Knight Frank has welcomed four new commercial property professionals to its growing Newcastle team.
Felicity Martin has joined Knight Frank as senior surveyor in the property asset management team where she will help manage 20 million square feet of space from industrial estates, to shopping centres, to multi-let offices. Ashleigh Kirkup has taken on a senior surveyor role in the building consultancy department. She joins from Workman LLP and has previously worked for Knight Frank in their Leeds and Newcastle offices.
Two graduate surveyors have also been appointed 鈥 Jamie Parker, who is working in the industrial agency team, and John Edwards who is supporting partner, Dickon Wood, in the capital markets service line. Head of the Newcastle office, Ian Tew, said: 鈥淲e are incredibly busy so these four new colleagues have had to hit the ground running. Recruitment is tough in this industry right now so it鈥檚 taken us a long time to find Felicity, Ashley, Jamie and John because we鈥檝e held out for the best talent and the best fit with the team.鈥
A total of 27 staff have been promoted in the North East at Azets, the international advisory, outsourcing and compliance group. They are among 213 promotions made across its 海角视频 business, including 35 new partners and directors and changes to the Azets 海角视频 leadership team.
Partner Brian Laidlaw (Newcastle) becomes head of North East, with promotion to office managing partner for Claire Hinshaw, audit and assurance, Newcastle. New partners include Andrew Fitton, Clair Williams, and Claire Smailes, all in the tax department in Newcastle. Among new promoted directors are Sarah Simpson, in audit and assurance, Newcastle and Suzanne Layfield, audit and assurance, Durham. In total, for the North East, 24 promotions were made at the Newcastle office, two at Durham and one at Morpeth.
Damien Russell has been appointed as Azets鈥 new 海角视频 chief people officer, replacing Helen Hall who has taken a new strategic role as head of DI and ESG in a planned move.
Peter Gallanagh, Azets 海角视频 chief executive officer, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to welcome a talented group of new partners and directors as part of more than 200 promotions across our 海角视频 business. We鈥檙e continually investing in people and advisory rich services, and these appointments strengthen our breadth and depth of experience and expertise to help our clients achieve their ambitions.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also made several promotions to corporate functions with a focus on operational efficiency, along with Damien Russell鈥檚 appointment to the Azets 海角视频 board as 海角视频 chief people officer.鈥
Hotel Gotham in Newcastle has appointed Chris Thompson as general manager ahead of its opening later this year. Mr Thompson, former operations manager of the Apartment Group, is currently building his pre-opening team as work continues on the 60-bedroom hotel, set to open in the former fire station in Pilgrim Street in late 2024.
He brings experience from his tenure with other brands such as Malmaison and Hotel du Vin.
He said: 鈥淭here is already a buzz in the city regarding the opening, so I can鈥檛 wait to welcome guests to stay in the quirkiest but most luxurious surroundings in the North East. The food and beverage offering will be like no other, whether dining in our restaurant, sipping cocktails in our bar or dancing the night away to live music, Gotham will have it all and provide experiences that Newcastle hasn鈥檛 seen yet!
鈥淚鈥檝e watched the project for some time now with excitement and anticipation. It鈥檚 an iconic building in Newcastle in an area with so much redevelopment. Gotham is more than a hotel, it鈥檚 an experience where every detail is designed to exceed your expectations. There is nothing like it in the city. The potential is enormous, so when the opportunity arose I had to be a part of it.鈥
Newcastle financial advisory firm Lowes Financial Management has appointed Claire Lockey as operations director, as part of an ongoing wider restructure and expansion.
Ms Lockey has been part of the executive committee at Lowes for the past two years, joining initially as project and quality manager, and in her new role she will lead on all transformation activities that range from people development, ongoing development of the company culture and the digitalisation of systems and processes.
She said: 鈥淭here are many great developments happening at Lowes, and I am delighted to be taking a more strategic role, working with the board and colleagues, to drive the ongoing transformation. It鈥檚 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 multi award winning investment proposition. During the last year and more we have developed an exciting new investment platform that we鈥檙e now in the early stages of launching.鈥
Simon Bailes Peugeot has appointed industry expert Sheldon Cockburn as its new head of operations, and Louis Shepherd as sales manager. With a career spanning more than three decades in the automotive industry, Mr Cockburn returns to the business after gaining further experience as the head of business at Bentley & Ferrari Newcastle, where he oversaw all aspects of the dual franchise luxury and sportscar operation.
Louis Shepherd joins Simon Bailes Peugeot鈥檚 Northallerton dealership as sales manager having worked at Vauxhall & MG Darlington, where he was the new and used business manager.
Simon Bailes, managing director at Simon Bailes Peugeot, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to welcome Sheldon back on board. His vast experience and strategic acumen are invaluable assets that will undoubtedly lead our commercial operations to new heights. His leadership will be a catalyst for our continued success and enhanced customer service.
鈥淲e鈥檙e equally thrilled to welcome Louis to our team. His proven track record in sales management and leadership will be a tremendous boon to our Northallerton dealership. We anticipate great accomplishments under his guidance and are excited about the future growth he will help us achieve.鈥
