On the move: the latest East Midlands hires

Adare SEC, the Nottingham-based integrated communications provider, has appointed a new people director to its executive team.

Tracy Toon, who joins Adare SEC from Santander, will be tasked with driving the company’s colleague engagement strategy.

Toon has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector. As chief operating officer for Santander’s retail contact centres she managed the day-to-day operations of 3,500 colleagues across the UK.

She said: “As Adare SEC further implements its transformation strategy, it is essential to make sure all colleagues are engaged and informed. This will enable the company to continue to deliver a ‘best in class’ customer service.

“It is my responsibility to ensure Adare SEC’s colleagues feel truly valued as part of the company’s journey, and that it continues to be a great place to work for everyone across our three sites.”

Elsewhere, national potato supplier Branston has promoted its head of finance and planning to the new role of planning director.

Jo Hill, who has over 14 years’ experience in finance for food producers, will also sit on the firm’s executive board.

Jo Hill

She first joined Branston as commercial accountant in 2013.

James Truscott, managing director at Branston, said: “We’re thrilled to be promoting Jo for a third time, having seen her progress within the finance team over the last five years.

“Jo has made an outstanding contribution to Branston’s finance team, as well as the wider business. She has developed the skills and knowledge that perfectly suit the new role of planning director.

“This is a really exciting time for Branston, we’re making significant investments to our sites across the UK, increasing capacity and developing state-of-the-art processing to get the best out of the UK’s potato crop.”