People: The latest West Midlands hires

Harris Lamb planning consultancy has welcomed an experienced planning officer to the department.

Fred Davies brings a wealth of planning experience within the public sector to the business, having held positions at a number of local authorities; most recently having spent more than 20 years at Wychavon District Council.

Prior to his time with Wychavon, he worked with Liverpool City Council, Malvern Hills District Council and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

Patrick Downes, director at Harris Lamb, said: “We are delighted to have someone of Fred’s calibre on board. Due to the pivotal role he has held within the region for the past two decades, we have worked in conjunction with him many times, and our team will benefit a great deal from his understanding of the inner workings of local authorities and his regional knowledge when it comes to the substantial number of projects we are currently undertaking within the Worcestershire area and beyond.”

Davies said: “This is my first planning role outside the public sector, and I am confident that it will be an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

“I have known Patrick for more than 20 years professionally and I’ve always found Harris Lamb a good business to work with, both in terms of their work and their attitude.

“Many developers and consultancies can approach obtaining planning permission as a box ticking exercise, but the Harris Lamb team have always shown a genuine interest in the complete picture and followed the process to the end result. I am looking forward to working more closely with the team.”

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Wesleyan, the specialist financial services mutual for doctors, dentists and teachers, has appointed Stewart Gracie as its With Profits Actuary.

He joined Wesleyan from M&G where he worked for over 20 years in a variety of actuarial roles. He was most recently head of finance strategy, with responsibilities including capital management, with profits management and actuarial valuation methodology and assumptions. Prior to that he spent four years as the Prudential’s chief actuary.

Gracie will be responsible for advising the board on key aspects of discretion in relation to the Society’s with-profits business.

Chief risk officer Jonathan Welsh said: “Wesleyan’s With Profits Fund is one of the best in the market, combining smoothed returns with a strong investment performance track record”.

“We’re delighted to have Stewart join the team, bringing with him a wealth of understanding and experience of with profits that will be invaluable as we progress plans to increase access to our Fund to a wider market.”

The With Profits Fund is Wesleyan’s largest fund and valued at over £4bn.

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Digbeth-based marketing agency Digital Glue has welcomed account director Camille Gill to its growing team.

The appointment follows a successful year for the agency, which has seen it hire four new account executives and a lead developer, as well as take on several exciting new clients.

Gill joins Digital Glue as a strategy expert, with nine years of experience in account management, consultancy and business development at global companies such as Pearson and Explore Learning.

Managing director Javan Bramhall said: “As Digital Glue continues to develop relationships with new and existing clients, we have introduced Camille to maintain our high standards. Camille’s experience and knowledge are paramount to the growth of Digital Glue, as well as the growth of its clients. The new addition to the team allows Digital Glue to continue delivering excellent client results and exceeding their expectations.’’