Member Article

This week’s North East appointments

A weekly roundup of the North East’s latest appointment news.

Ward Hadaway

Law firm Ward Hadaway has revealed ten Associate promotions, seven of which are based in the firm’s Newcastle office.

Leanne Couzens, Louise Cannell-Mirza, Jake Edward, Katy Hindmarsh, Joe Kelley, Tessa Petrides, Claire Simmons, Harriet Sutherland, Simcon Thirtle and Jenny Wade are now all Associate Solicitors at the firm, which operates from offices in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

The ten lawyers operate in a wide range of different practice areas across the firm and are based in different offices, demonstrating the range of services which Ward Hadaway offers to clients from right across the North of England.

Jamie Martin, managing partner at Ward Hadaway, said: “We are delighted to announce no fewer than 10 Associate promotions this year across all three of our offices.

“Every single one of these is richly deserved by the recipients who have demonstrated the aptitude, expertise and hard work which are the hallmarks of Ward Hadaway.

“They have performed superbly for their clients, delivering results in a wide range of different practice areas and across all three of our offices.

“We look forward to them continuing to make valuable contributions to Ward Hadaway’s ongoing growth.”

Laura Kane, RTS

PR and marketing agency Round Table Solutions has expanded with the appointment of a new account executive, Laura Kane.

Laura joined Round Table Solutions having previously worked in marketing and PR roles at Westfield School, Northumberland College and Josie’s Dragonfly Trust.

She said: “I am delighted to join Round Table Solutions at what is an exciting time for the business. I’m looking forward to working with new and existing clients as the business continues to grow.”

Round Table Solutions provides PR and marketing support to large and small organisations across the private, public and third sectors.

Joanne Hunter, Head of Client Services, added: “Laura is a welcome addition to the team at a time when the business is growing rapidly.

“The agency has recently won new contracts with a number of organisations including Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University, Explore Wealth Management and Oxford Innovation.”

James Lane, Enterprise Made Simple

Business support firm Enterprise Made Simple has enhanced their digital training offer with the appointment of a new Training Director.

James Lane, who boasts a 15 year career in IT and training, steps into the director role fresh from Raw Digital Training, where he held a senior role in the development and delivery of digital skills and social media training.

At Enterprise Made Simple, his focus will be on the launch of HypeStar, a unique digital skills development arm that aims to fill a gap in the market, and in the skills of North East SMEs.

Whilst James will be supporting other businesses to thrive, he will also play a key role at the Enterprise Made Simple group, which celebrates eight years in business this year.

Having helped budding entrepreneurs to gain the skills required to launch and grow nearly 1600 businesses, with an associated 3000 jobs in the last three years alone, the Group has ambitious plans to support an estimated 2000 businesses to succeed in the coming two years.

Commenting on the appointment, he said: “I am thrilled to become part of the Enterprise Made Simple team. I’ve admired the way in which they deliver their training, mentoring and business support services for some time, and their incredible results speak for themselves.

“In helping to launch and develop HypeStar, I expect to see even greater results as we support yet more pre-starts and established businesses to capitalise on the incredible power of digital and social media marketing.”

Daniel Jonberger, Rockliffe Hall

North East hotel, spa and golf resort Rockliffe Hall has appointed Daniel Jonberger as its new head sommelier.

Daniel, originally from Sweden, moved to the UK in 1997 and has worked at various hotels as a Sommelier and in senior management roles. He now lives with his family in Coxhoe, County Durham.

He brings to Rockliffe Hall a wealth of experience having worked in the industry for 26 years. He has always been fascinated and passionate about wine, cognac and single malt whisky and has won awards for his expertise and knowledge.

Daniel, who will spend most of his time in the hotel’s flagship restaurant, The Orangery, says: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Rockliffe Hall.

“It has a fantastic reputation and has already won so many awards but its potential is incredible. I’m looking forward to helping enhance the wine offering at the resort and will be working closely with the various food and beverage teams here to help further improve the wine lists in the other restaurants, The Brasserie and The Clubhouse.”

Eamonn Elliott, Chief Executive at Rockliffe Hall, added: “We are so pleased to have Daniel joining us at Rockliffe Hall. His expertise is second to none and we’re certain he will introduce some exceptional wines to our lists.

“In the very short time he has been with us we have already had some amazing feedback from guests dining in The Orangery, complimenting him on the wines he pairs with dishes, and his enthusiasm and knowledge.”

