Member Article

This week’s North East appointments

Gosforth-based PR agency HFPR Ltd has recruited Newcastle University graduate Emma Mountain, in the role of junior account executive.

Twenty three-year-old Emma, from South Shields, who has a combined English and History Honours degree, will assist senior team members in providing PR for the company’s clients.

Emma said: “I am really fortunate to have secured a position so soon after graduating and with a company which is held in such high regard by its clients and the media alike.”

HFPR Ltd managing director Hilary Florek added: “Not only does Emma possess excellent written skills, but she is also highly adept at utilising social media in a targeted and strategic way.”

Sandra Innes joins Oxford Innovation

Specialist business coaching provider Oxford Innovation has appointed associate coach Sandra Innes to help entrepreneurs in Northumberland unlock their full growth potential.

Innes appointment comes hot on the heels of four new recruits who joined the organisation in February to meet exceptional demand from companies across the county.

Innes, who hails from Scotland and moved to Northumberland 13 years ago, has over 20 years business development experience working for ICI and a further six years working with SMEs in the North East.

Mike Jobson, Business Northumberland High Growth programme manager at Oxford Innovation, said: “We are delighted to have Sandra on board. She has a wealth of expertise which will be of huge benefit to our growing client base.”

Commercial law firm Square One Law has attracted associate Ashraf Ali to its corporate commercial team from the Manchester office of London-based law firm, Laytons.

Ashraf is experienced in dealing with a wide range of corporate matters and his work centres on the acquisition, development and disposal of small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of industry sectors.

He recently assisted with the disposal of a Dubai based deep sea oil engineering business operating in eight jurisdictions globally and acted for the fund managers of the £184 million North West Fund, advising on individual investments.

Ashraf said: “I grew up in the North East and I studied at Durham University, so I was looking for an opportunity to return. Square One Law is developing a great reputation and is well known in the legal marketplace for being energetic and dynamic which is exactly the kind of environment I was looking for.

“I am really motivated by the challenge of winning new work and working with and learning from the experienced partners at Square One Law.”

North East-based marketing company Horizonworks has appointed a marketing and business development coordinator and new client marketing manager as part of its on-going growth strategy.

The firm, which is headquartered in Newcastle, has welcomed Richard Holmes and Michael Hancock to its expanding team, following increased business growth and high profile client wins across the engineering, manufacturing, transport and technology sectors.

A former journalist, Richard was group editor at Accent Magazines, a Newcastle-based publishing company, for eight years and edited prominent North East business magazine North East Times for nearly a decade. He has also edited numerous publications across the property, lifestyle, sports and arts sectors.

Michael Hancock, a recent Business Studies graduate of Northumbria University, has also joined Horizonworks as marketing and business development coordinator. He will be responsible for the coordination and delivery of the company’s marketing strategy.

Steve Railton has been appointed managing partner of the newly established Baker Tilly North East practice following a restructuring of the accountancy firm’s regional offices.

In his new role, Steve will head up the new single North East practice which brings together the former RSM Tenon office in Ferryboat Lane in Sunderland and Baker Tilly’s office at St. James’ Gate in Newcastle. The restructuring follows Baker Tilly’s purchase of RSM Tenon in September last year.

Steve, 44, has been a partner with Baker Tilly since 2002, most recently as office managing partner at the Newcastle office.

He said: “Six months ago, Baker Tilly’s purchase of RSM Tenon more than doubled the size of our business in the North East, adding strong credentials in restructuring and recovery and corporate finance to our existing strengths in tax, accountancy, audit and business consultancy services to our core market of SMEs and owner managed businesses.”

Deirdre Pearson has been appointed chief executive at Talbot House Trust in Walbottle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Talbot House Trust is a registered charity which provides a nurturing and supportive environment for children and young people with complex needs. It comprises a special educational needs school, a residential care home for children and a vocational skills centre.

Deirdre was appointed in January and brings with her over 10 years experience as a senior manager in the not-for-profit sector.

As a specialist in financial management, she was previously employed as director of finance and administration at Norcare and most recently worked as a financial consultant for Together Women, a Leeds-based charity.

A new appointment by Capita, one of the UK’s leading multidisciplinary consultancies, is set to support the company’s continued growth from its base in North Tyneside.

Capita delivers a range of technical services to clients across the North East and Scotland from its offices on the Cobalt Business Park.

It has now recruited a senior transport engineer, Elaine Provan, who will work from Capita’s Glasgow office - to help deliver engineering projects in Scotland that have been secured by colleagues on North Tyneside.

Elaine, who was previously a transport engineer for Inverclyde Council, said: “It’s exciting to be part of Capita’s growth north of the border.

“I saw joining Capita as a new challenge and a good opportunity for career progression.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .