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PRIVACY
Enterprise

People on the move: key North East appointments and promotions

Companies making new appointments include Atom Bank, Grainger plc, ramarketing, Bradley Hall and Hay & Kilner

Atom Bank has made key appointments in its technology senior leadership team.(Image: George North)

Atom Bank has announced several key appointments in its technology senior leadership team, with a series of strategic changes and promotions designed to accelerate product launches and enhance delivery capabilities.

Ges Richmond has been appointed head of lending delivery, having been at Atom for five years, while Orla Codyre has been appointed as head of savings delivery after being with Atom for two years.

A new head of platform and enterprise delivery role has been filled by Kath Langlands, Rob Smith has been appointed head of engineering, Rob Butcher has been appointed head of architecture and Faizah Rafique has been appointed head of business analysis. Meanwhile, James Kerruish has been appointed CISO and head of service, and Leanne Judge has been named chief of staff. Finally, Dr Russell Collingham becomes head of AI and data science.

Andy Sturrock, chief technology officer at Atom, said: “I’m delighted to have such a strong and capable leadership team in place. Their collective expertise will be vital as we continue to increase our velocity and invest in our technology stack to better support the business. I’m confident that with this new structure, we are in a fantastic position to achieve our ambitious goals.”


Simon Fraser of Grainger Plc.(Image: Grainger Plc)

Listed residential landlord Grainger Plc has appointed Simon Fraser to the board as non-executive director and chair designate.

He will succeed Mark Clare, whose nine year tenure as chair concludes in February 2026, at the company’s next annual general meeting. Mr Fraser is being appointed as an independent NED with effect from October 1 and will also join the board’s committees, enabling an orderly handover prior to Mark’s departure. He will stand for election at the 2026 AGM and, if elected, will move into the role of chair of the board and nominations committee.

He brings substantial real estate and investment experience and more than 13 years of FTSE board experience with two prominent Real Estate Investment Trusts, SEGRO plc and Derwent London plc. Mr Fraser also brings a wealth of experience in the global capital markets from a long, successful career in investment banking and corporate broking, advising a wide range of clients across numerous sectors, including many consumer facing businesses.

Prior to his retirement from executive roles in 2011, he worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he was managing director and co-head of corporate broking. He said: “I am very excited to be joining Grainger which is a great business with some even greater prospects.”