As the country further emerges from the pandemic there are more jobs being created and promotions.
These job changes represent all industries and are across the whole of the country.
Here we feature the latest appointments from across the business world in Wales.
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Richard Akers to succeed John Tutte as Non-Executive Chair at Redrow
Redrow has announced that it has agreed to appoint Richard Akers as its new non‐executive chair of the Board of Redrow plc.
Mr Akers will join the board as chair‐designate and as an independent non-executive director on June 1, 2021. He will work closely with John Tutte during a handover period and Mr Akers will assume the role of chair following the announcement of Redrow’s 2021 Full Year Results on September 15, 2021, at which time Mr Tutte will stand down from the Board.
Mr Tutte was appointed as chairman of the board on April 1, 2019, following the retirement from the business of Steve Morgan, Redrow’s founder. As announced on February 5, 2020, the company confirmed that it was the intention of Mr Tutte to retire from the board ahead of the 2021 AGM and in its 2020 Annual Report, it reported that it had commenced a search for a new chair, led by Nick Hewson, the senior independent director.
Mr Akers has a career background in property and land acquisition, having spent his entire career in the industry, latterly as a main board director of Land Securities plc, the 海角视频’s largest commercial property company. Since retiring in 2014 from Land Securities plc he has held a number of non-executive roles.
Mr Hewson said “On behalf of the Board, I would like firstly to thank John for his outstanding commitment and dedication to Redrow over nearly 20 years as regional chairman, chief executive and latterly as chair. We wish him all the very best for the future.
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“Following a comprehensive recruitment process, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Richard Akers, who will succeed John as Chair in September 2021. The Company will benefit from his industry and commercial experience which he has gained over a long career and also through his various non-executive roles. It is a pleasure for us all to welcome Richard to Redrow and we look forward to working with him.”
Mr Akers added “I am delighted to be joining the Board of Redrow and very much look forward to working with the Board and the wider team in order to continue to deliver on the Company’s strong track record of developing high quality homes in thriving communities.”
‘Tech for good’ specialist Big Lemon appoints new board director
Digital agency Big Lemon has appointed current operations director Sam Wheeler as a director and shareholder.
Big Lemon was co-founded by Kieran Abbott and Owen Richards in 2014. The agency’s mission is to build digital products that make the world a better, fairer, cleaner place.
Ms Wheeler will spearhead the agency’s work in the ‘tech for good’ space and lead the firm’s efforts to achieve B Corp accreditation, a growing global movement of businesses striving to be a force for good in the world.
Since taking the strategic decision to focus on the ‘tech with purpose’ niche a year ago, Big Lemon has gone from strength to strength. Turnover and profit have more than tripled since 2016/17, while the team has grown from four people to 10, with further growth anticipated in 2021. The firm delivers tech solutions for clients include the NHS, Amber Energy, University College London and the University of London.
Ms Wheeler has worked in the tech sector for 15 years, with previous roles at Hackney University Technical College, Technology Will Save Us and charity Teen Tech.
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Since joining Big Lemon in 2019, Ms Wheeler has driven initiatives around HR, diversity and partnerships to support this mission and says she is looking forward to further developing this work.
Ms Wheeler said: “Designing and building meaningful digital products that empower others to deliver positive change is at the heart of the Big Lemon ethos. By solving challenges with creativity, innovative co-production methods and intelligent technology, our vision is to harness the power of tech to drive positive change. This is something I’ve been passionate about throughout my career, and I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity to build on this specialism alongside Owen, Kieran and our talented team.”
Business support programme appoints new operations manager
Business Wales’ Accelerated Growth Programme has appointed a new Operations Manager.
Siwan Rees has joined the Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP) from the NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, where she was responsible for supporting businesses across Wales to start, scale and succeed. In her new role, she will be responsible for managing the delivery of business support services to over 500 high-growth businesses in Wales.
Business Wales’ AGP offers tailored support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to expand. The programme has supported more than 1,000 businesses in Wales since it started in 2014, which has helped to create more than 9,000 jobs. Research led by Professor Max Mundy of Cardiff Business School has demonstrated that £17 is generated in the Welsh economy for every £1 spent on high growth business support. The Accelerated Growth Programme is delivered by the Excelerator Consortium on behalf of Business Wales.
Ms Rees said: “The past year has presented unprecedented challenges to most businesses and has provided new opportunities to many too. I am looking forward to working with the team at AGP and the companies we serve to understand the challenges facing them as we emerge from the pandemic.
