People: The latest West Midlands hires

SevenCapital has added Charlie Steele to its Birmingham development team as it vows to intensify its ongoing investment into central Birmingham and the wider region.

Joining as development manager, Steele will be responsible for helping drive the business’ efforts in sourcing prime and central Birmingham residential and mixed-use development opportunities, ideally of circa 100-1200 units.

He will also assist the team in seeking out similar opportunities across major towns and cities in all Midlands locations.

Steele has more than nine years’ development experience in and around Birmingham, advising both public and private sector organisations, including West Midlands Combined Authority and Homes England, on several large-scale development and regeneration schemes.

Before joining SevenCapital, he spent the latter few years worked as senior development consultant at Thomas Lister, prior to which he was employed at Avison Young.

He said: “I’m thrilled to join SevenCapital. The company has led the way in terms of residential placemaking and development in Birmingham over the past ten years, positively transforming and making a valuable contribution to the overall regeneration of many areas. I’m looking forward to helping to drive their investment in the city and across the Midlands even further.”

Simon Dicken, senior director at SevenCapital, added: “Charlie is already proving to be a fantastic addition to the team. His private and public sector knowledge in Birmingham and its surrounds is invaluable for our growth, as we aim to continue our record of positive investment into our local communities.”

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UKSE has announced two appointments, with Steve Lyon and Michael Hydari joining the organisation in the roles of regional executive and investment executive respectively.

UKSE helps businesses to grow by providing investment capital and loans of up to £1m, as well as premises in its innovation centres.

Lyon, who has joined the company’s regional team covering the Black Country, boasts extensive experience in providing corporate finance, having previously worked with RBS and Natwest before becoming a finance broker and working with one of the regional Growth Hubs.

Hydari also joins as an investment executive from Luxon Payments, where he has worked as a risk analyst for the past three years.

Keith Williams, regional manager at UKSE, said: “We are pleased to welcome two talented, highly-experienced individuals to our team. Steve and Michael both bring an impressive set of skills to the table, and we look forward to working with them.

“As companies recover from the turmoil of the last 12 months, new opportunities are arising and we will continue to support companies to grow and make the most of those opportunities.  These two appointments support that aim.”

UKSE is a shareholder in a range of companies across the manufacturing, industrial and technology sectors.

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Birmingham communications technology company Intercity Technology has appointed Christina Pendleton to the role of chief people officer.

Pendleton has risen through the ranks at Intercity, having joined the organisation as an HR adviser in 2014 before being appointed to the board of directors as head of people and engagement in 2020.

Her new position follows the successful development and implementation of Intercity’s people, engagement and CSR strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring colleagues’ wellbeing and the delivery of community initiatives remained key priorities.

She said: “Over the past 12-months there has rightly been a huge focus on well-being and our industry must rise to the challenge to ensure we meet the demands of our workforce during this critical time. I’m very excited to be taking on this new role and look forward to continuing to provide supportive initiatives to both our colleagues and to young people who are looking to take their first steps in the tech sector.”

Andrew Jackson, CEO of Intercity Technology, added: “Maintaining a people-first approach remains critical for our organisation and Christina’s appointment is testament to her continued development and leadership across the business over the last seven years.

“Christina has led our People Team in delivering and driving change during a very difficult period. She has taken the challenges in her stride and, importantly, prioritised the well-being and engagement of our colleagues whilst looking at new initiatives to ensure we continue to support local charities and youth programmes.”