two and a half years, I was drawn to Herd’s strong commercial position and talented team. 

“I’m excited to contribute to the agency’s growth by leading a multi-channel digital PR offering that puts brand building and audience engagement at the forefront.”

Preston added: “Ellie’s leadership will help us elevate our already strong digital PR offering and push our client’s strategic goals forward, ensuring we remain at the forefront of the industry.

“With Ellie’s expertise, we’re confident in further elevating our digital PR offering and pushing our clients’ strategic goals forward.

“Her leadership will help us stay at the forefront of the industry as we expand our position as the leading performance marketing and development agency in the north and beyond.”

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South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (SYPA) has appointed Andrew Stone as the new assistant director – investment strategy.

He will take up his post from 7 October 2024, replacing Sharon Smith whose retirement was confirmed earlier in the year. 

Stone joins SYPA from Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), where he served as client relationship director.

With a career spanning over 25 years, he is a qualified actuary who has worked with a range of pension schemes, including some of the largest and most complex in the UK.

His experience includes serving on the senior management team at Border to Coast, SYPA’s pooling partner, making him familiar with the workings of LGPS funds. 

George Graham, director at SYPA, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to our team. His profound understanding of the investment landscape and dedication to responsible investment align perfectly with our goals. We look forward to the significant contributions he will make in driving our strategy forward.”

Stone added, “I am looking forward to joining SYPA and being part of an award-winning team. I believe my experience and knowledge can contribute to the fund’s continued growth and success.”