On the move: the latest East Midlands hires

Retford based J-Flex has recruited a familiar face as its new marketing manager.

Neil Duckmanton, founder of Upbeat Design, has joined the family-run business to head up its marketing department. He has worked alongside J-Flex for over 30 years providing graphic design, web design and print services to the company.

Sam Kirk, managing Director at J-Flex, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Neil to J-Flex. His creative flair and

Neil Duckmanton

experience will ensure our marketing strategy continues to evolve and enhance our reputation as a market leading company.

Also joining J-Flex is recent graduate Amy Street, who has joined the company as sales administrator.

Welcoming Street to the business, Kirk said: “Prior to joining J-Flex, Amy worked in a nearby petrol station and was spotted by a number of my colleagues who were impressed by her enthusiasm, willingness to help and pleasant nature when dealing with customers – she was the ideal candidate for the role and we’re delighted she’s joined our team.”

Dr Chris Crosby has joined engineering, environmental and planning consultancy Caulmert at its Nottingham base as a principal project engineer.

Crosby spent a number of years in academia prior to working in industry.

A geography graduate from the University of Wolverhampton, he went on to complete a PhD in civil and environmental engineering and subsequent postdoctoral research at Loughborough University.

His postdoctoral research honed his geotechnical skills while investigating clay fill materials used in transport infrastructure projects. During this time he developed technology to enable automated measurement of permeability in clay materials, which resulted in more efficient and accurate results.

Crosby also looked at the effects of climate change on transport infrastructure in Thailand. Partnering with the Asian Institute of Technology, where the research involved investigating air quality.

He said: “I developed some sensors, attached them to a motorbike and rode from the north to the south of Thailand, covering more than 2,000 miles in five days. I found that the air quality is as bad in the countryside as in the cities. This is because people in rural communities still burn charcoal to cook food, and this produces very small particles that pollute the air and can significantly impact health.

He added: “The purpose was to develop technology that could detect poor air quality, but which had to be affordable and that people could easily have access to.”

Whilst completing his PhD, which he self-funded with the aid of three part-time jobs, Chris also qualified as a teacher, and lectured in civil engineering at Dudley College.

Chris Crosby

He moved into industry in 2016 as a geotechnical engineer, carrying out geotechnical assessments, site investigations, and managing the submission and approval of construction Quality Assurance Plans in the design department at FCC, before transferring in the same role to Sirius Environmental.

The move to Caulmert enables Crosby to learn about project management for the first time.

Crosby, whose areas of expertise include slope stability and landfill development, said: “I’m using my academic skills to help inform what I see on the ground, while conducting site investigations, to report what I have found.

“I want to learn as much as I can and translate that into usefulness for client projects, as well as for the Caulmert business. The work here is very varied and there is plenty of support when you need it.”

Caulmert director of project management Chris Davies said: “Chris has lots of geotechnical and environmental engineering knowledge and expertise. He’s a good fit to the specialist environment and waste team we’re developing in Nottingham.”