This week's London appointments

Amanda Grant, Advanced

Software and services provider Advanced has appointed Amanda Grant as product strategy director.

In her new role, Amanda will report directly to CEO Gordon Wilson and work closely with CTO Jon Wrennall.

She will also sit on the company’s operations board, and play a key role in developing and delivering a product roadmap that embraces opportunities presented by the Cloud and emerging tech like AI and machine learning.

Jon Wrennall said: “Amanda’s energy and dedication to customer-centric change management will be a vital addition to our operations board and broader product team.

“The pace of change we’re witnessing across the markets we operate within requires in-depth knowledge to ensure we utilise new technologies strategically for long-term benefits to both the business and our customers.”

He continued: “Amanda will have specific responsibility for developing our product roadmap and its strategic direction in all markets and ensuring we invest in the products and technologies that will enable us to realise our growth ambitions.”

Amanda, who is the third female member of the Advanced operations board, commented: “There’s a big opportunity for British businesses to embrace digital technology to transform productivity, intelligence and innovation.

“I’m excited to be working closely with Jon to drive forward the direction of our technology platform and optimise our innovative R&D facility so that we can deliver a product roadmap that drives value in every part of our customers’ organisations, and ensure Advanced remains competitive by delivering the very best solutions to the market.”

Steve Aslett, British Business Bank

The government-owned British Business Bank has announced the appointment of Steve Aslett as senior manager, UK Network for the South East – a newly created position.

The bank’s new UK Network, which will have teams based in each of the English regions and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, was first revealed in November 2017 as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

Its aim is to identify and reduce imbalances in access to finance for smaller firms across the UK.

Representing the UK Network, Steve will engage with business finance stakeholders in the area as part of a team comprising three other senior managers for the South and East of England.

He has more than 20 years’ experience in the asset-based lending and trade credit insurance sectors, including roles with Barclays Bank, IGF Invoice Finance and others.

UK Network MD Judith Hartley said: “Steve has a wealth of industry experience and I am delighted to welcome him to the British Business Bank’s newly created UK Network team.

“This new team will help to identify and reduce geographical imbalances in access to finance for smaller businesses across the UK and help small businesses understand their finance options.”

She continued: “Steve is joining this new team at an exciting time and building upon his existing network of contacts across the region. I’m confident Steve will help the Bank develop its relationships with key SME access to finance stakeholders across the South East.”

Steve Aslett commented: “I am very excited to join the UK Network, and look forward to working with new and existing contacts throughout the South East to raise awareness of the Bank.

“It is vitally important for smaller businesses to be aware of the different finance options available to them so they have the opportunity to thrive and grow.”

Tom Cox and Nishad Morjaria, FRP Advisory

Business advisory firm FRP Advisory LLP has added to its debt advisory and forensic services practices in London with two partner appointments.

Tom Cox and Nishad Morjaria, who bring the company’s partner headcount to 50, have almost 35 years’ combined experience in advisory roles.

Tom has joined the company’s debt advisory team from a director role at consultancy firm AlixPartners, where he co-founded the debt advisory practice.

Nishad, now part of FRP’s forensic services team, was previously an associate partner at EY. Before that, he was at KPMG.

Geoff Rowley, partner at FRP Advisory London, said: “It is incredibly important we continue investing in talent to grow our advisory service divisions. We are seeing increased demands for these specialisms from clients across the country.

“Tom and Nishad will allow us to deliver our best-in-class services to more businesses up and down the country with debt funding requirements or in need of support around litigation, fraud and compliance.”

He added: “In today’s business environment, it’s more important than ever that we can offer a broad range of services for our clients.”

Mark Norbury, Inclusive Economy Partnership

Mark Norbury, the chief exec of social entrepreneur organisation UnLtd, has been appointed co-chair of the Government’s Inclusive Economy Partnership.

He is taking up the role alongside former Grant Thornton CEO Sacha Romanovitch.

The Inclusive Economy Partnership will see Government, businesses and civil society teaming up to develop solutions to a raft societal challenges.

