People: Jaguar Land Rover director joins combined authority; Senior hire for Paragon; New FD for Chamberlin, and more

The former head of technical excellence at Jaguar Land Rover, Jo Lopes, has joined the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Lopes has been appointed head of business engagement for the productivity and skills team, and will work to strengthen ties with employers to help improve skill levels and productivity in the region.

Lopes said: “This is a dream job for me, a fantastic opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with the region’s employers to boost skills and opportunities for local people.

“The West Midlands is gaining a reputation as a place to do business. As someone who lives and works in the region, I am committed that we do more to help the economy grow and to ensure that more of our communities can benefit from that growth.

“Working closely with businesses and industry, my role will ensure employers understand there is a wealth of talent available to them in the West Midlands, with lots of support to recruit and nurture those skills.

“These are exciting times for the region. I am really energised about the opportunity to support WMCA’s vision to deliver more for our businesses and residents.”

Cllr George Duggins, leader of Coventry City Council and WMCA portfolio holder for productivity and skills, said: “Jo’s appointment is good news for the WMCA. Jo is a well-known figure in the automotive industry and we will use his knowledge and expertise to bring benefits in employment, training, apprenticeships and opportunities for people across the West Midlands.”

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Solihull-based Paragon has appointed a new head of credit management for its asset finance business.

Anup Sangha will oversee credit decisions at the specialist lender, which supports SME businesses and growth in the UK.

The former head of credit for Aldermore’s asset finance division has 23 years experience in funding assets from across the financial services industry having worked at mainstream corporate and commercial banks, challenger banks and captive finance companies. These include the Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank, Caterpillar Financial Services and MAN Financial Services.

Sangha said: “I have experience in financing a whole range of assets from ships to lorries so I’m looking forward to delivering consistent and timely credit decisions at Paragon, particularly as we are a specialist SME lender.

“In these times of uncertainty, contributing to the growth of small businesses in the UK and ensuring that SMEs have access to finance is important. We understand that some customers have more challenging ‘story credits’ and we don’t want them to be overlooked, so we are open to supporting them as well as the broader SME community.”

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Chamberlin, the specialist castings and engineering group, has appointed Neil Davies as finance director.

He succeeds David Roberts who is stepping down at the end of the calendar year for a new position.

Davies has more than 20 years’ experience in senior finance roles within high volume manufacturing.

He joins Chamberlin from International Automotive Components Group, the international supplier of interior systems and components to the global automotive sector, where he was finance director for six years.

“The board takes this opportunity to thank David for his significant contribution to Chamberlin during his time as finance director and wishes him well in his new venture,” the company said.

Keith Butler-Wheelhouse, chairman of Chamberlin, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Neil to Chamberlin. He brings significant financial and commercial experience of the manufacturing and automotive sectors, and we are confident that he will be a valuable addition to the Board as we continue to deliver sustained profitable growth.”

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Ian Harnett with April Wickens, community relations officer for JLR and Les Ratcliffe, chairman for the NSPCC Coventry and Warwickshire Business Group.

A new patron has been appointed for the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Board, strengthening its connection with global car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover.

Ian Harnett, director of human resources and global purchasing at Jaguar Land Rover, has been appointed as a new patron for the board, which raises funds for the NSPCC’s Boole House.

Boole House, which is based in Coventry City Centre, works with the city’s most vulnerable children and their families after being set up over 22 years ago with the support of the NSPCC Coventry and Warwickshire Business Group.
An initial £450,000 was raised when the group was first founded by Sir Nick Scheele, former chairman and chief executive for Jaguar Cars to build and run Boole House which is based at Whitefriars Street.

The centre is named in memory of David Boole, former PR Director for Jaguar Cars who supported the project.

Coventry and Warwickshire Business Group members includes key business professionals and directors from across the region who work together to organise fund raising events for Boole House.

Since 1996 the group has raised almost £3m for Boole House through its fundraising efforts hosting events such as garden parties, Jaguar drives and golf days.

Harnett said: “It is an honour to be appointed as a patron for such an important charity centred in the heart of the community.

“To be able to continue the legacy of Jaguar Land Rover and the NSPCC supporting each other in helping local children in need is incredibly important and I look forward to continuing to raise as much money as possible for the charity in the future.”

 

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