“Working together and with trusted partners in the business support ecosystem, I aim to ensure we provide the highest quality business support services that help entrepreneurs tackle the challenges they face while making the most of new opportunities. This will be critical to supporting the Covid recovery and developing the right environment to ensure sustainable business success for ambitious companies in Wales.”
Wealthify announced two senior hires in bid to accelerate growth
Fintech firm Wealthify has made two senior appointments designed to fuel its continued growth.
Investment specialist, Akshaya Bhargava has joined the board as a non-executive director (NED), and former Virgin Money CIO, Michelle McGrade has joined Wealthify’s investment committee.
The company says the appointments are a key part in it’s growth strategy under the stewardship of CEO Andy Russell, alongside chair Ben Luckett, following the buy-out by Aviva last year.
Mr Bhargava brings experience in wealth management, investment and technology to the role having founded and scaled three businesses, including two fintechs in the investment industry – Bridgeweave and InfraHedge Ltd. Most recently, he was global CEO of the wealth and investments business within Barclays Plc. He is former CEO of Butterfield Fulcrum Group (acquired by MUFG), CEO of Progeon Ltd. (acquired by Infosys, now Infosys BPO) and he has held multiple senior positions at Citibank.
Ms McGrade will sit on Wealthify’s investment committee. She previously built an online investing platform for retail investors in pursuit of her goal to make investing opportunities more accessible. Ms McGrade has also held consumer-focused roles at investment houses including as NED of the Diverse Income Trust, NED of M&G Securities Ltd, chief investment officer at Virgin Money and Chief Investment Officer at TD Direct Investing.
Four appointments at Zip World
Zip World has welcomed four new members to its executive, finance, construction and commercial teams.
With Zip World expanding through Wales, and with plans to extend beyond, these new roles have been created in a bid to take the adventure giant to the next level and shape its bright future in the adventure tourism sector.
Joining the executive team is operations director, Kai Hepworth. Mr Hepworth was previously the divisional director for Costa Coffee, looking after 632 stores.
Mr Hepworh said: “I’m thrilled to be joining Zip World at this very exciting time, the future growth ambition of Zip World is as breath-taking as its adventures and combines my love of the great outdoors and 30 years of experience within the leisure and hospitality industry’’.
Elin Evans has joined as chief financial officer, where she will tasked with overseeing the financial, IT and projects departments. Ms Evans said: “My role will help Sean [Taylor, Zip World director] and the team during the next phase of expansion across the 海角视频. There’s an exciting future ahead for tourism businesses emerging from the pandemic and Zip World is in an enviable position.”
With experience as general retail Manager at Chester Zoo, Alison Brook will look to guide Zip World’s growth within its retail and its food and beverage outlets.
Johann Fourie joins the team as construction and projects manager and has played a pivotal role in the development of new Zip World sites – most recently the construction of the brand new Zip World Tower in Aberdare, South Wales.
North Wales based business grows out of the pandemic
A north-Wales based business owner has announced a new member to its team as it looks to reboot adventure experiences for businesses and charities.
Jason Rawles, 46, CEO and founder of Aspire Adventures, has appointed Victoria Keith as marketing and events executive.
“There’s no doubt that this pandemic has been tough, but we made a conscious decision to not see the revenue as lost but just deferred,” said Mr Rawles.
“At some point things were going to recover and we want to be in the best position possible to help business and charities with their challenges and we do that via adventure solutions.”
Mr Rawles moved to north Wales in 2013 after a long career in IT sales with a view to running a business that helped people and businesses to achieve their aspirations and pursue his passion for adventure and the outdoors. After volunteering for mountain rescue, helping run a charity and delivering adventures as just himself, in 2018 he launched Aspire Adventures.
North Wales law firm makes new position to deal with divorce surge
The pandemic lockdown has forced couples together and put a strain on many already rocky relationships as divorces have surged, according to a North Wales family lawyer.
Rhiannon Compton has joined law firm Swayne Johnson, who have six offices across north Wales and Cheshire, as part of its family law team and is hoping that an easing of social restrictions will also ease the pressure on her clients.
Ms Compton, 32, from Deganwy, said: “I was delighted to join Swayne Johnson who have a really high reputation within the north Wales and Cheshire circuit for family law and that was one of the attractions for me and they are well-regarded for their service generally.
