Member Article

This week's North East appointments

Start your working week with a look at the latest job moves from across the region.

Jamie Gamble and Samantha Davidson, Advanced Manufacturing Forum

Jamie Gamble, employment partner at UK Top 100 law firm Ward Hadaway, and Samantha Davidson, managing director of strategic marketing company Horizonworks, have joined the Advanced Manufacturing Forum (AMF) board.

Established by the private sector to offer a single voice on behalf of the manufacturing community, the AMF is now the largest manufacturing forum in the North East, engaging with members and the wider business community to exchange ideas and knowledge to create business growth and success opportunities within the manufacturing industry.

As AMF board members, Jamie and Samantha will contribute to policies and strategies, plan member events, and be involved in decisions over the allocation of funding and budgetary spend.

Jamie Gamble is based in Ward Hadaway’s Newcastle office and provides employment advice to a wide range of clients, including many involved in the manufacturing industry.

Jamie’s experience includes acting for a major car manufacturer on the outsourcing of logistics and call centre operations and acting for a European manufacturer on the restructure of its UK senior management team following its purchase of the UK company.

He has been a member of the AMF since 2011 during which time he has hosted a number of seminars on employment, HR and staffing issues in the sector.

Samantha Davidson has over 18 years’ experience of managing and delivering strategic marketing and PR campaigns, and launched Horizonworks in 2010.

Horizonworks specialises in business to business strategic marketing across a variety of industries including manufacturing and engineering, healthcare and life sciences, technology and innovation, professional services and the public sector.

Ian Fawdon, chairman of the AMF, said: “It’s a truly exciting time for the AMF as we continue to witness exceptional growth in terms of membership, which is in part due to the dedication and calibre of our board members.

“As the voice of manufacturing in the North East, we pride ourselves on offering members advice and support in a breadth of business areas.

“Jamie and Samantha each boast a wealth of industry knowledge and as experts within their own sectors they will bring with them a unique perspective of the manufacturing industry and will provide members with access to new skills and insights.

“I am looking forward to the contribution both Jamie and Samantha will make, and I am confident this will go a long way to further the AMF’s development.”

Jason Christie, Komodo Digital

North East-based digital studio Komodo Digital has welcomed two new members of staff and one new intern.

Jason Christie joins the studio as Project Manager from Newcastle’s Accenture, having previously held the role of Program and Project Management Associate.

Carrying key experience working on large-scale technical IT delivery projects, in both the public and private sector, Jason will manage Komodo’s project pipeline and liaise with their design and development teams to guide projects from conception through to implementation.

On becoming part of the team, Jason said: “It’s a really exciting time to join Komodo, everyone is very passionate and driven towards collective goals. I’m looking forward to applying my experience to help overcome new challenges that the next couple of years will bring.”

Graduate Jack Johnson has also joined Komodo as a Product Designer, fresh from Northumbria University with a First Class degree in Interactive Media & Design.

Jack had a taste of life at the digital studio’s Newcastle office as part of an internship last summer, lasting two and a half months, before securing a permanent position within the team.

Meanwhile, Tom Brace will be working alongside the team as a QA Testing Engineer. Tom is a second year Durham University student studying Computer Science. He joins Komodo as part of a 3-month internship until September, during which time Tom will focus on improving the quality assurance and quality control testing that is performed.

Sahil Nayyar, Cavu Corporate Finance

Sahil Nayyar has left his position as finance director at Newcastle’s SGP Technology Group to join independent North East dealmakers Cavu Corporate Finance.

Cavu, which is based in City Quadrant, on Waterloo Street, specialises in the sale of businesses, acquisitions, and raising private equity and development capital.

Shawn Bone, who established the business in 2013, said: “Cavu Corporate Finance have been involved in some of the biggest deals of the last two years including the acquisition of Fastflow Group by Elysian Capital and management and the £25m private equity investment into Fairstone by Synova Capital.

“As we continue to build our reputation in the region, and beyond, we are looking to grow the business and add depth and quality to our team.

