Appointments: Former Grant Thornton finance expert joins business development bank; Board appointments and senior hires for law firm; and more

A FINANCE expert has left Grant Thornton to join the government-owned business development bank, based in Sheffield.

Rob Cawdron was formerly access to finance growth manager at Grant Thornton and takes up his role at the British Business Bank as director of investments.

Mr Cawdron started his career in the East Midlands as a lawyer at various Nottingham firms, before taking an MBA and diversifying into the finance sector.

From 2008 until 2014 he was venture capital fund manager at E-Synergy, the East Midlands early growth fund, before moving on to Grant Thornton.

The British Business Bank is 100% owned by the government but independently managed. Its aim is to bring government money to smaller business finance markets. It doesn’t invest directly, but works with over 80 partners such as banks, leasing companies, venture capital funds and web-based platforms.

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Rupert Hawke Cartwright KingLAW firm Cartwright King has made three board level appointments and three senior level promotions across its Sheffield and Leeds offices.

This month, managing director Rupert Hawke becomes chief executive. Chris Byron joins from Aspire Law as managing director south to work alongside Mark Hopwell as managing director for the north.

Mr Byron is an operations specialist with a background in legal services, consulting and retail. He has worked in both public and private sectors in Europe and Asia. Prior to his appointment at Cartwright King, he was managing director of Aspire Law which was created out of a partnership between Moore Blatch and the national charity Aspire.

Mr Hopwell has been with Cartwright King since 2001, when he joined as a non-practising barrister before cross-qualifying as a solicitor. He has concentrated predominantly in fraud and white collar crime.

Senior associate Alison Ward has have been promoted to director, Sheffield-based Conor Maguire has been promoted to senior associate and Andrea Prescott who works out of the firm’s Leeds office has become an associate.
 
Mr Hawke said: “These appointments are very significant for us as we continue to grow and expand our offer.

“All the promotions recognise the professional application and the contribution to the business of each individual. I warmly congratulate them all.

“In addition to enjoying a phase of organic growth due to our focus on customer service and improved systems, we are still keen to look at mergers and acquisitions with a particular focus on civil work and key practice areas such as business defence.”

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Matt Jones DineCATERER and event management company Dine has appointed Matt Jones as managing director.

Following a successful start to 2016 and a raft of new business wins, the Leeds-based business has also appointed five new team members.

Mr Jones has been promoted from commercial director to managing director of Dine, taking over the role from founder Dan Gill, who will continue to play a key role in the strategic direction of the business – working closely with venues and developing the company’s consultancy services.  

Mr Jones joined Dine as a sandwich delivery driver in 2001, before becoming part of the events team and working his way up to commercial director in 2009.  

To further build Dine’s venue portfolio across the region and drive business growth, two new roles have been created – business development manager and events and venue manager, both based at The Mansion in Leeds.
 
Irene Zdziebko joins Dine as business development manager. She has 18 years’ experience in sales at venues, hotels and exhibition centres across Yorkshire. Most recently she was business development consultant for Looking Local, a digital company owned by Kirklees Council.

Sophie Jackson, a former wedding planner and founder of Wedding with Ease UK, has been appointed to the new role of events and venue manager.  

Meanwhile, Lewis Simms joins the Dine team as event manager working across its full venue portfolio. He previously worked at Burntwood Court Hotel in Barnsley and as a supervisor for the De Vere Group.

Marie-Claire Power has been appointed PR & marketing manager. She has previously worked for French fashion retailer La Redoute (UK) and gift and greeting card supplier TigerPrint.  

Finally, Neil Mallory has been appointed head chef at The Mansion.  He joins Dine from Jamie’s Italian and has worked as a professional chef for almost 20 years, following his training at Thomas Danby College.  

Dan Gill, founder of Dine said: “Matt’s appointment as managing director is highly deserved and comes at a busy and exciting time for Dine, following a series of new venue contracts and increasing demand for our specialist sales and consultancy services.”

Matt Jones has been promoted to managing director.

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