12 minute read
President & People
The feel good factor
At time of writing, I have just witnessed something that I had last seen back in 1966 when I was just a young lad.
In the unlikely case you have no idea what I’m talking about, England have just beaten Germany at football 2-0 in the Euros at Wembley.
What an incredible uplift it seems to have given a lot of people and I hope it continues all the way to the final, as the country needs something to feel good about.
I also hope the feel-good factor continues way past the football finale with the Prime Minister finally opening everything up come July 19.
In my personal opinion, we need to get going, we need to try and get back to some form of normality if only to repair the damage the pandemic has created to all types of businesses during the past 16 months.
We also need to get going to stabilise the economy and more importantly people’s wellbeing. One thing is for certain, we cannot continue repeating the same cycle of events we have all endured since March 2020.
What is interesting though, in talking to businesses involved in hospitality, is the number of vacancies waiting to be filled. They are desperate for staff and it has the potential to seriously hamper their ability to operate as we open up even further.
They are not alone in potentially having the return to normality derailed, as there are also issues within manufacturing and construction with material shortages and price increases, with some items rising by an eye watering 125 per cent.
Of course, other businesses continue to suffer and the government needs to keep a close eye on how things develop, and target help to those that need it most; especially those businesses that were functioning successfully pre-pandemic.
Whether all of this is a result of the pandemic or Brexit is a matter for debate, or possibly as I believe, a mixture of both.
Only history will determine how our politicians handled this pandemic, history will judge whether their actions were a success, an abject failure or something in-between.
However, for now and going forward let us hope we will not have to endure any further lockdowns.
Finally, as President of the Chamber, I want to offer my congratulations to the City of Culture team for their Coventry Moves Signature Event, it was an outstanding success and they have some great events lined up throughout the summer and beyond. There will be something to enthrall most everyone no matter what age, so join in and enjoy.
Corrine celebrates 15 years’ service at Alsters Kelley
Corrine Seabourne, a chartered legal executive at Alsters Kelley Solicitors, has plenty to smile about as she celebrates 15 years’ service with the firm.
Corrine who works within the private client department, first joined the firm in 2006. She specialises in helping clients with wills and lasting powers of attorney, Court of Protection work and the administering of estates.
Based in the Southam and the newly acquired Stratford-upon-Avon office, Corrine regularly represents the firm at external events and participates in charitable will schemes that the department becomes involved with.
Commenting on her work anniversary, she said: “I thoroughly enjoy my role and career here at Alsters Kelley and the variety of work I get involved with. Most importantly, I love the face-to-face contact with our clients and ensuring we provide them with a very personal and high level of service. I also have many friends across the five offices; it’s definitely a great place to work and it certainly doesn’t feel as if I’ve been here for 15 years!”
Neil Raiseborough, director and head of private client department who presented Corrine with gifts on behalf of the firm, said: “Corrine is the ultimate professional and as such a very valued member of the firm. We really appreciate her loyalty and commitment to the firm and to her clients. We were thrilled to be able to recognise this milestone in her career.”
A property professional at a Coventry-based commercial agency has celebrated three years with the company by being promoted.
Chris Hobday joined Holt Commercial in the spring of 2018 as a surveyor and has now been made an associate director at the firm, which was established in the same year after a merger of two established companies in the region.
The 29-year-old, who was raised in Warwickshire, qualified with Tapp Chartered Surveyors in Leeds before
Chris celebrates anniversary with promotion
heading back to home territory. He said: “Following some rewarding years up north, I moved to Holts to experience the market in a major city closer to home and with a wellestablished firm in the area.
“Holts is hugely respected in the regional market and Coventry is a city which has seen considerable expansion and investment in recent times so it was always going to prove an exciting place to work. “I work predominantly within the agency department across a wideranging commercial instruction list for a variety of corporate and private clients. On a personal level, of course it’s fantastic to be rewarded for the hard work. It’s also exciting to be a key part of a company which has experienced considerable recent success since the merger shortly before I joined.”
