Member Article

This week's Yorkshire appointments

Chrissie Slater, Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce

Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce has taken over the running of the Hillrich business conferences in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, with Chrissie Slater joining the organisation to take the popular events forward.

Chrissie has worked on the Yorkshire Business Conferences previously and brings with her a wealth of sales and project management experience.

Executive Director of the Chamber, Andrew Choi said “This is an exciting opportunity for the Chamber, with the help and expertise from Chrissie, to build on the great success of the annual business conferences in Mid Yorkshire.

The events, branded ‘MY Conferences’ provide a fantastic platform for local companies to get in front of decision-makers and do business together. They offer outstanding connections right on our doorstep, which is what the Chamber is all about.“

Chrissie added, “I am excited to begin the new venture with the Chamber and bring some fresh, new ideas. I’m keen to make sure that each of the business weeks showcase that Mid Yorkshire businesses have a lot to offer.”

Jon Anderson, Richard Prior, LSH

National property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) has made two new appointments to its Building Consultancy team. Jon Anderson joins as a Director and Richard Prior joins as Senior Surveyor. Both will be responsible for clients across Yorkshire and the North East.

Jon joins the firm with over 20 years of commercial building consultancy and property experience. Before joining LSH, Jon worked for AA Projects in Leeds and has held previous positions with GVA, Weatherall Green and Bucknall Austin. Richard joins from Bradley Mason where he was also senior surveyor.

Matthew Scrimshaw, regional head of Yorkshire, said: “We are very pleased to have Jon and Richard join us. We are committed to working with the most talented individuals in the sector and our two new hires are testament to that. Utilising their combined years of experience, I am sure that they will be assets to the team.”

Jon said: “I am very pleased to be joining the ambitious team at LSH. I’ve worked with Richard in the past and am confident that we can contribute to the success of the business, growing the client base and delivering an exceptional service.”

Tony Appleyeard, Precision Drilling

Specialist construction contractor Precision Drilling has appointed a finance manager as part of its expansion plans.

Tony Appleyard joins the Hull-based company that specialises in drilling for all sectors of business and industry, including building, construction and civil engineering.

Mr Appleyard’s appointment will assist the company with new work in the renewables, nuclear, oil, gas, coastal defence and military defence sectors, said managing director, Ian Wilkinson.

“Tony is very analytical and hard working and brings a wealth of finance skills, which will become increasingly important as we continue to invest, expand and grow the company.

“This is a newly created position and his guidance is already proving to be invaluable while allowing myself to focus on other aspects of our day-to-day operations.”

Mr Appleyard, 52, has more than 30 years business and finance experience, with Humberside Tech, the Learning and Skills Council and the Skills Funding Agency, and most recently at North Lindsey College, Scunthorpe, as a compliance officer focused on auditing.

“I have spent the vast majority of my career in management and accounting-based roles in the training, skills and education sector.While there are many areas of cross-over between that and what we do here at Precision Drilling I am looking forward to meeting the fresh challenges of private sector construction.”

Patrick Cantrill, partner, Bond Dickinson

Leading intellectual property solicitor Patrick Cantrill is to join national law firm Bond Dickinson as a partner.

Patrick will join Bond Dickinson from Walker Morris, where he built the firm’s IP offering from scratch and went on to head their highly regarded Intellectual Property Department.

He has nearly 30 years of expertise gained from working both in UK and overseas practices and of managing IP portfolios for blue chip and international organisations.

He has extensive experience in both contentious and non-contentious IP and media law matters with a strong reputation for handling major and cross-border IP litigation.

He has been involved successfully in a number of high profile patent, design and trade mark cases.

Patrick is active in various IP organisations such as the Licensing Executives Society and the International Trademark Association, the major brand owners forum where he has served on various committees.

He has authored several articles on intellectual property and most recently was a contributor to The Innovation Handbook, which was recently published by the UK Intellectual Property Office.

He has substantial experience of overseas jurisdictions, in particular East Asia and served at Walker Morris as the co-chair of the China Trade Practice Group.

Nick Page, Chairman of Bond Dickinson, commented: “We are extremely pleased to announce Patrick’s appointment as a partner in our IP Department.

“He is one of the most accomplished lawyers in his field and he will be a first rate addition to our intellectual property and media practice. We look forward to working with him as we develop our presence in London and internationally.”

Patrick Cantrill commented: “I am delighted to be joining Bond Dickinson. It is an exciting time for the merged firm which already boasts an impressive client roster as it expands to fulfil its national and international ambitions.”

This appointment is the latest of senior level hires by the firm since it launched on 1 May 2013.

Ben Subbady, Michelle Fergusson, Elevation Recruitment

Newly appointed Associate Director Ben Suddaby, from Haworth, brings 14 years of financial recruitment experience gained within a national recruitment plc – including roles based in London, West Yorkshire and a 16 month secondment in Australia - to the firm’s Accountancy and Finance team. He will focus solely on qualified and senior-level finance appointments across the region.

Michelle Fergusson, from Leeds, also joins the agency’s expert team as a Business Manager within the HR division having worked in specialist recruitment for the last 8 years.

She is the fourth appointment within Elevation’s dedicated HR Division, a team that has shown continued growth and success as demand for experienced HR professionals continues to rise across the region.

The requirement for further expansion and recruitment within the agency is demonstrable evidence that commercial confidence is growing across the region, with Joint Managing Director Lee Bhandal explaining: “Yorkshire as a whole has seen some very promising growth recently with staffing levels across all sectors increasing.

“At Elevation we are committed to finding the right people for our clients, and the right jobs for our candidates, so it is essential that we have people in our business that really understand the roles they are recruiting for and bring with them a myriad of expertise.

“Our continued expansion in Leeds is prompted by the demand we are seeing from businesses for ambitious, quality candidates, and the appointment of both Ben and Michelle will increase the operational experience available for our firm and we look forward to welcoming them into the team.”

Speaking about his new role, Ben said: “I’m joining at an exciting time for Elevation as they continue to grow their presence in West Yorkshire through strong working partnerships with their clients.

“Their proactive approach and reputation attracted me to them and I look forward to working with such a highly-experienced team.”

Michelle Fergusson said: “Having a dedicated HR team with specialists is such an advantage and an enviable attribute for any agency. I aim to bring a wealth of expertise and best practice into an already thriving environment.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .