Movers&Shakers

A round-up of the latest Business District launches, relocations, appointments and promotions

DEBRETT’S PRIVATE FINANCE

Corporate advisory and investment practice, Debrett’s Private Finance has appointed a new team member to bolster their team and service offering.

In just its second year of trading, DPF completed 11 transactions with a combined value of over £200 million.

The team has also grown to 14 people with the appointment of highly experienced dealmaker, Gabriella Eeles who joins as a Principal.

Eeles began her career in Forensic accountancy at Mazars before moving to BDO as a Corporate Finance senior manager where she has advised on a number of public and private M&A transactions including acquisitions, disposals, carve outs and private equity investments. Sector experience includes the industrials and facilities management sectors, with recent successful transactions including the carve out of Hill and Smith Holdings plc’s Swedish road safety rental business to RentSafe Sverige AB and the sale of Newtons Group to Q3 Services Group.

Prior to her career in Corporate Finance, Eeles was a professional oboist, playing with orchestras including Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Gothenburg Opera.

Cbre

CBRE has welcomed a new crop of apprentices and graduates to its office in Birmingham.

The global real estate firm’s 2022 intake includes apprentices Tristan Coane, Jasmine Butler, Chleo Harris and Tania Conde-Nfuamba, and graduates Lauren Wood and Amar Sangha.

All six have joined as part of CBRE’s Next Generation programme, which offers a range of

Weightmanns

National law firm Weightmans LLP is to relocate its Birmingham office to 103 Colmore Row.

The firm has signed a ten-year lease on the 9th floor (12,132 sq ft) of the 26-storey buildingBirmingham’s tallest office tower.

The deal will see Weightmans’ 168 staff move from St Philips Point, on Temple Row, where it has been based since 2006.

graduate, internship and apprenticeship places to people looking to forge a career in the real estate industry.

In Birmingham, the first cohort of apprentices to join the Next Generation programme in 2018 recently qualified. Having passed their APC, Jorge Bray and Brooke Matthews have secured roles in valuation and office agency respectively. Nick Barnes has also passed his APC and joins the rating team, resulting in a 100 per cent APC pass rate for the office.

Jawaid Rehman, partner and head of Weightmans’ Birmingham office, said: “In recent years we have really embraced ESG principles and worked hard to embed sustainability into our ‘business as usual’. The Birmingham office move is part of this plan, as the new site offers low impact environmental footprint and a host of other ethical and emission reducing benefits.

“We remain committed to Birmingham and the Midlands and look forward to welcoming guests to Colmore Row in the summer.”

Bevan Brittan

Law firm Bevan Brittan has announced plans to move to a new location in the Business District following the growth of its team in Birmingham.

The move from One Temple Row to 45 Church Street coincides with the appointment of property partner Rebecca Pendlebury as the new head of office for the firm in the Midlands, while its total number of colleagues in the region has passed 100.

The firm will move to the new office in spring 2023.

Last year, Bevan Brittan announced its ninth consecutive year of growth as revenues topped £60m for the first time.

Pendlebury said: “With over 100 colleagues based out of our Birmingham office, our new home at Church Street is a really exciting move for us and the next stage of our story in Birmingham and the wider Midlands region.

“Our new location will strike the right balance for everyone in our team, and continue our development in the Midlands as we work with more clients across our existing and emerging markets.”

Bevan Brittan has made a host of notable appointments in Birmingham in recent years, such as IT and commercial partner Ash Woodcock, construction partner Helen Andrews and higher education corporate partner Rachel Soundy.

Others include senior associate William Cursham, who joined the dispute resolution team, and Louise Mansfield, a legal director who specialises in health and safety and criminal regulatory law.

Shc Digital

Progressive Performance Agency, SHC Digital, based at WeWork, Colmore Row, is not only expanding rapidly but it has recently picked up its first national award.

The company, which was only set up in July 2019, has grown swiftly amidst the pandemic, following a succession of new business wins and is ending the year on a high after being awarded the Best Integrated Campaign award at the Performance Marketing World Awards (PMW).

The award was presented at a Black-Tie event held at Grosvenor House in London.

SHC Digital which comprises a team of eight, including four graduates from Birmingham City University, won the award for its digital work with University College

Birmingham. They delivered an integrated approach to target prospective students and their parents to drive college applications, even though there were age restrictions across the online platforms. SHC Digital produced a significant uplift in completed applications compared to the previous year and data shows the quality of applications was also higher.

Founder and director, Sally Hawkesford, said: “We have been on an amazing journey since we started the business and have been fortunate to continue growing despite the pandemic and the current economic climate, but this is a testament to the hard work of my team.

“We are pleased to have won the Best Integrated Campaign award. We were up against amazing competition, so it is great to receive this recognition.”

Anthony Collins Solicitors

Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) has become the first law firm in the Midlands to achieve B Corp status, recognising the social purpose and environmental values of the company.

ACS is a social purpose law firm, and works with the social housing, health and social care, local government and charity sectors, as well as private individuals. It has more than 350 employees and offices across the Midlands and North West.

Being certified as a B Corp means the company is held to the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. Companies are evaluated on how their business success is measured, shifting the focus more to people and the planet as well as profit, and ACS is just the fourth law firm in the UK to achieve the accreditation.

There are only 1,000 B Corp organisations in the UK and 6,000 businesses worldwide making up the B Corp community, including global brands such as Innocent, Patagonia, Charity Bank and The Body Shop.

Each company’s business model, operations and structure are rigorously assessed to ensure they demonstrate high social and environmental values, they must provide a legal commitment to changing governance structures and be transparent on their performance.

Peter Hubbard, senior partner at Anthony Collins Solicitors, said: “ACS’ values focus on improving lives, communities and society and this is now ingrained in the firm’s DNA. Clients, staff and stakeholders can rely on our B Corp status as evidence of our positive social impact on society and the environment as a business. Becoming a B Corp is a natural development to our ongoing commitment to being a force for good alongside our clients.”