The past three years has seen Chris involved in several significant transactions including the sale of multiple freehold industrial units and mixed-use investment sales with values of more than £1 million. He has also actively pursued acquisition opportunities for developer and investor clients.
Peter Holt, director of Holt Commercial, said: “Chris is very dedicated and, as well as developing a very good market knowledge and being very proactive, he has built an impressive network of contacts inside and outside the industry. This has helped to secure some good deals for the company and our clients.”
Shakespeare Martineau boosts legal planning team with double hire
Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has welcomed two new property specialists to its Midlands teams.
Legal planning partner, Anna Cartledge, and legal planning legal director, Julie Russell have both joined the firm.
Operating from the Birmingham hub, Anna has more than 15 years’ experience in legal planning, compulsory purchase and highways law. She has acted for a variety of public and private sector clients throughout her career including landowners, promoters, developers, local authorities, central government agencies, regional development agencies and various NHS trusts.
Anna has a particular interest in heritage issues and has advised several local authorities and private sector developers on various listed building consents. She is also highly experienced in negotiating planning obligations with complex cascade, review and clawback mechanisms, and frequently advises on the best way to structure large-scale sites to enable them to come forward on a phased basis.
Meanwhile, Julie joins the firm’s Leicester hub with more than 14 years’ experience, working on all aspects of legal planning, development and infrastructure work. She has particular experience in dealing with nationally significant infrastructure projects and negotiating complex S106 agreements and infrastructure and highways agreements as well as providing strategic planning advice to housebuilders, commercial developers, landowners and local planning authorities. She also regularly deals with planning enforcement, public rights of ways issues, planning appeals, planning due diligence on site acquisitions and challenges to planning permissions.
Alex Smith, managing director of the firm’s infrastructure and specialist markets business unit, said: “From small listed buildings to large development projects, planning is a complex area law and it requires specialist knowledge. Both Anna and Julie have great expertise and are well-placed to advise clients across the Midlands and nationally.”
President & People Warwickshire property company announces major new promotions
Chris Parsons, Louis Smith, James Ellerington, Mike Vining, Claire Lynch and James Davies.
A raft of promotions has been announced by Midlands property company The Wigley Group.
The company, which has an extensive commercial property portfolio, has implemented a new structure as part of plans to continue the significant growth it has seen over the past decade.
A new executive board will be headed by chairman Robert Wigley — the son of the company’s founder — with James Davies becoming chief executive officer after three years as managing director, and James Ellerington promoted from director of operations to chief operating officer.
The board has two nonexecutive directors: Anna Brocklehurst, partner at Charnwood Accountants and Business Advisors, and James Polo Richards, partner at law firm JG Poole & Co.
Louis Smith is promoted to director of estates after ten years with The Wigley Group and three years as head of estates, and Claire Lynch, who joined the company in 2016, becomes director of central group operations after two years as head of group governance and development.
Chris Parsons takes on an enhanced role as head of property and operations.
The changes also mean Wigley Contracts (Barby) becomes a dedicated development company that will be complemented by the existing construction business, Wigley Building and Development.
Wigley Contracts (Barby) will be run by development director, Mike Vining, who has worked as a consultant with The Wigley Group for more than 15 years.
James Davies said: “Our business is very different to the one that was first established as a construction plant hire and road building contractor in 1964.
“The property and land portfolio has grown significantly over the past 20 years, and we have an ambitious long-term, strategic investment plan to continue that growth through this new structure.”
Midland Heart lands top customer service accreditation
Well-known housing association Midland Heart has been awarded the Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation.
The accolade recognises and celebrates excellent customer service and identifies areas where organisations can improve and excel.
To achieve this accreditation, Midland Heart completed a two-day assessment to demonstrate that it provides great customer service and that it reviewed and implemented previous recommendations.
The association was praised for the way it engages with and involves customers, the insights it has gathered to understand its customer’s needs and preferences, and its work to support the wider community.
Laura Weddell, head of quality and customer experience at Midland Heart, said: “Delivering a brilliant service matters to our customers, so this accreditation is important to us and helps us to understand what’s going well and where we can improve. We’re really proud to have achieved this accreditation and look forward to working with our customers on even more service improvements in the future.”