“Sahil has shown his abilities to work creatively with clients and maintain and develop key relationships which will be vital to Cavu’s success going forward.”

Sahil is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and graduated from Newcastle Business School with BA (Hons) Accounting.

After qualifying as a chartered accountant at UNW he spent three years in the audit department before transferring to corporate finance, and then moving to the SGP Technology Group.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining an innovative North East corporate finance house and I’m looking forward to helping North East business grow and develop in the coming years.”

Lee Fleetham, The Expanded Metal Company

Expanded metal mesh manufacturer The Expanded Metal Company has bolstered its senior team with the appointment of a new operations manager.

Lee Fleetham has joined the Hartlepool-based company - a specialist in the manufacture of expanded metal products to oversee the operations of the company, develop and review strategies, and manage process improvement.

His role includes overseeing lean production techniques, managing continuous improvement programmes and to develop high-performance teams.

Lee, from the Hartlepool area has a breadth of industry expertise, having worked in the manufacturing industry for most of his career.

He worked at Industrial Building Components (IBC), a leading door manufacturer and supplier and formerly part of The Expamet International Group, for ten years from 1988 through to 1998, as a team leader and supervisor.

Lee then spent 19 years at Expamet Building Products, a manufacturer and supplier of metal building products, initially as production manager before working his way up to a general manager’s post where he had overall responsibility for production processes along with production planning, health & safety management, transport, business strategy and manufacturing development.

Lee said: “The Expanded Metal Company is a pioneer in the metal mesh industry, with a long-established track record in product innovation and manufacturing, and I am therefore delighted to be joining the team.

“Having worked in the building and construction products sector for almost three decades, I am extremely passionate about the industry and I take great pride in being able to contribute to The Expanded Metal Company’s success and continued development.

“It’s especially pleasing to be part of a company which has been part of the North East and Hartlepool’s industrial heritage since the 19th century.”

Jack Margerrison, Silverstone Building Consultancy

Newcastle-based Silverstone Building Consultancy has appointed a new graduate building surveyor as it embarks on a period of expansion.

The niche firm of building surveyors and project managers, which was founded by co-directors Richard Farrey & Ben Hunter in 2009, has appointed Jack Margerrison who is graduating from Northumbria University with a 1st class Bsc(Hons) degree in Building Surveying.

Jack previously gained work experience at Michael Dyson Associates completing stock condition surveys for housing authorities and non-traditional residential structural surveys. He has also undertaken work experience at estate agents and has learnt AutoCAD during a stint at a manufacturing company.

Jack said: “I was attracted to Silverstone as it is a well-established North East surveying firm which works on a diverse range of projects and clients. I am very excited to be joining such an ambitious company which is in a period of growth. The firm has exciting plans to expand the business into different markets and I look forward to being a part of that.”

Ben Hunter, director at Silverstone said: “We are delighted to welcome Jack to the team. His strong academic achievements and previous work experience will inevitably assist him in his new role.

“We are committed to supporting him through the APC process to become a chartered surveyor and with our 100% pass rate we hope he will achieve chartered status in Autumn 2018.”

**Duncan Christie, Naylors **

Newcastle-based commercial property specialist Naylors has announced a new appointment within its award-winning industrial agency department.

Duncan Christie has joined the firm as an industrial agency surveyor after completing a Real Estate master’s degree at Northumbria University.

Hexham-born Christie, was first introduced to Naylors when he undertook a work experience programme earlier this year. Three months later and he is now assisting directors Keith Stewart and Chris Donabie on some of the region’s most high profile schemes including Dukesway Central at Team Valley, Integra 61 in Durham and the Port of Tyne.

After finishing a Business Studies degree in 2013 Duncan spent three years working in residential estate agency, before undertaking his masters and moving into the commercial market.

Duncan said: “I had a very enjoyable few years working in the residential market, but last year I decided I wanted to move into the commercial property sector. Having very recently completed a master’s degree in Real Estate I am delighted to be joining Naylors.

