Member Article

This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Lucy Dobson, Henderson Insurance Brokers

Henderson Insurance Brokers Ltd (HIBL) has appointed Lucy Dobson as a claims handler.

Before joining Henderson Insurance Brokers, the 22-year-old worked for a personal injuries claims management company in Hull for two years.

Chris Harvey, director, said: “Henderson Insurance Brokers is 100 per cent committed to providing the very best customer service, of which claims handling is a fundamentally important part.

“The addition of Lucy takes our claims department team from one to three in East Yorkshire, showing, I believe, how much emphasis we place on providing local teams for local claims.

“Operating nationally Henderson strives to ensure a top quality service locally while continuing to see business at the office achieving record levels.”

Harry Hill, Landwood Group

Harry Hill, the former chairman and chief executive of Countrywide Plc, has joined the Landwood Group, the chartered surveyors, asset managers and auctioneers, as a non-executive director.

Mr Hill ran Countrywide Plc for 20 years before selling the company for £1 billion to USA-based Apollo.

During those 20 years, Rightmove was created and floated, while Chesnara Plc was spun out of the group.

Mr Hill said: “I am delighted to join the Landwood Group in a non-executive capacity and will be excited to contribute ideas and guidance to the directors and senior management team as they seek to consolidate and expand their impressive business so as to be even better able to serve their impressive list of blue-chip clients.”

Mark Bailey, a director of the Landwood Group, who have offices in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and London, said:

“This is a tremendous coup for us. Harry Hill’s expertise, network and experience will be invaluable to us.

“We have worked with Harry on an informal basis in the past and we are now delighted to welcome him aboard in a more official capacity.

“His decision is join us is a resounding endorsement of the progress we have made, and the reputation we have forged, since we set up the company six years ago.

“To be able to attract someone of Harry’s calibre is extremely satisfying. He will play a pivotal role in the growth of our business as we continue to expand and to provide the best possible service for our clients.

H****ugh Thompson, Langleys Solicitors LLP

Hugh Thompson has joined the private client unit at Langleys Solicitors LLP as a senior associate. He is heading the unit’s international probate team, advising overseas based executors, beneficiaries and lawyers on all aspects of probate, wills and estate administration – particularly those living and working in New Zealand and Australia. Hugh has recently returned to Yorkshire from New Zealand where he worked for 12 years as a private client solicitor with one of the country’s largest legal practices specialising in wills, trust and succession and asset protection planning. He said: “It was a tough decision to leave New Zealand but it is great to be back in Yorkshire and back with family. Both places have a lot more in common than you think – they are both strong rural communities with strong connections to the land and agriculture as well as commercial activities in the main centres. “There is also an equine connection as my wife Fiona and I flew back two strong New Zealand eventing horses with us. Fiona, who is heavily involved in all aspects of the sport, will compete at events across the Yorkshire region as she did in New Zealand.”

Ellie MacDonald & Adam Newsome, Faith PR

Leeds-based Faith PR has appointed Ellie MacDonald as account manager and Adam Newsome as website developer. Ellie MacDonald has recently joined the growing team and will be working on delivering integrated communications campaigns covering PR, marketing and social media for clients across both B2B and B2C sectors. Ellie joins Faith after working for the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce for the past two years as marketing manager. Ellie said: “I have some exciting accounts to work on to ensure a range of clients are promoted as effectively as possible which is a fantastic new challenge for me.” Adam Newsome joined the team last July as website developer coming from Axita where he worked as operations manager.

Since joining, Adam has developed Catherine Green and The Personnel Partnership’s websites. Adam said: “I am really enjoying my time at Faith PR. I have had the opportunity to work on and build very complex and interesting websites. I thrive on challenges and I can see a positive future for myself here.”

Mark Potter, Bri****tcon

Yorkshire and Lincolnshire based building and civil engineering contractor, Britcon has appointed Mark Potter.

Mark, who has more than 15 years of experience within the construction sector, previously held senior business development and operational roles for some of the UK’s leading contractors.

At Britcon Mark will be responsible for the preparation of bid submissions for major construction projects. This involves reviewing tender deliverables, controlling complex tender planning, strengthening the estimating team and improving on the technical presentation of bids.

Paul Clarkson, construction director at Britcon, said, “We are pleased to welcome Mark to the bid management team at Britcon.

