This week's Yorkshire appointments

Janet Jay has been appointed as the new business development manager at York Science Park Limited.

Janet will be supporting existing residents and attracting new businesses to the 21-acre science and technology park facilities in York.

In her new role, Janet will also be responsible for identifying, developing and implementing new business opportunities.

Janet is set to be involved in implementing the Science Park’s new strategy with a focus on helping residents make innovative ideas a commercial reality.

Prior to joining York Science Park Limited, Janet was a commercial manager at Autism Plus.

There she was responsible for the development, implementation and commercial success of one of the charity’s flagship social enterprises which offers training, work experience and employment progression to adults with autism and associated learning difficulties.

Janet has also gained business and operational management skills and experience as managing director of two customer-focussed businesses, in service and manufacturing, as well as running her own management consultancy business for several years.

Says Tracey Smith, York Science Park Limited’s CEO, “Janet has already had considerable success establishing and maintaining credibility in the local business community and we look forward to seeing that further develop through her role here.

“It’s great to have her on board and I believe her strategic business development, problem-solving and communication skills will complement our existing team strengths.”

Daniel Singh, Sweco

Sweco, the Leeds-based engineering, environment and design consultancy, has boosted its senior buildings team in the UK with the appointment of Daniel Singh as executive structural engineer.

Daniel joins the business from Arup, bringing 13 years’ experience in delivering high-end, architecturally-led projects, which include the new Arts & Humanities Building at Manchester Metropolitan University with architects Allies and Morrison, and the flagship Lusail stadium with Foster + Partners for the 2022 FIFA world cup in Qatar.

In his previous role, Daniel also worked on the expansion of the main stand of Anfield stadium for Liverpool FC (adding 8,500 extra seats), the delivery of the seven-storey Charles Street Building at Sheffield Hallam University and as a technical advisor for ITV on the Coronation Street Studios development at Media City, Salford.

In his new position, Daniel will support the growth of the current 35-strong team of structural engineers while boosting Sweco’ s portfolio of architecturally-led work across the UK.

David Leversha, Sweco structural engineering director for buildings, said: “Daniel’s parametric design skills and experience of completing high-end, iconic projects will enhance our integrated, engineering, planning and consultancy capability, and build on our building services portfolio across the public and private sectors.

“We have a strong pipeline of multi-disciplinary, high value construction opportunities in the UK and Daniel’s appointment will help the business capitalise on these.”

Daniel said: “My background in delivering complex, high profile buildings is a good fit for Sweco. I’m looking forward to driving forward the parametric design and virtual reality capabilities of the team and helping the business achieve its ambitious growth plans.”

Robert Alley, Roomzzz

Roomzzz, the aparthotel brand, has appointed Robert Alley as chief operations officer (COO).

Robert will assist with the company’s growth plans as it opens the eighth aparthotel in its portfolio with six further developments across the UK coming soon.

Having over 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Robert has previously worked with both new and developing brands, including some of the biggest hotel groups in the world.

These include Hilton, IHG and, most recently, the development of Hallmark Hotels group as they established the brand in the UK.

Robert’s role as COO will see him be responsible for overseeing the guest experience, commercial approach, sales and marketing, financial controls and group development functions, to ensure their continuous growth.

The Roomzzz Manchester Corn Exchange which opened last month marked the eighth aparthotel in the Roomzzz portfolio, which has grown to include aparthotels across the North of England in Leeds, Chester, Nottingham, Manchester and Newcastle.

Naveen Ahmed, CEO of Roomzzz, said: “With the rapid growth of our aparthotel portfolio, Robert will lead the team to ensure we continue to deliver the exceptional customer service and experience we are renowned for.

“Robert brings extensive industry experience to further improve our operations and continue to build the Roomzzz brand.

“We are a market leader in giving guests a truly authentic city living experience and Robert fully understands our brand values. His knowledge, combined with the passion for the brand, will be a great asset to aid our ambitious growth plans.”

Catherine Bower, Stada Video

Stada Video, the video marketing agency, has announced the promotion of its business development manager, Catherine Bower, to chief operations officer.

