Member News
Leading Northern law firm, Ward Hadaway, has appointed a new Executive Partner for its Newcastle office.
Nick Gholkar has joined the executive partner team, in a newly created role, mirroring the positions already held by Emma Digby and Liz Bottrill within the firms' Leeds and Manchester offices. The move follows the appointment of Steven Petrie as Ward Hadaway’s new managing partner in April this year.
Nick brings 13 years of service at Ward Hadaway, starting as a trainee in 2011 and rising to a Partner in the Built Environment team. His expertise in planning and property development is widely respected and in high demand across the sector. He has guided significant regeneration projects throughout the North East and Tees Valley, as well as advising commercial clients through all stages of the investment and development process from project inception to completion.
Speaking of his new role, Nick said; “As an advocate for Ward Hadaway and the wider North East region, it’s my absolute pleasure to take on the role of Executive Partner for the Newcastle office. I’m a great believer that the success of our firm goes hand in hand with the success of our great Northern regions. In my new role, I want to champion the North East – our businesses, our communities and our unique skills and abilities – to help drive growth and prosperity.
“Steven and the senior management team have ambitious aspirations to grow our business and I am excited to support this. Working with Liz and Emma, the Executive Partners in our Manchester and Leeds bases, we see a huge opportunity for collaboration, cohesion and creativity.
“We have an incredible team of nearly 500 talented legal professionals and support staff working together across the firm with over 300 based in our Newcastle office. I've experienced first-hand the great opportunities on offer within the region and in our firm in particular to build an interesting, varied and fulfilling career. As a firm we strive to be an organisation that has a positive, progressive culture, fosters its people and invests in their success. We must not be complacent in our mission to train and retain such talent within our regions, so that individuals, businesses and communities can grow and prosper together.”
Steven Petrie, managing partner of Ward Hadaway, said: “I’m delighted to endorse Nick’s promotion to Executive Partner for our Newcastle office. His appointment creates an executive partner team across our three regional offices that together will help drive the acceleration of our business, aligning with our broader aspirations to grow turnover to £75 million by 2029.
“We have both been at Ward Hadaway for a similar amount of time, so we know what a fantastic place it is to develop and grow professionally. Nick is a brilliant ambassador for the business and the North East region, having attended school in Newcastle, and returning to the area to start his career. As well as continuing in his role within the Built Environment team, he will fly the flag for the firm and the North East community and I’m very much looking forward to creating success together.”