“He joins at a critical stage in the growth of the business as we experience increased opportunities in the marketplace, particularly across key growth areas such as energy, renewables, power, emergency services and commercial/industrial developments.

“I am sure Mark’s specific expertise will prove invaluable in helping us to secure further business success.”

Jenny Wilson, Costcutter Supermarkets Group

York-based Costcutter Supermarkets Group has appointed Jenny Wilson as its new Marketing Director.

Jenny joins Costcutter Supermarkets Group from food wholesale distributor Bidvest 3663 where she has been director of marketing for the last five years.

Jenny has held senior roles with Dairy Crest, Sodexo and Virgin and will work closely with the group’s retail and trading departments to continue to develop the retailer and consumer marketing and promotional programmes.

Darcy Willson-Rymer, CEO of Costcutter Supermarkets Group, said: “Our retail, trading and marketing teams are at the heart of our plan to drive the group forward and add further value to our members’ businesses.

“Jenny’s experience across the wider retail and food industries brings valuable insight to our business and she will play a crucial role in delivering our brand propositions and leading the constant evolution of our marketing support programmes.

“Jenny’s appointment adds further strength to our leadership team and I am delighted that she is joining us.”

Jenny said: “The decision to create a new business model for its members shows the level of ambition Costcutter Supermarkets Group has and I am excited to be joining the business at this time.” Paul Taylor, Harris Construction Management

West Yorkshire construction firm Harris Construction Management has appointed Paul Taylor as business development manager. Paul, who has more than 32 years experience in the construction industry to the position, has previously worked in both business development and as a Quantity Surveyor. Paul said: “Harris Construction Management is a rapidly growing organisation, that continued to grow during the downturn and is now ideally positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that are arising as the UK’s construction industry continues to emerge from recession.

“As a result this is a great career move and an excellent opportunity to join a fast moving business at a very exciting time.”

Alan Richardson, Yorkshire Bank

Longstanding Yorkshire Bank employee, Alan Richardson, has been appointed as Relationship Manager for small business in and around Kirklees and Calderdale.

Alan has been with Yorkshire Bank for more than 10 years, and brings with him a wealth of experience in retail and business banking.

He has built up considerable knowledge working with a number of high profile commercial customers in the region, including insurance companies, care homes and law firms.

Alan said: “During my career I’ve always strived to be part of the local community and provide a service which customers can trust and rely on.

“I believe the value of local knowledge and understanding can’t be underestimated and I look forward to bringing that to my new role.”

Andrew Davidson, head of Business and Private Banking for Yorkshire Bank in Bradford, said:

“The addition of Alan to our team reinforces our commitment to support small businesses in Yorkshire. Market conditions are improving and many businesses are taking advantage of increased confidence and activity to invest and ready themselves for a period of consistent growth.

“As a local to the region, Alan has a sound understanding of the business landscape so he’s ideally placed to help SMEs realise and achieve their growth ambitions.”

Gerald Jennings, Leeds Chamber of Commerce

Gerald Jennings is to be Nigel Foster’s successor as president of the Leeds Chamber of Commerce.

Gerald, portfolio director at Land Securities, is the man behind the Trinity Leeds development which opened in 2013 bringing with it 65 high profile retail brands to the city.

Gerald will take up the role of Vice-President from October 3rd 2014, before taking on the Presidency in 2015.

Leeds Chamber is part of the West & North Yorkshire Chamber which covers Leeds, Bradford, York and North Yorkshire.

Current President Nigel Foster said: “I am delighted that Gerald has agreed to become the next Leeds Chamber President. With his excellent network of contacts, business acumen and passion for Leeds I believe he has all the experience to be President and will provide businesses with strong representation on matters of relevance to members.”

Gerald Jennings said: “I am looking forward to taking on the role of Chamber President and will continue to ensure that the business voice is heard loud and strong.

“Leeds is a vibrant city with a strong commercial heritage and the Chamber plays an important role in bringing organisations together for their mutual benefit.

“As we approach an election year, politicians of all persuasions have been courting the big cities with offers of devolved powers and funding.

“I see the Chamber playing a leading role in articulating the business voice in Leeds and setting out our demands of whichever government holds the reins in May 2015 and beyond.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .