Member Article

This week’s North East appointments

Start your week with a roundup of the latest appointment news from across the region.

Davies Tracey Accountants

Davies Tracey Accountants in Stockton have boosted their in-house resource with several new appointments to the business. The firm has increased their staff numbers to a new high for the firm with the headcount increasing by 25% since September 2014.

The practice has an on-going recruitment plan to support planned growth and delivery of specialist services to meet client needs. Several recent promotions within the business have created opportunities and new roles for specialist staff to come on board.

The business was established in 2002 by Craig Davies and Ian Tracey and has grown organically since then and also through acquisition. The firm acquired Stokesley-based practice Duffy Pedersen in 2015 to boost the level of in house expertise across a range of specialist areas – two new staff joined the firm in 2015 as a result.

Other recent appointments include Payroll Managers; Sonia Watson and Sarah Gosney and we have also strengthened the Tax Team with the appointment of Managers; Louise Easby and Ann McBurney who bring a wealth of experience to the team. Denise Worsley has also joined the firm as a Client Manager to further enhance the firm’s capabilities in supporting small and owner-managed businesses“.

Craig Davies, Managing Director said, “Our clients range from individuals requiring a full support service to multi-million pound groups requiring ongoing assistance and advice.

“We tend to act more as business partners to our clients, rather than purely a professional services provider and we believe this approach is what has helped support our organic growth”.

“We are developing services to meet the needs of clients in specialist areas and the expanded team is really making an impact on the breadth of what we have on offer. We are also investing in young talent with the appointment of Jordan Caldwell who will be supporting our digital marketing and IT requirements.”

Charlotte Hagel, Glue PR

North East PR and communications consultancy, Glue PR has added a new face to its team.

The consultancy, which specialises in communications across social and traditional media channels has added University of Sunderland public relations graduate, Charlotte Hagel to the team.

Glue PR, which was created by North East communications specialist Christian Cerisola in 2015, is adding the team in response to growing client demands. Glue PR works on helping organisations in a variety of sectors tell their stories in compelling and engaging ways across the media landscape.

Glue PR is a fast growing agency that has been thriving for the past 12 months, they have been going from strength to strength and Christian said he felt it was the right time to expand.

Charlotte, from Northallerton in North Yorkshire said: “I was absolutely thrilled when Christian asked me to join. I’m really excited about putting all I have learned in the past three years into practice. Equally, I know there’s lots I need to continue to educate myself about in the industry and Glue PR is the perfect place for that.”

Christian was a former journalist before spending more than 15 years in media and PR in London and the North East. He spoke of his delight in taking on Charlotte: “I am really excited to be in the position to be able to bring fresh talent in the agency.

“Charlotte showed eagerness, passion and maturity right from her first interview and with a media landscape that changes rapidly, I know she’s going to be able to add fresh thinking, new ideas and alternative perspectives to our client campaigns.”

Chris Gray, CHUF

A North East based charity has appointed its first ever chief executive officer as it continues to expand its operations.

The Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) has named its former head of fundraising, Chris Gray, as its newly created CEO. CHUF raises funds to make lives better for children and young people who are born with or who develop heart conditions by providing lifelong support to them and their families and funding much needed equipment and staff in hospitals throughout our region.

CHUF’s patrons, Geordie heroes Alan Shearer, Ant & Dec and Sage founder, Graham Wylie, whose own daughter received lifesaving treatment on the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital, are delighted with Chris appointment.

CHUF’s Chair of Trustees, Dr Richard Kirk said “Chris’s appointment to CEO is an exciting new development for CHUF and will allow us to build on the success of the charity over the last few years. Her impact on CHUF has been immeasurable since joining us.”

Chris, who arrived from the North East operations of the Prince’s Trust almost three years ago has built a four-strong fundraising and administrative team in that time, and is now on the search for a senior fundraiser.

She said: “I’m honoured, humbled and very excited to be named as CEO of this great charity. I really must thank the incredible CHUF team and most importantly all our CHUF supporters and fundraisers.

“Their amazing generosity and enthusiasm makes it a pleasure to work for CHUF and I know, through their efforts that we improve the lives of the heart children and families we look after.”

Michael Dickinson, SES Engineering Services

National engineering specialist SES Engineering Services (SES) has announced the senior promotion of Michael Dickinson to operations manager.

Having delivered a number of projects for the North East office he is now responsible for delivering all projects in the region reporting to Steve Joyce, regional director, North East and Yorkshire.

Michael has developed strong links with key customers throughout the North East and this new role will see him continue the growth in the region after 15 years in project management roles with SES.

