This week's Yorkshire appointments

Hazel Griffiths, thebigword

thebigword has appointed a new chief financial officer, Hazel Griffiths.

Ms Griffiths’ brings experience in senior leadership and change management roles, as former CFO at Fulcrum Utility Services Limited.

Hazel has also held a succession of senior roles such as divisional head of finance at Hargreaves Plc and change manager at the Arcadia Group.

She is set to spearhead the group’s global growth and strategic plans, including international expansion, and mergers and acquisitions.

Commenting on her appointment, Hazel said: “thebigword Group is such a diverse organisation with so much opportunity to grow its global footprint.

“I will be working with Chairman Larry Gould and CEO Nihat Arkan to drive forward the company’s M&A strategy, expansion into new industries and markets as well as increasing profitability across thebigword’s regional bases.”

Hollie Goforth; Beth Parnell; Lauren Ward; Lou Horne; and Lynsey Lazenby, Pace

Creative communications agency Pace has recruited five new starters taking its headcount to 20.

The company, which celebrates its fourth anniversary in September, was launched as a team of three in 2015.

Under the leadership of managing director Anita Pace, it has achieved significant growth, winning clients across a broad range of sectors in East Yorkshire and beyond.

Initially based in Hull’s C4DI building, it moved to Wykeland House in the city’s Fruit Market area in December 2018 to accommodate its ambitions and space required.

Anita said: “I’m very proud to welcome our new recruits to the Pace team as we continue to expand as an agency.

“We have recruited specifically to build a complementary mix of skills and experience across insight and analytics, brand and creative, marketing and comms and digital.

“This means that we have a compelling proposition for existing and new clients, helping us quickly establish ourselves in four short years.”

Nick Salkeld, Fox Lloyd

Chartered surveyor Nick Salkeld has returned to Fox Lloyd Jones as a director in the agency and development team.

Working alongside Paul Fox, he will be involved in major schemes in Leeds including CEG’s £350m Leeds South Bank scheme and the Kirkstall Forge development.

Nick initially spent seven years at Fox Lloyd Jones, having joined the company as a placement student.

He left in 2016 to join one of the North of England’s largest workspace providers, Bruntwood, as head of commercial, where he worked on commercial leasing, flexible workspace and the strategic asset management of its Leeds portfolio.

Nick helped to deliver Platform, consisting of 120,000 sq ft offices, which reached 100 per cent let or under offer, with record-breaking office rents in the city.

In his new role, Nick will maintain his relationship with Bruntwood as a client.

He added: “I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Fox Lloyd Jones, the first time around, where I gained invaluable experience across a number of sectors and disciplines.

“I was keen to gain experience ‘client side’ and Bruntwood gave me the opportunity of working with a leading property company.”

Kerry Sharples, Gorvins

Kerry Sharples, deputy head of residential property, has been made a partner of Gorvins solicitors.

She is the first non-solicitor in the firm’s 160-year history to hold such a position in any of the company’s legal department.

The appointment follows Kerry’s recent qualification as a licensed conveyancer, following spending a short four months studying for the relevant examinations in law and practice.

After joining Gorvins in 2013, Kerry advanced from assistant to senior case manager and trainer in the firm’s residential property conveyancing department and assisting Lorraine Lockie, partner and head of department, in managing the 65-strong team.

Kerrie said: “The traditional route to partnership is via a degree, completion of the legal practice certificate and training contract and then specialisation.

“That is still important but this appointment also shows how there’s scope for developing excellence in a given area of law without taking this path.”