An advisory group of 14 chief executives from businesses and civil society organisations such as National Grid, O2, TechUK and Big Lottery Fund is leading the initiative.

UnLtd’s Mark Norbury said: “There is so much we can do to tackle society’s toughest challenges if we really put our minds to it.

“The Inclusive Economy Partnership is bringing together business, civil society and government to see how we can make this happen. We know that social entrepreneurs have inspiring solutions to these challenges, informed by their own experience.”

He added: “I’m looking forward to chairing the partnership and encouraging us all to be braver, bolder and more accountable in our vision for lasting change.”

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Cabinet Office are convening the Partnership with support from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright commented: “Mark is a fantastic addition to the Inclusive Economy Partnership and I am delighted that he has accepted the position of co-chair.

“I look forward to working alongside him and the rest of the team as we continue to make a positive impact on society through this innovative programme.”

Louise McIntosh and Nigel Pearce, Hampshire Trust Bank

Hampshire Trust Bank (HTB) has promoted Louise McIntosh to operations director and appointed Nigel Pearce as a senior underwriter in its specialist business finance arm.

Both are based in London, with Louise reporting to specialist business finance MD Jon Maycock and Nigel to credit and risk director Andrew Woodhouse.

Louise joined HTB earlier this year and has 15 years’ operational and change management experience. She previously worked for Amicus Finance plc.

Nigel, joining from Distribution Finance Capital Limited, has over two decades of experience.

Jon Maycock said of the appointments: “I would like to congratulate Louise on her promotion, this is a recognition of her technical ability and specialist knowledge, she has played a pivotal role in driving the success of our business strategy.

“We are delighted to welcome Nigel to our growing team, he is a recognised industry leader with extensive market expertise and an outstanding track record.”

He continued: “Louise and Nigel are proving invaluable as we build our proposition through innovation, expertise and first-rate customer service.

“People are the key differentiator in this increasingly competitive marketplace, which is why we prioritise attracting and retaining market practitioners of Louise and Nigel’s calibre.”

Matt Holmes, hackajob

Digital recruitment company hackajob has appointed Matt Holmes as chief commercial officer.

Matt has joined the firm from staffing specialist Impellam PLC, where he was managing director at group business onezeero.

With 14 years’ industry experience, Matt take on full responsibility for hackajob’s UK, European and US expansion, playing a key role in advancing the company’s development plans across various territories.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “hackajob stands out in the recruitment marketplace as a company that truly challenges the tired status quo of CVs, human bias, and non-technical people recruiting for advanced technology roles.

“2019 is the year we launch new test products for software engineering, dev-ops and architecture roles, as well as expand in new sectors such as marketing and finance, and I am excited to be at the forefront of innovation, diversity and talent in technology.”

hackajob’s CEO and co-founder, Razvan Creanga, said: “Matt’s reputation in the industry precedes him, and his experience will be essential to scaling up the company.

“Meritocratic hiring is at the heart of everything we do and Matt’s move shows the sea change that is set to affect the recruitment and HR industry – more and more people are realising that the historic model of CVs and process-led interviews is outdated.”

11 appointments, MCR Property Group

MCR Property Group, the Manchester- and London-based property investment business, has welcomed 11 new faces to its team in the capital.

The appointees include: Vanessa Bartulovic, development manager; William Sharpey, development manager; Mark Peace, acquisitions and development manager; Henry Darkin, junior development manager; Emrah Coskun, senior project manager; Matthew Betts and Sasha Kulidzan, both project managers; and Jesse Gold, assistant project manager.

MCR also hired two graduate project managers, Adam Isdale and Charles Mitchell, along with graduate assistant Ross Coulson Douglas.

Chris Taylor, fund manager at MCR Property Group, said: “Our move into London is at the heart of our ambitious growth plans for 2019 and beyond.

“We aim to deliver high quality developments in areas with significant demand, which is why London and its surrounding commuter towns are a major focus for us.”

He continued: “People are integral to our operation and we are investing heavily in attracting the very best talent to the MCR team. We’re thrilled to welcome our latest recruits to the team to help us drive forward our strategy across the UK and Europe.”

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