Ward Hadaway, a UK top 100 law firm, has significantly expanded its agriculture, rural business, and estates team with a series of strategic senior appointments. The newly bolstered team is now led by Tom Wills, who joins as Head of Agriculture, Rural Business and Estates. Based in the North East, Wills advises farming families and estate owners on matters including land transactions, renewable energy, and succession planning. He is joined by Alison Hall, Head of Private Client, and Jamie Brown, along with other new specialists. The team offers national legal support across land, property, energy, and development issues. Commenting, Wills said: “Our clients want advisers who understand their pain points - that means spending time on-site, building relationships and offering advice that fits the realities of rural life... Whether we’re advising on succession, a land sale or a diversification project, the legal advice must be practical, commercial and tailored to that specific client and their needs. That’s the kind of bespoke support this team is built to deliver - personal, informed and consistent." The expanded team is further bolstered by newly appointed rural private client specialists Kirsty Allen, Megan Bradley and rural property solicitor Sam Watts.



Andy Haldane CBE, the former Chief Economist at the Bank of England and a native of the North of England (born in Sunderland and raised in Yorkshire), has been elected the new President of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). He will begin his three-year term on 1 February 2026, succeeding Baroness Lane-Fox. Mr Haldane's appointment comes at a critical time for the UK economy, and he brings a wealth of relevant experience from his time as Permanent Secretary for Levelling Up and his work in regional development. He maintains strong ties to the North through current appointments, including: Chair of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (Gateshead); Chair of the Industrial Board at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which operates in South Yorkshire and Lancashire; Member of the Advisory Board of the Bradford Literature Festival; Chancellor-elect of the University of Sheffield. BCC Chair Sarah Howard MBE welcomed Mr Haldane’s knowledge, which will help the Chamber Network navigate "geopolitical and economic uncertainty".



Global business advisory group Azets has appointed Iffy Hussein as a Corporate Finance Partner in its Leeds office, further strengthening its presence in Yorkshire. Hussein joins with over 13 years of experience from EY and PwC, where he advised private equity-backed and privately owned businesses on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with particular expertise in Business Services and Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT). He will support clients nationwide from the Yorkshire hub. The appointment comes as Azets, a UK top 10 accountancy and advisory firm, expands its corporate finance offering in the region, following the recent addition of two other finance specialists in 2025. UK Head of Corporate Finance Lee Humble said: “Iffy’s extensive experience supporting a range of businesses through all aspects of Corporate Finance will be an asset to our team – in Leeds and right across the UK."



Dave King, CEO of consultancy firm Differentis, has been named the inaugural Ambassador for the first-ever Sheffield CEO Sleepout. The national fundraising event challenges business leaders and high-profile figures, including Sheffield Chamber CEO Louisa Harrison-Walker OBE and former Olympic medallist Ed Clancy OBE, to sleep rough at the Steel City Stadium on 10 November 2025. Since 2013, the initiative has raised over £5.5 million across the UK. The Sheffield debut will raise funds for frontline services to tackle the severe local homelessness crisis, which has seen demand for support reach record levels. King stated that the event is a "practical way to get involved and make a difference," stressing that the problem "is on all of us".