This week's Yorkshire appointments

Neil Reid, JM Glendinning

Insurance broker JM Glendinning has appointed Neil Reid as group insurer placement director.

Neil joins the business following a 27-year career in the insurance industry. Starting at Norwich Union, he moved on to roles with brokers JLT, Alexander Forbes and Marsh before setting up his own broker business in 2008, which he sold in 2017.

Neil commented: “I’ve been out of the industry for a few years following the business sale, and I was itching to get back into it.

“I had a few offers on the table, but none of them excited me as much as the opportunity to join JM Glendinning as the business moves into its next phase of serious growth.”

JM Glendinning group CEO Nick Houghton added: “Things are changing rapidly in the business as we continue on our acquisition trail. Since the beginning of the year, we have grown from a £45m premium income business to £75m and it’s important that our insurer relationships keep pace with business growth.

“Neil is a fantastic addition to our senior team to help us manage insurer relationships and make sure the terms we secure for our clients reflect the group’s size and scale.”

Leah Sanderson, 360 Chartered Accountants

360 Chartered Accountants has appointed Leah Sanderson as trainee accountant.

Leah will initially be working with 360’s Charities and Corporate team before spending time across all accounts departments to ensure she gains experience in all aspects of accountancy, while being mentored and supported through her studies.

Andy Steele, Director of 360, based in Hull and East Yorkshire, commented: “We are passionate about training the next generation of accountants and are delighted that Leah has joined our team.

“We have recently reopened 360 HQ in the city centre now that Covid restrictions have eased and so her arrival has come at the perfect time.”

Oliver King, Berwins

Law firm Berwins has appointed Oliver King as senior associate.

Oliver brings with him a decade of legal experience and a reputation for delivering targeted results for corporate clients.

Before joining Berwins, Oliver was part of the corporate team at a regional law firm and has spent his entire career based in York, acting for both regional clients and those further afield.

Oliver commented: “I’m thrilled to have joined such a well-regarded firm at what is an exciting time for the practice and the industry as a whole.

“Not only does Berwins have an enviable reputation for completing high quality corporate and commercial work, but the firm has also used the past 12 months to focus and accelerate growth plans. That means real benefits for both clients and the business as a whole.”

Senior partner Paul Berwin added: “We’re delighted that Oliver has become part of the Berwins team.

“There are many synergies between the way that he and the team operate, and this strategic hire will not only complement and strengthen the skill set already in place but forms a key part in driving the firm forward, contributing to ambitious growth plans.”

Gillian Kaufman and Kathryn Pitters, Irwin Mitchell

Irwin Mitchell has appointed two new associates to its West Yorkshire team.

Gillian Kaufman joins as a senior associate solicitor in the restructuring & insolvency team and Kathryn Pitters has been appointed as a barrister–associate in the firm’s regulatory investigations group.

With a career spanning 25 years, Gillian is a specialist in the full range of contentious and non-contentious insolvency matters and advises insolvency practitioners, corporate and individual clients.

Gillian is experienced in formal insolvency procedures and informal restructuring, turnaround, refinancing arrangements and advising distressed businesses. She also has specific expertise in international debt recovery work recovering UK debt for international clients.

Kathryn is an specialist in professional discipline and healthcare regulatory work, andjoins the firm from Capsticks LLP, where she assisted with the establishment of the new specialist regulator Social Work England.

Over the last 15 years, Kathryn has been a member of Charter Chambers in London, with experience of financial regulatory and professional discipline work.

Laura Thompson, Multitask Personnel

Multitask Personnel has appointed Laura Thompson as permanent recruitment manager.

Laura, who brings over seven years’ experience as a recruitment consultant, senior manager and branch manager, has a background in engineering and construction.

Tasked with growing the professional division and team, Laura’s key focus is to provide recruitment solutions to help existing clients on current vacancies, as well as bringing in new business across a wide range of market sectors that require professional knowledge.

Laura commented: “I’m delighted to join Multitask Personnel to lead and develop the professional division alongside the fantastic team already in place. After starting out as a resourcer in an ‘any and every’ recruitment environment, I’ve been able to make professional and technical recruitment my home over the past few years.

“My focus will be on working with management and specialist white collar and operations support professionals including, contracts managers, quantity surveyors, project managers, health and safety managers, estimators and HR managers across our specialist sectors such as construction, building services, environmental, mechanical and electrical.

“Understanding my clients and candidates has always been one of my priorities, so building that relationship to understand their requirements is key to making this role a success. Multitask is a great fit for my experience and future ambitions.”

Claire Lee, managing director at Multitask Personnel, added: “As the business community continues to pull together and navigate itself out of the covid19 pandemic, we’re finding the requirement for professional management is increasing once again.

“We therefore feel now is the perfect time to strengthen our professional desk with the appointment of Laura, who has all the skills and attributes to hit the ground running looking after a number of our key accounts and developing the division further.

“We would like to wish Laura a warm welcome to the team, and remind our clients that our professional recruitment services are still very much part of our future plans here at Multitask Personnel.”

Gareth Barker, Sheffield Forgemasters

Sheffield Forgemasters has appointed Gareth Barker as chief operating officer.

Gareth. who started with the company in 1996 as an apprentice engineer, has progressed through the company ever since, working across all of its production divisions in various managerial roles before his appointment to the board of directors.

Gareth now takes overall responsibility for all site operations, technical and quality output, Health, Safety and Environment, implementation of specific new plant investments and works with the CEO, CFO and non-executive directors to shape and develop the future of the business.

Sheffield Forgemasters’ CEO, David Bond, commented: “Gareth is a valuable addition to the board of directors at Sheffield Forgemasters and has intimate knowledge of the company’s processes, the markets we serve and our strategies for future growth.

“Apprenticeships present a great opportunity for youngsters to develop their skills and launch their future careers on a sound footing. Gareth is a perfect example of what can be achieved, having worked his way up from the shop floor to gain experience in managerial and director roles across the whole business.

“His work with the other board directors will shape this company for the future and we hope that his achievements to date will serve as a real incentive to apprentices throughout the industry, demonstrating that there are no boundaries to ambition and hard work.”

Gareth added: “I am delighted to sit alongside our other board directors and to work towards an exciting future for this business, which I have invested my entire working life into.

“I am an avid fan of apprenticeships and view our own apprenticeship scheme as our most important asset. It is the lifeblood of this company and our apprentices are Sheffield forgemasters’ future leaders and decision makers.”