business

Forbes Solicitors Promotes 15 Following Strong Growth

Forbes Solicitors has promoted 15 team members after a strong financial year, reinforcing its growth across commercial, public sector and private client services. New partners include Elizabeth Whittaker, David Scully, Georgina Kenny, Jo Handler, Louise Alasirt and Natalie Argent. Senior associate promotions were awarded to Samantha Robinson, Sheroze Nadeem and Javaid Sabrine, while Alice Earnshaw, Andrew Wilkinson, Jess Glover, Michelle Kemp, Shannon Thompson and Warren Smethurst became associates. Managing partner Pauline Wild said the firm’s success stems from its people and values, adding the promotions highlight the breadth of talent across its services and ambitious plans for continued growth.

DJH Appoints New Director to Lead Altrincham Growth

DJH, one of the North West’s fastest-growing accountancy firms, has appointed Colette Lennon to lead expansion at its Altrincham office. Backed by private equity firm Tenzing, the firm plans to boost local engagement and expand services, including specialist tax and estate planning. Lennon brings nearly 30 years of experience, including time in Brussels and a previous role at Bennett Brooks. She aims to increase revenues by 10% and strengthen DJH’s role in the local community. DJH has made 13 acquisitions in four years, and its Altrincham office is key to broader growth plans across South Manchester and the North West.

EDGE Strengthens Leeds Healthcare Team with Key Hire

Construction consultancy EDGE has appointed Mike Bacon as Health and Social Care Director in Leeds to support continued growth in its largest sector, which accounts for 20% of company income. Bacon brings six years’ experience from Leeds Teaching Hospitals, where he led the £1.5bn New Hospital Programme and a major pathology lab project. His role at EDGE will involve strategic leadership and sector insight across the firm’s national NHS portfolio, including work on the Cambridge Children’s Hospital and the National Rehabilitation Centre. EDGE now employs over 130 staff across six UK offices and works across 17 sectors, public and private.

Headstar Grows Finance Team as Demand Surges

Finance recruitment consultancy Headstar has expanded its Transactional Finance division with the appointments of Claudia Gooding and Matt Swift as senior consultants, responding to a 152% year-on-year rise in net fee income from the area. Gooding will cover permanent roles in South Leeds and surrounding areas, while Swift will lead interim recruitment across West Yorkshire.

Transactional finance now accounts for 15% of Headstar’s income, with demand growing amid shifting economic conditions and technological change. Founded 38 years ago, Headstar supports finance hiring from CFO to transactional level, serving major clients including Transunion, NG Bailey and myenergi.

ECD Architects Strengthens Leadership to Meet Green Demand

ECD Architects has made two senior hires and promoted a key figure to Joint Managing Director as demand grows for energy-efficient, Passivhaus-certified buildings. Donald Simpson and Ron Nkomba join as Associate Directors, bringing over 40 years’ combined experience across education, residential, and public sector projects. Simpson, a Certified Passivhaus Designer, has led major university campus masterplans, while Nkomba has delivered three RIBA award-winning schools and will support London-based projects.

Alistair Cameron, who joined ECD in 2009, has been promoted to Joint Managing Director with responsibility for Scotland. He has played a pivotal role in projects including the University of Glasgow’s £12m BREEAM Excellent HIVE facility and building decarbonisation plans for leading Scottish universities. Cameron will work alongside James Traynor, who leads the practice’s delivery in England.

The leadership expansion reflects growing interest in the Passivhaus standard as organisations seek to lower emissions, reduce energy costs, and improve wellbeing across building users and communities.

New Managing Director for Bells of Lazonby

Cumbrian bakery Bells of Lazonby has appointed Rob Keeping as its new Managing Director, succeeding Tim Conder after nearly four years in the role. Rob joins from Bread Holdings, where he served as Managing Director for the North, overseeing significant growth in food service, grocery, and café brand GAIL’s, which expanded from 25 to over 170 stores during his tenure. With a background that spans military service and senior roles in hospitality, including Caprice Holdings, Rob brings more than a decade of operational leadership to the third-generation family business. He will relocate from Greater Manchester to Cumbria with his family ahead of starting the role in September. Rob has also completed executive studies at Oxford and Harvard, with a focus on strategy and sustainability. At Bells, he will drive innovation across both free-from and conventional bakery categories, including the growing ‘We Love Cake’ brand, as the company prepares to mark its 80th anniversary in 2026.