North East law firm Hay & Kilner has made a series of appointments across its legal and business support teams.
The firm has recruited staff into a range of roles including legal services, central services, compliance, marketing, and finance across its two sites. Among them are trainee solicitors who join one of the firm's former paralegals in starting training contracts.
Jonathan Waters, managing partner at Hay & Kilner, said: "We’re delighted to welcome such a talented group of individuals to Hay & Kilner. This is a significant moment for the firm. Making a bumper number of appointments in such a short period reflects our confidence in the future, our growing client base, and our commitment to long-term, sustainable growth. We’re investing not just in headcount, but in the future success of our people and our clients.”
Renewables developer OnPath Energy has appointed a new head of construction.
Jules Rankin-Perez brings almost 17 years’ renewable energy experience to her new role and has previously worked on a wide range of high profile green energy projects, including two of OnPath Energy’s Scottish onshore wind farms. She takes responsibility for managing the firm's construction performance across a pipeline of projects in the Ƶ.
Ms Rankin-Perez has worked at wind turbine manufacturer Senvion and as a consultant on a variety of onshore wind, hydro, hydrogen, gas peaker and combined heat and power projects before focusing on green hydrogen development with Protium.
Ms Rankin-Perez said: “OnPath Energy has a strong portfolio of future projects and my aim is to use my experience to help bring them through construction and handed over to operations as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Having previously worked with members of the team, I knew that OnPath’s culture, ethos and ways of working fit well with my own."
Newcastle's True Potential Group has appointed Stuart Dodson as chief executive officer of True Potential Wealth Management.
Mr Dobson will lead the development and delivery of the wealth management strategy. He brings 25 years' experience in regulated financial services, most recently as group managing director at Openwork where he oversaw distribution across wealth, mortgage and protection channels.
Prior to that he was managing director of Newcastle Financial Advisers, and held senior leadership positions at Legal & General, where he led financial advice teams across a range of distribution models, and at the Financial Services Authority.
Mr Dodson said: "I’m thrilled to be joining True Potential Wealth Management at such an exciting time. The business has seen tremendous growth over recent years and, under Gerry’s leadership, has made clear the market opportunity and the level of ambition. "I look forward to joining the very talented and well-established True Potential Wealth Management team as we focus on delivering exceptional client outcomes, evolving the digital experience and scaling the business responsibly."
The British Esports Federation has made four appointments as it looks to position its Sunderland headquarters as a prime destination for gamers, local businesses, esports teams and sponsors.
The national body for esports in the Ƶ has this month appointed Stephen Gallagher as commercial vice president, Ashleigh Mattinson as business development manager, Louis Skilton as graduate intern and Meredith Brady as operations executive.
Ms Mattinson said: "This is an incredible opportunity to contribute to the growth of the Ƶ’s esports ecosystem, helping to create partnerships, develop new initiatives, and support the next generation of talent in one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
"It is great to join a growing organisation and to have hit the ground running. We're already seeing lots of interest in our beautiful Grade II listed rentals, commercial office spaces and conference facilities here in the heart of Sunderland."
The North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA) has appointed Margherita Pasquariello as skills strategy lead.
Ms Pasquariello will lead the development of employer-driven actions within the North East Local Skills Improvement Plan (NELSIP) and the Training for Growth programme, ensuring the North East has the skilled workforce required to thrive in a rapidly evolving industrial landscape.
She brings more than 18 years of experience in strategy, engineering and skills development across Europe, having led complex innovation and transformation projects for world-leading automotive brands including BMW, Rolls-Royce, Vauxhall, Ford and Nissan.
Ms Pasquariello said: “Our goal is to build the work-ready, skilled and inclusive talent pipeline required to support current and future employer demand and fuel the North East's future economy.”
North Tyneside-based White Knight Maintenance, has formed a new senior leadership team following a series of internal promotions.
Paul Snowdon, John Wilson, Tony McMullen and Wayne Carr have been appointed as multi-trades supervisors, holding previous positions as operatives. They join Daniel Scope, office manager, Joanne Gunn, buying and scheduling manager and Kelly Bishop, finance manager, who are already part of the senior team.
Established in 2011, by founder Lee Bishop, White Knight Maintenance offers property maintenance, building services and compliance solutions throughout the North East of England. The 20-strong business has a current turnover of £1.8 million and is eyeing further growth in the renewables sector.
Lee Bishop, managing director at White Knight Maintenance, said: “Paul, John, Tony and Wayne have each been with the business for a number of years and are more than capable of stepping into senior positions. We have a strong track record of retaining staff and developing their careers and for younger team members, it is important they see progression paths and gain valuable knowledge from more experienced colleagues."