Following this accreditation, Midland Heart’s customer experience team will design and deliver a detailed action plan, which will be monitored by its customer oversight group. Made up of customers, the group will hold the organisation to account and ensure that all actions are completed ahead of the next assessment in two years’ time.
For more information, visit www.midlandheartgroup.org.uk
A Coventry teacher who has helped thousands of students achieve their dream careers has been shortlisted for a national award.
WMG Academy Coventry’s Head of Engineering Andrew Kyprianou - known as My Kyp – has made it through to the final of the prestigious Pearson National Teaching Awards.
Mr Kyp, a former engineer who turned to teaching so he could share his knowledge of the subject with younger generations, has worked at the academy in Mitchell Avenue, Canley, since it opened in 2014.
His talent was recognised early on, and he rose to become Head of Engineering and Design within a year. Mr Kyp said: “To be shortlisted for this award is overwhelming and very humbling. It is the whole team at WMG Academy that makes the difference to the students. Together we give them the real-world experience they need for a successful career and when they come back to see us, we can see we’ve made a real difference to them.”
Since joining WMG Academy, Mr Kyp has brought the academy’s ‘businesslike, business-led’ ethos to life, by enlisting companies to set bespoke projects to be assessed as part of the curriculum. These have included a wind turbine project with National Grid, a cycle paths survey with Balfour Beatty, materials testing with Sarginsons and a sun visor design assignment for Aston Martin.
Mr Kyp organises opportunities for students, including trips to companies, guest visitors and hands-on activities. During the pandemic has continued to run all interactions virtually. He does all this while continuing to teach GCSE, BTEC and A-levels to students aged 14-19.
Mrs Kate Tague, Chief Executive Officer of WMG Academy Trust said: “Mr Kyp has been an inspirational teacher to thousands of students over the years and has helped kickstart their careers. As well as working closely with students on their technical skills and academic knowledge, Mr Kyp introduces students to employers, gives them real-world experiences and works with them to ensure they have the best start possible in their adult life. Every school should have a Mr Kyp, but fortunately for us, he chose WMG Academy!”
Sixth former Bhavneet Banwait, 18, said: “Mr Kyp has a really good relationship with his students and remains professional whilst still making lessons enjoyable and not pressuring us. He is also highly motivating and pushes his students to produce the best work possible. I believe he’s one of the best teachers in the country.”
Mr Kyp’s students have gone on to work for organisations including the BBC, Ministry of Defence, Aston Martin, Dyson, Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
Top Teacher Mr Kyp in Line for National Award
Martin Green is senior partner at regional law firm Lodders, and has been recognised for his expertise in Personal Tax and Law in the Best Lawyers UK 2022 Edition.
Lodders’ senior partner named as one of UK’s best lawyers
Martin Green, senior partner at local law firm Lodders, has been recognised for his expertise in personal tax and law by one of the oldest and most respected lawyer ranking services in the world.
The 2022 Edition of The Best Lawyers™ in the United Kingdom recognises the professional excellence of lawyers in 83 practice areas, with the lawyers named in it selected by their peers.
A specialist in tax, wills, trusts advice and estate and inheritance tax planning, Martin has been Lodders’ senior partner since 2015.
He joined the firm in 1988 from Pinsents, Birmingham, and has since overseen the growth of the firm’s private client department into one of the largest and most highly regarded teams in the Midlands.
As well as the latest accolade in the 2022 Best Lawyers edition, Martin has consistently been recognised as a leading private client lawyer by The Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession and by the Legal 500. He is also recognised as a “notable practitioner” by the Chambers High Net Worth Guide, which praises his “professionalism, knowledge and strong client relationships”.
Martin said: “The Best Lawyers publication is the oldest lawyer ranking service in the world. For 40 years it has assisted those in need of legal services to identify the lawyers best qualified to represent them. It is a great honour to be included in the latest edition and within such an impressive roll call of UK lawyers.”
