This week's North East appointments: Featuring Mi, Burnetts Solicitors LLP, Sarah McKenna HR Recruitment Ltd & Silverstone Building Consult

This week’s round up of North East appointments includes UMi, Burnetts Solicitors LLP, Sarah McKenna HR Recruitment Ltd & Silverstone Building Consultancy. Read on to find out more.

Nicki Clark, UMi

Nicki Clark OBE, Chief Executive of business support consultancy UMi, has been appointed to on the board of Trustees for B Lab UK, the non-profit network championing B Corps and driving high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency in business.

Joining a board of fellow pioneering leaders that are paving the way in social and environmental accountability, Nicki’s presence will provide a fresh perspective, drawing upon her experience leading an innovative, employee-owned business that has helped over half a million businesses set up and grow across the UK.

The appointment follows shortly on from UMi gaining its B Corp status last year, becoming the first business support consultancy in the region to receive this. The consultancy was evaluated on more than 200 criteria across five categories including governance, environment, workers, community, and customers and exceeded the benchmark rating of 80 required to achieve B Corp status, receiving a high rating of 121.

Committed to purpose led business support, Nicki and her team launched the #CostofTradingCrisis campaign to help businesses through a challenging financial climate. In this latest role, Nicki will help support B Lab UK to achieve its ambitious plans across the UK and its role as part of an incredibly global network.

Commenting on her latest appointment, Nicki Clark OBE and chief executive of UMi said: “B Lab UK plays a pivotal role in delivering the ambitions of the B Corp movement in the UK, championing the message that places equal emphasis on people, planet and profit I’m really excited about the opportunity to work with such forward thinking leaders who are committed to driving a more sustainable approach to business.”

Richard Miller, Burnetts Solicitors LLP

Richard Miller, partner at Dean Street based Burnetts Solicitors LLP, has been appointed to the position after spending more than 18 years with the company. He succeeds Vaughan Jones who retires from the business later this year.

Richard has previously held a number of leadership roles within the business while maintaining an active role as a Partner within the firm’s nationally recognised Agribusiness team.

This new post is the latest in a long line of successes for the solicitor, who formally joined the company in 2005 following participation in the training scheme Burnetts has run since 2000.

He became the firm’s youngest ever Salaried Partner in 2011 at the age of 26 and became an Equity Partner in 2014. “I am delighted to take on this role within the firm,” said Richard, “It is a real privilege to work with extremely talented people within teams across the business and I am looking forward to utilising my new role to further advance our expansion in the North East.”

Nick Gutteridge, managing partner for Burnetts, believes Richard’s appointment will be of huge benefit to the business. “Strategic and structured succession is key to a successful and sustainable professional services business like ours,” he said.

Natalie Louicia Ball, Sarah McKenna HR Recruitment Ltd

Sunderland based specialist HR recruiter Sarah McKenna HR Recruitment Ltd has expanded the team and has welcomed Natalie Louicia Ball to the newly created position of People Partner.

With over a decade of experience in the HR industry, Sarah supports businesses on a daily basis to grow their team by identifying the right HR talent, so she is delighted to have found her own perfect match in Natalie.

Natalie is CIPD qualified with a background in HR (UK and International) from her time working as HR Specialist on the Royal Caribbean Cruise liner: passenger ship. Natalie brings with her a broad range of skills and experience including EA, office management and executive search, which will add so much value to the service offered to candidates and clients.

Natalie will be supporting the team with partnership development, process improvement, managing the day-to-day operations of the office and helping coordinate the recruitment process. Alongside, organising all future HR events and sessions.

Josh Brown & Paul Wharton, Silverstone Building Consultancy

Silverstone Building Consultancy is demonstrating its commitment to internal career progression with the promotion of Josh Brown to associate director and Paul Wharton to senior associate director.

Josh, said: “It is a hugely exciting time for the team at Silverstone, as we continue to grow and, having stepped up to my new position, I am very keen to play an increasing role in driving the business forward, alongside other senior members of the team.”

Paul, said: “Delivering outstanding results is what Silverstone is renowned for and as we continue to grow, it is our promise to always remain a client-centric business. As we anticipate further growth, I will be heavily involved in strategy and ensuring the seamless expansion of our team and client base.”

Richard Farrey, director, Silverstone, said: “To deliver exceptional client service, we need a second-to-none team and, as such, every employee that joins us has the potential to progress through the business.

“The promotion of both Josh and Paul highlights our commitment to both our clients and our team. They have shown that their work ethos and values align with those of Silverstone and they represent the very best that the company stands for.”

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