This week's Yorkshire appointments

Switalskis Solicitors has made senior appointments to its family law team as part of plans to broaden the firm’s family services in South Yorkshire.

Alison Kitchman and Toby Netting have joined Switalskis, bringing a combined 51 years’ experience to the firm.

Toby Netting joins as head of family law in Sheffield from previous roles as head of family law at Banner Jones Solicitors and leading the private client department at Watson Esam solicitors in Sheffield.

A Legal 500 recommended family lawyer, trained mediator and collaborative lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience, Toby can give clients alternative approaches to resolving disputes following separation.

He is also a Resolution accredited specialist in relation to complex financial and property matters.

Alison Kitchman, who is also a Legal 500 recommended family lawyer, will initially cover family law across the breadth of South Yorkshire and in due course specifically provide those services out of Doncaster.

She is a trained collaborative family lawyer with 28 years’ experience, specialising in divorce, financial matters and children and is committed to helping couples ‘divorce decently’.

Alison has also held an Assessor’s role in Children Accreditation for the Law Society, chaired South Yorkshire Resolution, an association of family lawyers, and is currently an HM Coroner’s Assistant for South Yorkshire (East).

At Switalskis, Toby and Alison will help separating couples deal with all of the practical and legal issues surrounding their decision to live apart. This includes assistance with legally ending a marriage or civil partnership, issues surrounding property, finance and the care of any children.

Says Clare Peckett, director and solicitor in Switalskis family law department, said: “Toby and Alison are both extremely well-regarded in the industry and by clients, and both have an exceptional technical knowledge in family law.

“Toby takes a calm and constructive approach, with the ability to take the heat out of a situation and a clear, objective opinion on the best route to take. Alison is compassionate, caring and down to earth, and always has clients’ best interests and well-being at heart. We are delighted to welcome them both to our family team.”

Noel Haverly, Reward Finance

Noel Haverly has joined the Leeds office of Reward Finance as business development director.

Noel brings has spent almost 20 years in the alternative finance market working in a variety of roles.

He joins from the Leeds office of Ultimate Finance, where he was head of sales, prior to which he was at Aldermore Bank.

Noel said: “I have known many of the team at Reward Finance from my Aldermore days and I have admired the way they have grown the business, year-on-year, with sales and lending reaching record levels.

“Reward have built a very experienced team, who can quickly understand the funding needs of businesses and can rapidly approve facilities, without having to go through a complicated hierarchy of decision makers. And, whilst maintaining a responsible funding stance, the ‘can do’ attitude, where they look for solutions is just what introducers and their clients need.

“The decision for me was a very simple one and I am delighted to be joining such a forward thinking business with ambitious growth aspirations.”

Nick Smith, sales and marketing director of Reward Finance, commented: “To have attracted such a high calibre individual to Reward Finance is a mark of how far the company has come over the last few years.

“We are certainly making waves in the alternative funding market by working closely with our introducers and quickly meeting their clients’ needs well before traditional lenders and other funders are able to react.”

John Iandolo, Adare SEC

Adare SEC has announced the appointment of John Iandolo as chief sales officer.

Adare SEC is a Huddersfield-based provider of technology-led, secure and essential communication solutions.

John’s CV includes leading large teams, driving strategy and transforming the digital landscape for the likes of technology giants Telefonica, HP and Dimension Data.

John has joined Adare SEC to further enhance the secure and essential communication solutions specialists’ client service capabilities.

John will lead a team across Adare SEC’s four sites in Huddersfield, Redditch, Nottingham and Guildford, to further develop its blue-chip client portfolio and work on a strategy to transform the £80m turnover firm’s digital output.

Jon said: “Adare SEC is in a perfect position – it’s already a leader in communication solutions and it’s committed to innovation. It also has a fantastic client base, market leading propositions, a great working environment coupled with a strong leadership team who are driving the business forward. All the right ingredients are there and that was a big reason as to why I decided to join.

“In my first move away from the IT-only industry, Adare SEC was an attractive proposition. It has made excellent progress to date as an organisation and we will continue to look into ideas to enhance traditional communication methods and make them contemporary using my technology experience.

“I have a great respect for its investors, Endless, and meeting with them further cemented how we all see Adare SEC developing and evolving over the coming years.

“We need to continue the great work Adare SEC is already doing to ensure we are innovative and relevant. The marketplace is evolving and Adare SEC is doing the same – we need to keep developing, at pace, to give our clients the optimal choices of communication, service and outcomes all within a healthy business partnership.”

Richard Slee, Adare SEC’s CEO, commented: “John is a great leader with exceptional experience within the technology industry.

