This week's North East appointments

Richard Henderson, Vickers & Barrass

Land agent and chartered surveyor Vickers & Barrass has promoted Richard Henderson to director.

The move will see Richard working alongside rural chartered surveyor and practice manager Adam Barrass and the senior management team.

Richard brings more than 17 years of experience to the role, with his main areas of work including valuations, landlord and tenant, property management, property sales and lettings for agricultural, commercial and residential property.

Richard grew up on a farm and remains closely involved with his parent’s farming business. He has a strong interest in all things agricultural (particular emphasis on vintage tractors) and is a member of The Rotary Club of Crook.

Commenting on Richard’s promotion, Adam Barrass said: “Richard’s promotion is well deserved.

“Our clients will continue to benefit from his acumen, insight and commitment to service and quality, which has made a vast contribution to supporting our clients over the years.

Andy Russell and Paul Ellison, Omega Plastics Group (OPG)

Plastics firm Omega Plastics Group (OPG) has appointed Andy Russell and Paul Ellison as business development managers.

Starting his career as an apprentice mechanical engineer in the automotive sector, Paul has gone on to work in aerospace, defence, industrial gas turbines and oil & gas industries.

With 25 years of business development sales experience, Paul will support OPG’s healthcare, consumer products, industrial and technical products, and aerospace and defence customers.

Andy joins the firm with 30 years of experience in sales, business development and project management areas in the automotive plastics supply chain.

After gaining a degree in engineering, he started his working career as an engineering apprentice at Dunlop Aerospace.

Commenting on the appointments, technical sales director Norman Hoggett said: “Paul and Andy both have a wealth of experience in their respective areas and they will be great additions to the OPG team.

“They will help us to drive our growth plans by identifying new opportunities, as well as allowing us to spend more time with our existing customers by talking to them and understanding the challenges in their businesses and where OPG can help and provide solutions.

“I look forward to what they will bring to the Group and our customers.”

Will Hardin, Rosh Engineering Ltd

High voltage engineering contractor Rosh Engineering Ltd has appointed Will Hardin as project engineer.

Will brings experience across the electricity industry to the new role, ranging from oil management (Electrical Oil Services) through to project management and has worked with substation construction businesses and multinational transformer manufacturers.

The appointment comes as the firm has recently purchased the adjoining factory to its Blaydon on Tyne premises due to increased demand for repair and refurbishment of transformers off site.

Rosh Engineering managing director Ian Dormer commented: “We have worked alongside Will for many years and know he will be a great asset to Rosh Engineering.”

“Will understands the importance of delivering a high quality, on time, solutions to the power industry and will be able to hit the ground running at this very busy time for us.”

Andrew Houghton, Access Training

A training provider has appointed Andrew Houghton as learner advisor to deliver its assistant accountant apprenticeship.

As an Association of Accounting Technician (AAT) learning advisor, in his new role Andrew will be interviewing potential apprentices, teaching the Association of Accounting Technician qualification and carrying out reviews of apprentices in the workplace.

Andrew brings with him 35 years experience in the accountancy industry, with 18 years at Mitchells Grievson Chartered Accountants as a manager, a partner then as a director when the business was incorporated.

Andrew commented: “I was approached by training manager Susan Harris who thought I may be interested in this new role. I had worked with Susan for the last 18 years when I recruited apprentices from Access Training within my own business.

“I started out as an apprentice, and worked my way up through the ranks to eventually become a business owner so for me, apprenticeships are extremely valuable.

“I’d taken a year out after selling my stake in my business and this opportunity at Access Training is a wonderful way for me to keep active, pass on what I’ve learned and hopefully help the next generation of accountants.”

Malcolm Armstrong, managing director of Access Training, added: “Access Training has had such a long and successful working relationship with Andrew that when this opportunity presented itself, it seemed like a natural next step.

“The apprentices will be able to draw on Andrew’s in depth experience and he already has an excellent understanding of our culture and methods.”

Daniel Robson and Katie Halfyard, Vida Creative

Creative agency Vida Creative has appointed Daniel Robson as graphic designer and Katie Halfyard as content creator.

A former Northumbria University Graphic Design student, Daniel has recently returned to the North East after spending five years working on global brands at design agencies in London.

In his new role, Daniel will be creating brand identities, bespoke website designs and other digital and print assets for Vida Creative’s client base.

Having recently graduated from Newcastle University, Katie has joined the Vida team on a permanent basis after completing a 10-week summer internship at the firm.

In her new role, Katie will be supporting Vida Creative director and marketing strategist Ellen Hedley, on the creation of engaging social media content, website content and blog articles for clients in the creative and tech sectors.

Henry Coggin, director and co-founder at Vida Creative said: “We’re very excited to have Daniel and Katie join our team. Our aim has always been to produce bespoke and beautiful, high quality work for our clients which ultimately helps them to grow their businesses.

“The skills we’re bringing to the team by having Daniel and Katie on board are really going to help us add even more value to our clients.”

Angela Russell, Kate McIntyre and Jessica Williams, Darlington Building Society

Darlington Building Society has appointed Angela Russell, Kate McIntyre and Jessica Williams as non-executive directors to join its board.

Angela has over 30 years of experience in financial services in the UK and abroad, most recently as deputy CEO and finance director of the Newcastle Building Society.

A chartered accountant by profession, Angela has held a range of roles throughout her career covering finance, risk, audit, change management and corporate planning.

In addition to her role at the society, Angela is a member of the Council and Finance Committee at Newcastle University and is a trustee and chair of the Audit Committee at the Percy Hedley Foundation.

With a financial services career spanning 30 years, Kate is also a chartered accountant by background and brings a blend of knowledge and experience to the society in areas including customer services, IT, change management, strategy, risk and operations.

In addition to her role at the Society she is currently chair of the Audit and Risk Committee at Cirencester Friendly Society and a trustee and treasurer of the Brathay Trust.

As the founder and managing director of Stockton-based business Just Williams, Jessica has sales experience from working at Yorkshire Bank and the Entrepreneurs’ Forum.

Jessica is also a fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing, a board member at Teesside University Business School and an advisor to the Tees Valley Combined Authority Business Engagement board.

Darlington Building Society chairman, Jack Cullen, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to have been able to appoint three such talented people who bring a diverse range of expertise, experience and views to our board.”

Nicole Tanfield and Bethany Atkinson, Tilly Bailey and Irvine Solicitors (TBI)

Law firm Tilly Bailey and Irvine Solicitors (TBI) has appointed Nicole Tanfield as specialist commercial property solicitor and Bethany Atkinson as paralegal.

Nicole, who has gained commercial property experience at two other North East firms, will be specialising in commercial property.

Bethany has joined the firm after recently graduating from Northumbria University with a master’s degree in law.

Partner and head of the commercial property team, Sara Garnett, commented: “The department is well established and has experienced continued growth over the years both by gaining new clients and undertaking more work for existing clients.

“Nicole and Bethany will help the team to continue to provide a first-class service and maintain strong relationships with our commercial clients both in the North East region and further afield, and we welcome them aboard.”

The new hires have come alongside the appointments of business administration apprentices Lucy Hewitt, Bethany Griffiths and Jessica Garthwaite to the firm’s conveyancing team.

John Ellwood, partner and head of conveyancing, added: “Residential conveyancing is another of the firm’s areas of growth and it has enabled us to create additional apprenticeship opportunities. We have employed three local, bright, hardworking individuals and we are excited to see them develop their skills.

“Creating opportunities for the next generation is a top priority for us. We provide the right job roles, training and supervision which allows apprentices to develop their practical knowledge and skills and we look forward to seeing their progression.”

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