Member Article

This week’s North East appointments

The latest appointments from across the North East this week.

Kris English and Charlotte Barker, Hay & Kilner

Newcastle-based Law Firm Hay & Kilner has added Kris English and Charlotte Barker to its residential property department.

Kris, who joins the company as an Associate Solicitor, has over 11 years’ experience in residential property law, advising clients on all types of residential property matters.

The residential property department at Hay & Kilner has seen significant growth in recent months and now has a team of 11 specialist solicitors, legal executives & paralegals. Charlotte will work with Kris as a paralegal within his team.

Paul Illes, Partner and Joint Head of the Residential Property Department at Hay & Kilner commented: “It is great to have Kris & Charlotte on board.

“To have someone with Kris’ experience and personality will be invaluable to our team and our clients.

“Kris and Charlotte have already shown a real passion for their roles and we can’t wait to see it continue. We wish them both every success in their careers at Hay & Kilner.”

Robyn Keelin, Coleman James

Newcastle-based recruitment firm Coleman James Ltd, which specialises in the construction and built environment sector, has appointed Robyn Keelin as a senior consultant.

Robyn, who has a 14 year track record in the industry, joins Coleman James from Anderselite where she spent the last 7 years specifically recruiting for Building Services and General Engineering.

Now with national responsibility for Building Services, General Engineering Design and Management, Robyn will be delivering recruitment solutions to leading organisations for both permanent and contract recruitment requirements. The business has also appointed Jack Moran as a consultant.

Andrew Mackay, MD, commented: “As a startup, we’ve experienced significant growth at Coleman James within the last 11 months and I am delighted to be able to further invest in strengthening our team.”

Zoe Tansley and Vicky Browning, Archers Law LLP

Stockton-based Archers Law LLP has promoted Zoe Tansley and Vicky Browning to partnership level.

Zoe joined the firm in July 2014 as a family solicitor. She was made an associate a year later in October 2015 before being appointed head of the family and matrimonial unit in 2016 when she assumed management responsibilities for the team.

“I’m so proud to be a part of this step with the firm and to have senior involvement in a business that is going from strength to strength.” said Zoe.

“I’m looking forward to being part of its progress in the coming years and developing the family services that we offer to individuals and families in the area.”

Vicky, who is responsible for developing and implementing the firm’s strategic business plan as practice director, started her career in a business development role before being appointed to the firm’s management board in 2015 in which she then took a lead role in non-legal aspects of running the business.

On the promotion, Vicky said: “It’s wonderful to become a partner in such a strong business that has real integrity and drive, especially as the first non-lawyer partner the firm has ever had.

“The management team has always given me the support I needed throughout my career and I am proud to take a senior position within a business that I have had over 10 year’s involvement with.”

Managing Partner, Christopher Todd said of the internal appointments: “Promoting from within aligns well with our strategic people management objective, being to develop leadership abilities within our individuals. We are delighted to be recognising Zoe and Vicky for having demonstrated such leadership”

Ellie Curry, Roberts Environmental

Geo-environmental consultancy Roberts Environmental has appointed Ellie Curry a graduate consultant following a work experience placement.

Her wide ranging role includes site investigations, desktop studies and coal mining assessments, some of which she has already undertaken for clients Gleeson Homes and Lidl.

Ellie commented: “I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience placement at Roberts, where I was made to feel very welcome and part of the team from the outset.

“I also undertook work experience with Horizon Nuclear Power which initially opened my eyes into this industry. It is rare for an employer in the geology and consultancy industry to give graduates this sort of opportunity.

“At Roberts I will have the opportunity to work with some high profile clients and with experienced colleagues who will help me to develop my skills further.”

Founded by Jeff Roberts in 2012, the firm which is based on Grey Street in Newcastle, provides environmental advice and solutions for developers, investors and banks, and recently celebrated its five year anniversary.

Jeff Roberts said: “Ellie is a tremendous addition to our team and we are very pleased she has now joined us on a permanent basis. She will be able to help us in a number of areas and as a firm we can give her a good range of experience to set her up well for her career.

“As our client base continues to grow we are finding that our geographical reach and range of service lines is widening so we were keen to bring in additional support.”

Amy Maughan and Paula Sainthouse, Fusion PR (UK) Limited

Blyth-based Fusion PR (UK) Limited, known as Round Table Solutions before a recent rebrand, has created two new jobs.

The growing business has appointed Amy Maughan as a senior account director and Paula Sainthouse as an account executive.

A CIPR accredited practitioner with a career in the industry spanning 17 years, Amy has previously worked with Fusion PR as a freelance partner.

Amy leads on the firm’s work with a number of clients including Northumberland National Park Authority, AVID Technology and Legrand Assisted Living & Healthcare.

“This is a great time to be joining Fusion PR, especially as I’ve worked previously with the company on a freelance basis so I already have a great relationship with our existing clients,” said Amy.

Also a CIPR accredited practitioner, Paula Sainthouse joins Fusion PR from Home Group, one of the UK’s largest providers of high quality housing and integrated housing, health and social care.

Managing director, John McCabe, who established the business in May 2013, said: “Since the turn of the year we’ve gone through a period of significant growth thanks to some fantastic new business wins from clients as diverse as AkzoNobel, Soil Machine Dynamics and Whitehouse Farm.

“This has enabled us to create two new jobs, taking our full-time headcount to five, and we expect to be hiring again later this summer.

“The new brand is intended to reflect this growth, saying more about what we do and how we do it.

“Our integrated approach to public relations is simple, yet incredibly effective. Each member of our team is an expert in their own specific area of communications, which means that our clients get the very best of all worlds, brought together in a single, integrated strategy.

“It is this combination of public relations expertise, together with outstanding client relationships and our wide network of contacts that defines Fusion PR and the way we work.”

Join us next week for more North East appointment news.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →