People: Gordons; Forge New Homes; Lupton Fawcett; and more

Leeds-headquartered law firm, Gordons, has appointed a commercial property lawyer and a private client chartered tax advisor.

Lydia Sharpe joins the firm’s commercial property team from Womble Bond Dickinson and has experience in advising on a wide range of commercial matters.

She has experience within the retail sector having advised various national retailers in relation to shopping centres, high streets and retail parks.

In private client, Isca Watson arrives from accountancy firm RSM having qualified as a chartered tax advisor in 2021.

At Gordons, she is providing clients with further expertise by advising trustees, personal representatives, and private individuals on a range of tax matters including inheritance tax, capital gains tax and income tax.

Gordons managing partner, Victoria Davey, said: “Lydia and Isca are both proven operators within their respective fields, and have the ability to build and maintain strong client relationships which is key to our success as a firm.

“Lydia will further enable our ability to provide excellent levels of service and the delivery of positive outcomes for existing and new commercial property clients.

“Isca will provide our private clients with additional insight and advice on tax matters, which is particularly relevant due to changes made by the Autumn Budget.

“We welcome them both to the firm and look forward to providing Lydia and Isca with the opportunity to continually develop themselves both professionally and personally.”

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Forge New Homes has appointed Lindsay Salvin as its new head of land and development, furthering its ambitions to secure key sites across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Salvin joins the Sheffield-based company from Hallam Land Management, where she spent two years overseeing nationwide land acquisitions.

With decades of experience in the built environment, her career includes senior roles at companies such as Vistry Partnerships and Strategic Team Group.

She said: ” Forge New Homes is on the cusp of an exciting new era such an exciting time for the company.

“The team has ambitious plans for growth, and I’m eager to leverage my experience in land acquisition to help secure the right sites that will deliver much-needed homes across the region.

“I look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders to shape thriving and accessible new communities across Yorkshire and the East Midlands.”

Her appointment follows a period of significant activity for Forge, which recently broke ground on two new residential developments – one at Waverley in Sheffield and another in Bolsover in the East Midlands.

Additionally, the company has announced the purchase of a seven-acre greenfield site in Beckingham, a commuter village on the Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire border from Wilgoose Homes.

Andy Beattie, managing director at Forge New Homes, said: “Lindsay is an incredible addition to our team. Her depth of knowledge and experience in land acquisition will be invaluable as we continue to grow our portfolio.

“Forge New Homes is committed to delivering high-quality homes, and with Lindsay on board, we are well-positioned to secure the best sites and deliver our pipeline of developments.”

Nick Atkin, chief executive of Yorkshire Housing and chair of Forge New Homes, added: “Lindsay’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Forge as we continue to expand our footprint.

“Her expertise in land acquisition will play a critical role in helping us identify strategic opportunities and drive forward our mission of creating sustainable communities.”

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Yorkshire law firm, Lupton Fawcett, has promoted two of its long-standing partners to head its commercial property and employment departments and help bolster the firm’s growth ambitions.

Julian Rowden has been appointed head of commercial property at the firm, while Angela Gorton has taken on the role of head of employment.

Rowden joined Lupton Fawcett in 2013 and has over 30 years’ legal experience.

He acts for buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants of commercial and agricultural property, with a particular specialism in the acquisition and disposal of rural land holdings.

With more than 25 years’ experience – including 15 as a partner at Lupton Fawcett – Gorton is an employment law specialist who advises employers and senior executives on a range of human resources issues across the housebuilding, education, manufacturing and real estate sectors.

Managing partner, James Richardson, said: “I congratulate Julian and Angela on their new leadership roles within the firm.

“As well as having excellent – and well-deserved – reputations in their fields of expertise, their commitment to providing outstanding service aligns perfectly with our approach to client care and will support our future success.”

Rowden said: “I’m looking forward to leading and strengthening our commercial property team as we continue to offer high-quality legal advice to existing clients, and welcome new ones.”

Gorton added: “I’m excited at the prospect of managing a team of incredibly talented, commercially-minded and friendly experts in providing a first class, cost-effective service across all aspects of employment law.”

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Stephen Schofield

Bradford-based estate agent Robert Watts has strengthened its team with three new appointments to its Cleckheaton and Wibsey and lettings branches.

Stephen Schofield and Georgia Cowman will be joining the sales teams at Cleckheaton and Wibsey as the sales manager and sales negotiator respectively.

Meanwhile, Amanda Brown will be based within the lettings team at Cleckheaton as a lettings negotiator.

Georgia Cowman

Managing director James Watts said: “We are thrilled to have Stephen, Georgia and Amanda joining the team.
“They all bring with them a fantastic set of skills from their previous roles, both within and outside of the property industry.

“Stephen has over a decade of diverse experience from within estate agency, giving him an understanding of the nuances in the housing market and the importance of building lasting relationships.

“Georgia is returning to the property industry after a break and I know is looking forward to getting stuck back into the busy estate agency environment, while Amanda has always had a passion for property and jumped at the chance of a career change into the property industry.

Amanda Brown

“We can’t wait to see what all three of our new staff members achieve in their first few months with us.”

Brown added: “I have lived in Cleckheaton for 23 years and know the local area very well. For the past 15 years I’ve been a teaching assistant, I was ready to change my career and look for a new job opportunity.

“I have always been interested in property and thought this was the right time for me so I’m really looking forward to learning more about this industry and working with the outstanding rentals team at Robert Watts.”