People: Property developer appoints first female MD; Holiday park operator welcomes new CEO; and more

Sarah Barraclough has been promoted to Managing Director of her family’s property development business, Skipton Properties.

Barraclough’s appointment marks the first time there has been a female MD in the company’s 33-year history.

Her father Brian Verity is stepping down to take on advisory duties as Chairman.

Barraclough has worked in the company since 2003, where she joined as Sales Manager before being promoted to Sales Director in 2007. Most recently, she has been working as Operations Director within the senior management team, taking on a broader leadership role.

Headquartered in Keighley, the property developer recorded a turnover of £22.3m in 2017/18. Overall, turnover and profitability at the company has more than doubled over the past five years.

Barraclough said: “I am extremely proud to become the new Managing Director of my family’s business at this very exciting time in its history. As Skipton Properties gears up for continued growth and success, with more work than we’ve ever had in the pipeline, my focus will always be on building quality homes our customers are excited to move into, working with my fellow directors to move us forwards.

“I’ve worked from the bottom up in this business, so I understand the whole build process and have intricate knowledge and insight into how all the departments within the company work. That’s fundamentally why I’m able to take our business forward into a new era, alongside an incredibly talented and hardworking team.

“We will continue to invest wisely in places where we believe we can make a real difference, and I’m looking forward to expanding the areas in which we build developments.”

In his new role as chairman, Brian Verity will guide on the purchase of new land and oversee company financials. Youngest daughter Caroline Verity also works within the senior management team, as Sales, Marketing and Design Director.

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Park Leisure 2000, the York-based luxury holiday park operator, has appointed Mark Harper as Chief Executive Officer.

Harper brings more than 30 years’ experience in hospitality and leisure to the role, gained in positions as Joint Managing Director at Bourne Leisure for Haven Caravan Parks and more recently, Chief Operating Officer at Parkdean Resorts.

He is also a Non-Executive Director of the South West-based restaurant chain, Hubbox.

Park Leisure 2000 operates a 12-strong portfolio of luxury holiday parks, with locations in Cornwall, Wales, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Herefordshire and Northumberland.

Mark succeeds outgoing CEO and co-founder of Park Leisure, Miles Dewhurst, who stepped down in February following 20 years at the helm, but will remain as an active investor in the business.

Harper said: “This is an exciting time to be part of a growing business. As a brand, we offer a real antidote to the intensity of many of our competitors – a more personalised experience with all practicalities taken care of.

“I have been hugely impressed with the standards on the parks.  I am enthused by the clear goals that our General Managers and our park teams have and I can see that there are lots of opportunities for 2019. My job now is to make sure these teams have the right support to achieve these goals.”

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Private equity firm NorthEdge Capital has announced a series of senior promotions.

Jon Pickering takes on the role of Head of New Business, while both George Potts and James Marshall have been promoted to Investment Directors and Greg Holmes has been promoted to Investment Manager.

Pickering joined NorthEdge in 2013 and has been involved in the majority of the firm’s North West investments and exits to date. He will retain his role as Head of the North West, whilst also overseeing the new investment activity regionally from both NorthEdge’s buyout and SME funds.

Having joined the firm in the Manchester office as an intern in 2011, Potts was one of NorthEdge’s first employees. He has since been involved in eight new investments, two exits and seven Board roles, as well as taking responsibility for the firm’s approach to ESG.

Fellow Investment Director Marshall, based in the firm’s Leeds office, has worked on a number of transactions since joining in 2014, including Helplink’s exit and investments in East Coast Concepts, Belfield, Platinum Stairlifts and iPortalis.

Holmes joined NorthEdge’s Manchester team from PwC in 2016 and has worked across a range of deals including Future Industrial Services, Cubic Motion, Prohire and the exit of DW3.

Nicola Quad, an Investment Manager at NorthEdge Capital, is also set to speak at TheBusinessDesk.com’s upcoming Women In Business event. Taking place on 30 April, Quad will discuss what she enjoyed about being involved in the variety of deals she has so far in career; as well as the opportunities and challenges in a role such as hers.

Ray Stenton, Managing Partner at NorthEdge, said: “These promotions highlight how invaluable each member has become to the NorthEdge team, being integral to many of our most high profile and successful transactions.

“Our business continues to grow, and I am delighted that we have been able to develop such exceptional talent within our team. These promotions are richly deserved, and we look forward to seeing what the next chapter of development at NorthEdge brings for Jon, George, James and Greg.”

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JM Glendinning Insurance Brokers has announced the appointment of Ian Vinall as Managing Director.

The move follows four years as Head of Client Directors at the Guiseley-based firm, responsible for the client facing activity of the commercial insurance team, which has grown from £10m to £15m premium income and 24 to 38 staff over the last five years.

Vinall’s career in the industry spans more than 25 years with roles at Willis, Aon, Marsh and Bluefin, and several years running his own business.

JM Glendinning Insurance Brokers is one of eight companies in the JM Glendinning group. Vinall takes the reins of the Guiseley business from group MD Nick Houghton, who will work alongside CEO Paul Glendinning to focus on the strategic growth of the £30m premium income insurance, financial and health and safety services group.

Houghton said: “I can think of no better person to drive the continued growth of our Guiseley business. Leaving the running of the firm in his capable hands will enable me to focus on the ambitions of the wider group.

“I’ll be exploring strategic growth opportunities; looking at potential acquisitions and finding great people to open and run offices in new locations around the country to help us reach our £50m premium income target over the next three years.”

Vinall added: “I’m looking forward to continuing the fantastic work Nick has done to build the business here in Guiseley as we move into the next phase of growth. Our aim is to hit £20million in premium income over the next three years, and we have a very strong team in place to support this.

“I will continue to work closely with Nicola Richardson, who leads our account handling team, and Rachel Vinall, who heads the private client team and Commercial Business Unit, to make sure our customers are well looked after as we welcome new ones on board.”