This week's North East appointments

Andrew Horsman, Turner & Townsend

Real estate and infrastructure specialist, Turner & Townsend has appointed Andrew Horsman as a director in its Teesside office, leading the cost management team.

His appointment is one of over 30 new hires the professional services consultancy has made in the North East in recent months.

Andrew will be working with clients aiming to drive innovation, enhance productivity and improve social and economic value across their projects within the region.

He joins from Faithful+Gould and brings 14 years of experience in delivering property projects across the North East.

Andrew Horsman, director, said: “Turner & Townsend has its origins in Darlington and the passion and the commitment of the Teesside team to enhancing the region is clear to see.

“There is a huge pipeline of opportunity across the North East and it is important the projects we deliver provide long-term benefits to the local economy and its communities.”

Darren Laybourn, North East strategic lead, said: “Andrew has the perfect blend of experience and ambition to help drive our North East business forward.

“His appointment comes at a time when activity in Teesside is booming and his role will continue to strengthen our commercial capabilities and widen our network within Tees Valley.

“Freeports, steel, hydrogen and the race to net-zero, continue to put the North East on the map whilst enhancing job opportunities and the regional economy.

“By leveraging our growing skillsets in areas like digital and sustainability, our recent hires and senior promotions ensure we are well placed to deliver for our clients on these opportunities.”

Daniel Walker, MHA Tait Walker

Accountancy firm MHA Tait Walker has welcomed Daniel Walker to its data insight team following continued revenue growth.

Daniel is joining from Engie where he worked as a data scientist.

Having completed a Masters in Maths and Statistics at Newcastle University, Daniel secured a place on the Knowledge Transfer Partnership as an Associate.

The KTP programme sees individuals form a partnership between a university and a business, where Daniel began his career with Engie. In his time there, he delivered three projects focusing on machine learning and optimisation methods, before moving on to MHA Tait Walker.

Daniel said: “I joined MHA Tait Walker because I saw how the Data Insight team were really making a difference to businesses in the North East, and that it would give me the chance to continue to develop my own skills and expertise.

“As a team we instantly clicked, with our skill sets complimenting each other perfectly, I’m really looking forward to working with Graham and the team.”

Graham Dotchin, associate partner said: “Daniel’s appointment is an exciting addition to the team. His data science background is key to the progression of our services.”

Liam and Niall Torpey, HLA Services

South Tyneside-based air conditioning contractor, HLA Services, have appointed two engineers and brothers to the firm Liam and Niall Torpey.

Niall, a local exhaust ventilation trainee and Liam, air conditioning and refrigeration apprentice, are both from Tunstall, Sunderland.

Located in Boldon, HLA Services employs over 100 people and has satellite offices in Teesside, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

It works across numerous sectors including construction, manufacturing, retail, education and hospitality and is one of the North East’s leading mechanical, air conditioning, climate change and temperature control specialists.

Director, Neil Henry, said: “Liam and Niall are welcome additions to the HLA team and are showing a real commitment to their chosen disciplines. We look to appoint and progress the skill set of talented people within the region and retain them so that we build on our progression route.

“They both stood out because they were the right fit for the company and had the determination to want to better themselves. We have many employees who have started their careers with us and have remained at the company.

“Persistence and hard work, combined with talent, will get you a long way. We want to avoid young people joining the company and moving on in a few years and we are here to support them with their personal progression by working closely with our local colleges.”

Paul Buckley, Chris Hunter, Waltons Clark Whitehill

An expanding team of chartered accountants and business advisers has made two new appointments from within.

Waltons Clark Whitehill’s Paul Buckley has been promoted to associate with the firm, while Chris Hunter has been promoted to manager.

These latest moves follow on from Paul Harrison taking on the role of managing director and the appointment of Sharon Hutchinson as operations director in April.

Sharon said “We’re delighted to be able to recognise Paul and Chris in this way. They exemplify what we are looking for from our team and it is always nice to see loyal, long-standing employees’ progress.”

Paul started with Waltons in December 2015 as a tax supervisor, and he moved into the role of managing the newly created cloud accounting and tax team.

The 36-year-old chartered tax adviser, from Redcar, specialises in tax planning for companies and individuals.

He said: “I look after some of our high-profile clients, and it’s an expanding portfolio.

“The firm is growing, in terms of getting out there and being known across Teesside and the North-East business community. It’s a fantastic company to be part of”.

Chris joined the firm as an apprentice 20 years ago on a day release basis, studying towards the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification.

Chris said “I’m looking forward to continue to work alongside Paul, overseeing the day-to-day management of the CAT team.

“I’ve worked my way up over the years, with previous roles of supervisor and assistant manager, the firm is all about progression and rewarding its team.”