People: Fleet management firm welcomes CIO to drive tech division; Bank boosts team as RBS Switching Scheme approaches; and more

Fleet management consultancy Fleet Operations has underlined its commitment to tech innovation and growth with a key appointment.

David Gallimore has joined the Newcastle-under-Lyme company as chief information officer, bringing with him almost 20 years’ experience in the information technology and services industry.

He will be tasked with broadening the scope of services available to customers and ensuring IT systems are as efficient and innovative as possible, from vehicle ordering processes to data security.

As well as looking after the existing IT infrastructure, Gallomore will focus on developing IT products that meet ever-changing customer need and create systems that drive businesses forward.

“My experience developing, designing and managing IT products and making strategic operational decisions has given me key insight and understanding of the marketplace and its demands on technology, so I can help ensure Fleet Operations is developing ahead of the curve,” he said.

“Fleet Operations will continue to have its finger on the pulse and be at the frontier when it comes to the use of technology.”

He joins Fleet Operations from Zonal Retail Data Systems, where he was responsible for the strategic direction and operational delivery of the marketing technologies division.

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Yorkshire Bank has strengthened its Midlands commercial banking team in the latest round of senior hires to support its accelerated growth aspirations, particularly within the SME space.

The bank said Adam Woodall’s appointment reinforces its commitment to supporting SMEs ahead of the RBS Switching Scheme, due to launch later this month.

The scheme aims to increase competition in the SME market by offering eligible RBS customers incentivised deals and rewards to switch their bank account to another provider. Yorkshire Bank is committed to playing an active part in the scheme, building on its existing sector experience and helping to deliver increased competition in SME banking.

Woodall has joined the bank as a commercial relationship manager and has more than 17 years’ experience of working within banking, spending a large part of his career at RBS.

He joined Yorkshire Bank in December 2018 and his varied role has a key focus on liaising with key introducers, accountants, professionals and RBS clients in the Midlands region, advising them on the offers which are available under the Business Banking Switch Scheme.

Woodall, who will be based in the Birmingham B Store, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time to be joining Yorkshire Bank following the acquisition of Virgin Money and with the upcoming RBS scheme. The scheme has huge potential for us to grow our SME market share and continue to be a significant player in the market.”

“Yorkshire Bank is recognised as an industry leader and has a growing industry presence as the sixth largest bank in the UK. There is a great culture at the Bank and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the team and the business over the last couple of months. It’s also been encouraging to go out to the Midlands market and provide key individuals and professional firms with positive news from Yorkshire Bank and our approach to the SME market.”

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Shropshire-based telecommunications giant Pure Telecom has appointed a new marketing manager.

Kate Oakley has extensive experience in marketing and joins Pure after working for two years as marketing executive at employee engagement expert Best Companies.

David Hayward, Pure managing director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kate as our new marketing manager, she has already proved to be an extremely valuable member of our team and will play an integral role in the future of the company.”