“We wanted his vision and expertise on-board because we shared the same values about where we want Adare SEC to be positioned within the customer communications sector and how our clients see us. John embodies everything we were looking for in a great motivator, leader and innovator.”

Matthew Young (pictured), Andy Oram and Barry Samuels, enquiryMAX

enquiryMAX, the Leeds-based automotive software business, has supported its expansion plans with three key appointments.

Andy Oram and Matthew Young join the company as business development managers. The pair will support independents and dealer groups across the UK to ensure they make the best use of the lead management platform and retail consultancy.

Barry Samuels will be responsible for the implementation of innovations such as the company’s GDPR and Treating Customers Fairly modules.

Jon Sheard, director of operations, said: “We have seen rapid growth over the last six months with expansion across the UK.

“Our investment in the technology has helped dealers manage compliance issues in a seamless way and helped them capture 50% more enquiries and increase orders by 18%. These new roles will ensure that our customers have the support they need to get the best from the platform.”

The lead management platform recently announced it is launching a series of updates that guide sales teams through GDPR compliance procedures and has secured ISO 27001 certification to give its users peace of mind that it operates to the highest standards of data security.

enquiryMAX now provides sales lead management software and retail consultancy to over 700 dealers in the UK and works with a broad range of manufacturers.

Lee Thompson, Walter Mashumba and John Clay (not pictured), Lucas Lee

Lucas Lee, the chartered surveying and project management firm, has made a number of key appointments as the organisation prepares for a 25% increase in turnover for the 2017-18 period.

With offices in both Leeds and Huddersfield, Lucas Lee has taken on three new members of staff, boosting the firm’s headcount to nine.

Joining the quantity surveying team is Lee Thompson, who has formerly worked on five-star hotel projects in Cape Verde. He has been appointed as a senior project manager and quantity surveyor, while Walter Mashumba has joined as an assistant quantity surveyor.

John Clay, a building surveyor graduate who was employed in-house at St Gobain for several years to manage day-to-day lease issues for Jewsons, has also joined the firm. He will complete his assessment of professional competence with Lucas Lee this summer.

Christopher Lee, Lucas Lee’s director, said: “Our recent phase of expansion makes it an exciting new chapter for the business. We have spent many months recruiting new members for our experienced team to deliver the specific needs of our clients.

“We wanted to take on people who are able to bring their own expertise and ideas, but will also grow alongside the company, and we think that’s what we’ve achieved.

“We’re currently working on the Grantley Hall project in Ripon, which is a five-star luxury hotel, for example. Lee’s experience will help us to solidify our reputation within this industry. John and Walter are also brilliant additions to the team. But our recruitment isn’t finished yet!”

Jason Clough, Propack Direct Mail

Propack Direct Mail has announced the appointment of new managing director and shareholder, Jason Clough.

The £9m-turnover firm, which has production facilities in Huddersfield, specialises in digital print, direct mail, print management and postage.

With a background in print and direct marketing, Jason joined the business in 2006 as an account director and progressed to the role of commercial director heading up the sales and customer service.

He has since overseen the formation of a sales team and re-configured the customer service department.

Neil Lloyd, CEO of Propack Direct Mail, said: “The business is currently experiencing a period of strategic growth. In recognition of that growth and to support our strategy moving forwards I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jason Clough as managing director.

“Following 22 years at the helm, I will now be taking up the role of CEO to concentrate on the business strategy whilst Jason will take overall control of the day to day management of the business.

“The firm is in a very strong position which I attribute to a dedicated and focused team who continue to deliver excellent customer service. I am optimistically looking forward to the future.”

Matt Bright, Craig Hackett, Paul Whitfield, Avant Homes

Yorkshire homebuilder Avant Homes has announced the appointment of three new customer service technicians.

Matthew Bright, Craig Hackett and Paul Whitfield each bring a wealth of experience in customer service roles to Avant Homes and will operate across all of the homebuilder’s developments in Yorkshire.

Avant Homes has also added a new fleet of branded vans to its operations to enable the technicians to provide a fast, efficient and joined-up approach to customer service.

Victoria Eades, customer service manager at Avant Homes Yorkshire, said: “We have ambitious growth plans for the business which involve increasing the number of developments and homes we build in the region, bringing our product to more people. Our commitment to customer satisfaction is crucial to this growth.

“These new appointments have expanded our customer service team in Yorkshire and will further enhance the level of service we can provide to customers throughout the region.

“The technicians and additional vehicles will take our customer service to the next level and ensure all our homebuyers enjoy an excellent experience with us.”

Based in Wakefield, Avant Homes Yorkshire is an operating company of the Avant Homes group.