This week’s Yorkshire appointments

BHP Financial Planning has appointed an operations director with over 25 years worth of experience in the financial services industry as part of its senior management team.

Jackie Ison joins the firm, which recently merged with Chartford Financial Management, and has a team of 17 independent financial advisors and support staff based across offices in Leeds, Cleckheaton, Sheffield and York.

Jackie will be responsible for all areas of compliance and client services for BHP Financial Planning and its subsidiary company BHP Corporate FP, as well as overseeing the recruitment of a team of technical analysts to further support the business.

Joy Clegg, managing director of BHP Financial Planning, said: “Jackie’s appointment will provide an enhanced level of strategic support for our client facing team members, giving them even more time to meet new clients and engage with existing ones and she will no doubt play a key part in the future growth of the business.”

Jackie is an Associate of the Personal Financial Society, Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Chartered Financial Planner.

BHP Financial Planning provides all aspects of personal financial planning, employee engagement and corporate financial planning.

Alexa Owen, Bartlett Group

Bartlett Group has appointed Alexa Owen as Business Development Executive.

Alexa joins the Leeds-based business from Romero Insurance Brokers, and will work within the Private Client Division, which provides high value home, car and other personal insurance advice to individuals.

Alexa said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining Bartlett and I’m looking forward to driving growth in our Private Client Division by helping more people to find the best cover for the most important things in their lives.”

Robert Simpson, managing director of Bartlett Wealth Management, added: “As a growing business we need to evolve our business development expertise. Alexa’s skill and experience will enhance our offer to existing and new clients.”

As well as managing assets in excess of £250m, Bartlett provides insurance solutions to 3,000 household and motor insurance customers.

Ben Smith, Frenchgate Shopping Centre

Ben Smith has joined the team at Frenchgate Shopping Centre, Doncaster as the new Commercialisation Manager.

Ben, who lives in Gleadless, Sheffield, has joined the centre from Sheffield International Venues Ltd where he was Commercial Partnerships Manager.

He has also held previous positions including Sales Executive at Ant Marketing and Sales, Marketing and Promotions Manager at The Viper Rooms.

Ben’s key roles at Frenchgate will include monitoring traders’ overall sales performance, exploring new income opportunities, and building and maintaining relationships with retailers and local businesses within South Yorkshire.

He said: “I am really excited to be joining Frenchgate in the run-up to Christmas and as we head into a new year and looking forward to bringing my experience and skills to this role.”

Laurie Barton Wright, Frenchgate Centre Manager, said: “Ben has developed his commercial skills through working across a wide range of sectors including sport and leisure, marketing and entertainment, and we are sure his know-how will help us continue to maximise sales opportunities, as well as maintain and enhance the centre’s current revenue streams.”

Fraser Johnson, AMT Group

AMT Group, the Leeds-headquartered independent vehicle leasing and rental business, has appointed Fraser Johnson as fleet remarketing manager for its Specialist Cars division.

Fraser has more than 15 years’ sales experience, with the latter six being in the automotive industry where he worked in sales within the luxury car sector. In his new position, Fraser will be responsible for the disposal of all AMT Group vehicle assets across the UK, through retail, auction, trade sales and other outlets. He will be based at the group’s head office in Leeds.

Neil McGawley, managing director of AMT Group, said: “Having launched our specialist cars division a year ago, we are already seeing strong growth and Fraser’s appointment will help to drive this as we build this part of the business.

“Having such a unique leasing and rental fleet, it makes sense for us to be able to manage the remarketing of our prestige and specialist vehicles. This enables us to not only maximise the return on our investment, but also to extend our offering to customers by providing a range of high quality vehicles for resale from some of the most prestigious marques in the world.”

Fraser added: “AMT has a well-earned reputation as a forward thinking and innovative business that provides a bespoke service to customers. I love cars and with the varied range of niche prestige and specialist vehicles that AMT owns, from sports performance and prestige cars to luxury 4x4s, there is huge potential to grow our presence in this market.”

Established in 1995, AMT Group is a privately owned business employing 180 staff around the UK. It offers a complete automotive solution via its vehicle rental; short term lease; contract hire and leasing; and specialist cars divisions.

Kaira Clarehugh, Clarion

Kaira Clarehugh, who was recently named Trainee of the Year in the Yorkshire Legal Awards, has joined Clarion as an associate.

Kaira joins from Needle Partners where she spent three years as a legal assistant and a trainee solicitor within its corporate and commercial divisions. Prior to that, she worked as a legal executive for an international corporate law firm in Kuala Lumpur.

In October, Kaira was named the Yorkshire Legal Awards’ Trainee of the Year.

Richard Moran, Clarion senior partner and head of the corporate team, commented: “It’s fantastic to see real talent coming through within our growing corporate team. Not only does Clarion continue to attract some of the brightest stars within the profession, but we are also successfully developing our own young talent.

“Kaira will be a great addition to our 12-strong team. We have had an excellent year and as the deals landscape gathers momentum, it is vital that firms invest in nurturing the next generation of legal talent. At Clarion, we are committed to ensuring that our colleagues feel valued and can progress their careers with us.”

Kaira added: “Clarion has a great reputation as one of the most dynamic firms in the Yorkshire legal market and boasts one of the largest and most respected corporate teams in the region. I am looking forward to learning from such experienced colleagues and working with innovative, growing businesses.”

Jennifer Ogden, KC Communications

KC Communications has appointed Jennifer Ogden as Marketing Account Manager.

Jennifer will be working directly alongside MD, Katrina Cliffe whilst also heading up a number of key B2B and B2C accounts assuming sole responsibility for marketing, PR and social media.

Jennifer, who has a degree in marketing and public relations from the University of Lincoln, joins KC following her role as Marketing Coordinator for Oldham-based Aspect IT where she assumed sole responsibility for the company’s marketing activity.

She has also had roles with Elland-based Valvetek Machining, whilst her time at University also included a period working with CIPR award winning Shooting Star PR.

Katrina Cliffe, managing director of KC Communications, said: “Jennifer joins KC Communications at a very exciting time. Aside from the recent account wins we have a number of new business opportunities in the pipeline and a strategy to grow the business further over the next 12 months which Jennifer will be a key part of.”

Jennifer Ogden, New Marketing Account Manager, commented: “Having followed KC Communications since it’s inception in 2014, I am very excited to be part of such an enthusiastic and hard working team. I’m looking forward to using the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in previous positions in my new role at KC Communications.”