This week's Yorkshire appointments

Kelly Donaghy and Ollie Heum, Allott and Associates Ltd

PR and marketing agency Allott and Associates Ltd as appointed Kelly Donaghy as client development specialist and Ollie Heum as marketing assistant.

Kelly brings her experience in the manufacturing and food processing industry to the role, and she was also a regular attendee at the PPMA showpiece event at NEC Birmingham as well as Foodex and IFFA.

Several years ago Kelly was one of the first female players to become a professional snooker player, reaching the last 32 of the women’s world championship when the final was held at the Crucible in Sheffield.

Kelly commented: “My snooker playing days are well over, cue my change of career! I am thrilled to join such a client-focused agency and I’m looking forward to playing my part in the future success of the business.”

Ollie, meanwhile, has joined Allotts via the government’s apprenticeship scheme and is also excited to bring his digital talents to the team. He said: “I’m very happy to be here. Allotts is such a vibrant company it presents a great opportunity for me to further my career.”

Managing director Philip Allott added: “I’m delighted to welcome Kelly and Ollie to Allotts; I’m confident that both will make valuable contributions to the ongoing success of the agency.

“Despite the challenges both at home and globally due to Covid-19, we continue to invest in all aspects of the business to deliver effective and fully integrated marketing campaigns, enabling our clients to continue winning new work in both good times and bad.”

Stephen Radcliffe, Ward Hadaway

Ward Hadaway has appointed Stephen Radcliffe as partner in its built environment team.

Having been in the sector for 17 years, Stephen brings with him a range of experience working with developers, contractors, sub-contractors, engineering companies and investment groups, facilitating all types of dispute resolution including litigation proceedings, arbitration and adjudication (both proceedings and subsequent court enforcement).

Commenting on his appointment, Stephen said: “This is a great career move for me and I am delighted to be joining the award-winning Built Environment Team at Ward Hadaway.

“I am looking forward to growing the construction and engineering team here in Leeds and supporting clients and colleagues from across the firm.

“The Built Environment Team has a strong reputation and continues to grow from strength to strength and this is what attracted me to this position. We have an extensive list of clients across many disciplines in real estate, construction, development, engineering, social housing and house building operating from three offices across the North of England.”

Tim Craig, head of the construction and engineering team at Ward Hadaway, added: “This is a significant appointment for our Built Environment Team and Stephen brings a tremendous wealth of sector experience that will inevitably help us to grow our presence and strengthen our service delivery to our construction and engineering clients.”

“Stephen has worked on many large, contentious cases providing expert advice on dispute avoidance and resolution procedures including mediation. He will be a great asset to the team and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Matthew Johnson, Signum FM

Facilities management company Signum FM has appointed Matthew Johnson as gas engineer.

Matthew joins the firm with more than five years’ of industry experience, previously working at construction company Interserve.

Commenting on his appointment, Matthew said: “I’m really pleased and excited to be joining Signum, a company with a great reputation in the industry, and I am looking forward to bringing something new to the table with my experience and to grow with the business.”

Jill Wood, managing director at facilities management company Signum FM, added: “We’re excited to welcome Matthew to our expanding team. His skills and experience are the perfect fit for Signum and we know he’ll be a strong asset to the team.

“Our staff have worked tirelessly throughout 2020, supporting our clients through challenging times. It’s fantastic to now be growing our team further, as we look forward to the next chapter of our business.”

Douglas Le Fort, Trio Healthcare

Ostomy specialist Trio Healthcare has appointed Douglas Le Fort to its board as non-executive director.

Medtech industry veteran Douglas has had a range of experience in the medical devices industry including eight years with Convatec Group Plc where, amongst other roles, he served on their executive leadership team.

More recently, Douglas acted as senior VP for corporate development, with responsibility for M&A strategy for the Convatec Group, as well as being the executive committee member with responsibility for the 2016 IPO process.

Douglas commented: “Trio is a unique business in the ostomy market and I believe it is poised to make a huge difference to the lives of ostomates over the coming years.

“Trio has succeeded in product development where I believe all other ostomy companies have failed, and when its patented technology comes to market shortly, I believe it will deliver true innovation as well as significantly better outcomes for patients globally.

“I am genuinely excited to join the team at such a key time along its journey and aim to use my experience and contacts to benefit Trio as it continues its rapid growth.”

