International fashion retailer CLAIRE'S ACCESSORIES has appointed PAUL MILDENSTEIN as UK MD. He joins from Dollar Financial UK where he has been UK MD since June 2005.

Urban regeneration specialist CENTROS MILLER has appointed CHRIS PARFITT as head of leasing for Northern Quarter, its major mixed-use scheme in Portsmouth city centre. He joins from the Prudential where he worked for 25 years. He was latterly director of retail asset management, specialising in shopping centre leasing, and was responsible for some of the insurer's biggest shopping centre developments.

Marketing communications consultancy THE HOLISTIC GROUP has appointed CLARE WEBBER as PR account manager. She joins from M&N Communications.

WARNER ESTATE Holdings has made two appointments to its retail team. JAMES LINDSAY joins as managing director retail and NICOLA LEES as asset manager. Prior to joining Warner Estate, Lindsay was director of shopping centre management at Westfield and has also had key roles at the Trafford Centre and Meadowhall, seeing both the regional shopping centres through construction and development to opening. Lees was property manager at Mosaic Fashions and will initially be responsible for the asset management of the Hale Leys shopping centre in Aylesbury and The Royals shopping centre in Southend-on-Sea.

ANDREA MURPHY has been appointed retail marketing manager at the LOWRY OUTLET MALL in Salford Quays. She brings with her 14 years' marketing experience and previously worked on the Homeform Group's brands including Dolphin Bathrooms.

SHELLEY SANDZER has appointed two new agents. BEN ROBSON joins as a surveyor in the acquisitions department, and EMMA KARAT is joining as a surveyor on the shopping centre & new development team.

Shopping centre marketing, graphic design and digital media specialist The ALLEN DESIGN GROUP has appointed NICOLA PALMER to its sales team. She has over 10 years' experience in sales and marketing, working with fashion and lifestyle brands.

BONAR FLOORS has appointed MARK BAUER as environment and compliance manager. He joins from Interface Europe and his role will be to develop Bonar Floors' future environmental strategy.

Developer ASHFIELD LAND has expanded with the appointment of former Burford Group director MIKE FORSTER as a director. He will work on Ashfield Land's £250m nationwide property portfolio, as well as expanding Ashfield's development programme.

MARKHAM VAUGHAN GILLINGHAM has promoted VICTORIA BROADHEAD to associate director. She has been at MVG since September 2004 and is currently working on a number of schemes including Brewery Square in Dorchester, Milsom Place in Bath, The Met Quarter in Liverpool and ARC Bury St Edmunds. In addition, MVG has further strengthened its retail leasing team with the appointment of SIMON HAARER and RUPERT BENTLEY-SMITH as graduate surveyors.

ANDREW WRAIGHT has been appointed as the new operations manager at the FOUR SEASONS shopping centre in Mansfield. He joins the centre management team from the position of selling support manager at Debenhams in Nottingham. He has also held numerous retail management positions with Bhs.

SIMONS GROUP has appointed DOMINIC HAYES as managing director of its property and development business, Simons Developments. He joins Simons Developments from the General Healthcare Group where he was group property director. Prior to this he led the property function for both National Express and BUPA, and has more than 20 years' experience in the transport and healthcare sectors in the UK and overseas.

JAMES BLAKEY has joined WEST PROPERTIES as its new planning director. He joins from United Utilities, where he spent five years as head of planning & major projects. James will draw on 16 years of property industry planning experience, having also previously worked as director of planning at CBRE.

JOHNSON FELLOWS has merged with Silk Rowson Plant, with COLIN SILK, ANDREW ROWSON and NICK PLANT joining as partners. The firm's Shrewsbury office will be retained.

Manager of the month

The St Johns Centre Leeds has welcomed a new face to head up its management team. Laurie Barton-Wright joins as the new centre manager after a career in shopping centre marketing which saw her win the SCEPTRE Award for marketing manager of the year in 2006.

The well established scheme, owned by Hermes Real Estate and managed by Cushman & Wakefield, has been at the heart of Leeds city centre retail for more than 21 years. Laurie's priority will be to progress the centre's successful environmental initiatives as well as focusing on community driven campaigns, helping to strengthen links with local education, businesses and families.

"St Johns Centre is a well known popular centre with huge amounts of visitors every week from students and office workers through to families and older customers," she says. "It's always a buzz of activity with a great mix of fashion and value plus essential community services.

"We're keen to spread our environmental message by working with our retailers and educating our shoppers by involving them in fun activities. Working with the local community through schools, businesses and residents is another key focus as we recognise that St Johns is so well established and such a big part of Leeds."

The new position is a double first for Laurie as she takes on not only her first centre manager role but also her first job in Yorkshire, having worked for a number of schemes in and around Lancashire and the north-west for property owners and developers including Westfield UK and Bovis LendLease.

She says: "I'm thrilled to be heading up the scheme. Working for Cushman & Wakefield is a superb opportunity and with their support I'll be taking my BCSC diploma starting in February."

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