People: Ex-LEGO man takes up director role at university’s transport design centre; RPS makes senior appointment at Birmingham office; and more

The man behind the success of LEGO’s racing-inspired car kits is returning to Coventry University, where he studied automotive design, to take up the role of director at its National Transport Design Centre (NTDC).

Craig Callum, who graduated in 2006, will oversee the centre’s engagement with industry and its activities researching, creating and refining future transport solutions across the automotive, rail, marine and aerospace fields.

Callum was previously design manager at LEGO, where he was instrumental in putting the company’s iconic Speed Champions car collections on the map.

Prior to his work at LEGO in Denmark, Callum worked in a number of transport studios, including Gibbs Technologies designing amphibious vehicles and Renault Trucks in France working in commercial transport.

He joins the NTDC – which forms part of the university’s Institute for Future Transport and Cities – as its portfolio of projects and collaborations with local and national business expands.

The centre recently joined forces with Uber Elevate to help the tech giant develop flying taxis, and has linked up with Williams Advanced Engineering to research ‘platooning’ – where connected vehicles travel nose-to-tail to reduce energy consumption, emissions and congestion.

Other initiatives at the centre include analyses of how train interiors could be adapted to aid passengers carrying luggage, and how occupants could most effectively be extracted from crashed cars – both projects using the university’s advanced motion capture technology.

The NTDC was opened in 2017 following investment from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership as part of the government’s Local Growth Deal.

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RPS has made a senior promotion in its project management and cost consultancy division, based in Birmingham, with James Smith appointed as a director of Birmingham building consultancy.

Smith, who initially joined firm DBK as a building surveyor in April 2015 prior to the company’s acquisition by RPS, has built up over 13 years of experience in the construction industry, having held both client-side and consultancy roles.

His role at RPS has seen him become the lead contact for the division’s largest client, The Gym Group, for which RPS has provided project management and cost consultancy services, as well as pre-acquisition advice and due diligence concerning properties in its national portfolio of over 150 sites stretching from Exeter to Edinburgh.

His new role will involve key client management and business development, with a focus on promoting the company’s expertise in retail and leisure roll-out programmes.

Smith said: “It is a privilege to be part of this great team in Birmingham and I feel very fortunate that the core values which made us successful as DBK have been kept in place following our integration into the RPS Group.  We have been able to continue to operate with the same ethos that made DBK such a successful business, while having the backing of a PLC company, which puts us in a real position of strength, and makes for a fantastic place to work.

“Being based in the Birmingham office, it is impossible not to notice the huge scale of regeneration and development going on in and around the city. It’s an exciting time to be working in the industry and I’m looking forward to continuing to develop new business opportunities and help RPS get involved in more projects within Birmingham.”

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Accountancy firm Dains has recruited a business development director to its Stoke office.

Daran Harding joined the team following over 30 years’ experience in corporate banking across the Midlands and North West.

During his banking career, he supported clients with acquisitions, restructures and property purchases in addition to working capital support alongside the funding of trading assets.

Ann Diggins, office partner of Dains Stoke, said: “Daran joins us during an exciting growth period in the region, as we see our staff members and client base increasing. Daran’s banking and funding expertise provides us with an additional advantage and broadens our capabilities in supporting our existing client base and new clients. Daran is already out in the local marketplace sharing the firm’s passion for building strong relationships and adding client value.”

Harding joins a growing team of over 180 staff from five offices across the Midlands.