This week's North East appointments

James Ramsbotham, Hargreaves Land

Hargreaves Land has announced the appointment of a non-executive director.

James Ramsbotham, chief executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, has been appointed to the role to provide support and assistance to help grow the property business.

David Anderson, group property director at Hargreaves Land said: “James is highly regarded in the North East business community and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

“As a leader of an organisation which represents more than 3,000 businesses, we can’t think of a better choice for helping guide us through our growth strategy and we are excited to be receiving his valuable input.”

James Ramsbotham added: “Hargreaves Group is a regionally significant company with a history steeped in coal mining, listed on AIM and employing over 2,000 people.

“To reflect the changing market the Group is now looking to its extensive land portfolio to unlock value and deliver long-term sustainable development.

“I very much look forward to being a part of this process and assisting the Hargreaves Land team realise its ambitions as a growing property development company.”

Fay Shuttleworth, Indigo Software

Indigo Software has expanded its supply chain consulting capabilities with the appointment of Fay Shuttleworth as a supply chain consultant.

Fay brings over 15 years of experience working in the warehousing and logistics industries, adding valuable additional skills in the automotive and IT manufacturing sectors to the existing consulting team.

Most recently, Fay was a logistics business unit manager with Grupo Antolin where she was responsible for optimising material flow and space utilization across the plant plus remove over production.

She also oversaw the implementation of MRP to ensure minimum business disruption and improved project management within the logistics team.

Mark Wilkinson, supply chain consultancy manager at Indigo Software, said: “We are delighted to welcome Fay to the team, her automotive industry and manufacturing experience is very relevant, especially given the number of existing clients we have in this sector and she has already added a lot of value in a short space of time.”

Clare Corless

Howarth Litchfield has announced a key appointment to its growing team with the arrival of office manager and bid co-ordinator Clare Corless.

Clare has joined Howarth Litchfield at a time when the practice continues to see wide ranging opportunities emerge across its growing client base based throughout the UK.

A member of the Chartered Management Institute and an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel, Clare brings with her a wealth of experience from her previous roles.

Managing director, Jonathan Yates, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Clare to the team. Her wide-ranging experience is such that it makes her ideally suited to fulfil such a key role within Howarth Litchfield and her support to allow us to continue to successfully tender and win new work.”

Ross Goldie, Tier One Capital Ltd

Tier One Capital Ltd has announced the appointment of Ross Goldie as portfolio manager within the firm’s direct lending team.

Bringing extensive experience from the financial services industry, Ross will be responsible for overseeing the progress of a growing collection of property developments supported by Tier One on behalf of investors.

Since it was launched on the London Stock Exchange almost three years ago, PBLT, which is managed by Tier One, has grown its portfolio to £27.5m, representing 17 projects.

Ross will work closely with the borrowing teams to monitor their developments as they progress projects in the commercial and residential property markets.

Ross, who has relocated to the North East from London, said: “Tier One’s direct lending approach provides an innovative solution to supporting property developers and delivering transparent fixed returns to investors.

“The Tier One direct lending proposition is a unique offering for both property developers, as borrowers, and investors, as lenders.

“It offers property developers access to capital in a very flexible, personal and tailored manner, enabling both institutional and regional investors to invest in a way that delivers a strong return, while making a real positive difference to the North East economy.”

Kirsty Ramsey, O Communications

Creative communications, PR and social agency O Communications has grown its senior management team with the appointment of Kirsty Ramsey as marketing and business development director.

Having invested £650k into a new space and staff hires in 2018 to support future growth in its creative content services, O has grown with significant new client wins in fashion retail, clean energy and fintech sectors throughout 2019.

Kirsty said: “I have worked with O for many years in my previous role and have always admired the agency and the team. I got to see first-hand the amazing job they do for their clients and loved having them as an extension to our marketing team.

“It’s been great to jump to the other side and join agency life. I can’t wait to use my skills in different ways, and with a really varied client base.

“The team’s creativity, enthusiasm and O’s culture were all big draws for me, they have made the transition from industry to agency very exciting and I’m really looking forward to spending more time getting to know the team and O’s clients.”

Stephen Rose and Rachelle Frewer, Wyelands Bank

Wyelands Bank has appointed Stephen Rose as deputy chief executive officer and Rachelle Frewer as chief financial officer.

Stephen will focus on the bank’s operations to help it grow. He will ensure that the bank continues to meet the needs of both its depositors and business finance customers.

Rachelle will focus on the financial performance of the bank. She will ensure services are scalable while increasing the bank’s asset base to help customers trade, grow and create jobs.

Wyelands Bank has grown in line with its strategy. Lending assets to April this year rose 44 per cent to £434m, with total lending volumes through the last financial year approaching £1bn.

Customers deposits increased to £726m to the end of April this year, up from £506m last year.

Stephen Rose, deputy CEO of Wyelands Bank, said: “Wyelands Bank plans to accelerate expansion this year as part of its commitment to help more industrial businesses to unlock growth.

“I’m looking forward to working with a dedicated team to help customers with innovative and tailored finance.”

Amelia Robson, Hedley Planning Services

Planning specialist Hedley Planning Services has appointed Amelia Robson as a planner as it continues to invest to meet demand for its services.

A qualified planner, Amelia Robson brings considerable experience in local government, residential and commercial planning work to a role.

She will be working alongside the company’s management team, assisting in the preparation of planning applications and supporting statements for a variety of residential and commercial clients across the region.

New work and clients are driving growth for Hedley Planning Services, with the firm currently employing seven planning experts plus support staff and seeing an expansion of its operations across its offices in Hexham and Wynyard.

Managing director Sean Hedley said: “We are investing in the best people to support our ambitions, so it’s great to have Amelia on board.

“She will be a big asset as we go for growth in 2020, enabling us to continue to provide all our clients with the highest standards of service and added value planning advice.”