“I’m just hoping that with an easing of lockdown we will be able to get back into court to deliver a quicker and more efficient service for our clients.
“We have made excellent arrangements at Swayne Johnson to meet with clients remotely but family law can be quite a complex and emotional area and if you can meet in person it is easier to pick up on body language, tone of voice and eye contact.”
Swayne Johnson managing director Sarah Noton said: “We cover a huge geographical area and provide a comprehensive range of services with real expertise so that clients don’t need to look to firms from outside the area for the legal skills they need.
“A big part of what we do at Swayne Johnson is about relationships. Clients don’t want faceless people, they want someone who can literally hold their hand for them and that’s what Rhiannon will bring to her role.”
Two new appointments at New Directions Social Care
New Directions Social Care has made two new appointments in support of planned growth within the organisation.
Samantha Marriott joins the company as social care manager and Keri Evans as a recruitment consultant at its head office in Cardiff.
New Directions Social Care, part of the New Directions Group, is a recruitment and training provider for the social care and associated sectors, working to place mental health, children’s residential, learning disability, nursery, hostel and various other support workers and professionals into services supporting our local communities.
Ms Marriott has spent the past six years working in health and social care recruitment across Wales and the South West with a range of qualified and unqualified staff, making sure they have everything they needed. In her new role, Ms Marriott will have full responsibility of developing the social care teams, and the recruitment and training services they offer to clients and professionals within the industry.
Ms Evans will tasked with recruiting support workers and care assistants in South Wales and the South West of England.
Gary Williams, director of Social Care, said: “Balancing the people, time and resources required to sustain high quality levels of care is a real skill and is something we are dedicated to achieving here at New Directions Social Care every day. We are really delighted to welcome Samantha and Keri to the team, where their expertise and support will help us continue providing more people than ever into organisations and various social care environments.”
The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales has appointed its first board member
The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales (WCRC) has announced its first board member as John Davies, managing director for Pervade Software.
The WCRC is part of a network of centres being established across the country to provide businesses and organisations, with an affordable way to access cyber security services and consultancy to help protect themselves from attack.
Mr Davies is the managing director and co-founder of Pervade Software. He says that with his partner they led the company to become a developer of award-winning cyber security products that are used by both private and public sector companies in more than 80 countries worldwide. Current clients include the 海角视频 police, running the Police CyberAlarm platform and the 海角视频’s Cyber Essentials Scheme and operating its assessment portal.
WCRC Director Paul Peters responded to the appointment saying: “We are so pleased that John has chosen to join our board. To have someone with such vast international experience in technology and senior leadership can only benefit the WCRC and its members. Pervade Software is an organisation with an extensive global reach but is based locally in Wales, which means we get the benefit of its expertise in helping to support smaller businesses in the region.”
Mr Davies added: “This is a natural fit for me and with my activities with the Cyber Wales ecosystem it puts me in a great position to offer guidance to business owners when tackling the issues of cybercrime. It’s a major threat for many organisations and can have devastating effects and I hope that by taking on this position my own experiences can be of some help in tackling this growing problem.”
Hutchinson Thomas appoints first non-solicitor partners
Hutchinson Thomas Solicitors has promoted three members of its team to partner – two of which become the first non-solicitor fee earner partners in the firm’s history.
The three new partners are Sandra Pickering, who works in the firm’s probate department, Ros Street, and Christopher Edwards, who both work in the firm’s property department.
The internal promotion of chartered legal executives Ms Pickering and Ms Street sees a change to the traditional structure of the firm, by including, for the first time, staff who hold positions other than that of solicitor as partners.
The recent appointments mean that Hutchinson Thomas now consists of 16 partners and employs 61 staff.
Working within Hutchinson Thomas’ probate department, Ms Pickering is a qualified Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, and her areas of expertise are probate, wills, and lasting powers of attorney. Her promotion to partner comes as she celebrates 20 years with the firm this year.
The other non-solicitor fee earner to be appointed partner at Hutchinson Thomas, chartered legal executive, Ros Street, has been with the firm for 25 years.
Starting as a legal secretary when she first joined, Street transferred to the position of legal executive, and now works within its property department. Her specialist area is that of residential conveyancing.
Mr Edwards, who has been at the firm since 2014. Working within the firm’s property department, Mr Edwards is a specialist in residential conveyancing, commercial property, leasehold, and freehold transactions. His specialities also include acting for developers, as well as some of the more unusual areas of property law, such as claims for adverse possession of land.