Partnerships developer welcomes new employees to the growing South Wales and West team

Leading partnership developer Lovell has welcomed two new employees to its South Wales and West partnership team, who will help to support its community and social value objectives, in line with its projected growth plans, and provide career opportunities for local people.

James Whitelegg has joined the company as a Regional Training Manager, and Meriel Gough as a Community Development Coordinator. Both James and Meriel work from the developer’s regional head office in Cardiff, and cover all its developments in South Wales and the West.

James joined Lovell with years of experience in training and education, having begun his career teaching new recruits in the Armed Forces and more recently working as a further education tutor, helping people into employment or education.

As Regional Training Manager, James implements regional training and development programmes, organises training events, meets with training providers and apprentices, and facilitates the business’ national training programme.

James said: “I applied for this role as I wanted a new challenge, and Lovell has a reputation of being an outstanding employer. Since I joined the company, Lovell has been amazing to work for and the team are very supportive.

“My favourite part of my new job is meeting the apprentices and trainees on site, and seeing them progress.”

Meriel, from Newport, has supported local communities in Wales for many years. At Lovell, she works across the developer’s eight active sites, engages with the local communities, and champions the  Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Meriel commented: “I have wanted to link grassroots community groups and locally-based charities with privately-owned organisations for quite some time, as I believe the community could benefit immensely from this support. I applied for this role at Lovell as I knew I could make a difference here.

“Every day is a new adventure, I take a lot of pride in my role of linking people together and helping them to become stronger.

“Lovell has been very welcoming, appreciative and encouraging as an employer, and I’m looking forward to furthering my role here.”

James Duffett, regional managing director at Lovell, said: “We are delighted to welcome James and Meriel to our growing team. They are both very valuable additions to the company, bringing with them a wealth of expertise.

“At Lovell, we put the community at the heart of all we do, and strive to provide local people with a path into the construction industry. Meriel and James are hugely important in helping us continue our mission of supporting local communities and fulfilling our social value commitments.”

Outside of work, James is an avid sportsman and has played rugby for North England, British Army and Welsh reserves. Meriel enjoys hiking, nature photography and researching her family ancestry.

To find out more about careers at Lovell, visit https://corporate.lovell.co.uk/careers/.

For further information on Lovell and the homes available, please visit https://www.lovell.co.uk.