Contributors
International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) is expanding its presence in Teesside and moving into a larger office at the Wilton Centre, adjacent to the Wilton International site, one of the key areas comprising Teesside's industrial cluster and part of the Teesside Freeport.
In late January, WBD moved into a larger (1,239 sq. ft) and more vibrant working environment providing enhanced collaborative and client workspaces, facilities and technology-enabled rooms.
The Wilton Centre is one of the UK’s leading locations for research and development facilities and high specification office space. With an international reputation as a well-regarded, high quality science park, it is home to industry household names including, SABIC, Mitsubishi Chemical and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies amongst others as well rapidly growing businesses such as Micropore Technologies, known for its award-winning breakthrough technology for vaccine production, and ReNew ELP that is constructing the world’s first commercial scale plant to that will use an innovative process to chemically recycle end-of-life plastic waste into hydrocarbon feedstocks into valuable chemicals and oils.
The Wilton Centre, having recently been the subject of a multi-million pound refurbishment, is going from strength to strength with the owners recently announcing plans for significant further investment to create more manufacturing, laboratory and office space. Notably, Tees Valley Lithium recently received the go-ahead for its £200m-plus lithium hydroxide refinery, lauded as Europe's largest, to be built at Wilton International.
Peter Snaith, UK Partner and Head of Manufacturing and the Teesside practice at WBD, commented:
"We're pleased to confirm our expansion in Teesside which reaffirms our long-term commitment to the region and to our clients based here. We look forward to expanding on the work we do with the business community across the region and leveraging our local, national and international expertise to promote inward investment opportunities for Teesside.
We have been actively involved with the development of Freeports in both the UK and US, in particular in relation to the successful bid for and launch of the UK's first and largest Freeport on Teesside where we represent a broad cross section of stakeholders. Our strengthened presence in the region, with an office inside the Freeport, presents an exciting opportunity to continue to support the success of the Freeport and wider region and the huge opportunities to level up the UK economy and enhance the UK's trading position in this key strategic location."
Sarah Daun, UK Partner at WBD, added:
"Bolstering our presence in one of the most economically active regions in the UK will support the growth of our clients, many based only a stone throw away from the Wilton Centre, enable us to recruit more talent and present exciting new opportunities for us to be involved in. Teesside plays an important part in WBD's success story and supports our growth plans in key sectors including manufacturing, renewable energy, digital, transport and local government.
We're excited about our office expansion at the Wilton Centre which is considered a hive of innovation in the UK and will only continue to lead the way if the recently announced development plans go ahead. As a firm dedicated to embracing and driving innovation in the legal sector, the new space is a perfect base from which we can support our clients."
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said:
“On top of delivering good-quality jobs for local people in industries of the future like offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, the Teesside Freeport is also creating huge demand for professional services firms in our region as investors and businesses seek expert advice.
Having the continued commitment of an internationally renowned firm like Womble Bond Dickinson shows just how much potential for growth exists here in Teesside. As we secure more investment, I have no doubt we’ll see them expand further and create even more jobs for local people.”
You can learn more about the WBD Wilton office here.
Womble Bond Dickinson partners (from left to right) Kevin Bell, Sarah Daun, Caroline Churchill and Peter Snaith.
