People: Ison Harrison; Advanced Supply Chain; XSEM; and more

Law firm Ison Harrison has made five partner promotions across its network of 20 regional offices.

The promotions follow Ison Harrison’s most successful year in its 47-year history, achieving a record turnover exceeding £27m for 2024, a 23% increase on the previous year.

Among the promotions to partner are Sonia Millar, Samantha Worsman, Jessica Hudson, Stuart Cretch and Rachel Alderson.

Residential conveyancing specialist Millar re-joined the firm in 2018 as a fee earner at the Leeds office.

After becoming a team leader, she now works as the firm’s locum, providing specialised resources across the office network. She manages all aspects of residential property transactions.

Worsman joined Ison Harrison in 2017 as a conveyancer in the new build team.

Last year, she transitioned to the firm’s Guiseley branch, taking on management responsibilities. She has extensive experience in residential property conveyancing.

Hudson joined in 2019 as a newly qualified solicitor, becoming a key member of the family law team at the Huddersfield branch. After building a busy caseload from the ground up, she was promoted to associate in 2023.

With 14 years service, Cretch has been an integral part of the firm’s success, joining when it had just five offices and lacked a dedicated marketing department.

He has been instrumental in developing the firm’s marketing strategy, enhancing its visibility and accessibility to clients.

Specialist clinical negligence lawyer, Alderson, joined in 2020 and became a vital member of the expanding clinical negligence team. She has over 13 years’ experience in clinical negligence.

Jonathan Wearing, managing director, said: “Three years after becoming employee-owned, we’ve got 2025 underway with a fresh crop of partner promotions, building on our most successful year to date.

“Our sustained growth allows us to acknowledge the individual contributions of our team.

“With these five partner promotions which recognise the commitment of each team member, we’re strengthening the firm’s financial foundation.

“Our innovative employee ownership model continues to benefit both our dedicated team and our expanding client base, setting the stage for an even more promising year ahead.”

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Bradford-based Advanced Supply Chain (ASC), part of Reconomy, has appointed Jacqui Reed as a key account manager to support customer growth and satisfaction.

Reed has relocated from New Zealand and will be responsible for helping ASC clients to optimise and expand supply chains across the UK and Europe.

This will involve using the company’s European operating facility in Germany and its network of six UK warehouse and fulfilment centres, as well as building customer connections with Reconomy’s network of circularity specialists and solutions.

Previously, Reed held management roles at DHL Supply Chain in New Zealand, spanning operations and account management.

She joined the company as a graduate in 2016 and worked across a range of sectors including FMCG, technology, personal care and beauty, and pharmaceuticals.

Her experience involved the development and implementation of automated warehouse solutions, including New Zealand’s first Locus Robotics operation.

Andrew Hill, commercial director at ASC, said: “Jacqui has a proven track record of working closely with leading businesses to enhance supply chain accuracy and productivity.

“This fits perfectly with our continued investment in operating centres and value-added services such as Retail Ready, which enable customers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of how they get goods to market on time.

“More than ever, we’re seeing retailers take a strategic view of supply chain operations, with this motivated by goals to be more circular, leaner and quicker.

“Our team of key account managers are crucial to helping retailers to achieve these goals by matching them with bespoke and innovative solutions from across ASC and Reconomy.”

Reed added: “I was really impressed by ASC’s customer-focused approach. They have the ability to flex and scale bespoke services to ensure they put customers’ goals at the heart of what they do.

“This is backed-up by an extensive network of facilities, services, experience and expertise, which I’m proud and excited to become part of.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with customers to learn more about their ambitions and how their supply chains operate across the UK, Europe and internationally.

“I relocated to the UK to support professional and personal goals to travel and it’s amazing to have a career opportunity that supports this.”

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A Leeds-headquartered brand engagement agency has strengthened its leadership team with the recruitment of a new commercial director.

Rob Woodhead has joined XSEM with the aim of growing its already widening client base.

The former managing director of Simply Better, a Bingley-based events and marketing agency which ceased trading in 2024, has paid tribute to XSEM for riding out a period that devastated the events industry.

Woodhead, who has delivered campaigns for firms such as Shark Ninja, Arco and Greene King, said: “The timelines of XSEM and Simply Better were very similar and there were periods where we’d successfully collaborated on projects in the past, so there was a lot of commonality and familiarity with the XSEM team.

“I have huge levels of admiration for all the team at XSEM to see how they’ve not only evolved, but now thrived in the last few years.

“They have a strong proposition, a dedicated delivery team and a lot of happy clients. They’re on top of their game, and I’m very honoured to be joining the team to help them achieve their goals.”

Michael Gwilliam, co-founder and director at XSEM, added: “Rob is someone we’ve grown to know very well over the years.

“When we realised there may be an opportunity for someone of his experience to join the team here, there was a mutual determination to make that happen.

“He’s an enormously positive and infectious individual and shares our vision of making people happy.

“We engage audiences and bring brand experiences to life through immersive events, innovative marketing and game-changing rewards programmes.

“We’re very excited at the prospect of Rob taking us into new areas with our market-leading approach.”

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Innerva, a Holmfirth-based manufacturer and provider of power-assisted exercise solutions, has appointed Ben Ward as strategic sector development manager.

Ward has spent the last three years at Pulse Fitness as head of key accounts & approved partners.

Before that, he worked for six years at Life Fitness managing key accounts. A champion of accessible exercise, he has worked extensively with operators to make their spaces more inclusive.

He said: “I’ve been a fan of Innerva for a long time, what they do is truly unique. Currently, 15% of the population use a gym, and it’s a fairly predictable demographic.

“That leaves a huge opportunity for operators in both the public and private sector to reach people who have traditionally been underserved.

“Innerva bridges this gap by providing solutions that make physical activity more inclusive.”

In his new role, Ward will focus on expanding Innerva’s work in the health sector following the company’s involvement in an NHS-backed pilot for stroke rehabilitation.

He will also use his previous experience in the retirement sector to drive power-assisted exercise solutions in retirement communities.

Jon Hymus, managing director, said: “We are pleased to welcome someone of Ben’s calibre and experience to our team to help drive our growth.

“The UK is evolving – our population is ageing and more people are living with multiple health conditions.

“This shift presents a great opportunity for health and fitness operators to play a pivotal role in supporting active ageing.

“By providing innovative solutions that improve quality of life for older adults, operators can expand their customer base and also help relieve pressure on health and social care services.”