This week’s Yorkshire appointments

Emma Whiting, Dawn Clements, Arden Matheson, Holly Arden, Sophie Metcalfe, and Dale Bartleson - York Professionals

Membership and networking organisation York Professionals has appointed five new directors to the board.

Torque Law partner Emma Whiting and St Leonard’s Hospice director of income generation Dawn Clements join as board directors alongside Arden Matheson director Holly Arden, The Soapy Group director Sophie Metcalfe, and Dale Bartleson, director of sales at York’s newly launched radio station, YO1 Radio.

New board director Emma Whiting says, “I wanted to join the York Professionals board to pay back the support and guidance I’d been afforded by the membership when setting up Torque Law, five years ago.

It’s a really exciting time to be involved, not least because of the flourishing membership, and I can’t wait to get involved in the many exciting initiatives and events that we have coming up in the calendar.“

Dawn Clements says, “I am looking forward to being part of a group of like-minded individuals in an organisation that has supported me through the pandemic. I think it’s important that charities are included in these forums and seen as a credible profession that can add value and skills.”

Holly Arden adds, “I am delighted to join the York Professionals board and support the continued growth of the network. As a member, I have gained so much knowledge, support and connection to other businesses and I am excited to support this for other members.”

Dale Bartleson says, “As a director of a York radio station dedicated to helping local business, York Professionals’ ethos of bringing local businesses together aligns perfectly with mine and it is a pleasure to join the board.”

Sophie Metcalfe adds, “When I joined as a member a couple of years ago, I was really impressed with the positive culture – it definitely helped us build stronger relationships with other like-minded business owners. Now I’m really pleased to be joining the board and playing my part in bringing more York businesses together for the benefit of the city.”

Reece Maddick - Dacre, Son & Hartley

Residential property specialist Reece MAddick has been appointed by Yorkshire independent estate agent, Dacre, Son & Hartley, to manage its Guiseley office.

Reece Maddick has worked for a mix of traditional and online estate agents and joins from Aspire Properties in Huddersfield. He will manage the Guiseley office, which has operated in Guiseley for more than 25 years and is based at 32 Otley Road.

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential sales at Dacre, Son & Hartley, which operates 19 offices across West and North Yorkshire, said: “Reece is an experienced manager and skilled negotiator with a real passion for delivering high levels of service.

“He has recently been recognised for his dedication to client satisfaction at the prestigious ESTAS Awards – which are based on customer reviews – winning the ‘best Yorkshire agent’ category. With a business management degree, Reece also has a flare for marketing.”

Reece said: “I’m really excited to be heading up Dacres in Guiseley. We will be recruiting two new team members in response to the buoyant market conditions, and I will be responsible for growing market share in this popular part of West Yorkshire.

“With great rail links into Leeds, Bradford and Ilkley, good schools and easy access to the surrounding countryside, Guiseley and its surrounding towns and villages are the ideal place to buy a home. I have joined Dacres because it has such a great reputation for quality service and takes a market leading approach to digital marketing.

“I can’t wait to help drive the business forward and bring even more properties onto the market in Guiseley, Cartlon, Hawksworth, Esholt, Rawdon, Yeadon and Apperley Bridge.”

Neil Williams - GB Bank

GB Bank, focused on lending to “underserved regions” of the UK, has further strengthened its executive team with the appointment of Neil Williams as chief lending officer.

As a member of the bank’s executive management team, Neil will oversee the management, direction, and development of GB Bank’s lending proposition which is focused on serving SME property developers across the North. He will be based at GB Bank’s headquarters in Middlesbrough.

Neil brings with him over 38 years’ experience working in the finance and banking sector, most recently working as a strategic growth consultant for North East and Yorkshire businesses.

Prior to this Neil was regional director of Santander Corporate & Commercial Bank, working across Yorkshire, North East and Humberside for the last 11 years supporting SMEs and Corporates.

Sue Hayes, chief executive officer, GB Bank said: “We are pleased to welcome Neil to our leadership team. He has an impressive track record of supporting business lending and growth.

“His experience will be a great benefit to us going forward and we believe that Neil is a great cultural fit for GB Bank, sharing our vision to improve the funding options available for regional property developers across the North of England.”

Neil Williams, chief Lending officer at GB Bank said: “I am excited to join GB Bank at this stage of its journey, helping the bank to execute its lending strategy and support regional businesses working in the property sector.

“This is a pivotal time for GB Bank which recently achieved its banking licence. As a lender focused on SME property development, we have scope to make a real difference, filling a much needed gap to support entrepreneurial SMEs in the North.”