This week's Yorkshire appointments

thebigword, the Leeds-based language services provider, has promoted Clare Riches to director of its defence and international security division.

Ms Riches joined thebigword as an administrator in 2008, progressed through a series of business development roles and was instrumental in helping to win the company’s first interpreting contract with the UK Ministry of Defence in 2011.

The division has more than 200 linguists deployed globally in countries such as Ukraine, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, northern Africa and Jordan.

It provides face-to-face interpreting, written translation, cultural advice, English language and foreign language training to customers in the public and private sector.

These include the UK MOD, the US Department of Defense, FEMA, the Canadian Armed Forces and a number of global defence and aerospace prime contractors.

New wins including NATO at its Brussels headquarters and the US Navy across Europe are driving growth at the division.

Larry Gould, founder and CEO of thebigword, said: “Clare Riches has made a stellar contribution to the continued growth of our Defence and International Security division.

“We have an excellent track record of developing talent at thebigword and wish Clare every success in her new role.”

Ms Riches added: “I am very proud to be a woman in defence, especially having family members who have served our country.

“It can be a demanding and challenging industry for anyone but with a strong sense of camaraderie and a diverse team we are proving that thebigword is a growing force for good in defence and international security.”

Andy Boyde and Victoria Horner (pictured right), Consilia Legal

Consilia Legal, the Leeds-based boutique law firm, has announced a new appointment and promotion.

Employment solicitor Andy Boyde has joined the firm from Blacks Solicitors. He qualified in 2015 and is recognised by the Legal 500 as a New Generation Lawyer, providing “a very high level of service”.

As a former professional rugby player, and now a player/coach at Harrogate Rugby Club, Andy brings a wealth of expertise both on and off the field. He heads up the Yorkshire committee of the Rugby Business Network.

Meanwhile, Victoria Horner has been promoted to associate after 18 months with Consilia Legal. Trainee solicitors Nikol Loutchanska and Emma Cartlidge have also both been promoted.

Marie Walsh, director and co-founder, said: “As the team expands, it is important that we reward our team and add to it, to further fuel our growth and develop our potential.

“Victoria is an experienced, dedicated team player and deserved recognition for her outstanding work since she joined us. It was also imperative that we expand the team with like-minded, driven individuals and Andy was exactly the right fit.

“We are thrilled with the growth of the business and with a lot of hard work from all the team, we look forward to seeing it prosper over the coming years.”

Karen Marshall, Williamsons Solicitors

Williamsons Solicitors, the Hull and East Yorkshire firm, has introduced a dedicated family law service to its Beverley branch with the appointment of specialist legal executive Karen Marshall.

Mrs Marshall joins eight solicitors in Williamsons’ family department who are based at Hull, Bridlington and Driffield.

Sarah Clubley, Williamsons’ director and head of family, said that the increase in enquiries and volume of work at Beverley, since the branch opened two years ago, had necessitated a full-time position.

Mrs Marshall has had 17 years’ experience since starting her training through the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and has built her knowledge of family law, from childcare to financial settlements, with regional law firms.

For the four years before joining Williamsons she worked as a professional McKenzie Friend, providing support and advice for family court litigants who were unable to afford representation.

Mrs Marshall said: “I started my career undertaking Crown Court work, but quickly made the switch to family law, which has been good for me. Every case is different, every family is different and it’s always interesting and rewarding to help people in need.”

Dan Doherty, Broadley Group

Broadley Group, the Leeds-based construction company, has appointed Dan Doherty as chief operations director.

Having worked in the construction industry for over 40 years, Dan was previously director of Laing O’ Rourke Northern Division, which has delivered construction projects across the North, including Liverpool One, Manchester Town Hall and Manchester Airport transformation project.

Dan brings experience to the Broadley Group, having been involved in major projects, including Leeds Trinity (£200 million); Barnsley Schools (£300 million); Meadowhall Refurbishment (£70 million); Yorkshire Schools (£110 million) and the Hepworth Art Gallery (£30 million).

Dan’s role at the Broadley Group will include new business development and establishing new accounts, securing a profitable pipeline of opportunities, successfully overseeing operations to deliver jobs safely and developing the workforce to maximise the potential of the Broadley Group personnel.

Dan Doherty said: “The Broadley Group has fantastic potential prospects, coupled with a great reputation and passionate people. I am looking forward to harnessing this and driving the business forward to a new level.”

Gary Broadley, chairman of the Broadley Group, commented: “With the ever-changing business activity and the rapid growth of our business, Dan will lead the Operation and Commercial teams to help us manage and deliver our current pipeline and future workload.

“Dan brings extensive experience to develop operations and deliver profit from current and future contracts for The Broadley Group. His vast experience and knowledge will be essential to help and support the delivery teams and to assist the board in running our business.

