This week's Yorkshire appointments

David Simms, Dacre, Son & Hartley

Independent estate agency Dacre, Son & Hartley has appointed David Simms to head up the firm’s Guiseley office.

David brings a range of experience and local knowledge to the role after previously working at another Guiseley estate agent for six years. Prior to his appointment at Dacres, he worked for a national estate agency group in North Leeds.

In his new role he will be responsible for heading up Guiseley’s residential sales team, which sells homes ranging from apartments through to farms and country houses, throughout Guiseley and its surrounding towns and villages including Hawksworth, Yeadon, Rawdon, Apperley Bridge and Carlton.

David said: “As a Guiseley resident who has spent many years working in the local property market, this is a superb opportunity to join a longstanding company with a strong reputation.

“The Guiseley office sits in a prominent position, right in the heart of the town centre, and has an established team in place selling homes across a wide geographical area and at all price points, which all added to the appeal of this role.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley added: “David is a knowledgeable and experienced estate agent who knows the local market inside out, which made him the ideal person to head up our Guiseley office.”

Steve Cranswick, PFF Packaging

PFF Packaging has appointed Steve Cranswick as a key account manager based at its Keighley site.

Steve brings a range of experience to the company having spent 30 years in the plastic manufacturing packaging industry.

Reporting to PFF’s sales director Ian Smith, Steve’s role includes new business and the development of strategic accounts. 

Ian Smith commented: “Steve has extensive knowledge of the packaging sector and his appointment will enhance the service we offer to our customers. We’re delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Gaby Madronero, Prudence Wright and Sian Hawkins, ERE Property

Property investment company ERE Property has made three new appointments to its lettings division.

Gaby Madronero has been appointed as senior property manager, while Prudence Wright and Sian Hawkins have joined the firm as property managers.

Chris Stone, lettings director of ERE Property, commented: “We are committed to providing the highest levels of service possible to investors, landlords and tenants and investing in a high calibre team is integral to this.

“There’s no doubt it has been a challenging year, but the property market is resilient, and we have taken this time to build a strong team to take the company forward, providing the optimum investment, management and lettings service.”

Simon Dodd, Soanes Poultry

Poultry supplier Soanes Poultry has appointed Simon Dodd as customer service coordinator and brand ambassador.

In this newly created role, Simon’s responsibilities include supporting existing customers and building new relationships.

Simon has over 15 years of customer service experience gained with safety supplier Arco and kitchen specialist Wren.

Simon commented: “I’m looking forward to working with the experienced sales team and getting to meet customers and sharing the Soanes story.”

Soanes Poultry’s director of sales and marketing, Ben Lee, added: “Simon will complement our in house sales expertise and will be the face and voice of Soanes out on the road.

“His appointment to this new role marks an exciting new chapter in customer service at Soanes.”

Paul Kaye, Leeds Credit Union

Leeds Credit Union has appointed Paul Kaye as its new CEO.

Paul has a range of experience in the financial services industry, having worked at a senior strategic level across a number of companies.

In his new role, Paul will help Leeds Credit Union to build relationships with the government, regulators and other credit unions across the country.

Paul commented: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to head one of the largest credit unions in the UK to offer an alternative to the higher cost lenders and work with the team to provide inclusive financial services to the local community and beyond.

“I look forward to engaging with our members and key stakeholders to help formulate and implement a clear strategy to give our members the service they deserve.”

Andrew McPhillips, chair of Leeds Credit Union, added: “Out of a strong line of candidates we felt Paul had the right blend of financial experience, leadership skills and energy to help guide the Credit Union out of the COVID pandemic and meet the ambitious growth targets set out by the board.”

Ben Palmer, Ison Harrison

Law firm Ison Harrison has appointed Ben Palmer as senior solicitor in its corporate law division.

Corporate employment specialist Ben joins the firm’s regional team having previously been head of the employment division at Oakwood Solicitors.

Ben brings over 14 years of employment experience to the firm and has acted on behalf of a range of clients from airlines, PLCs and pharmaceutical companies to manufacturing businesses, registered charities, schools and SMEs.

Ben specialises in providing HR and employment law advice to his clients, including assisting clients with mergers and acquisitions. He also has experience of representing clients in complex and high value employment tribunal litigation.

Ben’s new role will see him helping expand the firm’s employment offering whilst also coordinating with teams of professionals from across the firm’s growing network of regional offices.

Ben commented: “I’m looking forward to growing the firm’s expert corporate offering and building on its excellent reputation in the employment sector.

“Ison Harrison is a progressive firm especially in the arena of corporate law and continues to affirm its position as one of the leading firms in the region.”

Jonathan Wearing, managing partner, added: “This is the latest in a series of recent strategic appointments and underpins our ongoing commitment to growing the business, building on the solid progress we have achieved in the last few years.

“With Ben spearheading our corporate employment function, the aim is to fully engage the expertise that the team across our network of regional offices can offer.

“Ben brings a good deal of valuable experience across a variety of client sectors and his addition to the team represents another major step forward for our continued growth plans.”

Helen Charlesworth, Force24

Marketing automation agency Force24 has appointed Helen Charlesworth as head of people.

Helen was the former head of HR for sustainable modular home startup ilke Homes, as well as head of HR with care home LNT Group and car manufacturer Ginetta.

Helen – who has 20 years’ experience in managerial and HR leadership positions, commented: “I was incredibly intrigued about a business that has been going for over 10 years without a recognised people function.

“I didn’t quite know what to expect but soon discovered an incredibly driven workforce full of talented employees who were all eager to do their best for customers.

“Being part of a thriving company culture is refreshing and everyone seems excited by the thought they’re contributing to Force24’s huge growth. I want us to keep driving that forward and develop an employee value proposition that means we’re a desirable employer of choice.”

Operations director Diana Rowatt added: “Helen brings a wealth of experience and a fresh and exciting direction for our business as we continue on our rapid growth trajectory.

“We’re already seeing the impact she’s making on the team in terms of employee engagement initiatives and how we can strategically develop our people function to focus even more on talent, processes and technology.”