People: Future Life Wealth makes Grant Thornton hire; Hull BID board expands; and more

Sheffield based Future Life Wealth Management has expanded its team with the appointment of a new paraplanner.

Emma Baumback joins Future Life Wealth Management from Grant Thornton in Sheffield.

She will be responsible for the research and preparation of advice and suitability reports.

The latest appointment takes Future Life to nine members of staff, as it looks to expand its services across the region.

Managing director Jillian Thomas said: “We’re always looking to grow and develop as a company, and our latest appointment is a great example of that.

“Emma is a talented and extremely ambitious individual, and joins us having already picked up crucial experience in a similar role. I’m sure Emma will prove to be an excellent asset to our team.”
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Hull Business Improvement District (HullBID) has strengthened its board with the appointment of two non-executive directors.

David Donkin is the property director of Wykeland Group, the development company which is a major partner in the redevelopment of Hull’s Fruit Market area, while Nigel Dibb is general manager of the Holiday Inn Hull Marina, the flagship hotel which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and which is drawing up a timetable for a major refurbishment.

Wykeland joined forces with Beal Homes to create Wykeland Beal, a joint venture company which is working in partnership with Hull City Council to transform the Humber Street area from old dockside warehouses into Hull’s first urban village, bringing together retail, leisure and residential use in a new cultural and creative heart of the UK City of Culture.

Donkin, who joined Wykeland in June 2016, said: “Having worked in Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester, Edinburgh and London I’ve seen how BIDs work elsewhere, I’m aware of the strong reputation which HullBID has built and I hope I have something to add.

“If we can create a distinct offer in the Fruit Market area and the wider city centre people will travel here. The museums offer is another example of attractions and experiences that you don’t find in many other towns and cities. The City of Culture events have been great at pulling people into the city and we need to build on that.”

The Holiday Inn Hull Marina kick-started the regeneration of the marina area when it was opened by Trust House Forte in 1987.

Dibb said: “We have been the main hotel in the city centre for some time now and I hope we can bring something different to the table. There is some real talent on the HullBID board and a good mix of people from different sectors.

“I think that’s exciting and it is reflected in the city centre business community, where people are working hard to help each other and are being rewarded by increasing visitor numbers. We are working together to get across the message that City of Culture is not just about this year. There is more development to come and, like Wykeland, we will have a part to play.”
Nigel Dibb (left) and David Donkin at Hull Marina.
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Yorkshire-based One Stop Business Finance has expanded its team by recruiting three business development managers.

Max Chapman, Rachel Mackenzie and Victoria Shepherd have been recruited to the roles and will cover the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East, Yorkshire and the North West respectively.

One Stop Business Finance’s managing director, Andrew Mackenzie, said: “These are very exciting times at One Stop Business Finance. The appointment of three business development managers is intended to ensure that our sales continue to double every year. The fact that we are now able to offer our personal face to face service to clients and our introducer community, from the Midlands to the Scottish Border, makes us a genuine regional player in the alternative lending market.”