London-based luxury serviced apartment specialist Cheval Residences has announced an internal restructure, including promotions, new residences for existing general managers and new recruits including an in-house lawyer.
Ben Pires, former operations manager at Cheval Harrington Court in South Kensington, has been promoted to general manager of both Cheval Knightsbridge and Cheval Phoenix House. Cheval Residences has also promoted Paula Spittlehouse from human resources manager to head of human resources.
Kate Fletcher is now general manager of Cheval Three Quays and Cheval Calico House, Allison Mitchell is general manager of Cheval Gloucester Park and Cheval Harrington Court, and Fergel Twomey is general manager of Cheval Thorney Court and Cheval Hyde Park Gate. Fiona Mullins has been promoted from house manager to operations manager at Cheval Harrington Court.
For the first time, Cheval Residences has also employed an in-house lawyer, Laura Prosser, a dual qualified solicitor (Scotland and England) with more than 12 years' experience in the real estate sector and hospitality industry.
Previously, she held senior associate roles in London at global law firms Ashurst and DLA Piper UK. Prosser joined Cheval Residences in September 2016 as the group's first general counsel and is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to the business of the group.
Cheval Residences employs 260 permanent colleagues between Cheval Residences and Cheval Property Management, in addition to 40 agency colleagues. The company has seen 32 promotions over the course of 2016, and an overall staff retention rate of 83%, which it attributes to benefits including childcare, pension and life assurance, private medical insurance, access to the cycle to work scheme and season ticket loans.
George Westwell, director of Cheval Residences, said: "We have always strived to ensure that we can offer our employees the opportunity to develop within the company and we are thrilled to be able to offer internal promotions. Our recent internal restructure has involved each of our general managers moving to a new residence for 2017 - which we believe will offer fresh insight and new, creative ideas for each of these properties."
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