“I am very excited for the future and I am confident we will all reap the benefits and efficiencies that I believe Dan will bring.”

Lisa McGauley, Fox Agency

Fox Agency, the Leeds-based B2B marketing specialist, has appointed Lisa McGauley as head of PR and content.

Lisa brings 14 years of PR and communications experience to the role having worked at some of Yorkshire’s leading agencies as well as in-house for clients in a raft of B2B and B2C sectors including automotive, construction and professional services.

At Fox, Lisa’s core objectives are to expand the PR function by developing existing accounts, winning new clients, building the PR and content team, and delivering more award-winning work.

Al Fox, director of Fox Agency, said: “Lisa has strong experience across the board and a solid grounding in all aspects of PR from media relations to content creation, crisis management and the strategic development of accounts.

“She is a welcome addition to our team and we look forward to seeing her drive the PR function forward as part of our planned growth in 2018 and beyond.”

Lisa added: “Fox is a dynamic and ambitious agency with big plans and a bright future ahead. The team had a stellar year in 2017 winning several new accounts and achieving record financial growth, and with a growing portfolio of national and international clients, I look forward to positioning Fox as the number one choice for B2B PR in 2018.”

Fox Agency works globally with some of the biggest B2B brands across industry markets including engineering, technology, automotive, construction and real estate, finance and professional services.

As well as B2B PR, Fox Agency’s services include integrated campaigns, advertising and activation, websites, digital and apps, search and social, research, strategy and brand development.

Adrian Wilmore, enquiryMAX

enquiryMAX, the Leeds-based automotive retail specialist, has appointed Adrian Wilmore to the new role of head of sales.

Mr Wilmore will lead a national sales team and ensure that customers are engaged with the company’s new technology products.

In recent months enquiryMAX has rolled out modules that help car dealers tackle compliance issues such as FCA regulations and GDPR.

David Boyce, managing director of enquiryMAX, said: “Adrian brings a wealth of experience managing a growing sales team and dealing with complex retail environments.

“As we accelerate our expansion plans, we will continue to recruit and retain the best talent.”

Mr Wilmore joins the business from a senior sales role at Palmer and Harvey.

An advanced cloud-based system, enquiryMAX allows for deployment and regular updates to meet the changing needs of the market. It is optimised for mobile devices to ensure it can be used anywhere at any time.

The company provides sales lead management software and retail consultancy to over 700 dealers in the UK. It supports individual dealerships, dealer groups and manufacturers to sell more vehicles and operate more profitably.

Customers use cloud-based sales lead management to help implement a structured sales process, disciplines and display best practices.

Michael Viney, Razor

Razor, the Sheffield-based technology specialist, has appointed a new sales director to help develop new business relationships and support organic growth.

Michael Viney joined the firm in February, and in his new role, he’ll be responsible for helping to develop Razor’s sales strategy and value proposition, in line with the business’ ambitious plans for growth.

Michael brings to Razor a wealth of knowledge gained from more than three decades’ experience in the technology industry. He has held a variety of sales related roles and directorial positions, and has worked for companies such as Canon, Pitney Bowes and Zen Internet.

Michael said: “I’m very excited to be joining Razor. They’re really making a name for themselves with a range of fantastic projects, so it’s a great company to be joining, at a very exciting time.

“I’m looking forward to helping to expand the business and its client base, and putting my vast experience in the market to good use.”

Jamie Hinton, CEO of Razor, commented: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Michael to the team, he’s got some incredibly valuable experience, which will be really beneficial towards our plans to grow our customer base and offer.

“We’re a tight-knit team that are truly passionate about making technology work for businesses, and Michael’s experience and enthusiasm stand him in great stead for this.”

Mark Burrows, Padd Energy

Padd Energy, the Harrogate-based power consultancy, has appointed industrial energy efficiency specialist and chartered engineer Mark Burrows, as associate director.

Mark joins the firm from ENGIE where he worked as UK channel development manager. Prior to that he was the UK&I energy performance contract manager for Siemens. He is also chairperson of the Energy Institute’s Yorkshire branch.

He has significant experience in energy partnership development and delivering major energy efficiency programmes. He also brings expertise in the fields of Demand Side Response and energy storage, having previously led on the development of solutions.

Mark will head up Padd’s energy consultancy division supporting businesses with interconnecting energy management activities including procurement, compliance, feasibility and market orientated services.

Chris Paddey, managing director of Padd Energy, said: “Mark has considerable expertise in energy storage and efficiency planning for large scale organisations and helps organisations to enhance their competitive advantage, whether that is by improving their green energy credentials or reducing their energy spend through carefully planned purchasing and efficiency strategies.”

Mark added: “I am looking forward to expanding the energy consultancy side of the business over the next three years alongside Padd Energy’s established design and build pedigree and working with clients on their long term energy strategy.”