This week's North East appointments

Matthew Allmond and Tom Harvey, Northern Spire

Financial services specialist Northern Spire has appointed Matthew Allmond as financial advisor and Tom Harvey as marketing executive.

Matthew qualified as a financial advisor in April 2019 and brings with him a range of knowledge, having previously worked as an occupational pension analyst and paraplanner, gaining extensive insight into the technical side of financial planning. He will focus on servicing the company’s growing client base.

Matthew, said: “My background in paraplanning means that precision and detail are second nature to me, nothing I do is left to chance or missed.

“Having analysed a vast number of different portfolios, I can ensure the ongoing suitability of an investment, or product, for each individual client and highlight threats and opportunities for new services that may not have been considered.

“What sets Northern Spire apart is the level of care it puts into making sure existing clients are serviced to the highest standard. There is often a perceived belief that people and companies working within wealth management are predominantly focused on winning new business.”

Tom, who has a background in business and finance, has been brought in to develop marketing leads and coordinate events.

With the support of Northern Spire, Tom is also training to become a financial advisor and is currently undertaking his diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.

Tom commented: “I have been welcomed with open arms by the team at Northern Spire. After speaking with David Cook, managing partner, about my ambition to become a financial advisor, he offered me a position and I said yes, on the spot.

“I know that under his guidance, I will receive exemplary mentorship, as I look to undertake a number of exams to become a qualified financial advisor.”

David Cook added: “Matthew and Tom are assets to our team, as we look to provide second-to-none advice to our clients who put their trust in us to do what is best for their portfolio.

“Over the years, I have found that an excellent team is made up of people with a wide range of differing skills but with one identical ingredient, the ability to connect and nurture each and every relationship fostered.

“The future is bright for Northern Spire and we will continue to do what we do best, servicing our clients to a standard beyond what they expect but one which they deserve.”

Michael Parkin, Surgo Construction (Surgo)

Building contractor Surgo Construction (Surgo) has appointed Michael Parkin as senior quantity surveyor.

Joining Surgo from Netherlands-based Italian firm Rizzani De Echer, Michael’s experience spans sectors including education retail, healthcare, heritage, residential and hospitality, all of which mirror the contractor’s core business.

Commenting on his new role, Michael said: “I am delighted to join the team at Surgo. They have a long-standing history in the region of delivering key projects across many sectors.

“I have some really interesting schemes to work on and there are some exciting projects in the pipeline, which I am looking forward to being part of.”

Surgo’s commercial director, Dave Blyth, added: “We are enjoying a steady flow of new opportunities thanks to the buoyant market, which looks set to continue.

“Not only are we seeing increased levels of investment in the region but also projects that had previously been put on hold because of uncertainty around Brexit and the pandemic have been resurrected.

“We are delighted to have Michael join the team at Surgo. He brings many years’ experience and new perspectives to project delivery gained while working at an international level. I am confident that he will make a positive contribution to the business and enjoy a long career with the company.”

Mary Lynch, Ben McCabe and Simon Wallwork, Beau’s

Vegan gelato manufacturer Beau’s has made three new appointments to its senior team.

Mary Lynch has joined as commercial director, Ben McCabe has been appointed as marketing director and Simon Wallwork comes onboard as non-executive director.

Former Onist Food founder Mary has spent more than ten years in FMCG, working for Jamie Oliver as a senior nutritionist before founding Onist Food and taking the company from kitchen concept to supermarkets and export.

Beyond this, Mary has consulted for a number of years for startups, SMEs and multinationals implementing growth strategies and responsible business practices.

Mary commented: “I am extremely excited to be a part of such a stellar team. I am confident that this, combined with the outstanding quality of this product, is going to deliver impressive growth.

“More importantly, I believe we’re in a position to be able to shake up the ice cream industry for good.”

Marketing and design consultant Ben has a range of experience of the plant-based food and drink space, having previously worked with companies including Dalston’s, Kinda Co, Honestly Tasty, Plant Academy and We Are Tea. Ben joins the team full-time having worked with Beau’s since 2018.

Ben commented: “I’ve been involved with Beau’s in one capacity or another for the majority of their journey so far, so I was delighted when Amber and Joseph asked me to join them on a full-time basis.

“I really admire the sustainable and ethical foundations upon which this company has been built – it makes it easy to sing the praises of a business when it does so many things the way they should (and often aren’t) done!”

Whitbread’s head of strategy, brand and proposition Simon has led sales and marketing teams in both multi-national organisations such as Subway and Virgin and more entrepreneurial challenger brands such as Booja-Booja.

Simon explained: “I’m thrilled to join the Beau’s team in such an exciting time for the sector. There will be challenges but with the vision, passion and quality of the whole team – and, of course, a world-class multi-award-winning product at its heart – Beau’s is set for success.”

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