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This week’s North East appointments

Start your working week with a roundup of the latest appointments from across the region.

Sintons

Newcastle-based law firm Sintons is developing its next generation of legal talent, with four newly-qualified solicitors winning jobs and six trainees rising through the ranks.

Four trainees who joined Sintons in 2014 have now qualified as solicitors and all have been offered permanent jobs with the firm.

Cheryl Ball and Sally Michael have become solicitors in Sintons’ Real Estate team, Andrew Purdie is in the Insurance Litigation team, and Glenn Coyne is in the Company and Commercial department.

In addition, three new trainees have been taken on this year – Andrew Noble, Jonathan Tutu and Laura Tennet – who will take seats around the firm until qualification in 2018.

They join Sintons’ second year trainees, Georgina Davison, Kate Duffield and Ria Wilkinson, who are set to be admitted to the Roll next year.

Phil Ridley, practice director at Sintons, said: “Part of our continuing success depends on our commitment to recruiting and developing young talent.

“It is very satisfying to see how many examples we have here of trainees who have gone on to enjoy long and successful careers with us – some of our current Partners joined us as trainee solicitors.”

David Whitmell, NEL Fund Managers

Business consultant David Whitmell has returned to regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers.

David worked as the Newcastle-based firm’s chief operating officer before leaving in 2011 to set up the first North East franchise of business coaching organisation The Alternative Board (TAB).

The Alternative Board helps business leaders grow their businesses, increase profitability and improve their lives by participating in local business advisory boards and one-to-one coaching.

Over the last five years, David Whitmell has worked with more than 40 North East business owners through the Newcastle TAB franchise that he holds, providing strategic input to facilitate their firms’ development, and has served as a director for more than 15 small and medium-sized companies across the region.

He said: “Many of the companies with which I’ve worked through The Alternative Board are at the same development stage as the businesses applying for investments from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund, and this experience will be highly valuable in helping tailor the way it operates even more closely to their requirements

“Investment and guidance from NEL Fund Managers has been central to the success of hundreds of North East businesses over the last 25 years, and I’m excited by the challenges offered by my return to the business in this new role.”

Andrew Carr, Dodds Brown

Dodds Brown, the largest independent commercial property consultancy headquartered on Teesside, has appointed a new Facilities Manager.

Andrew Carr, 43, joins Dodds Brown with more than 20 years’ experience as a Facilities Manager with the British Army, UK Government and a large education centre.

Mr Carr will work closely with Richard Wilson, Dodds Brown’s Senior Associate Partner and Head of Property Management on all the maintenance aspects of the £70 million property portfolio which Dodds Brown presently has under management.

The Middlesbrough-based chartered surveyor is the only property management team based on Teesside which combines asset management, facilities management, property maintenance and accounts specialists in one client focused team in-house.

Mr Wilson said: “We are delighted that Andrew has joined us. His experience of managing large teams to deliver on time in difficult areas will help ensure that we continue to provide a first rate comprehensive facilities management package, which includes planned maintenance, project management and health and safety compliance.”

Jane Reynolds, Northstar Ventures

Regional venture capital firm Northstar Ventures has appointed Jane Reynolds as its new Business Development Manager.

Jane will be looking to develop partnerships with businesses, local authorities and support providers across the North East.

Northstar Ventures, whose investments focus on innovative high-growth businesses and social enterprises, is excited to have Jane on board.

Director Alasdair Greig says: “Jane is a great addition to our team. Her wealth of experience adds to our strengths and will help us identify opportunities to further support business growth within the region”.

Jane is currently chairwoman of the Tees Valley Business Club and has previously worked for organisations such as North East Finance and Finance Tree.

Of her new role she says: “I worked closely with the investment managers at Northstar in my previous role, so am looking forward to joining the team as Business Development Manager.

“Northstar has a great reputation for providing both business and financial support to SMEs in the region, which was evident to me in my dealings with them. Hopefully I’ll now be able to develop existing business relationships whilst seeking to identify new ones.”

Tom Lamb and Anthony Dodds, Unwritten

Unwritten, the Newcastle-based strategic brand and digital agency, has expanded its team with two senior appointments.

The recruitment of Senior Account Manager, Tom Lamb, and Senior Developer, Anthony Dodds, takes the workforce at Unwritten to nine with plans to create a further two new jobs in the next six months.

With just under a decade of experience working in account management, Tom Lamb has managed a range of high profile projects for companies across business sectors throughout the UK and Europe including Nike, Newcastle University and Dalton Park.

As Senior Account Manager at Unwritten, Tom will oversee the delivery of projects for clients and apply his extensive campaign management expertise.

Anthony Dodds has more than 10 years of experience working for digital agencies in the North of England developing and maintaining online services for clients such as Café Nero, Karen Millen and the NHS.

He will support Unwritten’s growing digital services offering, including software and app development, to assist the agency’s clients in maximizing online business opportunities and customer engagement.

Amy Jackson, Director of Unwritten, said: “We are building a successful position in the market, which is enabling the business to create new jobs and attract talented and experienced individuals.

“Anthony and Tom bring excellent skills sets to Unwritten, which will add value to the strategic support we offer to our clients.”

Lisa Eaton, Director of Unwritten, said: “Our innovative approach to brand strategy and digital marketing is ensuring the business maintains a strong period of growth, which is, as a result, creating the opportunity for new employment.

“Anthony and Tom are welcome additions to the team and their expertise will support the continued development of the business.”

Andrew Buckley, RTC

Andrew Buckley has been appointed as Chief Executive of innovation and technology transfer company at RTC North replacing Gordon Ollivere MBE.

With a 30-year track record in marketing, sales, business development and general management, Andrew has been appointed to oversee the growth of the company and develop services to companies across the Northern Powerhouse.

Set up in 1989 in Sunderland, RTC was one of 12 Regional Technology Centres established around the country to help businesses develop new products and services by accessing expertise within regional universities.

Today, the company employs 65 people at offices in Sunderland, Leeds and Daresbury (Cheshire) and delivers a mix of technology transfer, innovation and growth programmes for small business.

The company currently delivers funded business support programmes including Innovate2Succeed, Designing Better Business, Enterprise Europe Network and NHS Innovations North.

RTC also supports the skills agenda and is home to one of a new network of STEM Ambassador Hubs set up to help promote careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths by engaging volunteer ambassadors from industry in school visits.

RTC has recently acquired Service Network, the North East’s voice for the professional, creative and technical sectors.

In 2016, RTC also launched a series of short course training masterclasses designed to help companies with everything fromBusiness Strategy and Making Innovation Happen to Understanding Your Export Potential.

Andrew Buckley said: “I’m delighted to be joining RTC at an exciting time in the organisation’s development.

“With a strong portfolio of business support programmes, complemented by a growing range of commercial services, RTC is well placed to help businesses across the Northern Powerhouse to innovate, improve their competitiveness and access new markets”.

Join us again next monday for more appointment news.