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This week’s North East appointments

A roundup of the latest appointment news from across the North East.

Paul Illes, Hay & Kilner

Residential property lawyer Paul Illes has been promoted to partner at Newcastle-based law firm Hay & Kilner, as long-serving partner Colin Sim plans to step down from the partnership.

Paul has over 12 years’ experience advising clients on a wide range of residential property matters including sales, purchases, transfers, re-mortgaging and property trust work.

He also specialises in advising landlords and tenants in enfranchisement and lease extension claims.

For over 40 years, Colin Sim has advised clients in the sale and purchase of residential property.

His extensive knowledge of the local property market has made him an invaluable, well known and much respected lawyer in the region, according to the firm.

He will step down from the partnership as of 30th April 2017 at which time he will take on a part-time consultancy role.

Jonathan Waters, Managing Partner at Hay & Kilner commented: “Paul is a talented lawyer and we are very pleased to announce his promotion to Partner at Hay & Kilner. It is the culmination of much hard work and it is thoroughly deserved.

“We are all very grateful to Colin for his dedication and loyalty to the firm and to our Partners, employees and clients alike.

“Thanks to his excellent stewardship over the years, our clients can be assured that the first-class service provided by Colin and the rest of our residential property team will continue.”

Michael Hynes, Wonderstuff

Newcastle-based brand consultancy Wonderstuff has appointed Michael Hynes as part of its development plans for 2017.

Michael’s client servicing experience spans 30 years working in design, branding and advertising agencies in London, Scotland, Yorkshire as well as his native North East.

He has also worked in B2C, B2B, leisure & tourism and public sector with clients such as Public Health England (Stoptober), Vodafone, Bang & Olufsen, Nike, P&G and the University of Sunderland.

He said, “Wonderstuff specialise in a brand-centric approach for clients and I’m delighted to be taking up this role at such a time of growth and opportunity for the consultancy and look forward to the challenges ahead.”

Founder Paul Alderson added: “We are delighted to add Michael to our team here in Gosforth - his considerable experience will help support and develop our consultative approach, building lasting relationships that understand and articulate people’s interactions with a brand, both inside and outside of the brand’s organisations.”

Steven Clapperton, Port of Tyne

The Port of Tyne has appointed Steven Clapperton as Harbour Master.

A Master Mariner with 20 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Steven joins the Port from the oil and gas consultancy sector where, amongst other high profile projects, he was responsible for managing upstream marine operations for a major UK oil company.

Prior to this he was a Pilot at the Port of Tyne having previously been at sea as Senior Officer on-board various offshore construction vessels with Subsea7 and others.

With a Master Mariners’ Certificate, qualifications in Nautical Science and a Diploma in Port Management, Steven brings a wealth of knowledge to the Port.

Andrew Moffat, Port of Tyne Chief Executive Officer, said: “It is great to welcome Steven back to the Port of Tyne where he was a Pilot for eight years.

“Bringing a lot of experience, Steven is an excellent appointment that will further strengthen our team and I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Steven said: “I am delighted to be appointed Harbour Master to the Port of Tyne as one of the UK’s busiest commercial ports and to be coming back to the River Tyne with its rich heritage and thriving maritime community.

“Although I am originally from Scotland, having lived in the North East for the past 10 years, I understand the importance of the Port to the North East regional economy, to river users and to all of our other stakeholders and this will help me meet the challenges of the post and hit the ground running.”

Helge Tonnesen, Newcastle Building Society

Newcastle Building Society has appointed Helge Tonnesen as the new operations director for Newcastle Strategic Solutions, which delivers online savings management services, leading edge technology and customer service solutions for a range of banks and other financial institutions.

Originally from Norway, Helge came to the UK 20 years ago to study, and has since worked for a range of high-profile multi-national companies, including Convergys, Capita and Bertelsmann, in senior global outsourcing roles.

He has also worked with many household name companies, such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems, PayPal, Starbucks and most recently Lloyds Banking Group.

Helge has lived in the North East for the last decade. In his new role at Newcastle Strategic Solutions he reports to managing director, Phil Grand, and has responsibility for delivering and enhancing services.

He said: “The growth and investment plans that are in place for Newcastle Strategic Solutions, the strong track record on which we can build and the real commitment that the Society shows to fully playing its part in the communities in which it operates all combined to make taking this role a very attractive option for me.

“Many of the organisations for which I’ve worked keep their focus on the short-term, whereas the Society has a long-term growth strategy in place for the Solutions division and it’s an exciting opportunity for me to be able to use my experience and knowledge to help to deliver on it.”

John Nicholas, Crafter’s Companion

County Durham-based Crafter’s Companion has appointed experienced commercial expert John Nicholas to drive the company’s expansion plans from its headquarters in Newton Aycliffe.

After making a multi-million-pound investment into its retail operations and doubling its headcount to 115 people in 2016, John comes on board to further boost the company’s commercial teams, including marketing, sales and retail.

John’s main focus will be on driving sales across various channels, developing customer experience and shaping a clear growth strategy for the company’s operations in the region and beyond.

The businessman joins the company as chief commercial officer for the UK and Europe after working with its board in a strategic advisory role for 18 months and subsequently as a non-executive for six months.

Sara Davies MBE, Crafter’s Companion founder, said: “The appointment of a professional of John’s calibre will help us to continue our success and underlines our commitment to seriously expanding Crafter’s Companion as a global business very much embedded in the region for many years to come.”

David Jameson and Alan Jones, The Faraday Training Group

Electrical power training specialist The Faraday Training Group has strengthened its team with the appointment of new lecturers David Jameson and Alan Jones.

David and Alan have joined the Middlesbrough-based company to provide a range of electrical power training to clients in a variety of industries including oil and gas, marine and offshore, engineering and construction, chemical, government and the public sector.

The Faraday Training Group, an international electrical training provider with purpose-built facilities in Teesside and Limassol, Cyprus, provides an extensive range of electrical power training courses including low voltage, high voltage, electrical protection, testing courses and marine and offshore courses.

Alan Jones has joined The Faraday Training Group with vast industry experience, which includes 13 years working in the underground electric sector. He also spent more than 13 years at The Technical Training Group (TTE) where he held roles such as electrical trainer and co-ordinator, in which he was in responsible for overseeing electrical apprentices.

Alan holds several industry qualifications including PAT Test Management and 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, as well as a BA (Hons) Education from Teesside University.

David Jameson, a time served electrician, brings with him in-depth industry knowledge, having previously worked as a ground electrical technician in the RAF for more than 20 years and as a Compex instructor at TTE, where he held posts as an instructor, trainer and assessor.

David boasts numerous industry qualifications including HNC Electrical Engineering, A1 Assessor Award and a PGCE.

Barry Thomas, managing director of The Faraday Training Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome David and Alan to the team, both of whom bring a wealth of invaluable expertise to The Faraday Training Group which is strengthened by their practical industry experience.

“We pride ourselves on recruiting lecturers who can deliver exceptional training and I am confident that both David and Alan will provide this to our delegates, and will prove to be key members of our team as we continue to develop our service provision.”

Join us next week for more North East appointment news.

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