This week's North East appointments

David Elliott, Malhotra Group

Property group Malhotra Group has appointed David Elliott as chief finance officer.

David, a financial accountant and tax specialist of some 35 years, is due to leave the office of KPMG in Newcastle at the end of April where he has held the position of senior partner since March 2017.

From 2008 he led the tax practice there and, prior to that, was tax director with PwC for 17 years.

David is due to take up his position at Malhotra Group on May 1 as it looks to complement its UK commercial interests with a residential and leisure development in the Punjab region of India.

Meenu Malhotra, group chairman of Malhotra Group, commented: “on behalf of our family and company I am absolutely delighted that David has agreed to join us at boardroom level, especially at a time of great excitement for the group with expansion happening both in the UK and India.

“His experience and expertise will be invaluable to the company’s affairs and to me personally, as we continue with our strategic growth plans.”

David added: “I am thoroughly looking forward to joining the board of Malhotra Group PLC following my retirement from KPMG.

“To be able to work for one of the region’s largest and most dynamic family-owned businesses is a fantastic opportunity for me.

“Meenu and his colleagues have built up a diverse group with extremely high-quality businesses and assets and the opportunity to become part of this successful company is incredibly exciting.”

Mark Robinson, WilliamsAli Corporate Finance

Corporate finance boutique WilliamsAli Corporate Finance has appointed Mark Robinson to its team.

Mark made his name in banking having been with AIB in Manchester for the past six years, and has now relocated back to his native North East for the opportunity with WilliamsAli Corporate Finance.

Mark commented: “My time in banking gave me wide and varied deal experience across a range of sectors. Now I am looking forward to bringing that experience to the table and blending it together with WilliamsAli’s clear ethos of client service and tailored advice,.

“There’s a huge amount of work involved in making a deal happen - and the level of skill and planning the team at WilliamsAli goes way beyond anything I have seen before. I’ve been hugely impressed and am really pleased to join such an ambitious firm.”

Co-founder Abu Ali added: “The addition of Mark to the team is a very big move for us. With his strong track record in corporate banking, he has huge experience in working with businesses at the point of investment and has unrivalled insight into what is needed for them to secure that.

“This adds further expertise to our growing team at WilliamsAli Corporate Finance, which has built such a strong reputation in a relatively short period of time - and having made such progress in one of the most difficult years in memory, we’re very confident and in great shape to go forward.”

Paul Howard, Durham Business Improvement District (BID)

Durham Business Improvement District (Durham BID) has appointed Paul Howard as BID manager.

With over 20 years’ experience in town centre and BID management, Paul will initially spend some time getting to know the businesses and Durham city, before formulating his plans to drive the direction of the BID and city centre with input and support from partners.

Prior to joining Durham BID, Paul was the BID manager for Keighley in West Yorkshire, and has relocated to the area especially for his new role in the North East.

Paul began his career two decades ago with Burnley (Lancashire) Town Centre Management, moving to Burton upon Trent (Staffordshire) in 2007 to take the role of town centre manager where he remained until he was offered a position in 2013 as the general manager of the Torbay Town Centres Company (Devon).

Paul commented: “Clearly, Coronavirus has been a huge upheaval for everyone and nobody really knows yet what the long-term impacts are going to be or how long the virus will be with us.

“Starting a new position during this time is going to be a real challenge but it’s an opportunity I’m looking forward to embracing. It seems fitting that I’m joining the organisation as restrictions begin to be lifted after a long hard year of lockdowns – it’s a fresh start in many different ways.

“Durham City is totally unique. There’s a strong retail offer of independents and high street names alongside the heritage and character of the place, a varied and interesting events calendar adding vibrancy and a particularly strong visitor appeal, and for me, it’s the opportunity to live and work in a part of the UK that is well known and well regarded.”

Alan Day, chair of the board at Durham BID, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Paul to the team.

“A stand-out candidate during the interviews, he brings with him to the role a wealth of experience that is sure to help the businesses of Durham City come back stronger following the devastating impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“My thanks must go to Adam Deathe for his many years of service at Durham BID and some of the brilliant achievements he’s brought about for the City. He’s leaving behind a strong legacy for Paul to pick up on in his new role.”

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