This week's Yorkshire appointments

Norman Soutar, Troy Foods

Food producer Troy Foods has appointed Norman Soutar as director.

Former CEO of William Jackson Food Group, Norman has over 25 years of experience within the food sector.

During his career, Norman has held a number of senior positions including having been managing director of Hillsdown Moscow, Strathaird Salmon and Baxter Foods Group.

With a track record of working with family-owned businesses, Soutar will add a strategic overview to Troy Foods. In addition to bringing a range of financial and management skills to the firm, he will also act as a mentor to the management team.

Norman commented: “I have long known and admired Troy Foods, particularly for its entrepreneurial spirit, high quality products and strong customer focus.

“The company’s success is built on these solid foundations and it has huge potential for further growth.

“I am looking forward to working alongside the board to take the business forward, helping shape its strategic direction and using my extensive leadership experience to support the senior team.”

David Kempley, chairman of Troy Foods, added: “Norman is a highly respected figure in the food industry and I am proud that he has chosen to join us and become Troy Foods’ first non-executive director.

“With his vast experience in the sector and more than 20 years of working with family businesses, he will bring immense value to the company as we focus on continued growth and further improving business performance going forward.”

Ian Wilson and Tom Doherty, Iridium

IT consultancy Iridium has appointed Ian Wilson as talent solutions specialist and Tom Doherty as resource coordinator.

Ian has a ten-year history working in technical support and recruitment for Sky, Plusnet and, more recently, IT recruitment specialist firm, The Bridge.

In his new role, Ian will be responsible for identifying and recruiting specialist talent and acting as the liaison point between Iridium and its extensive associate community.

Ian commented: “My passions lie in IT and people, so this role is perfect for my skills and experience. Iridium is well known for its personal touch, which I believe is critical as businesses increasingly look to fill skills gaps on their teams with handpicked talent.

“A true empathy with client and consultant is what’s needed to make a successful match, and I’m excited to be part of a business that does things a little bit differently.”

Graduate Tom will provide administrative support to the team and ensure the selection process is seamless for both hiring managers and candidates.

Iridium co-founder and director, Ben Dainton, added: “The demand for IT talent is at an all-time high, which has seen the size of our team more than double in the last twelve months.

“This is all well and good, but it’s important to us to retain quality and nurture new talent. Ian and Tom have come in at very different levels, but they both fit the Iridium mould of energy, tenacity and ambition, and are very welcome additions to our team.”

Laura Bacon, Servo Group

Multi-service provider Servo Group has appointed Laura Bacon as group bid manager.

Laura has over fifteen years of experience in commercial bid writing, copywriting and public relations for a range of private sector and not-for-profit organisations, including University College London and Coinbox/Redstar.

Laura will work alongside Servo’s existing sales and commercial team, sourcing new tender opportunities, converting them to contract awards and helping to further facilitate the multi-service provider’s expansion.

Servo’s CEO, Andrew McCallion, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Laura to the team – she brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record.

“We’re confident that she can help enhance our growth and maintain and better our bid successes as we drive the Group towards its next phase of expansion.”

Laura added: “I’m really excited to be joining a dynamic, thriving firm like Servo and I’m looking forward to playing a part in its further growth.

“With the excellent reputation, compliance record and solid accreditations that Servo already has in place, I’m confident we can achieve some great tender wins.”

Martin Doyle, Pegasus World

Textiles and fulfilment firm Pegasus World has appointed Martin Doyle as operations director.

The former boss of founder Ivan Zhou, Martin first worked with Ivan in 2005 when Martin was head of the Phones 4u store in Coney Street, York, and Ivan took a weekend job there as a salesman while at the University of York.

Martin recalled: “Ivan was a brilliant salesman, even though English was his second language after Chinese. I knew he’d go far, but I didn’t realise he’d go so far as to run a hugely successful textile and fulfilment company – and end up employing me!”

“We had always kept in touch as friends and I watched in admiration as he set up Pegasus, which has grown to be one of the most successful textile companies in the north of England.

“After Phones 4u went into liquidation in 2014, I joined HSS Hire, where I enjoyed working – but I absolutely jumped at the chance to join Ivan at Pegasus when he approached me. We worked very well together at Phones 4u and there’s no doubt we will again now, despite the role reversal.”

Ivan added: “Not everyone has happy memories of their first boss – but I do. Martin was a massive support to me in my first job and gave me the support and confidence I needed to be a good salesman.

“His strong work ethic, personal skills and intelligence will make him a tremendous asset at Pegasus.”

Steve Donachie, Consult Red

Technical professional services specialist Consult Red has appointed Steve Donachie as CCO.

In his role as CCO, Steve will be responsible for driving further growth propelled by increasing demand for ’Internet of Things (IoT) smart, connected products, video and broadband end-user equipment, streaming TV devices, networks and platforms.

Before joining Consult Red, Steve had his own consultancy company, working with technology & engineering clients.

Steve was the chief commercial officer at Triax HQ for three years, where he led sales, marketing, and commercial management teams across Triax’s EMEA subsidiary companies. Before this, Steve was at Pace plc (now Commscope), where he held several senior management positions as a VP leading Pace’s satellite business in the EMEA region.

Steve Donachie, CCO, commented: “I am delighted to be joining the Consult Red Executive team at this exciting time in the company’s journey and hot on the heels of its transition to an employee-owned company.”

“Over the last 15 years, Consult Red has delivered a solid track record of innovation in the media sector. Now we want to build on the company’s heritage as a connected technology partner in the media and connectivity sectors to reach more customers and to help them develop their propositions in IoT or ‘smart’ markets.

“Our track record and experience can help clients deliver digital transformation, managing risk and getting to market faster.”

Andrew Stewart, Consult Red CEO, added: “We’re excited to welcome Steve to the team. Steve’s international, sales, marketing & commercial experience in the Telco, Digital TV & connected devices industry will lead us towards achieving further growth for the business.”

Lizzie Lewington, Bigfoot Digital

Barnsley-based Bigfoot Digital has appointed Lizzie Lewington as head of SEO.

The former head of SEO operations for Jaywing, Lizzie was also head of SEO operations for Epiphany Search.

Lizzie commented: “The opportunity to grow and put my own spin on a smaller team was one I couldn’t refuse. I aim for detailed development of the SEO offering and a real boost to the organic growth online that the clients of Bigfoot are currently seeing.”

Mark Woodcock, managing director at Bigfoot Digital, added: “Lizzie will be a fantastic asset to the team, and we plan to push forward and really put Barnsley on the map as a town offering strong digital services.

“The expertise Lizzie brings to the table from big-agency life will massively add to our SEO experience and success.”

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