This week's London appointments

Kevin McFadyen, Charlotte Cox and Nicola Mathews, Pentland Brands

Pentland Brands Limited has appointed three directors to lead its Berghaus, team sports (Canterbury and Mitre) and fashion footwear brands (Ted Bakers and Karen Millen).

Kevin McFadyen (pictured) joined the company as brand director of outdoor clothing business Berghaus. His background includes brand-building roles with telecoms firm O2 and food chain Nando’s.

He will join the company in September at its North East base in Sunderland.

Charlotte Cox, meanwhile, has taken on the role of director for Pentland’s Canterbury and Mitre brands. She has 20 years of experience across commercial, marketing and business development roles.

Charlotte will be based at Pentland’s East Midlands office in Nottingham.

Third new brand director, Nicola Mathews, will look after the company’s Karen Millen and Ted Baker footwear businesses, working out of Pentland Brands’ headquarters in London.

Andy Long, Pentland Brands CEO, said: “We’ve made significant progress in transforming Pentland Brands; we’re now a simpler business, with a leadership structure designed to give brand directors a more consumer focused role in leading brand growth.

“Kevin, Charlotte and Nicola bring a wealth of commercial brand building experience to our business and will play a critical role in leading our brand strategies so that more people see, buy and love our brands.”

He added: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able appoint Charlotte and Nicola from our own leadership talent pool and we look forward to welcoming Kevin to the Pentland family in September.”

Susanne Oud, British International Freight Association

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has welcomed Susanne Oud to its board of directors.

Susanne has replaced Roy Baker, who stepped down after 13 years on the trade association’s board.

She is currently operations director for EMEA verticals at BIFA member business OIA Global and based at the company’s London head office.

BIFA director general Robert Keen said: “We welcome Susanne’s election to the BIFA Board.

“She has had an excellent record of achievement since she joined the industry and brings significant expertise in a number of areas to our board.”

Craig Eddy, CitySprint

Same-day courier company CitySprint has appointed Craig Eddy as its director of operations.

The role will see Craig directly managing all final mile operations for CitySprint to enable growth. He will also oversee the firm’s fleet, ensuring objectives and core company values are put into practice.

Craig previously worked at Royal Mail for 19 years, most recently as regional manager for the East of England.

He said: “This is a fresh challenge at an organisation with an excellent reputation and I cannot wait to see what possibilities lie ahead, not just for me personally, but also for CitySprint as a business.

“To drive change and growth in such an established business, whilst providing customers with a seamless, top-tier service, is an incredible opportunity.”

CitySprint COO Paul Gisbourne commented: “It is vital that we have the right people on board to support our continuing development.

“Craig has proven skills and many years’ experience in the sector, and his track record of managing large teams and driving growth means he has the insight and experience needed to ensure further success in the future.”

Paul added: “I have no doubt that he will be an invaluable asset to the CitySprint team.”

Five appointments, Tech Nation

Tech Nation has announced the appointment of five entrepreneurs and founders to its board this summer.

The newcomers will work together to guide the organisation in its mission to accelerate growth of the UK’s digital tech sector.

Appointed to the board are: Lesley Eccles, co-founder of FanDuel and founder/CEO of Relish; Adam Hale (pictured), chairman of DevOpsGroup; Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation; David Richards, founder and CEO of WANdisco; and Sarah Wood, co-founder and chair of Unruly.

Gerard Grech, chief executive of Tech Nation, said: “I’m delighted to announce this very strong board that is passionate about promoting the digital tech sector right across the United Kingdom.

“Tech Nation has ambitious plans to step up its support of UK entrepreneurs in digital tech and to build digital skills and connect expertise across the country to make sure we continue to be a global tech powerhouse.”

Eileen Burbidge, partner at Passion Capital and HM Treasury’s special envoy on fintech, is chair of the Tech Nation board.

Alongside the new appointees, previous board members Tim Luke and Wendy Tan-White are set to rejoin.

Gerard continued: “I would also like to thank Eileen Burbidge, Wendy Tan-White and Tim Luke who have agreed to continue their excellent and much-valued work on the Tech Nation board.”

Julian Carter, Exterion Media

Advertising business Exterion Media has appointed Julian Carter as regional sales director for the North.

Julian will be responsible for leading and sustaining revenue growth in the North as he heads up the firm’s field-based sales team.

Prior to his appointment, Julian was group commercial director at Wireless Group. His background also includes work with GMG Radio, Capital UK and Century Radio.

Tony Ramirez, local sales director for Exterion Media, said: “Julian is joining at an exciting time for the company as we ramp up our strategy to drive commercial growth, alongside the introduction of incredible new products across our growing UK estate.

“He brings with him a wealth of media experience – perfect to drive our Northern team and capitalise on our ongoing investments across the country. We’re looking forward to having him on board!”

Julian commented: “I’m excited to return to Manchester and embark on this new chapter in OOH. After 23 years working in radio, I’m sure I will miss it, but I’m keen to learn and lead a brilliant team to drive growth for Exterion Media and the wider OOH industry. On a personal note, I’m also looking forward to getting back to my old stomping grounds, from Birmingham to Newcastle and everywhere in between!”

Five appointments, Spring UK

The UK division of mail and parcel services provider Spring has appointed five new senior staff.

Steve Ferguson joined Spring UK as managing director after almost five years with parcel and carrier manager Global Freight Solutions (GFS), where he served as a director for both business development and international sales.

Two of Steve’s former colleagues at GFS, Gary Redfern-Smith and Craig Lee, have joined him as Spring UK’s new head of IT and head of channel respectively.

Elsewhere, Spring appointed Robert Dundas as head of sales and marketing and Jason Love as lane manager.

Spring Global Delivery Solutions is wholly owned by Post NL.

Four appointments, The Body Shop

Retailer The Body Shop has appointed four new senior leaders.

Domenico Trizio has become the company’s chief operations officer and Lionel Thoreau its global brand director. Both previously worked for retailer L’Occitane Group.

Amy Liddy joined the company as global finance director from professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal.

Elsewhere, Elen Macaskill has been promoted from chief marketing officer to global customer director.

Chief exec David Boynton said: “I am delighted to welcome these outstanding professionals to The Body Shop’s leadership team.

“We have entered a very exciting time in our history, with our new parent, Natura &Co, determined to support our ambitions for the company in driving financial results whilst making a positive social and environmental contribution.”

He continued: “Domenico, Elen, Lionel and Amy each bring world class experience to our team as we reinvigorate our brand and strengthen all aspects of our business operations to exceed our customers’ expectations in the 69 countries around the world where we are present.”

Dina Plahouras, Maru Group

Market research and customer insights firm Maru Group has appointed Dina Plahouras as its chief people officer.

Dina has more than 25 years’ experience in human resources. She previously worked for North American bakery business Weston Foods, which has over 4,000 employees.

Maru Group CEO Ged Parton said: “We are delighted to welcome Dina to Maru. She has an excellent track record in leading and developing strategic HR programmes and a proven ability to drive collaboration that fosters innovative cultures across large organisations.

“We are committed to developing and supporting talent across Maru; and as chief people officer, Dina will play an integral role in upholding these values across the group as it continues to grow both organically and through acquisition.”

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