PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Newcastle environmental consultancy Biodiverse Consulting has taken on four new ecologists.
The new hires include graduate ecologists Callum Goodwin, Caitlin Henderson and Siobhan Bailey, and ecology technician Rose Greensmith.
The consultancy, headquartered at Dissington Hall in Newcastle, was founded in 2019 by Vicki Mordue, whose aim is to enable nature’s recovery by balancing business and biodiversity. She said: “I’m enjoying cementing a culture among the team that promotes passion, creativity, and integrity. It is also a joy to watch our talented ecologists pursue their varying areas of interest while working towards our common belief; that by supporting developers and landowners business and biodiversity can go hand in hand.”
The consultancy is also currently recruiting for a principal ecologist and senior ecologist to join its developing team.
Construction and regeneration specialist Vistry Partnerships North East has bolstered operations by appointing a new director and adding five further professionals to its team. Mark Rutledge has taken up the operations director role and is joined by senior finance manager Emma Punshon, estimating manager Jason Davies, senior estimator Andy Robson, buyer Mark Race, and graduate development manager Natasha Cooper.
Dave Brown, managing director, said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome our new recruits into the business. All have significant experience, positive attitudes and a drive to succeed, which made them stand out during the recruitment process.”
Law firm Swinburne Maddison LLP has started a new financial year with a further 11 appointments and promotions.
Catherine Lowther and Andrew Allon have both been promoted to managing associates and three legal directors have also been appointed – associate solicitor in the corporate and commercial team, Mike Ward, who has been at Swinburne Maddison for nine years; Kath Hill, head of the family law department and a CILEX Lawyer, and David Canwell, a solicitor with 10 years of employment in the residential property team.
The firm has also appointed six new associates – Charlotte Excell and Lauren Rutherford, (commercial property), Rebecca Harper (residential property), Lewis Brown (dispute resolution) and Eleanor Bradshaw and Sophie Allerton (corporate and commercial law). Two further trainee solicitor appointments have also been made – Liam Musgrave and Brooke Jefferson. Jonathan Moreland, managing partner, said: “As managing partner and on behalf of the firm, it gives me great pleasure to announce these promotions, which have been made in recognition of some extremely hard work over the last year and in accordance with our published career path.”
■ Lowes Financial Management has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of its first associate director. Andy Gardiner takes on the new role as part of a wider restructure and expansion of the practice and services. He will continue to have a client-facing role but will also have a focus on developing new, improved strategies to further grow and enhance the business. Mr Gardiner has been with Lowes for more than 16 years and has seen the financial advisory market alter significantly during that period. He said: “It’s a real pleasure to be taking up this new role at this exciting time. Lowes has some big plans to build on its strong traditions of personal finances being cared for personally whilst also embracing greater use of technology to enhance client service and our fantastic investment proposition. I look forward to playing a key role in helping to promote and develop the firm, taking things to the next level, establishing an enhanced advice proposition to ensure sustained growth for the business.”
Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has confirmed a number of senior promotions across its UK offices, including three new partners and one legal director in the firm’s Newcastle office. Stacey Hall, Sarah Daun and Gavin Ellison have been promoted to partner, and Liz Evans has been promoted to legal director.
Ms Hall focuses on corporate transactional work and has experience working for serial acquirers, owner-managers and investors, and has been involved in some of the region’s leading deals. Ms Daun specialises in privacy law and has significant experience of drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements across the public, private and third sectors on a national and international basis, while Mr Ellison has over 15 years’ experience acting for trustees and employers on pensions law. Ms Evans’ principal focus is commercial landlord and tenant work and investment property sales and acquisitions.
Nigel Emmerson, head of WBD’s Newcastle office, said: “Working across a variety of specialisms, Stacey, Sarah, Gavin and Liz all exemplify the high level of talent we aim to attract, nurture and develop at WBD.”
Fairstone has made two further senior appointments to support the group’s growth ambitions.
Peter Donaldson and Tean Hatt both join Fairstone as group divisional directors and will play a key role in supporting firms acquired by the business to grow and increase profitability and efficiency. Mr Donaldson has over 33 years’ financial services experience in area and regional management roles, having spent the last 17 years at HSBC in retail and commercial financial planning positions and leading roles in wealth strategic transformation. He takes up the role of group divisional director North and Scotland.
Mr Hatt, who has 25 years’ industry experience in financial services, joins as group divisional director for Midlands and East.
Managing director Mike Slater added: “I am delighted to welcome Peter and Tean to the team – they both have considerable industry experience as well as the drive to support our strategy of growth.”