The latest Bondholder appointments and promotions

Shakespeare Martineau and Flint Bishop are among the latest Marketing Derby Bondholders to announce new appointments in recent weeks.

Law firm Shakespeare Martineau has made almost 20 promotions across its Midlands offices, including three new partners.

The new partners include Steven Skiba and Alex Ryan in commercial litigation and Alan Hamblett in debt and asset recovery.

Four people have joined the legal director ranks: Rajiv Vaiyata in commercial real estate, Lauren Crowhurst in private client and Natalie Thorpe and Anton Letten in commercial litigation.

Three people have been promoted to senior associate: Reveka Athanasiadou in commercial services, Kuldeep Chauhan in private client and Danny Stott in managed legal services.

A further nine people have moved up to associate.

Managing director Victoria Tester said: “A law firm’s long-term success depends on the strength of its people and its ability to develop the next generation of leaders.

“If we want to keep growing, compete for the most significant work and deliver for clients at the highest level, it’s important we give talented people the opportunity to take on greater responsibility, build their reputations and shape the future of the business.

“These promotions are a statement of confidence in our people and the future of Shakespeare Martineau.”

Meanwhile, fellow law firm Flint Bishop is continuing to expand the corporate team at its recently open Sheffield office with the appointment of Peter Turk as senior associate.

Peter joins from Knights, where he spent more than five years advising on a broad range of domestic and international corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, employee ownership trusts, shareholder and joint venture agreements, and corporate reorganisations.

Martyn Brierley, partner and head of corporate at Flint Bishop, said: “Peter’s appointment further strengthens our corporate offering in Sheffield and brings considerable transactional experience to the team.

“As we continue to grow our presence in Sheffield and nationally, attracting experienced lawyers of Peter’s calibre is an important part of our strategy.

“It ensures we continue to build the depth and quality of expertise needed to support our existing clients while capitalising on the new opportunities created by our growth.”

Flint Bishop has also announced the appointment of John Earl as chief technology officer, who also joins from Knights.

He brings more than 23 years’ experience across global financial services and UK professional services, spanning technology strategy, digital transformation, data and AI, cyber security, operational resilience and business architecture.

Chief executive Qamer Ghafoor said: “John’s appointment is an important strategic investment for Flint Bishop and reflects the scale of our ambitions for the business.

“As we continue to grow organically and through targeted acquisitions, we want technology to be at the heart of how we scale the firm, support our people and deliver greater value to our clients.

“John brings an exceptional combination of technology leadership, transformation expertise and commercial experience that will be invaluable as we deliver that strategy.”