North East accountancy and business advisory practice Clive Owen LLP has appointed Leanne Leftley as a new director.
Ms Leftley joins as audit and accounts director, bringing Big Four experience to the firm. After graduating from Durham University she qualified as a chartered accountant at a Big Four firm in 2016 before moving to industry as business controller for a multi-national food manufacturer. In 2019, she moved back into audit practice at a regional accountancy firm, progressing to senior manager before joining Clive Owen LLP.
Her appointment follows the addition of tax director, Elizabeth Rothery, and tax manager, Aaron Larvin, who joined in December. Meanwhile, audit and accounts senior, Leah Ramsey, and audit and accounts associate, Ryan Bentley, have relocated to the Newcastle office from the firm’s Durham and York offices respectively.
Simon Hook, audit and accounts partner at Clive Owen LLP, added: “We are delighted to welcome Leanne to the firm, which represents continued growth and confidence in our Newcastle office. The firm has established a strong presence on Tyneside in a relatively short period of time, validated by our recent high-profile appointments and the relocation of several promising members of the team, demonstrating the flexibility and vast opportunities that are available at Clive Owen LLP.
Bradley Hall has appointed Lilly Yuill as its first recruitment manager and HR coordinator as part of plans to double the size of the business. Ms Yuill will oversee the acquisition of talent across all of its services including estate agency, commercial agency, valuation services, building surveying, property management, mortgages, land and development and planning, as well as its central support services; marketing, accounts and operations.
She will head up the firm’s recruitment and HR processes as part of the operations team based in the company’s Newcastle headquarters.
She said: “I am keen to recruit into new roles across the board as Bradley Hall expands its service offering for our local, regional and national clients. I will also be looking at new ways of approaching inductions, the interview process and attending graduate events at our region’s universities to meet with up-and-coming talent.”
The Newcastle office of global real estate advisor Avison Young has made a new senior appointment in its building team. Kashaf Ali joins as a senior quantity surveyor from Turner and Townsend, where he gained considerable experience working in cost management roles across real estate within the commercial, residential, life sciences, education and health sectors. He will be involved with all aspects of quantity surveying and project management on major developments, throughout the North East and beyond.
He said: “I am delighted to be joining the multifaceted Avison Young team in the delivery of high-profile developments across various sectors, both in region and beyond. The opportunity to engage in the many transformational projects that are reshaping the city is a truly exciting prospect; I look forward to collaborating with the team to drive these schemes to completion.”
Gordon Hewling, principal and managing director, Avison Young, Newcastle, added: “This is a further key appointment for the expanding office and within our extremely busy building and project consultancy team.”
North Tyneside insulation specialist Insulcon Technical has welcomed three new engineering design apprentices to support its global expansion plans. Sammy Farman, Ryan McGee, and Joe Masters have joined the company to support the design of its insulation systems for the offshore industry.
It marks the first time Insulcon Technical has taken on apprentices and the company has developed a comprehensive three-and-a-half-year tailored training programme in high level computer design skills for the new arrivals. Mr Farman and Mr McGee will undertake an engineering design apprenticeship, while Mr Masters will complete a design draftsperson apprenticeship.
Managing director Chris Evans said: “Investing in high-quality, structured apprenticeships will help us to develop the skills of Joe, Sammy and Ryan and will also support our broader business strategy for growth. We have ambitious plans for the company and these include increasing capacity across the business.”
Bellway Homes has appointed Matt Grayson as group sales and customer experience director. Mr Grayson has spent the last eight years in a similar role at Redrow and his role will include sales, marketing, communications, and customer experience. He will become a member of the executive committee, taking over from group sales and marketing director, Maria Seed, who will be retiring in March 2025, following 25 years of service with Bellway.
Jason Honeyman, chief executive officer at Bellway, said: “I am delighted to welcome Matt to Bellway and onto its executive committee. His wealth of experience inside and outside the sector will help Bellway evolve its customer experience offering, including the ongoing development of our digital offerings to our customers.”
Mr Grayson said: “I’m excited to join the Bellway team and to help grow its reputation for quality new homes and communities. With plans to develop its customer offering, Bellway is in a great position to enhance its face to face and online home buying experience.”
Gateshead based YourFilm has made two new appointments in a move it says marks an indication of continued growth, despite challenging industry conditions. YourFilm, which has created TV ads and promotional films for firms including Flymo, Admiral, Nissan and Thomson Reuters has recruited Maddie Tipping as studio manager and Josh James as a junior animator.
Matthew Newman, co-founder and managing director at YourFilm said: “Market conditions have been tricky, and we know of several agencies which have sadly struggled in recent years - so we don’t take it for granted that, after 20 years, YourFilm is in a position of strength, with great opportunities for further expansion this year.
“We’re very excited about our future and, 20 years in, still have the same passion and hunger to produce creative and memorable work which resonates with our clients’ audiences.”
