Esme Briggs, an Asset Manager at Leeds-based property company Potter Space, has been appointed Chair of RICS Matrics Leeds, where she will help support and develop the next generation of built environment professionals across the region.

RICS Matrics serves as an important network for students, trainees and newly qualified professionals in the property and construction sector. Designed to support, develop and connect early-career surveyors, the organisation plays a critical role to shape the future talent pipeline for the built environment sector.

She will lead the RICS Matrics Leeds committee in driving engagement and hosting networking and professional development events, as well as providing a platform for the next generation of property leaders across Yorkshire.



Three members of the Partners PR team are celebrating a combined 40 years with the York-based business-to-business PR agency.

Company director and co-owner Monica Green is marking 25 years, while senior account executives Leanne Terry and Ellie Bilton are celebrating 10 and five years respectively.

Monica joined Partners PR in 2001 as an account director, having previously worked for nursery goods manufacturer Mamas & Papas and a London-based financial and corporate communications agency. She was later part of the management team that bought the business in 2006.
Today, Monica manages the agency’s finance and operations, alongside working with clients in the manufacturing, IT, power, rail, and construction sectors.

Former journalist Leanne Terry joined Partners PR after working as features editor for one of the UK’s oldest trade magazines. Ellie Bilton has enjoyed a varied career in retail, recruitment, legal and professional services, and is also a part-time rugby union referee.



BGF – the most active growth capital investor in the UK & Ireland – has strengthened its Yorkshire and North East team, with the appointment of Rosie Ramsey to its investment team.

Rosie will be based at BGF’s Leeds office and will be responsible for deal origination in Yorkshire and the North East, building strong relationships with ambitious founders and management teams across the two regions, supporting them on the next phase of their growth journey.

Rosie joins BGF from Endless LLP, where she worked as an Investment Manager for nearly four years, helping to deploy capital to SME and mid-market businesses. Rosie, who qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Price Bailey LLP, previously worked at Alembic Strategy, where she gained significant experience working alongside shareholders, entrepreneurs and boards on strategic change and transaction related matters.




Stockton Group, a Wakefield-based drilling, civils and pipeline specialist, has appointed Alan Smith FCIArb, MAPM, SIIRSM as group managing director. The appointment follows a year in which turnover rose from £10m (FY2024) to £25m (FY2025) and the business brought its three divisions - drilling, civils and pipelines - together under one Group brand.

As group managing director at Stockton Group, Alan will lead the firm’s growth strategy, its client and stakeholder relationships and delivery across all three divisions. He has directed projects from strategic definition through design, construction and handover, which matches the Group's aim of taking a bigger role in early-stage planning, design and engineering for its clients.



Meanwhile, Stockton Group’s MD named one of the UK’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2026

Fiona O’Connell, founder of Stockton Group, has won The Pioneer Award as part of The LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme for 2026. he programme was created by private equity investor LDC, part of Lloyds Banking Group, in partnership with The Times in 2018. Since then, it has celebrated the ambition and achievements of hundreds of exceptional entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the UK.

This year, The LDC Top 50 attracted more than 620 nominations nationwide, highlighting the determination, innovation and resilience of leaders driving growth in businesses across every region and sector.

Under Fiona’s leadership, the business has demonstrated impressive growth, increasing turnover from £10 million in 2024 to £25 million in 2025. The company continues to invest in its people, operational capabilities and long-term growth strategy, positioning itself for continued success in a competitive market.



Ramsdens Solicitors, which has 11 offices throughout Yorkshire, has welcomed four trainees as it continues to invest in the next generation of legal talent and create opportunities for aspiring solicitors across the region.

The trainees joining the firm will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with clients and experienced professionals from day-one across a range of practice areas.

Joining Ramsdens’ Leeds office are trainee solicitor Chloe Barker and graduate legal apprentice Abbie Kaye, who have begun their first seats in the personal industry and clinical negligence and real estate departments, respectively.

Apprentices Katie McMahon joins Ramsdens' private wealth and succession team in the Halifax office for her first seat while Grace Hawkin joins the Family department in York.



Switalskis has appointed two experienced wills and probate solicitors in Doncaster and Grimsby, giving clients in both communities access to specialist legal support from a nationally recognised firm.

Rebecca Parry joins Switalskis’ Doncaster office and Hannah Gamble joins its recently established Grimsby office. Both solicitors have extensive experience in private client work, advising on wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Grants of Probate and estate administration.



Multi-disciplinary development consultancy Marrons has welcomed five new graduates to its teams across the country – Simran Nijjar in Leicester, Tash Murphy in Sheffield, Pippa Brogden, Izzy Pendle in Bristol, and Balvir Rai in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The appointments bring together a broad range of academic disciplines and professional experience, spanning urban planning, architecture, geography, transport and development.

Tash completed a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at the University of Sheffield. Her experience in a local authority highways department has given her insight into the relationship between transport, infrastructure and development, including the role of sustainable transport in shaping successful places.



National law firm Shakespeare Martineau has strengthened its corporate team with the appointment of associate Molly Rae in Sheffield.

Her experience spans a broad range of corporate finance matters, including share and asset acquisitions and disposals, management buyouts, employee ownership trusts, solvent restructurings and general company law matters.

Molly joins from Knights, where she completed her training contract and qualified as a corporate solicitor in 2022. She has worked on a range of domestic and cross-border transactions, with particular expertise in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors.



Vehicle leasing specialist, Synergy Car Leasing has welcomed six new members to its growing team, strengthening departments across the business as it continues to expand and enhance the service it provides to customers.

Darren Bridgestock joins Synergy as compliance manager, the content team has been strengthened with the appointment of Charlie Tyas as junior content writer.
Supporting the business’s pricing activity, David Millan has joined as a junior pricing analyst. A new role has also been created within the business, with Sam O’Brien joining as customer retention and renewals manager. The position has been introduced to strengthen Synergy’s approach to customer renewals. Further strengthening the sales team are Victoria Ramsden and Ben Hunter, who have both joined as sales account managers.



Independent law firm Brabners has capped a busy season of new appointments with the welcoming of strategic land and development specialist David Cole as a Partner in its real estate group. He will work with Brabners' real estate development team to support clients and projects across the UK.

David will be primarily based in Brabners’ Leeds office and he joins from Womble Bond Dickinson, where he spent nearly 14 years building a national practice focused on complex land transactions.