On the move: the latest East Midlands hires

A new sales manager has been appointed by Northamptonshire-based frozen food distributor Central Foods as part of the company’s expansion plans.

Les Romney has worked in sales for 35 years, with the last 18 years being in the food sector.

He was introduced to sales at the tender age of 11 when he worked on the family market stall across the Midlands selling electrical and household items.

His experience in the food sector began in 2007 and has included working as a van salesperson selling chilled and frozen food, acting as an account manager responsible for hundreds of accounts and more recently working for two bakeries – Speciality Breads and Fiona Cairns – in UK sales manager roles.

Oli Sampson, MD for Central Foods said: “We’re very pleased to welcome Les to the Central Foods team. His wide experience in the food industry fits perfectly with our business. As a leading supplier of sweet and savoury frozen food to the food service sector, Central Foods is on an exciting journey of expansion, and we are delighted to have appointed Les to help us continue this progress.”

Romney said: “In my new role with Central Foods, I am looking forward to working closely with the whole team to help grow and develop the business across the country with existing and new customers. Central Foods has a great portfolio of products and it’s an exciting time to join a growing business. I am passionate about great food and it’s a pleasure to have such a superb range of products to showcase.”

Law firm Howes Percival is expanding its offering for the charitable and not-for-profit sector following the recruitment of sector specialist Sally Hopwood.

Hopwood specialises in advising charities and not-for-profit organisations about their legal and regulatory affairs.

She has broad experience in charity matters, gained over many years in both private practice and in-house roles working as group legal counsel and company secretary in UK charities.

Geraint Davies, Sally Hopwood and Alexandra Hornsby

Hopwood is experienced in constituting and registering charitable entities of all kinds and has a particular interest in charity governance, supporting clients with board development, preparing and advising on policy documents, recommending improvements to governance procedures and advising on and implementing restructuring.

She is also experienced at assisting with complex registration issues and charity disputes.

Hopwood holds the Chartered Governance Institute Certificate in Charity Law and Governance and is a member of the Charity Law Association.

Howes Percival’s Charity team advises charities on all aspects of the law and has a wealth of experience in working with charities and social enterprises of all sizes.

The team works in a seamless manner with other specialists from the firm’s corporate, employment and property teams to deliver a comprehensive service offering to clients.

Alexandra Hornsby, Howes Percival partner said: “We are delighted to welcome Sally to Howes Percival. We have been looking to expand our charity specialism for some time, but experts of Sally’s calibre, with such fantastic experience, aren’t easy to find. Sally’s appointment will allow us to offer a more complete and highly specialist charity service and will also help us to train up the next generation of Howes Percival charity lawyers.

“The charitable and not-for-profit sector is hugely important in filling gaps in governmental support and funding throughout the economy, with thousands of organisations relying on charitable funding to provide and maintain their services across education, health, community development, amateur sport, relief of poverty and deprivation and numerous other areas. The sector is highly regulated and therefore difficult for organisations to operate in successfully without support.

“High-quality legal advice that is focused on practical solutions to issues is vital for many charities to enable them to carry out their purposes, protect their trustees and employees and fulfil their legal and regulatory obligations. With the strength of our wider legal offering now, we can put together a team of experts for organisations ranging from small family charities up to much larger not-for-profit organisations.”