“The company has a great mix of service lines and the industrial department is working on some fantastic projects, which I am very much looking forward to getting involved in.”

Keith Stewart, director at Naylors added: “When Duncan took part in a work experience programme with us earlier this year we were impressed by his initiative and eagerness to develop his knowledge base.

“As a company we have a strong reputation for creating opportunities for graduates and young people who want to develop a career in surveying. I am sure Duncan will be a great addition to our team.”

David Titterton, Newcastle Strategic Solutions

The fast growing subsidiary of Newcastle Building Society, Newcastle Strategic Solutions, has completed the recruitment of its senior team with the appointment of ex-BT senior manager, David Titterton, as client services director.

Cobalt Park-based Newcastle Strategic Solutions delivers multi channel, white labelled savings management services, leading edge technology and customer service solutions for a wide range of banks and other financial institutions.

Born in Paisley, David began his career with BT in Glasgow before moving to the North East in 1997. Over the course of his 22 year career he has built considerable client relationship management experience in senior roles with BT, Sage and Condeco. In his time with BT Retail and BT Global Services, David headed up customer service operational delivery, before then leading a number of IT enabled transformation programmes for a range of corporate clients.

In his new role he reports to managing director, Phil Grand, and has responsibility for managing Newcastle Strategic Solutions’ client relationships with leading brands across the UK.

David said: “Being part of a local high-growth business that is creating skilled jobs in the North East within an exciting sector is hugely appealing.

“It was important for me to join an organisation that shared many of my values – respect, trust and professionalism. I’m looking forward to many years of sustained growth with the company, and further recognition for our region as a hotbed of service excellence.”

Phil Grand, managing director at Newcastle Strategic Solutions added: “David is a high calibre executive with expertise in client focused service and solutions.

“He will make an excellent addition to our senior team and we look forward to continuing to grow both our business, and local employment opportunities, by using our skills to service financial businesses across the UK.”

Sue Judge, St Martins Care

Sue Judge has been appointed as Business Partner by regional care home provider, St Martins Care (SMC).

Sue has worked in district nursing for 16 years, during which time she worked with the Chief Nursing Officer Office for the Department for Health in Assistant Director of Nursing post.

Having retired in early 2017, she then took up the position to work with SMC to support the business’ new management regime, building on two new recent director appointments earlier that year. Sue’s role is to work in partnership with the new directors around quality and nursing competencies, driving forward continual improvement and excellence in care.

SMC has six care homes, stretching from Park View, Newcastle in the north to Guisborough Manor in the south.

A key facet of her role is to create best practice standards across the entire estate of homes, including developing opportunities for greater knowledge sharing between the nursing staff.

Another area of focus for Sue and the management team is further investment in carers and nurses and their professional development to ensure the nursing units within the organisation are equipped and responsive to patient needs and specific health conditions. Skills mix within the nursing workforce ensures continuity of care for patients who have general nursing, Learning Disability and Mental Health nursing needs.

Sue’s role prior to joining SMC was Clinical Quality and Safeguarding Manager supporting the two Tees Clinical Commissioning Groups. Prior to that she was Head of Community Nursing Services at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust where she oversaw all community nursing and specialist nursing services, as well as a managing both health and social care integrated teams.

Although her main background is nursing, she has worked across both health and social care, integrating the disciplines to support collaborative working practices to ensure a streamlined and consistent quality of service is offered. Sue is also an associate inspector for CQC.

She said “I’m delighted to join SMC and love their approach to care. Prior to my retirement I had received numerous requests for further job opportunities, however St Martins Care was my choice.

“I support their core values and philosophy of care and I’ve been really impressed with the ongoing work across the organisation to strive to ensure quality of care for patients and residents, to engage through regular patient, resident and relative forums and collaborate with health, social care, CQC and wider stakeholder professionals.

“To pursue the staff’s personal and professional development is another standard which will ensure a workforce fit for purpose and continuity of care through low staff turnover.”

Join us next monday for more North East appointment news.

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