This week's London appointments

Ashleigh Steinhobel, JDO

Global brand design agency JDO has announced that it is appointing a new senior strategist.

The company has appointed Ashleigh Steinhobel as its new senior strategist, joining from Pearlfisher London.

She commented: “JDO is at a very exciting time in its growth as an agency.

“There are some fantastic projects on the table and I’m delighted to be part of an exceptional team, and to help drive the agency’s strategic offer forward.”

Fiona Florence, managing director at JDO, said: “Achieving real brand impact today requires us to stretch above and beyond to develop the best impression possible.

“Ashleigh will provide a fresh perspective, raise the bar, test a new approach and forge distinctive new experiences.”

Damien Dawson, Atradius

Trade credit insurer Atradius has appointed Damien Dawson as its new regional manager for London and the South East.

Damien joins Atradius with more than 33 years’ experience in credit insurance, receivables management and broking industries.

He will lead the Atradius team in the London and South East region, managing its existing portfolio and continuing to grow Atradius’ presence within the local market.

He commented: “Atradius has a very good reputation in the industry and a key focus on customer service.

“I want to further strengthen Atradius’ close working relationships with brokers and customers to ensure that our service remains second to none.

“Open dialogue and collaboration with brokers is essential so that we can collectively offer customers the right support and stability during such an uncertain economic time.”

Stuart Ramsden, regional director for Atradius UK and Ireland, said: “Damien has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the sector both from the perspective of credit insurer and broker which gives him an unrivalled insight.

“We’re pleased to welcome him to lead the region and enhance Atradius’ presence by working closely with brokers and supporting customers to develop robust trade strategies and achieve growth.”

Jason Forbes, Hilding Anders

Bedding and mattress group Hilding Anders has appointed Jason Forbes as president of online brands and group chief digital officer.

Jason brings more than 20 years’ experience driving growth for brands through digital, eCommerce and P&L leadership.

He held the position of global CEO at Beamly prior to its acquisition by Coty to accelerate their own digital transformation.

At Coty, he was promoted to chief digital and media officer where he built their digital and eCommerce leadership teams.

He commented: “I’m thrilled to join Hilding Anders at such an exciting time, not only given the support of KKR but given the pace of change across the sleep, health and wellness industry as a whole.

“As someone who has always battled with sleep, translating Hilding Anders mission of “Improving lives through sleep” across its online brand .com and marketplace channels was a very uniquely attractive purpose for me.

“With its new consumer focused Board and leadership team, Hilding Anders is a stand-out in the industry, combining a strong heritage with an appetite for data driven agility.”

Henrik Sjögren, CEO at Hilding Anders, said: “The appointment of Jason is a major milestone for our business. He brings a wealth of digital transformation and online brand experience.

“At Hilding, expanding three of our key brands into direct to consumer channels is a pivotal moment for us, so we’re excited to have brought in such a talented leader to drive this next phase of our expansion.”

Freddie Cornes, Yopa

Estate agency Yopa has announced the promotion of its CFO Freddie Cornes to managing director.

Freddie, who has been Yopa’s CFO since August 2018, trained as a chartered accountant at Deloitte before working as a financial analyst at Sky.

Grenville Turner, Yopa’s chairman, commented: “Freddie has been instrumental in leading the business over the course of the last two years.

“His appointment is part of the careful consideration Yopa’s board has put into our long-term succession planning.

“It reflects our appreciation of Freddie’s significant contribution to Yopa’s turn-around performance to date and our confidence in its future potential. We are delighted to have Freddie leading Yopa into its next surge of growth.”

Freddie added: “I am extremely proud to be stepping into the role of managing director at Yopa.

“We’ve made huge strides over the past year in particular thanks to the hard work of Yopa’s business owners and staff.

“We’ve grown our market share to reach the top five estate agency brands in the UK, helped our agents to grow their businesses and earnings, and seen significant progress in financial performance. As a result, we have been cash generating since April 2020.

“This is an outstanding achievement given the challenges our industry faced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, but proves the resilience of our model and our determination to succeed.

“I look forward to working with our business owners and staff to further Yopa’s growth into 2021 and beyond.”