New appointments for top jobs at Trinity Leeds and White Rose

Landsec-owned shopping centres Trinity Leeds and White Rose have both made appointments in the centre management teams this month, including two new assistant centre directors and a new, shared centre director role for the two sites.

Ashleigh Kellett has been appointed assistant centre director at White Rose Shopping Centre, having previously worked as the centre’s senior retail manager – during which she helped deliver the centre’s 25th birthday celebrations, engaging brand partners, stakeholders, and guests. Ashleigh’s new role will involve leading on the retail mix of more than 100 brands at White Rose, plus providing guidance and support to the operations team.

Meanwhile Nick Jones, previously senior retail manager at Trinity Leeds, will now take on the role of assistant centre director. Nick joined Trinity Leeds three months before it opened to support brands ahead of the launch, drawing on his previous experience of working at Adidas as retail area manager for its stores across Holland, Belgium, and the UK.

He said: “Seeing the changing face of Trinity Leeds has been a great part of the job, from helping brands get settled in before it opened back in 2013, to events like Light Night when we get huge numbers of people turning up, it’s been incredibly varied. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes at Trinity Leeds, and I understand what it’s like for brands coming on board as I've worked on their side of the fence in my previous roles. I'm looking forward to bringing my 40 years of experience in retail to the role and ensuring Trinity Leeds remains a key part of the community and the city centre shopping experience.”

Steven Foster, previously centre director of White Rose, will now perform the role across its sister centre Trinity Leeds as well. Having worked with Landsec for seven years and previously leading the retail team at Manchester Airports Group, Steven oversaw the opening of White Rose’s £25 million leisure development The Village in 2017 – a game-changer for the centre, taking it from a daytime-only retail outlet to an all-day leisure, food, and shopping destination.

Of her time so far at White Rose, Ashleigh said: “Every day is different, and I enjoy the variety that my role offers. The faces – the guests, the brands, and the team members – are my favourite thing about White Rose, so it’s great to have such a people-centric position. The centre has a real community feel. I’m looking forward to the creativity and challenges of being assistant centre director at a Leeds institution like White Rose.”

Steven added: “While they’re nearby sister centres, both with a great mix of retailers and restaurants, Trinity Leeds and White Rose are very different in terms of the guests they serve and the way that visitors use the centres, with Trinity attracting a slightly younger, city centre crowd and White Rose catering to families and full-day-out shoppers.

“One of the most exciting things about working in a live retail environment is not knowing what thrills and challenges you’ll face each day. I’m looking forward to double the fun across both Trinity Leeds and White Rose.”

White Rose will be welcoming a series of new and upsized retailers in 2023, including a new, three-times-bigger M&S with a market-style food hall, M&S Café, and expanded clothing, home, and beauty departments, plus fashion retailers Foot Asylum and H&M, and informal café and bar brand Lounges’ Bianco Lounge. It has recently seen the opening of luxury wellbeing brand Rituals, as well as a new, refurbished boutique for Beaverbrooks jewellers.