People: Ticketing firm hires former Grant Thornton director; Employment law specialist invests in new team; and more
BemroseBooth Paragon (BBP), a supplier of magnetic tickets and contactless RFID cards to the transit market, has appointed Andrew Jones, former associate director of Grant Thornton, as general manager.
During a 20-year career, which spans automotive, consumer electronics and industrial power divisions, Jones has taken the lead on a number of strategic projects including the design, development and implementation of a new concept into consumer electronics, which resulted in the company being the first in the world to ship hydrogen fuelled products to retail stores.
Bringing this experience to BBP, he will build on the strategy of the business to drive future growth through product innovation and improved work flow process. He will also manage the day to day activities across both the Hull and Boston-based manufacturing operations which employs more than 140 people.
He said: “The ambition of the business as a whole was particularly attractive to me. I have experience across a range of industry sectors and many different processes and these skills are directly transferable to this role. The potential within BBP is phenomenal and I am very excited to be taking on a challenge that will deliver great reward for everyone involved.”
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West Yorkshire employment law specialist Howarths has invested more than £50,000 in the launch of a specialist team designed to support SMEs with HR issues and people management.
Howarths’ HR and investigations department will focus specifically on delivering HR-related services including on-site employee investigations, recruitment and selection and employee engagement support.
The investigations service will be led by Bob Cherry, who was appointed to the role in July following a number of senior people management and investigation roles in the public sector.
He will work closely with Howarths’ newly formed HR team, led by HR advisor Tracey Hopkins and supported by HR assistant Ellie-Mae Fisher, and HR administrator Caitlan Price.
Howarths managing director, Gavin Howarth, said: “We listened carefully to feedback received by our clients and understood that more on-site support was required. For reasons of impartiality and complexity, many businesses we work with were looking for support with their internal HR investigations.
“A properly conducted HR investigation is of crucial importance to the fairness of any process and we are now well positioned to support businesses of all sizes with difficult tasks such taking witness statements and properly and impartially reviewing evidence.”
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Credit manager Lowell, headquartered in Leeds, has announced further changes to its group executive team.
Current group chief risk officer Sara de Tute has been appointed to the UK board as a non-executive director. She will be succeeded by Laurence Bogni-Bartholmé, who joins the group from Wells Fargo.
Commenting on the appointments, CEO, James Cornell said: “I am pleased to welcome Laurence to the team. We have significant growth plans, and a strong and resilient approach to risk across the business is vitally important to delivering them. With her years of experience across European markets, she will be real asset to the business as we enter the next stage of our growth.
“I would like to extend my thanks to Sara for the years of help and support she has provided me, the executive team and the business more widely. To have her join the UK board as a non-executive director is recognition of how much we value her insight, experience and her contribution to the success of the group to date.
“I welcome Sara and Laurence to their new roles, and look forward to working closely with both of them to deliver our risk, strategic and commercial goals.”
