Wellington Place is more than just bricks and mortar, it’s a thriving community powered by people. This series of interviews aims to highlight some of the people of Wellington Place, share their inspirational stories and find out why Wellington Place is much more than just a place to work…
Interview with Jonathan Pollard, Partner (Corporate) at Ward Hadaway, 5 Wellington Place
Jonathan is a Partner in the Corporate team at law firm Ward Hadaway, one of the UK’s top 100 law firms. Having been born and growing up in Leeds, Jonathan spent 18 years working in the corporate team at the Leeds office of an international law firm, prior to joining Ward Hadaway.
He is referred to as a “name to note for private and public company work” in legal directory the Legal 500 and has been described in leading legal directory Chambers and Partners as being “experienced across a wide range of transactional matters” and “praised by market sources for his high attention to detail and effectiveness”.
Tell us a little bit about what you do…
“As a Corporate Partner I lead transactional work for both public and private companies, including acquisitions and disposals, reorganisations and restructurings, fundraisings and takeovers and acting for both management and private equity houses on private equity transactions.
“The nature of my work is often transaction-based and can therefore sometimes be challenging and demanding, both professionally and personally, working to tight deadlines in order to successfully complete a transaction. I do still however enjoy the “buzz” completing a transaction that I have been working hard on and the satisfaction it provides to the client. It makes the hard work and long hours leading up to the conclusion of the transaction worthwhile.”
What’s your greatest achievement to date?
“Professionally it has been becoming a Partner at Ward Hadaway, which is a recognition of my capability and experience. Personally, it has been meeting my wife, getting married and starting our family.
“We were delighted to welcome our second child during lockdown, so it’s been a challenging but exciting time over the last few months juggling everything alongside the new job.”
What is your favourite thing about working at Wellington Place and why?
“The proximity to the train station makes Wellington Place ideal both for commuting and travelling by train to meetings. The open space landscaping around the buildings are also great for being able to enjoy spending some time outside in good weather, helping to support a greater work-life balance. Good food and drink is also something I enjoy and the many nearby bars and restaurants and the central location make this easy for us to enjoy, whether it’s at lunchtime or after work. Wellington Place is really at the heart of Leeds city centre.”
Which community events do you take part in at Wellington Place and why?
“As a keen but infrequent runner, I hope to get involved with the Wellington Pacers running club as it sounds a great way to meet other people who work at companies based at Wellington Place. I ran for West Yorkshire in two English Schools Cross Country Championships so I’m keen to get back into it more, and the closeness of the canal to Wellington Place will mean I have no excuses to avoid those lunchtime runs!”
What three words sum up Wellington Place to you?
Central – the office is ideally situated close to both the train station and road network for commuting and travelling to meetings.
Professional – the buildings and grounds look great.
Community – it’s a fantastic ever-increasing community of professional organisations.
Thanks to Jonathan for taking part in the interview. If you would like to tell your story or wish to nominate someone to take part in the People of Wellington Place series please email info@wellingtonplace.co.uk
