Newcastle-based social lender Shared Interest has appointed Jo Powell as finance director designate.
Ms Powell joins the team as long-serving finance director and company secretary Tim Morgan prepares for his planned retirement after 15 years of service. Mr Morgan has helped guide Shared Interest through significant challenges, and under his stewardship, the organisation doubled its share capital and expanded its reach to over 45 countries, while maintaining its mission to support small-scale producers in communities worldwide.
Mr Morgan said: “It has been an honour to help steer Shared Interest through some of the most challenging global events. I’m proud of what we have achieved, especially the growth of our Share Capital and the innovations we have introduced.â€
Ms Powell qualified with PwC and has worked at local organisations such as UNW LLP, Newcastle College and NHS Business Services Authority. She said: “I’m excited to continue the incredible work Shared Interest has done to promote sustainability, fairness, and social responsibility. I look forward to working with our global community of members and supporting local and international producers.â€
North Tyneside subsea tech and services company SMD has welcomed new hires, including several former employees. Among the new hires are eight senior members of staff, five of whom have rejoined SMD after time spent elsewhere. At the start of the year, SMD announced plans to hire 50 people by Christmas. The latest additions exceed this target by bringing the total to 70, and the business has a further recruitment drive planned for the coming months.
SMD’s chairman Mike Jones said: “We have been delighted to welcome some familiar faces back to SMD this month; their desire to return to the business is a testament to our strong company culture and commitment to creating robust career pathways. We are proud to offer a variety of roles, each providing a flexibility that encourages our team to explore a personalised career path. We prioritise internal growth and progression by investing heavily in personal and professional development - something our people value highly.
“We recognise that the dedication and innovation of our team is central to the success we have enjoyed so far this year. It is therefore a pleasure to grow our workforce and incorporate diverse perspectives and skills into the business.â€
Newcastle cybersecurity specialist Melius Cyber has appointed Paul Cairney as head of marketing. Mr Cairney joins from Newcastle Building Society where he held the same position. He has extensive experience in marketing and brand building, having started his career at Royal Bank of Scotland and MBNA, and held senior roles at The Co-operative Bank, United Utilities and Sage. He is also a board member of Darlington Credit Union.
His appointment follows the company’s success in raising a further £500,000 from the North East Venture Fund, supported by the European Regional Development Fund and managed by Mercia Ventures, to help it to launch a new version of the platform and boost its marketing activities.
Mr Cairney said: “With businesses facing more frequent and sophisticated threats, cybersecurity is more important than ever. It is great to be joining Melius Cyber at such an exciting point in the company’s journey and I look forward to helping it to achieve the next phase of its growth.â€
Solicitor Jessica Gray has qualified into the real estate team at leading Newcastle law firm Muckle LLP. Before joining Muckle, Ms Gray took a history degree then pursued a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and Legal Practice Course (LPC) at Northumbria University. As a qualified solicitor, she now advises clients on the drafting and negotiating of leases, sales and purchase agreements, and property finance transactions.
She said: “Real estate was the first seat of my training contract at Muckle. I had enjoyed studying property law at university and I knew it was an area I wanted to experience in practice. Working in a larger team offers a great balance between variety of work and structured processes.â€
Jonathan Combe, partner and head of real estate, said: “We’re delighted to officially welcome Jessica to the team. She has demonstrated impressive skills throughout her training, and I’m confident she’ll provide outstanding service to our real estate clients. We place a strong emphasis on nurturing the next generation of legal talent through various ways, including our comprehensive training programme. Jessica is a prime example of the success of this, and we are proud to have her as part of the team as we continue to grow and expand our expertise in the real estate sector.â€
Independent planning consultancy DPP has appointed Laura Chandler to its senior team in Newcastle. Ms Chandler has been appointed as principal planner, bringing a decade of experience in the planning industry, most recently as principal planner at ID Planning, Leeds, where she worked for seven years on commercial, retail, and residential sites across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ. Before ID Planning she spent three years as senior planner for Chelmsford-based consultancy Bidwells.
Gareth Hooper, CEO of DPP Planning, said: “We’re delighted to have a new addition joining the senior leadership team here at DPP in Laura. She brings with her unrivalled knowledge and expertise and is already adding value to us both as a team and most importantly to our clients.
“Laura joins us at a very exciting time for the business. Following the promotion of three existing team members into senior roles earlier in the year we’re experiencing a period of significant growth for the consultancy. Being able to foster talent within the team in this way, in addition to bringing in new and fresh expertise to the business is putting us in very good stead for 2025 and beyond.â€
