This week's North East appointments

Lauren Sadler, Generator

Music and business support agency Generator has appointed Lauren Sadler as a member of its board of directors.

Lauren has spent her professional career working in the live music industry, starting at the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, followed by working in the gigs team at Southbank Centre, tour managing, producing and consulting on a freelance basis.

Lauren then went on to land a job up in the North East as festivals & projects producer at Sage Gateshead. Last autumn, Lauren temporarily left the music industry to pursue an MBA at the University of Oxford, through a full scholarship from the Linbury Trust.

Lauren commented: “Generator has a rare gift to those connected to it, in that it covers both tech and music.

“Tech companies are inherently creative and innovative, whilst musicians are relying more and more on technology to share and to generate income. Imagine the amazing possibilities when the two industries are encouraged to talk more!”

Hannah Matterson, Generator’s recently-appointed CEO, added: “We are thrilled that Lauren is joining the Generator board. Her knowledge and experience, working in music and of the digital sector, will be a huge asset to our organisation.

“She has produced some of the most exciting music projects and events and we’re excited about the ideas she will bring to Generator.

“I know her love of the North East’s music scene is second to none and I hope this will prove invaluable in continuing our role as a leading talent development agency.”

Martyn Addison, Evolved Search

Search marketing agency Evolved Search has appointed Martyn Addison as head of strategy and performance.

Martyn joins this newly-created role with a decade of digital marketing experience gained in search marketing roles at e-commerce agency Visualsoft and most recently, almost 5 years in senior SEO and strategy roles at performance and affiliate marketing agency Silverbean.

Speaking of his new position, Martyn said: “Whilst strategy is something that is already heavily considered at Evolved, as a standalone department it is still in its infancy, and for that reason, I am really excited about bringing it to life and utilising it to get even more results for clients. Ultimately for me, that is always the most rewarding aspect.

“I’ll be responsible for developing and managing the strategy department, in which we will be accountable for reviewing and accelerating client performance in relation to their agreed goals and objectives.”

Tom Etherington, operations director, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Martyn to the team to head up and develop our strategic offering further.

“This is a key appointment for us - the first of its kind in the agency - allowing us to put more emphasis on being a genuine strategic growth partner for clients over the next 12 months.”

“There’s no denying that the last few months have brought a number of challenges for us as an agency, as well as within our client’s businesses, but despite this, we’ve been in a strong and fortunate position throughout, which has enabled us to nurture our existing team and invest in experienced and talented people like Martyn.”

Katie Forrest, GT3 Architects

Architecture practice GT3 Architects has appointed Katie Forrest as head of marketing. Katie, who has more than eight years’ experience working in the property industry, will be based in the firm’s Newcastle office and will be responsible for driving the company’s strategic growth and outreach programmes.

Katie has worked in London since 2012, heading up marketing teams within multi-disciplinary construction consultancy Stace LLP and home technology designer Inspired Dwellings. She also sat on CEDIA’s EMEA Board of Marketing.

Katie commented: “I’m thrilled to be joining GT3. The team has a fantastic reputation and its exceptional portfolio of people and community focused projects speaks for itself.

“GT3’s ongoing commitment to social research and its ethos of placing people at the heart of every design is extremely refreshing. It will be crucial as the industry navigates the next few years of placemaking and project design, so I’m looking forward to supporting future growth and working on some exciting new projects.”

Simon Dunstan, director at GT3 Architects, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Katie to the team. She has extensive experience within the property and construction industry, which will be a great asset as we take the next steps into a post-lockdown world.

“We are continuing to grow our portfolio of projects and champion an inclusive, sustainable and engaging way of doing business that positions people at the heart of every project. Katie’s appointment will therefore help to amplify this aim and push the business forwards.”

Peter Carr, Laura Hewitt, Jordan Cook and Ellie Purvis, Unique Magazines

Unique Magazines has welcomed Peter Carr, Laura Hewitt, Jordan Cook and Ellie Purvis to its team.

Ryton-based management accountant Peter Carr joins the firm after a career in the aerospace industry, Groundwork NE and English Partnerships.

Peter said: “I was impressed with the vision and growth of the business and I’m looking forward to helping Unique Magazines develop even further.”

Digital marketing manager Laura Hewitt spent 13 years in the automotive industry and brings a range of skills to help her spread the brand digitally on social media and web-based marketing platforms.

Laura explained: “It’s no longer enough to simply have a website. We need to maximise the right marketing techniques like SEO and content marketing and target the optimum social media platforms to drive people to our products. I’m really excited to be a part of such an evolving and growing business.”

Jordan Cook has come on board as warehouse operative, while Ellie Purvis has joined the team as customer service apprentice.

Ellie commented: “This is a great opportunity for me to learn about customer service in a dynamic workplace where I’m responding to emails and telephone calls from all over the world.

“I didn’t know that there was so much choice of magazines as no matter what you are interested in there is something we can supply for you.”

MD John Porrett added: “I’m delighted with the latest additions to our team and together we will provide an excellent and unique service for our customers at home and abroad.”