1813 Club and Premier Members
New chairman seeks to continue law firm’s growth
Law firm Clarke Willmott, which has an office in Birmingham, has appointed a new chairman. He is Kelvin Balmont, who takes over from
Jonathan Morton. Mr Balmont was a partner in the corporate team at Southampton, where he was also head of office. Mr Balmont joined Clarke Willmott 16 years ago,
not long after the firm opened its Southampton office. He said: “I’m delighted to have been appointed chairman and look forward to continuing the firm’s development which has seen a strong growth across the partnership in terms of staff and partner numbers as well as turnover. “I will be combining the role with my current
client-facing duties and will continue to foster and develop my key client relationships and to lead the corporate team in Southampton.
‘Clarke Willmott is extremely well managed and my colleagues are flexible and hard working’
“I have taken over as chairman at a very challenging time for the firm, our clients and our staff. Fortunately, Clarke Willmott is extremely well managed and my colleagues are flexible and hard working. “This means we are well placed to support our
clients during the current challenges and to help them make the most of opportunities as we move into a post-Brexit and post-lockdown environment.” “We have seven regional offices across the country
and Kelvin will be working to maintain the culture and values of the firm while supporting the management board and CEO in the growth and development of the firm. Clarke Willmott chief executive Stephen Rosser
said: “Jonathan has done a fantastic job as chairman for the past three years and both I and the board are grateful to him for his hard work and commitment to ensuring the firm’s success. “We very much look forward to hearing the fresh
new ideas of Kelvin and working with him on the next phase of the firm’s growth strategy.”
Kelvin Balmont: New role In addition Clarke Willmott has also announced a
number of internal promotions, including six lawyers promoted to salaried partner, seven to senior associate and 13 to associate level. The promotions to associate include Lara Saunders
in Birmingham. Mr Rosser said: “Developing our people is absolutely fundamental to us as a business and this year this is more important than ever before as we position ourselves to continue to overcome our current challenges and move quickly once we return to a new form of business as usual. “Those promoted will assume greater
responsibilities, and in many cases leadership roles, and the skills they have demonstrated will be vital as we become accustomed to a new normal.” Clarke Willmott has offices in Birmingham, Bristol,
Cardiff, London, Manchester, Southampton and Taunton.
Training provider has gone virtual
A Midlands training provider has developed a new way of making sure apprentices are able to continue their learning during the pandemic. In-Comm Training, which
operates three technical academies in Aldridge, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury, is now delivering all courses via a virtual platform, ensuring its 750 learners still have access to industry experienced trainers and assessors when they need them most. The ambition is to make it
‘business as usual’, with individuals able to complete tasks online using
programmes such as Google Classrooms or Microsoft Teams. In-Comm managing director
Bekki Phillips said: “Our first concern has always been the safety of our learners, staff and the employers we work with, so we have had to cancel all on-site training at our technical academies until further notice. “The good news is that learning
can happen in many forms and we are still 100 per cent committed to supporting learners in developing their skills and, importantly, achieving their qualifications.” “Virtual platforms like Google
Classrooms and Microsoft Teams are prefect for supporting apprentices on their journeys and we can also use the technology to deliver some commercial upskilling courses. “We feel it is important for
learners to still keep that face-to- face contact via video links as it can be the difference between understanding content, being able to ask questions and, in some ways, keeping up morale. “The technology will also be
used be to complete assessments, removing the need for our assessors to make on-site visits.”
In brief
Top store Selfridges is helping an NHS charity gain recognition for frontline workers during the Covid-19 crisis. The store has launched the Selfridges #KindnessChallenge, in collaboration with ‘Heroes’, inviting people to nominate an NHS or frontline hero from their local communities. Heroes is a charity founded by
NHS workers, for NHS workers. It exists to support the welfare and wellbeing of healthworkers during the Covid-19 crisis, and beyond. Selfridges will pick the most deserving heroes each week and send them a gift pack with treats and products.
Staff and students at Birmingham’s BMet have joined other colleges in a fundraising campaign for local foodbanks. The college has joined the
national #FEFoodbankFriday campaign, during which further education organisations around the country will come together to raise money. Many foodbanks are seeing a sharp decline in donations at this challenging time of the pandemic. Cliff Hall, principal at BMet said:
“We are living in extraordinary and difficult times, and it’s really important that we rally together to support one another. “Positives can come out of every
crisis and that is certainly what we are seeing here at BMet, as we join other colleges across the country in support of our local communities.”
The Belfry Hotel & Resort is to donate its entire green fee income on its first day of reopening to a number of UK charities. The donations will support a
variety of causes, from cancer, heart, kidney and Parkinson’s treatment, children’s hospitals and hospices, to charity trusts supporting ex- sportsmen. It also includes the two nominated Belfry charities for 2020, Matt Hampson Foundation and LoveBrum. Katie Niland (pictured), sales
director, said: “We want to share some positivity and support during what is an exceptionally challenging time for many charities who rely on donations to survive and show our support for the amazing work they do. “At The Belfry, we have the
pleasure to host many charity golf days a year, so we want to take this opportunity to give something back so they can continue to help those who need it most.”
June/July 2020 CHAMBERLINK 31
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