B P Collins has announced three new senior appointments as of October 2019. John Hargrave is its new chief operating officer; and will be working with the firm on a part time basis. Gina Connell becomes chief marketing officer and Adrian Moorhouse will move from being B P Collins’ non-executive director to non-executive chairman. All three roles will support senior partner Simon Deans, in driving the firm’s growth. This follows the appointment of Steve Perry as business development manager earlier this year.
John Hargrave joins with extensive experience in the European IT industry and is the former head of finance and operations at a regional law firm. As chief operating officer, part of his role will focus on furthering B P Collins’ operational efficiency following extensive investment in its technological infrastructure. He will also oversee the firm’s headquarters move to new premises in Gerrards Cross in 2020.
John says: “It is a great time to join B P Collins. This is an exciting period of investment and growth. The technological advances over the past year have already enabled all of its people to be more agile and able to quickly, and efficiently, respond to clients’ needs. This maximises the value the firm delivers for clients. The new office will encourage this approach even further.”
B P Collins aims to lower its carbon footprint in more efficient premises. The wellbeing of staff and clients is also forefront of mind through the inclusion of new collaboration spaces; a welcoming hub for networking, breakout spaces and formal meeting rooms.
Speaking of the appointments, Simon Deans comments: “This is a challenging time politically and economically. The investment we have made in the last year, both in our infrastructure and people, means we are well positioned to meet challenges head on and enable the firm to grow in both the Thames Valley and London. I am delighted John has joined us and that others already in the business are accepting new roles to help us achieve our growth plans, attract new clients and talent, move into new markets and continue to be a top ranked firm.”
B P Collins’ appointments come on the back of a series of successes over the past year. The firm won a ‘Wellbeing in the Workplace’ award at the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in June 2019. B P Collins was also the first law firm in the country to achieve a gold accreditation in the CSR Accreditation Scheme and silver in the International CSR Excellence Awards. These accreditations recognise the firm’s efforts in in supporting the local community and have a positive impact environmentally.”
Simon Deans adds: “We put service to our clients at the core of what we do. Commitment to the wellbeing of our staff, to the local community and to the environment enables us to have a dedicated team who are willing to go the extra mile to help clients achieve their goals as they are engaged in the firm and with what our clients want to achieve.”
B P Collins’ lawyers were also recognised by The Legal 500 UK 2020, a leading independent UK legal directory. Its findings revealed that B P Collins provided us six ‘top tier’ ranked teams and 19 lawyers individually recommended for their expertise in their chosen specialisms.
The Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Law Society also held its Legal Excellence Awards in September, where Simon Carroll won ‘Solicitor Advocate of the Year’ and Elliott Brookes won ‘Junior Lawyer of the Year.’ Both awards recognise lawyers who go ‘above and beyond’ in their roles in advising their clients and supporting our local community.
