The latest Bondholder appointments and promotions

The University of Derby, Timms Solicitors, Geldards, Nelsons and Willmott Dixon are just some of the Marketing Derby Bondholders who have made new appointments over the past few weeks.

The University of Derby has appointed Stephen Dudderidge to the new role of chief operating officer to drive forward its strategic ambitions and future growth.

Stephen is currently registrar and secretary at the University of Brighton and will take up his new post in April.

Previously, he worked for many years at the University of Nottingham so is familiar with the region.

He said: “I’m delighted to be joining the University of Derby at such a pivotal time for the institution and the sector.

“I look forward to working with colleagues across the institution with a view to building on an already strong platform of cohesive service delivery.”

In his new role, Stephen will be responsible for working with the university’s executive team, led by vice-chancellor Professor Kathryn Mitchell.

She said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Stephen to the university.

“He has an excellent track record of leading services, and extensive experience of developing and implementing strategic plans and projects, so he is very well placed to support the university as we continue to deliver our ambitious strategy and strive for future success.”

Timms Solicitors has appointed Connor Ball-Wood as a conveyancing solicitor in its  growing property team.

Connor joined Timms’ trainee solicitor programme in January 2022 and has had seats in the firm’s family, wills and probate and conveyancing teams across all its offices.

Adrian Rose, partner and training principal at Timms, said: “We remain firmly committed to achieving growth through home-grown talent and ensuring that young professionals have all the support, training and qualifications that they need for their own career development and to achieve the high standards of work that we expect at Timms.

“Connor has shown great skill and determination throughout his training programme, and we are delighted that he has joined our property team now as a qualified solicitor.”

Geldards has announced a raft of promotions, including Saima Shabir, who becomes a partner in its East Midlands commercial team and Natalie Haydon Yeung, who has been promoted to partner in its family team.

Saima is an experienced lawyer specialising in data protection and contractual law, while Natalie has a vast range of expertise and advises clients on various family matters, specialising in complex financial remedy cases.

Jeff Pearson, chief executive at Geldards, said: “I want to congratulate each and every one of our talented Geldards colleagues who have worked so hard to earn these promotions.

“Our newly promoted partners are setting an excellent example driving the business forward, delivering high quality legal advice, as well as providing an exemplary level of client care.”

Two highly experienced solicitors have joined Nelsons’ medical negligence and personal injury team.

New partners Julie Hardy and Emma Zukowska have made the move from law firm Barratts after a combined 32 years with the organisation.

Julie specialises in birth and childhood brain injury cases as well as surgical errors, while Emma specialises in birth injury and spinal injury cases.

Bruce Williams, partner in Nelsons’ medical negligence team, said: “Both Julie and Emma deal with highly complex cases and their knowledge and expertise was a perfect fit with our team.

“Julie has been a major player in clinical negligence in Nottingham and the East Midlands for many years with a fantastic reputation. Emma has built an impressive career at Barratts and brings highly specialised skills and a strong understanding of this area of law.

“We are very proud to welcome both partners and to continue our drive for gold standard client service.”

Willmott Dixon has appointed an experienced property professional as its new head of land and development for the Midlands.

Marika Lawrence will work with Willmott Dixon’s 12-strong national development solutions team, supporting customers in designing, planning, funding, and unlocking development-led schemes across the region.

She brings more than 15 years’ experience in the property sector.

Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, said: “The Midlands is a vibrant and diverse region, but with that comes unique challenges that our customers face when delivering projects.

“Our development solutions team play a critical role in helping customers to overcome these challenges, and Marika’s varied experience and first-hand knowledge of the region makes her a fantastic addition to the team.”