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12 November 2025
Categories: Movers & Shakers , Profession
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Ward Hadaway—Nik Tunley

Head of corporate appointed following Teesside merger

Ward Hadaway has appointed corporate partner Nik Tunley as head of corporate following its merger with Teesside-based The Endeavour Partnership. The move consolidates the firm’s national corporate capability across Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Teesside, with further expansion plans already underway.

Nik (pictured, left) brings over 15 years’ experience in mid-market mergers and acquisitions for owner-managed businesses and private equity investors. Having joined The Endeavour Partnership in 2008, he led its corporate team for more than a decade before becoming finance partner. His recent work includes Growth Partner’s investment in Host & Stay, the sale of Arbtech to Inflexion-backed Celnor, and Gi Group Holding’s acquisition of Encore Personnel.

Ward Hadaway managing partner Steven Petrie (right) said: ‘Nik has grown and led high-performing teams for many years. As a corporate lawyer, he combines calm deal leadership with commercial judgement that clients value on mid-market M&A.’ He added that the appointment ‘underlines our commitment to further building our corporate reach and maintaining the momentum we’ve built since the merger.’

Speaking on his new role, Nik Tunley said the firm’s combined corporate team had ‘genuine strength in depth across our offices’ and that his focus would be ‘to keep standards high, knit the teams even more closely together and deepen our relationships with the adviser community.’ He added: ‘We have an extremely strong base on which to further extend the team and the work we are doing for clients.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

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