Effective immediately, Catherine will focus on the operations of the business and will be integral in delivering Stada Video’s goal of becoming a top content marketing company within the UK.

She will continue to streamline processes and help the business develop, whilst maintaining the company’s key objectives including delivering quality and value to Stada Video customers.

Danny Lacey, CEO of Stada Video, commented: “The decision made perfect sense to me. Catherine has had a huge impact on how the business operates and this promotion means Catherine can continue to work on operations and at a much higher level, with greater impact.

“Catherine will focus on improving systems and processes to enable us to continue to obsess about delivering excellence to our customers and our team.”

Heather Joy, Hica Group

A care organisation, which operates 15 care homes across Hull and East Riding, has appointed a new regional director to head up operations for the East.

Hull-based Hica Group has appointed Heather Joy as a regional director.

Heather, who is a registered nurse, joins the Hica Group with a wealth of healthcare experience. She has over 20 years’ experience working across a range of areas, including critical and emergency care, the private sector and acute hospital and community nursing settings.

The newly appointed regional director has also worked as a healthcare consultant and in addition to her wealth of healthcare experience, she also has a vast level of knowledge in service development, contracting, governance and service turnaround.

In her new role, she will be based in the Hica Group’s regional office at The Hollies and will provide support to registered managers. Heather will work to develop the teams to be autonomous and creative in delivering person centred care.

Penni Brown, chief executive of the Hica Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Heather in her new role.

“Given her extensive level of experience and passion for the work she does, she will make a great addition to the team and we look forward to seeing her develop in this role.”

Matt Cornish, AKA PR

AKA PR, the public relations consultancy, has appointed former newspaper editor Matt Cornish to support its client base, bringing the total number of employees to 13.

PR professional and former journalist Matt joins AKA as an account manager, bringing 13 years of journalism and four years of public relations and marketing experience with him.

As an executive committee member of Skipton Chamber of Trade and Commerce and head judge of the Skipton Business Awards for the past two years, Matt also brings a wealth of knowledge about the local area and its business economy to the role.

Matt will be working on a range of national accounts including The Sleep Council, The National Bed Federation and Bazaar Group.

Northumberland based Bazaar Group, a new account for AKA, is a soft furnishings manufacturer.

Jan Turner, director of AKA PR, said: “We’re delighted with Matt’s appointment and would like to welcome him into the team.

“He brings a wealth of traditional and digital pr experience to the company that will be of great benefit to all our clients.”

AKA PR has been based in High Corn Mill, Skipton’s medieval mill, for more than 20 years, specialising in home furnishings and interiors.

David Aunins, Lakeside Village

A new centre manager has been appointed at Lakeside Village in Doncaster.

David Aunins joins the team at the outlet shopping centre, from a dual management post running the Foundry shopping centre in Scunthorpe and the Priory shopping centre in Worksop.

He takes over from John Magee who will become the centre manager of the Princes Quay shopping centre in Hull.

David said: “I am really looking forward to joining the team at Lakeside Village. The outlet has had a fantastic 12 months with new stores opening, and celebrated a record year which saw more than two million transactions take place.

“As a Doncaster resident I know that Lakeside Village has a place at the heart of the Doncaster community and I am looking forward to further developing this over the coming months

“It is great to be taking over a centre with free parking, great value stores and with a reputation for providing well attended free family entertainment. I can’t wait to get started and meet with the Doncaster business community and most importantly with our customers.”

Starting his career in the catering industry and then moving on to roles in music retail, David was working at York Designer Outlet as Retail Manager before moving on to managing centres.

David added: “I’m looking forward to working with Lakeside Village’s loyal customers to help to select our next charity of the year and to work with them to make sure that our retail offer really meets their needs.

“John has done a great job over the last 18 months and has implemented some great changes at the centre, bringing in a variety of stores and helping to meet the beauty and fashion needs of our younger customers - we all wish him the very best in Hull.

“I’ve joined at a great time as the Easter holidays are just around the corner so I’ll get to see how the centre runs during one our busiest periods.”

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