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This week’s North East appointments

Your weekly roundup of the latest North East appointments.

Anna Barton, Jane Meikle and Tom Wills, Sintons

Newcastle-based law firm Sintons has named three of its lawyers as new Partners.

Anna Barton, Jane Meikle and Tom Wills have all been promoted within the Newcastle-based firm, taking its Partner count to 31.

Anna is Head of Conveyancing, managing the residential property team; Jane, a well-known banking and finance specialist, is Head of Banking; and Tom, a real estate lawyer is Head of Agriculture and Estates.

Phil Ridley, Practice Director at Sintons, said: “Anna, Jane and Tom are highly rated lawyers and we are delighted their expertise, hard work and commitment has been rewarded with Partnership.

“They embody the firm’s vision, which is to set the standard for legal excellence and in doing so become the law firm of choice for businesses, organisations and individuals both regionally and nationally.

“They are renowned for delivering an outstanding service through their understanding of their clients’ needs and they take pride in what they do and how they do it.”

Steven Brown, RSM

RSM’s Steven Brown has joined the firm’s North East corporate finance team, strengthening its M&A offering in the region.

Having been part of the North East restructuring advisory team at RSM for 10 years, the move supports a personal ambition of Steven to expand his skill set into corporate finance. He brings significant transactional experience to his new role, as well as an extensive network of North East businesses and intermediaries.

RSM’s North East corporate finance team is enjoying its most successful year to date, having acted on a number of high profile deals, including the sale of Desco to Pell Frischmann and the management buyout of Indigo Software Group.

In his new role, Steven will work closely with Tony Edwards, head of corporate finance for the North East and Yorkshire, to strengthen the M&A offering in the region.

Tony Edwards, said: ‘It’s great to welcome Steven to the team. It’s been a very busy year, and we have a strong pipeline, so he joins us at an exciting time. This success is testimony to the skills and expertise we already have in place – and Steven’s experience will further enhance this offering.

‘It’s a win-win situation for us, as the move supports the needs of our business, but it also provides the opportunity to facilitate Steven’s personal career ambitions – supporting our commitment to attracting, developing and retaining key North East talent.’

Steven Brown added: ‘The move is a great opportunity to broaden my skill set, whilst drawing on my complementary experience to drive deal activity for the firm. I’m looking forward to building on the momentum of last year to support more North East businesses with their strategic goals.’

Kristian Cliff, Esh

Esh Facilities has appointed project manager Kristian Cliff. A former Kier Group manager, Kieran has more than twenty years’ experience in property and facilities.

Kristian, who also has experience working offshore, will be based out of Esh Facilities’ North East headquarters but will spend some of the working week in various parts of the UK.

He said: “It’s a great time to join Esh Facilities as the team is working with such a wide variety of clients across the country.

“My role is in supporting relationship director Derek Murdie, managing our partnership with ISS and making sure clients get the first class service they’re accustomed to from Esh Facilities.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the team to build on Esh Facilities’ leading position in the market.”

Michael Briggs, Mussel Club

Networking organisation The Mussel Club is continuing to grow its marketing offering with the appointment of Michael Briggs as a digital marketing executive.

The new department opened in Q4 of last year when Sarah Spence, previously of the North East BIC, joined the business.

MD Jeni Banks said: “The marketing department has only been running since October, these days’ businesses are increasingly outsourcing their marketing and it has taken off quicker than anticipated.

“We pride ourselves on knowledge and experience and the marketing department boast a combined total of 18 years’ experience.

“We’re delighted to welcome Michael to the team, with him he not only brings experience but other skills such as video and photography to compliment the department.

“It’s hard to believe that this time last year there were just two of us working from a broom cupboard. In the next few months we will be looking for larger office space to accommodate our ever-growing team.”

Michael Briggs added: “I was at a stage where I wanted to challenge myself and joining The Mussel Club will enable me to develop my skills further. My love of creating social media channels, watching them develop and seeing the results for businesses is something that I love to do.

“Social media is a fundamental aspect for businesses and I am looking forward in getting stuck into my new role and seeing what the next chapter of my career delivers.”

Simon Rennison-Rae, GSSArchitecture

GSSArchitecture has appointed Chartered Architect Simon Rennison-Rae as an Associate to lead its Newcastle studio.

Simon brings with him over 10 years’ experience of working in the North East, and experience across a range of sectors including, Defence Estates (MOD), motor retail, education, residential, and building conservation and conversions.

Simon will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the Newcastle studio, and will help GSS to grow and diversify in the North East region and across all sectors.

In addition, Simon will support the practice in building upon established client relationships, as well as forging new connections.

Speaking about his new position, Simon said “It’s a very exciting time to join GSS. The company has a very strong foundation and is establishing roots in the North East, showing their commitment to the region.

“The Newcastle studio is a great working environment and I look forward to helping with the further expansion of the business and team, supported by the wider practice.

“GSS have already made me feel like an established and valued member of the team, and their exciting range of projects and the focus on training and development, particularly Revit and BIM, were the key reasons for joining the company.”

Andrew Fox, Slaley Hall

QHotels has appointed hotelier Andrew Fox as Regional General Manager for its northern hotels, including luxury Northumberland horel Slaley Hall.

After previously holding the position of QHotels Regional General Manager for The Midlands, Andrew returns to the group from InterContinental Hotels, where he led the successful opening of the Crowne Plaza in Newcastle.

Bringing 20 years’ experience, he has worked as General Manager for some of the UK’s most well-known hotel brands, including Marriott.

He will take on the role as on-site General Manager for Slaley Hall, as well as overseeing operations at QHotels’ Aldwark Manor near York and The Westerwood Hotel near Glasgow.

Andrew said: “It’s great to make the move back to QHotels and to maintain an active role in the leisure business in the North East, a region that has become very important to me.

“I’m keen to reinstate Slaley Hall’s reputation as a luxury resort, set in 1,000 acres of Northumberland countryside, the hotel has something for everyone, from taking a luxury spa or activity break, to using its meeting or corporate golf facilities.”

Michael Purtill, Managing Director of QHotels, added: “Not only does Andrew have significant experience of managing prestigious hotels and resorts across the UK, he also has a great track record and deep understanding of business in the North East region. It’s fantastic to welcome him back to the QHotels management team.”

Emma Hall, Synergi

Emma Hall has been appointed as Synergi IT’s new Operations and Client Project Coordinator, where she will facilitate, resource and coordinate inflight projects.

Emma has over 10 years’ experience in project management, previously working for Northumbria University, as well as Head of Conferences and Events at Sage Gateshead, where she developed the corporate business, lead the conference team and managed large events for up to 3,000 people.

On joining the company, she commented: “I am very excited about joining Synergi, particularly at such a busy time in their growth as a company. Although technology is a relatively new sector for me, my project management skills are completely transferable. I love to ‘make things happen’, and hope that my involvement in our projects will help to ensure their smooth running.”

Justin Short, Director at Synergi, added: “Emma’s onboarding will enable Synergi to further improve project coordination and utilisation planning, ensuring our clients are even more engaged in the planning and project delivery stages.

“Emma will also be key to our Synergi Service Excellent challenge we’ve set for 2017. We are striving to further improve all aspects of client touch, and raising the client expectations bar ever higher. I’m sure Emma will add huge value, and drive the team on as we grow.”

Join us next monday for more appointments news.

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