Martlesham Heath-based marketing agency Banbury Howard has appointed Kate Southgate as an account manager.

Kate graduated from the University of Lincoln with a BA (Hons) degree in journalism.

After graduating, she took up a career in marketing starting as a copywriter and later developing a specialist outreach service at a digital marketing agency based in Ipswich.

She brings with her a wealth of knowledge, particularly in copywriting and digital marketing, developed over six years in the marketing environment.

In her new role, she will be working with a selection of clients, delivering a variety of projects from digital and social media strategies through to event management and sales and marketing collateral.

“I’m always keen to develop my experience and broaden my skill set and I believe that being at Banbury Howard will do just that,” she said.

::A widely-respected real estate solicitor has been promoted to partner by law firm Hewitsons.

Susanne Hinde’s appointment as a partner in Hewitsons Real Estate team in Cambridge takes place with immediate effect, and has come at a time of increased activity in the property market in the city and further afield.

Susanne advises on a range on non-contentious commercial real estate matters, such as leases, investments and portfolio management, sales and purchases, funding, and property due diligence, acting for private individuals, businesses, pension funds, charities and local authorities.

For a number of years, she has taken an increasingly prominent role in the development of the Cambridge team, and is widely-respected among her colleagues and clients.

“I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity, and I am looking forward to continuing the development of the practice and building upon its success,” she said.

“There is currently a rise in activity in the property market, both in Cambridge and other parts of the country, so this an exciting time for us.”

Susanne joined Hewitsons in 1999, after completing her training in Nottingham. Following a move to the East Midlands, where she worked for a number of years, Susanne rejoined Hewitsons in 2007.

Managing partner Colin Jones said: “We are delighted that Susanne has been appointed as partner in the real estate team. She is highly-respected by clients and colleagues alike and we congratulate Susanne on her well-earned promotion and wish her the very best in what we hope will be a long career at Hewitsons.”

::Vicki Mitman has joined the corporate and commercial services team at East Anglian law firm Birketts as an associate.

Vicki has a particular specialism in franchising, licensing and brand protection and achieved Qualified Franchise Professional status in 2015. She advises both existing and prospective franchisors in relation to brand protection, franchise agreements, franchise resales, dispute resolution and the British Franchise Association’s accreditation process and Code of Ethics. She also advises franchisees / franchise owners on franchise resales, the franchise agreement and any related documentation.

Vicki, who is an active affiliate member of the British Franchise Association (bfa), said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Corporate and Commercial Services Team and look forward to helping to develop Birketts’ franchising team offering. Birketts is well-known in the market for having an exceptional team of lawyers and the firm continues to develop at an impressive pace.”

Adrian Possener, partner and head of the Norwich corporate and commercial team, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Vicki to Birketts. Her personal and professional background in franchising will be an invaluable asset to our team.

“Following the appointment of Ed Savory as legal director, this appointment underlines our determination to continue to assemble a first-class team that enables us to provide the high standards that our clients have come to expect from us. This is a part of a considerable expansion in the team and demonstrates our commitment across the region and our optimism for continual success in the region.”

Vicki is based at the firm’s Norwich office but supports colleagues across Birketts’ four offices in Ipswich, Chelmsford, Cambridge and Norwich.

::Martlesham-based law firm Barker Gotelee has expanded its team of specialist solicitors.

Clare Richards has been promoted to partner and Katy Moss has been appointed as associate solicitor.

Clare, a specialist in corporate law, focuses on corporate structure and transactions including mergers and acquisitions, disposals, investments and shareholder arrangements. Her work ranges from advising clients on day-to-day matters such as terms and conditions to drafting bespoke commercial contracts.

“I feel greatly honoured to have been promoted to partner within Barker Gotelee. Having previously taken a career break to look after my family, it is particularly satisfying to be recognised and given the opportunity to take on a senior position for the second time,” she said.

Katy joined the property team in April. She graduated from the University of Greenwich with a law degree and completed her Legal Practice course and training and now specialises in commercial property transactions.

“I’m pleased to be part of such a dynamic and experienced team,” she said. “Having chosen to specialise in commercial property over the past few years, I am delighted to be in a role where I can put this into practice and truly make a difference.”

Senior partner James Skellorn said: “It is great to see the team at Barker Gotelee grow. Not just with the appointment of new recruits, but also to see our solicitors grow as professionals and become Partners of the firm.”

::Members of staff at a long-established Suffolk garage have completed nearly 200 years of combined service between them.

Adam Beecroft, 47, parts manager at Sudbury’s Barrett-Lee Garage was recently presented with a long service award after completing 30 years with the company. However, Mr Beecroft’s long service is not a rare thing at the garage with 10 members of staff being with the company 10 years or more.

Director Michael Holt has been with the company 34 years. Workshop foreman Simon Parsons has been with the company 31 years and his wife Hazel, a forecourt manager, for 25 years. Debbie Smith, a forecourt operative, has been with the company 19 years and fellow operative Monika Stefanakova 11 years. Technicians Mark Downes and Michael Notley have been with Barrett-Lee for 12 and 11 years. Service advisor Carl Sibbons joined the company 15 years ago, followed by Carly Ashdown, accounts, 11 years ago.

Mr Holt said: “When we recently presented Adam with reward we started talking about how long other members of staff had been here and realised just how long people had been with the company. Nearly all members of staff have been here 10 years or more and some more than 30 years. We feel the length of time people are staying with us is quite an achievement for a small, close-knit company such as this. We are very proud to be able to offer people genuine lifelong job opportunities, suggesting we are a good company to work for.”

For the past 20 years Barrett-Lee has been based at Byford Road operating as an independent garage servicing and repairing cars and vans.