This week's North East appointments

Graham Speed, Roman

International shower designer and manufacturer Roman has announced Graham Speed as their new commercial director.

Graham Speed joined Roman 20 years ago and has worked in various positions within the company prior to his new appointment.

Graham started his career in the commercial department in 2007 as product manager, later to commercial manager and finally to commercial director.

David Osborne, managing director of Roman, said: “I am thrilled to announce Graham Speed’s new appointment as commercial director where he will continue to lead Roman’s commercial and R&D team and further develop our success within both the retail and project sectors. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing home grown talent flourish.”

Jordan Down, Mincoffs Solicitors

Newcastle-based law firm, Mincoffs Solicitors has welcomed Jordan Down into its commercial property team as a solicitor, following a successful two-year training contract at the firm.

Jordan, who was recently shortlisted in the Trainee of the Year category at the Northern Law Awards, joined Mincoffs in 2017.

He has since completed seats in corporate, employment and dispute Resolution before finishing his training contract in Commercial Property and subsequently qualifying into the team.

Jordan commented: “I have thoroughly enjoyed working at Mincoffs during my training contract and I am excited to continue my career at the firm as a qualified solicitor.

“I have been offered top quality support and guidance from the partners and other fee earners from the beginning and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead of me.”

Northumberland College

Northumberland College has announced a new board of governors to drive forward a new vision.

With a strong focus on industry and employer partnerships, commercial offering and maximising the College’s £2.5m, custom-built STEM Centre at its Ashington campus, head of HR, Kerry Patterson from Blyth-based advanced machine and robotics manufacturer, Tharsus, has been appointed to the board.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in the HR sector, Kerry’s expertise has been instrumental to developing strategies to drive business growth since joining Tharsus in 2014.

In her role on the senior management team, Kerry has been responsible for many key HR projects which share similar values to those which Northumberland College is keen to drive forward in its new iteration as part of Education Partnership North East.

Andrew Ferguson, commercial and real estate manager and chartered surveyor at Virgin Money has joined the board to help support the College with the management of its key assets at its campuses across the county.

Nigel Harrett, principal of Northumberland College, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for Northumberland College as we drive forward significant improvements and investment across all campuses, and embark upon a new chapter, providing new opportunities for students, staff, employers and the local community.”

Jen Bernard, Helen Fahy and Lisa Orrick, Bernard Interiors

The growth of North East-based interior design practice Bernard Interiors continues with three promotions to new director level posts to drive further business development.

The management team is led by founder and managing director Jen Bernard, and now includes operations director Helen Fahy, finance director Les Irving, and design director Lisa Orrick.

The three new directors have all been promoted from their managerial roles within the practice, creating further new opportunities for staff within the team.

Jen Bernard said: “As a business we are focused on our continued growth providing interior architectural design, consultancy and procurement services for the high end retirement, residential and commercial markets.

“We work across the UK and internationally. Since 2017 our client base has expanded significantly, our staff have increased from six to 14 people, turnover has more than doubled and profitability has quadrupled.”