Lloyd Pearce, founder and CEO of Trio, said: “The Trio team is delighted to have appointed Douglas to the board, at a pivotal moment as we push forward with our product development plans.

“We remain on track to launch the first in a series of ground-breaking products early next year, which we firmly believe will transform the ostomy market and, importantly, people’s lives.

“I have known Douglas for a number of years and am excited by the impact he is going to make on the trajectory of the business.”

Racheal Johnson, Social

Integrated communications consultancy Social, has appointed Racheal Johnson as head of strategy.

Racheal was previously head of communications and engagement for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Racheal joins Social with a focus on further developing the Leeds team’s strategy offer for clients across the public and private sectors.

Commenting on her appointment, Racheal said: “Having led in-house communications teams for the best part of a decade, I understand all too well the challenges that businesses and public sector bodies face in achieving communications cut-through, especially in the current climate.

“A clear, well-considered strategy has never been more important, and I’m looking forward to helping our growing list of public and private sector clients achieve the best possible outcomes and return on investment.

“As a former Social client myself, I’ve seen first-hand how passionate the Leeds team is about building meaningful partnerships with organisations in the region and having a positive social impact. I’m thrilled to be joining such a talented and ambitious team at a really exciting time for the business and look forward to playing my part in its continued success.”

Pete Wrathmell, Social’s Leeds MD, added: “Since opening the office in Leeds four years ago, we have focused on bringing the region’s best talent into the agency, creating an environment that will allow our team to grow and develop whilst providing a first class service to our clients.

“We are all thrilled to have Racheal joining the team to further enhance and expand our strategy offer, ensuring we continue to provide clients with an unrivalled communications service.

“Her extensive communications experience ranges from working at the heart of regional politics and the West Yorkshire devolution process through to promoting the Northern Powerhouse agenda and consultation work on major transport projects – all of which will help to support our future growth plans in the region.”

Helen Ballantine, Clive Owen LLP

Accountancy firm Clive Owen LLP has appointed Helen Ballantine as assistant tax manager.

Helen is a graduate of Oxford University and a qualified chartered accountant. Helen trained with a big four firm in London and has worked in finance roles in both practice and industry as well as running her own small tax practice.

In her new role Helen will support the continued growth of services offered by the burgeoning tax advisory and compliance team at Clive Owen LLP.

Lee Watson, tax director at Clive Owen LLP, said: “We are delighted to add someone of Helen’s experience to the firm and the team is very much looking forward to working with Helen, as well as sharing knowledge and experience.

“Our workload continues to increase as existing clients seek further tax advice on matters such as inheritance tax and capital gains tax and new clients seek our advice upon a variety of tax matters including remuneration planning, income splitting and company reorganisations and sales.

“Helen’s appointment fits with our continued growth strategy and we hope to make further appointments in the near future as we continue to grow.”

Helen added “Having worked recently in smaller general practices, the chance to join a growing firm with a dedicated tax department was too good to turn down.

“I’ve been made to feel really welcome, and the range and scope of the tax teams’ work will undoubtedly strengthen my experience.”

Mark Farmer, Yorkshire Children’s Centre (YCC)

Huddersfield-based Yorkshire Children’s Centre (YCC) has appointed Mark Farmer as CEO.

Mark, who has amassed more than 20 years’ experience delivering strategic and operational leadership throughout the third sector, previously worked for the Youth Hostel Association and the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.

Following this, Mark had a seven-year career with St John Ambulance. Here, he was responsible for leading its medical and community services and delivering support for young people with over 20,000 volunteers and up to 800 staff members.

Commenting on his appointment, Mark said: “I’m delighted to be joining this wonderful, highly regarded charity and looking forward to working with the team to build on the reputation and services we deliver.”

“I’m hopeful that my experience — paired with the passion and commitment so evident across YCC — will help to drive the organisation forward and continue to deliver transformational programmes across Kirklees.”

Jane Sykes, head of early intervention and prevention services added: “This appointment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for YCC. Despite a challenging and turbulent year for the community, our unwavering commitment to the public is something we are all incredibly proud of.

“Mark’s substantial expertise in the third sector means he can offer a fresh perspective on reaching a wider objective and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the organisation.”

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