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This week’s North East appointments

Your weekly roundup of the latest business appointments from across the region.

Sara Malik, Hay & Kilner

Newcastle law firm Hay & Kilner has bolstered its Commercial Disputes team with the appointment of solicitor Sara Malik.

After successfully completing her training at the firm, Sara advises clients on a wide range of matters including contractual disputes, intellectual property, professional negligence, property disputes, alternative dispute resolution, and contentious trusts and probate.

Martin Soloman, Head of Commercial Disputes at Hay & Kilner commented: “Sara has worked hard throughout her training to earn a permanent position at Hay & Kilner, which is thoroughly deserved.

“We are delighted to have Sara on board and we wish her every success in her career at Hay & Kilner.”

Stephen Learney and Robert Roy, Haskel

Sunderland-based industrial supplier Haskel has announced two new hires with the appointment of Stephen Learney as global general manager and Robert Roy as commercial director for Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Mr Learney said: “I’m flattered to be given the opportunity to continue this success and for my first appointment in this role to be Robert Roy, an experienced, knowledgeable commercial director who I’m delighted has chosen to join our team.

“Over the past 70 years my predecessors have created a business of market leading brands, built on commitment to customers through service, quality, reliability and performance.

“I will continue to follow their principles, and to continue our programme of growth through investing in new products, new markets and our people.

“The growing globalisation of Haskel and other Accudyne products means that we are entering a number of new countries and new industry sectors. My role will help to drive forward work across the world cohesively as the companies continue to grow.”

Fred Parkes, WhoCanFixMyCar

Newcastle-headquartered WhoCanFixMyCar.com, an online vehicle repair comparison site, has appointed Fred Parkes as its new chief financial officer.

Ian Griffiths, who co-founded the organisation with business partner Alistair Preston, said: “Fred adds real strength to the management team here at WhoCanFixMyCar.com. We have an ambitious strategy to grown the operation considerably in 2017 and Fred’s experience will be an integral part in helping us achieve that. We’re thrilled to have him on board.”

Fred, who lives in Amble in Northumberland with his wife and daughter, will operate predominantly from WhoCanFixMyCar.com’s Central Newcastle office.

He said: “It’s a great time to join WhoCanFixMyCar.com. They’re enjoying significant growth and the company is reshaping the way drivers maintain their vehicles.

“WhoCanFixMyCar.com has made the process far more transparent for drivers and much more effective for the supply chain. I’m looking forward to playing my part in the evolution of what is another great North East tech success.”

Andrew Atkinson and Tony Graham, Roofclad

Birtley-based Roofclad Systems has hired Andrew Atkinson as its new commercial manager and Tony Graham as contracts manager.

Andrew will be responsible for driving business expansion and acting as client interface on Roofclad’s contracts whilst Tony will be responsible for ordering materials and overseeing all projects on site.

Director Alex Tilley said: “I am delighted to welcome Andrew and Tony to the team.

“Both are highly skilled and well known in the industry and their experience will be invaluable as we expand Roofclad’s client base throughout the North of England.

“We are also actively seeking additional staff to support our expansion plans including a graduate in a construction-related discipline as we seek to reinforce our position as one of the region’s leading specialists in the design and installation of roofing and cladding systems.”

Philippa McTurk and Richard Ward, Masfix

North East fastener and fixings supplier Masfix has made two senior hires in the form of Philippa McTurk as purchasing manager and Richard Ward as a new sales manager.

Headquartered on the Newburn Industrial Estate in Newcastle, the company specialises in supplying fasteners and fixings to organisations in the manufacturing, oil and gas, defence and offshore industries.

Both Philippa and Richard will be working closely with joint owners, Mark Slater and Ian Mordue, on the company’s expansion.

Mark said: “To be able to add people of Philippa and Richard’s calibre to the team gives us all the confidence to continue with our growth plans.

“We’re thrilled to have them on board. Both Ian and I are excited about the future of the business and the direction we’re taking.”

Changing Futures North East

Changing Futures North East has appointed Jayne Moules as the charity’s Strategic Development Manager, Nicola Walker as Consultant Psychotherapist/Practice Development Manager and Pauline Banks as Couple and Family Relationships Coordinator.

The appointments will support the charity’s £1.5m grant-funded programme in carrying out research into building healthy relationships surrounding children.

Jayne said: “I wasn’t pro-actively looking for a change, but when I heard about Changing Futures North East and came to Hartlepool to learn more about the pioneering work they were carrying out, I knew this would be an extremely exciting project for me to work on.

“For the charity to be chosen as one of only three places in the country to carry out this innovative work is an honour and the full team and I cannot wait to begin reporting our findings and looking at how we can implement change.”

Join us next monday for more North East appointment news.