John Healey, UNW

North East based business advisory firm UNW has promoted John Healey to Partner.

Since re-locating to the region and joining UNW in 2014, John has advised on numerous acquisition, disposal and fund raising processes. Transactions he has worked on include The Pen Shop, The Test Factory, Chemoxy, Astley Facades, Gentoo Construction and Rook Matthews Sayer.

John began his career with the Coutts commercial banking team in London, before spending a decade at PwC in the capital specialising in corporate finance.

A move to the post of finance director with a client in the education and training industry followed, and John progressed to the role of managing director. He restructured and sold the £11 million London-based business before moving North to his wife’s home town of Newcastle to raise their two young children.

John said: “I have loved working at UNW, and in the North East more generally. The UNW Corporate Finance team is amongst the largest and most active in the North of England, and I am delighted and extremely excited to have been made a Partner of such an outstanding firm.

“Together, we have worked on some fantastic and notable transactions and I look forward to doing more of the same in the future.”

UNW’s Paul Kaiser, who heads up its corporate finance advisory team, said: “I am delighted to welcome John to the Partnership. He has proven to be a great addition to the team and has already established himself within the North East business community as an energetic and tenacious business adviser who gets good deals done for his clients.

“Investing in the advisory capability based in the North East is vital for our region if we are to have good solid advisory skills to support the growth and development of our local businesses.”

Tom Etherington, Silverbean

Newcastle-based digital marketing agency SIlverbean has promoted Tom Etherington, winner of the Drum Search Award’s Rising Star Award 2016, to a Senior Team lead in its Search team.

Tom, 23, originally from Stockton-on-Tees, graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Multimedia Journalism at Teesside University, before embarking upon a career in digital in 2013.

He joined Silverbean as Search Marketing Executive in March 2014 and was promoted to Consultant within nine months, a new record at the agency. Since then, he has shown great talent and tenacity, resulting in him securing a lead role on our key accounts, including Flybe and Rowlands Pharmacy, whilst working speedily through the progression framework to become a team lead.

In July 2016, he was promoted to Senior Search Marketing Consultant and is now one of three team leads responsible for developing Silverbean’s award-winning search marketing offering. He leads additional client accounts for Pink Boutique, NewcastleGateshead Initiative and an arm of the G4S group.

He commented: “I’m really looking forward to what the future holds and hopefully I can encourage more people in the North East to get into the digital industry, and more agencies to shout about the great work that we’re doing in the region.”

Philip Heath, Westray

Westray Recruitment Consultants are pleased to welcome new appointment Philip Heath CertRP to the company.

Joining the Manufacturing and Industrial desk, Phil will be responsible for the development of key accounts and attracting new business with a particular focus on the expansion of Westrays regional presence.

Talking about his appointment, Phillip said: “I am thrilled to be joining this reputable company at such an exciting time for the business.

“With my extensive experience in Customer Service, Business Development and Sales alongside a sound knowledge of Recruitment, I plan to create and develop some great relationships with leading businesses to produce some great roles for our wide range of candidates.”

David Burn, Winn Solicitors

Winn Solicitors has strengthened its complex claims team with the addition of brain injury specialist solicitor David Burn.

The appointment comes as part of the firm’s plans to expand its serious injury team, with a specific focus on brain injuries.

Previously an Associate Solicitor in the Serious Injury Department at TLW Solicitors, and a Catastrophic Injury Solicitor at Minster Law, David joins Winns with the specialist expertise needed to widen the team’s experience of serious brain injuries, in order to provide a complete service to all, including the most seriously injured clients.

David said: “I am delighted to have joined the Complex Claims Team at Winns. I am passionate about helping those who have sustained life changing serious injuries. I work tirelessly in the best interests of my clients and fight to achieve the best possible outcome for them and their families, in terms of compensation and quality of life as a whole.”

David specialises in high value and complex serious injury claims, including brain injuries, spinal injuries, amputees, multiple orthopaedic injuries and fatalities. As well as his new position with the region’s leading accident management specialists, David will also continue his current post as Branch Secretary at local charity Headway, in County Durham.

He continues: “I look forward to spending my time at Winns supporting clients by maximising damages, ensuring their rehabilitation needs are met and assisting with the day-to-day practical and emotional needs of both my clients and their families.”

Join us next week for more appointment news!