Appointments: Eversheds; Leeds Building Society; Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking
LAW firm Eversheds has welcomed restructuring lawyer Claire Sharf as a legal director in its Leeds restructuring team.
Sharf specialises in workouts, security enforcement and transactions involving distressed companies. She advises clients on a range of matters including the restructuring of facilities and enforcement strategies, contingency planning and restructurings, and acquisitions and disposals out of insolvencies, as well as having expertise on transaction structuring. Sharf has worked with domestic and international clients across a number of sectors, such as manufacturing, retail and construction and professional partnerships.
She previously worked for Pinsent Masons where she spent 12 years in the firm’s restructuring team.
In addition, the Eversheds restructuring team will also soon be joined by Lemi McAuley as a senior associate. He joins from the restructuring team at Addleshaw Goddard. McAuley specialises in all forms business restructuring and insolvency and has spent time on secondment to National Australia Bank.
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Leeds Building Society has appointed Susan Cooklin as a non-executive director.
She joins the Society’s board with immediate effect, alongside four executive directors and eight non-executive directors led by chairman Robin Ashton.
Cooklin is currently group chief information officer at Network Rail and holds a non-executive director position on the board of Leeds Metropolitan University.
Commenting on her appointment she said: “I am delighted to be joining the board of Leeds Building Society at an exciting time of change and progress for the business.
“Over 20 years of my career has been spent in financial services. The mutual model, and the integrity of building societies within this sector, is one with which I very much identify.”
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LLOYDS Bank Commercial Banking has strengthened its support to local manufacturers in South Yorkshire with the appointment of specialist manufacturing relationship manager Steve Denham.
Denham will be joining fellow manufacturing specialists Chris Perkins, Andy Cocker and David Hunt in overseeing a portfolio of manufacturing firms across the region, ensuring they receive the tailored funding and support needed to seize the latest opportunities for growth.
After joining the bank as a school leaver, Denham has been at Lloyds Banking Group for more than 40 years. Having worked as a business development manager and relationship manager for the majority of his career, he has gained an in-depth and diverse knowledge of the challenges facing SME businesses across all sectors.
His appointment comes following a sustained period of lending to manufacturing businesses by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Under its commitment to the sector it has provided £1bn of new lending to over 2,500 firms across the UK, beating its 12 month target three months ahead of schedule.
