This week's London appointments

Barik Chowdhury, Tech Talent Charter

Barik Chowdhury, former divisional financial controller at BP, has joined the Tech Talent Charter (TTC) as finance director.

Barik is an ICAEW Qualified Chartered Accountant with a 20 year career in finance, having graduated the London School of Economics in 1997 and held positions with BP, EY and BDO Moore Stephens.

His role will be to support the TTC in achieving its financial objectives as it nears 500 signatories and prepares to deliver an expanded annual diversity report early in 2021.

Debbie Forster, CEO and co-founder of the Tech Talent Charter, commented: “With the UK in recession, it’s more important than ever to ensure that the UK’s tech sector doesn’t leave whole segments of the population behind.

“Barik’s experience will be vital in enabling the TTC to do the important work of supporting our signatories and the wider tech industry to prioritise inclusion and diversity at this critical time.”

Barik added: “I am passionate about diversity and education, and am thrilled to be making a contribution to the work being done by the Tech Talent Charter.

“In a highly challenging economy, diversity isn’t just a moral imperative, but a business imperative. I look forward to working with the TTC team to further build on its success and drive real change across the industry.”

Simon John, JIN

Communication agency JIN has announced the appointment of Simon John as managing director of its UK division.

Simon, former dentsu X client managing partner, joins following 5 years at Dentsu Aegis, where he was responsible for pan-European client accounts such as United Airlines, Lidl, Honda and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Simon will look to grow JIN’s portfolio and presence in the UK, which currently includes clients such as the fast food restaurant Jollibee, Virbac, Draeger and Ionity, through new business wins and international collaborations with the other offices.7

He commented: “It’s such an exciting time to join JIN. They have a top table client list, ambitious goals for the future as shown by the recent round of funding and are a part of the sector in growth.

“Speaking to Edouard, JIN’s CEO, it was clear to me he truly believes in integrated communications and delivering positive influence on behalf of clients.

“JIN’s product suite reflects this mindset, it’s not every day you can offer clients media relations alongside a direct to consumer solution and inbound marketing.

“We’ve got a great team in the UK and the one P&L model is seamless in terms of how we work with specialists in other offices. “

As well as heading up the UK, Simon will also lead key international accounts and will be part of the agency’s management team.

Edouard Fillias, JIN’s CEO, added: “We’re thrilled to have someone of Simon’s experience join JIN and to help us with our next phase of development as we build out our European capabilities.

“The UK will be a key focus for us as we look to offer our clients the opportunity to partner with us across multiple markets.

Alastair Deutsch, Shaftesbury PLC

Shaftesbury PLC, the real estate investment trust which invests exclusively in the London’s West End, has announced the appointment of Alastair Deutsch to the role of head of finance.

Alastair will have responsibility for financial planning and analysis, strategic commercial insights, treasury, tax, investor relations and IT.

Alastair joins Shaftesbury following nearly a decade at Landsec where he held a number of finance, treasury and strategic insight roles, most recently as commercial finance director, responsible for management reporting on the group’s portfolio as well as commercial finance and decision support for its development programme.

Prior to Landsec, he was a finance analyst at Sky, having started his career in Audit at KPMG.

Chris Ward, finance director, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Alastair to the Shaftesbury team.

“As a high-calibre individual, his extensive experience will add considerable value to both our finance and leadership teams.”

Alastair added: “I am really excited to be joining Shaftesbury at this critical time.

“It’s a business that I have admired for many years, with an exceptional portfolio in the heart of the West End and a highly regarded team.”

Sir Duncan Nichol, DWF Foundation

DWF Foundation has appointed Sir Duncan Nichol as its next chair.

Sir Duncan will step up from his current role as trustee, and brings a wide range of knowledge and expertise to the DWF Foundation.

He is the former CEO of the NHS and has previously held roles as the chair of the parole board of England and Wales and commissioner of judicial appointments.

Jim Davies, founder patron of the DWF Foundation said, “It has been my pleasure and privilege to chair DWF Foundation since it was established in 2015 by DWF as an independent charitable foundation.

“These past five years, I have watched the foundation grow and I have been so inspired by the projects that we have been able to support.

“I am very proud of what the DWF Foundation has achieved with the support of my fellow trustees and the people within DWF.

“The share donation in 2019 has enabled DWF Foundation to have a lasting legacy. I was delighted last year to welcome Sir Duncan Nichol to our Trustee board, who has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to our governance and grant-giving.

“I am excited to continue my support and involvement with DWF Foundation as its patron, and I look forward to working with Sir Duncan, the other trustees, our supporters and the charities we help in the months and years to come. “

Sir Duncan commented: “The DWF Foundation already enjoys a proud history of charitable funding and support, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to build on that record.

“I look forward to meeting many of the people in DWF who help in raising funds and many of the recipients who benefit from our grant giving.”

Michael Chadwick, Cheil UK

Cheil UK, a digital marketing and advertising agency, has hired Michael Chadwick as head of strategy.

Michael will work to develop and further enhance Cheil’s strategic offering, and oversee integration of Cheil’s online and offline business areas to help clients deliver connected, omnichannel experiences and drive better overall performance.

He will also be responsible for evolving Cheil’s new performance division, creating data-driven marketing strategies and delivering best-in-class brand experiences across the customer journey.

Michael joins from Dentsu Singapore, where he was responsible for strategy across 30 offices in 17 countries for key regional/global new business and clients. Prior to Dentsu, Chadwick has held roles at TBWA/Group, Mondelez International and JWT.

He commented: “‘I’m so excited to join the team at Cheil, and be part of a culture that’s delivering creativity and innovation across the whole customer experience.

“There’s huge opportunity to deliver powerful strategy that connects the dots across channels, and fuels work with real commercial and cultural impact.

“Cheil UK is unique in its approach, with a perfect blend of creativity and technology at its heart.

“I will be working to optimise our products and services and create new ones to continue to support the huge change brands are undergoing to help them grow and succeed.”

Dave Coombs, CEO at Cheil UK said: “I am thrilled to have Michael join the Cheil UK team, where his huge experience in digital platforms, customer experience and integrated service design will be a great asset to our growing business.”