He said: “We have a great team, working on a raft of innovative and iconic projects out of the North East office. I am looking forward to my new role and the additional responsibility it brings, continuing to make a positive contribution not only at regional level but to the company as a whole.”

Trish Devlin, Malhotra Group

Commercial interior designer Trish Devlin has joined Newcastle-based Malhotra Group plc, the hospitality and leisure group operating across the region.

Trish, whose career spans more than 30 years, has been appointed in-house interior design manager, having worked for the organisation on a freelance basis for the past nine years.

Malhotra Group plc owns Tyneside hotels, bars and restaurants such as the Grey Street and New Northumbria hotels, Scalini’s at Jesmond and Gosforth and The Three Mile Inn, at Gosforth.

It also has a considerable investment in the residential care sector with a portfolio of homes across the North East, including the recently opened Melton House, Gosforth, designed by Trish.

In her new position as in-house designer, Trish will lead the interior design of both Malhotra Group’s care and leisure operations, liaising with and managing external designers and contractors when necessary.

Bunty Malhotra, CEO of Malhotra Group PLC, said: “Trish has a superb, proven, track record and, as we push ahead with our plans to create a number of new care homes – and leisure outlets – in the coming months, it made perfect sense to bring her on-board in an official capacity.”

Trish said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Malhotra family over the last nine years on a number of prestigious projects and developments and I am delighted to be appointed as in-house interior design manager.

“I am looking forward to working on the Malhotra Group’s exciting new proposed developments in both leisure and care and continuing to create bespoke interior design schemes to the company’s exacting standards.”

NEL Fund Managers

Two well-known regional dealmakers have been rewarded for their contributions to the success of hundreds of North East businesses with promotions at regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers.

David Thomas has become an investment manager with the Newcastle-based firm, while Jonathan Luke has been promoted to portfolio manager.

David is part of the team working with businesses looking for investments from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund that NEL manages, helping them shape their business plans and successfully complete the application process, while Jonathan provides a direct link to the firms in which investments are made, reviewing their progress and acting as a sounding board for their management teams.

Both Jonathan and David hail from the North East, with Jonathan joining NEL after a career in the regional banking industry, and holding the CFA Society’s Investment Management Certificate.

David is a qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and worked for a number of chartered accountancy firms before joining NEL. He has also recently completed the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales’ Corporate Finance qualifications.

The Finance For Business North East Growth Fund is a general investment fund that is aimed at businesses at a development and growth stage that are based anywhere in the region, and from which investments of up to £400,000 can now be made.

NEL has so far invested over £25m from the Fund, making 125 investments with an average deal value of £204,000, and is continuing to actively search for more North East businesses looking for the capital they require to implement robust growth and development plans.

Yvonne Gale, chief executive at NEL, says: “Both David and Jonathan are highly experienced professionals, and their promotions recognise the depth of experience they offer to both our business and the companies with which we work.

“Our aim with these moves is to further strengthen NEL’s management team in advance of future fundraising work, and to make best use of the knowledge that David and Jonathan have to help us make even better investment decisions.

“They will both take their turns to chair our Investment and Portfolio Committees, and now have more responsibility for the way in which our investments are made and managed.

“The flow of business plans coming to us remains strong, and we are continuing to look for companies right across the North East who need development capital to implement their expansion plans.”

Sam Leaver, Tony Parker and Frankie Boyle, r//evolution

Gateshead-based brand consultancy r//evolution has has welcomed Sam Leaver, Tony Parker and Frankie Boyle to its team.

Sam Leaver and Tony Parker join the Digital Team as Head of Development and Web Developer respectively, while Frankie Boyle joins the Communications and Content team in the role of Junior Account Executive,

Sam Leaver joins the company after relocating from Leeds. Having worked in web development roles both in agencies and in-house for almost 15 years, Sam brings a wealth of experience to the new role of Head of Development at r//evolution.

Tony Parker brings with him specialised back-end development skills, further strengthening the offering of r//evolution’s digital team.

Tony has a degree in Computer Applications from the University of Sunderland and will be using the knowledge and experience he has built up over the last ten years to provide website and app development services for a number of r//evolution’s key clients.

With a degree in journalism and a certificate in Digital Marketing from The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Frankie is well placed to join the r//evolution team.

Commenting on the three appointments, Managing Director of r//evolution, Gill Burgess said: “We are delighted to welcome Sam, Tony and Frankie to the r//evolution team. r//evolution has acquired a number of exciting new clients over the past 6 month period, and we anticipate this strong performance continuing.

“Our new recruits have further strengthened the expertise within the business and the services we offer our clients, making us a great option for businesses that require truly transformational marketing.”

Join us again next week for the latest appointment and promotion news across the North East.