People: Walker Morris; Caddick Construction; Fantastic Media; and more

Leeds-based law firm, Walker Morris, has appointed Shane Toal as a new partner in its Infrastructure & Energy (I&E) team.

His arrival will enhance its capabilities and expertise in managing complex infrastructure and energy projects and transactions.

Toal joins from DWF, where he led on the real estate energy aspects for the UK energy team, working with other international energy specialists within the sector.

With over 20 years of experience, he has advised on all aspects of real estate and land rights related to energy, waste, telecoms, and infrastructure projects and transactions.

Walker Morris has doubled the size of its I&E team in the last three years and this news follows the recent appointment of partner Lee Gordon earlier this year.

Toal’s role will complement and support the continued growth of the I&E team and support the development of the firm’s wider consenting practice.

Jeanette Burgess, managing partner, said: “With Shane joining the firm, we gain a significant asset in his market-leading expertise, which will be crucial for driving continued growth in our I&E team.

“His arrival enables us to strengthen and develop our existing client offering by leveraging his extensive network and deep sector knowledge.”

Toal added: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Walker Morris, one of the UK’s few independent law firms outside the City with a first-rate Infrastructure & Energy team.

“One of the key reasons for my move is the unique culture and level of autonomy that Walker Morris offers.

“I’m excited to work alongside the current I&E team and help deliver on the practice area’s ambitious growth plans.”

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Wakefield-headquartered Caddick has appointed James Eastham as head of safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ).

Eastham joins from Sir Robert McAlpine where he headed health, safety and wellbeing in the North for three years, becoming head of health, safety and wellbeing in May 2023.

His new remit will cover Caddick Construction Group’s North and Midlands regions as well as the health and safety performance of Caddick Civil Engineering and the Group’s facade specialist, CCL Facades.

With 17 years in the construction industry, Eastham began his career as an apprentice joiner for Eric Wright Construction, where he spent 10 years, initially as a joiner and moving over to health and safety in 2013.

He later moved to Mace in 2018, becoming health, safety and wellbeing manager in London, working for the major projects division overseeing developments that included Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As Head of SHEQ for Caddick, he will be responsible for all health and safety functions and taking them forward as the business continues to grow across the North West, North East, Yorkshire and Midlands.

He said: “Caddick is really bucking the trend as a strong, stable and growing contractor, sitting on the fence between tier one and tier two.

“What this means is the business can be agile as it grows, but also operate with the strength and capability of tier one.

“As we grow, our work will become bigger and more exciting, and as we deliver this we need to focus on retaining quality as the business scales.

“That doesn’t mean over complicating our processes; we’ll keep things simple, but make sure we do high quality work, keeping everyone safe and well while minimising our impact on the planet.”

Paul Dodsworth, group managing director of Caddick Construction Group, added: “We’ve had a very exciting two years as we’ve maintained a steady path of growth.

“Growing sustainably is the only way to preserve our standards in quality and safety, and this is something we’re proud to have protected as we’ve expanded into new regions and taken on some very ambitious and high profile projects.

“Welcoming James to the team will see an even greater focus on safety but also boost our commitment to quality, our environmental performance and the wellbeing of our people.”

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From left, Emelia Lowis, David Balionis, and Chloe Kerfoot

Strategic marketing agency, Fantastic, is continuing its growth trajectory with a trio of new appointments.

The Leeds-based agency has appointed a web developer and two account executives to bolster its digital and client management offering following new client wins, including modular building specialist Thurston Group and bathroom manufacturer Trojan.

Joining as web developer is David Balionis, who brings four years of experience in e-commerce solutions and custom web development for brand including automotive paint supplier Soll Automotive Paints.

His expertise spans numerous platforms including Shopify and WordPress, and he is well versed in responsive, semantic, and accessible web design.

Chloe Kerfoot joins as an account executive from Hatch Group with three years of digital marketing and social media experience.

She will deliver integrated marketing campaigns for an array of clients in sectors including manufacturing, retail and sports.

Emelia Lowis has also joined as an account executive, on a placement year from Leeds Beckett University, where she studies business management with marketing.

She has already contributed significantly to the agency’s B2B and B2C projects, applying her academic knowledge in a practical environment.

Fantastic’s founder and CEO, Andy Hobson, said: “With the strong growth the business is experiencing, we’re excited to expand the team to help us meet our target of £2m revenue this year.

“Chloe, David and Emelia bring a blend of experience and talent which will further strengthen our ability to deliver and continue to maintain the high standards our clients expect from us.

“Because we specialise in delivering marketing consultancy, driven by strategic insight, we also sit at the client’s boardroom table as trusted advisors, advocates and specialists.

“It’s crucial therefore that our team is smart and experienced enough to understand and support those client needs. Our new recruits are a testament to this.”

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North Yorkshire-based structural steel group, Severfield, has appointed Cynthia Gordon as a non-executive director with effect from 21 October 2024.

She will chair the company’s remuneration committee, taking over from Louise Hardy, who will leave the Board, as previously announced, after a short handover on 31 October.

Gordon will also serve on the company’s nomination and audit committees.

She is currently a non-executive director and remuneration committee chair at Bodycote plc, a FTSE 250 global industrial services company, non-executive chair of Global Fashion Group, a Luxembourg-based e-commerce company listed in Frankfurt and a non-executive director of Eutelsat Communications SA, a satellite operator listed in Paris.

She also acts as a senior advisor to Tillman Global Holdings, an investor in infrastructure businesses and was formerly a non-executive director at Tele2 and Kinnevik.

As an executive director, she worked at a number of companies, including Millicom, Ooredoo and Orange.

She was CEO of Millicom Africa responsible for six countries, and was also group commercial director at Ooredoo, with responsibility for commercial performance across 15 countries.

Charlie Cornish, Severfield non-executive chair, said: “We are pleased to welcome Cynthia to the Board of Severfield.

“She brings a wealth of strategic, commercial and operational senior executive experience across different commercial sectors, particularly internationally and is an established non-executive and remuneration committee chair.

“Her knowledge will be highly beneficial to us as we continue to grow and diversify.”