This week's North East appointments

Anna Allen, Mincoffs Solicitors

Newcastle’s Mincoffs Solicitors has appointed Anna Allen to its commercial team, after she completed her training contract at the firm and successfully qualified as a solicitor.

Since joining in September 2016, Anna has become a valued member of the commercial team.

Anna said: “I am delighted to have successfully completed my training contract with Mincoffs and I am over the moon to remain with the firm after qualifying.

“I am lucky to have undertaken my training with some of the top lawyers in their fields and I am very excited to continue my career at the firm.”

She will work on various commercial contracts with a particular focus on data protection and privacy law issues, which will enable her to fully utilise her previous experience in working in information governance roles in central government and the public sector.

Head of commercial, Antony Hall added: “We are thrilled that Anna has qualified as a solicitor in the commercial team at Mincoffs.

“She brings a wealth of commercial experience from her previous roles and adds an extra dimension to the firm’s data protection and privacy offering. We look forward to supporting Anna as she develops her expertise in this important area of law.”

James Denny, Sunderland BID

James Denny has been appointed as Sunderland Business Improvement District’s (BID) first Street Ranger, providing an extra level of support for local businesses.

Based in the city centre, James - who is widely known as Denny - is the first port of call when businesses face urgent maintenance and cleaning issues.

Despite only being in his role for six weeks, Denny has already become a familiar face across the city, having engaged with numerous companies.

For instance, he has been working with the organisers of the Red Sky Ball to identify suitable locations across the city centre to install defibrillators bought by the fund-raising event.

James said: “I’m basically the person on the ground, so if anyone has an issue which needs dealing with, I can get out to them quickly.

“A lot of what I do is general work like removing graffiti or picking up litter from private land and I’ve been meeting local businesses as part of getting to know the city and I’ve been getting a very positive response.”

He will also be involved in helping distribute leaflets and other promotional material, along with meeting business owners to talk about opportunities to get involved.

Richard Atkins, UTS Group

Jarrow-based engineering specialist, UTS Group, has appointed Richard Atkins as quality manager.

Richard has vast experience, including having been project quality engineer at TechnipFMC Umbilicals Limited.

UTS, which was established in 2001, by managing director, Shaun Sadler, has grown to over 200 staff as it continues to expand and in late 2017 it invested £750k in a 50,000 sq ft facility in Newport, Wales, to meet increasing demand from its clients in the utility, industrial and commercial markets.

Richard said: “It is inspiring to work right across the business and I will be listening to the views of all my colleagues, so that we all share the same work practices and are prepared, as a team, for the opportunities that are ahead.

“For me, the message to the team is that quality is key to business success. From a quality systems perspective, understanding our processes is critical to minimising business risk and links in with our commitment to continual improvement.”

Joe Young, Silverstone Building Consultancy

Newcastle-based Silverstone Building Consultancy has appointed a new graduate building surveyor as it continues to expand its team.

The specialist firm of building surveyors and project managers has appointed Joe Young, who recently graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a First Class Bsc (Hons) degree in building surveying.

Joe, who is from the North East, previously gained work experience at residential management agency, Exchange Residential (part of Adderstone Group), during his degree. He also carried out work placements at Naylors and Meldrum.

He said: “I am delighted to have secured a job at Silverstone, the firm has a solid reputation for providing a very high standard of service and I am looking forward to joining their well-regarded team.

“The company is working on some very high profile and exciting projects which will offer me a broad range of experience.”

Joe will be working towards becoming a chartered surveyor with the support and training of the senior staff at Silverstone.

Lauren Robison and Harry Young, Activ Technology

Activ Technology has appointed two apprentices to its team.

Lauren Robison, 18, from Whickham, is a business admin apprentice who will study for a Northern Skills level two qualification at Middlesbrough College and 18-year-old Harry Young from West Denton, Newcastle, has recently completed his level three trail blazer apprenticeship with IT training provider, QA.

Managing director at Activ Technology, Ian Gillespie, said: “I would like to warmly welcome Lauren and Harry, who are both at various stages in their career development.

“Creating apprenticeships and introducing young people into the business is vital. We believe we have a responsibility to develop the next generation of skilled workers.

“Both Lauren and Harry have a desire and determination to learn more and progress their careers. We want to attract and retain high quality apprentices and, upon successful completion of their training, offer them a full time job.”

Julie Garbutt, Muckle LLP

Muckle LLP has appointed Julie Garbutt to its wills, trusts and estate planning and private client team.

Specialist, Julie has joined Muckle’s private client team as senior associate, from where she will be advising some of the region’s leading business owners, senior executives, professionals and other individuals on all aspects of private client services - including estate planning, wills, succession, inheritance tax, family trusts and powers of attorney.

Julie has over 20 years of experience in this field of law, having previously worked at Sintons and Dickinson Dees. Julie is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and is a Mencap recommended panel solicitor.

Keith Hately, partner and head of the Private Client team, said: “I am delighted to welcome Julie to Muckle LLP. She is a highly respected private client lawyer and her appointment significantly strengthens our wills, trusts and estate planning service.

“Our private client team works very closely with our corporate, banking, real estate and other in-house teams, and we therefore understand the typical challenges that face business owners and others in this specialist area.

“We aim to provide practical, down to earth, responsive advice and our team is now perfectly positioned to support the region’s business community with their personal legal needs.”