Coventry & Warks LEP appoints new energy chief

A NATIONALLY-renowned low energy housing expert has been appointed as the new chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s Energy Business Group.

John Barnham, head of sustainable investment at the Orbit Group, one of the UK’s largest social housing providers, has taken over from Keith Budden, who stepped down from the position after moving to Cenex, the UK’s first Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies, to become Head of Business Development.

Barnham’s job involves leading a team to deliver low energy housing while maintaining a commercial focus for Orbit Group’s 38,000-strong housing stock and encouraging tenants to reduce energy consumption.

He is a board director of the Sustainable Housing Acton Partnership (SHAP) and Building Retrofit Network Community Interest Company, and a member of Housing Partnership UK, Energy Efficiency Partnership for Buildings, the International Housing Partnership and the European Federation for Living, which are committed to delivering low energy commercially sustainable housing.

New faces at start-up VoteHere.com

ONE of Birmingham’s newest tech start-ups has welcomed two new additions as it continues to expand its team.
 
VoteHere.com, a social platform for managing feedback, has appointed Chris Worsey as head of business development and Sundip Gill as PR and social media manager.

The start-up business is based at the Zellig building in the Custard Factory and has now grown to a team of eight.
 
Worsey, whose background lies in entrepreneurship and politics, will attempt to drive nationwide growth through working with clients ranging from independent entities to large corporates.
 
Gill, a former social media executive at PR company Ed James Group, has a background in journalism.

She has previously managed social media for clients such as The Cube and Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse, Bar & Grill.

In her new role she will be managing and implementing a number of PR & digital campaigns for VoteHere.

Trio of promotions at CWA

CIVIL  and structural engineering consultancy CWA has promoted three of its engineers to associates as its order book continues to expand.

The Birmingham-based consultancy has promoted senior structural engineers Matthew Endacott and Tom Hender and civil engineer James Welch to associate status.

CWA, based in the Jewellery Quarter, is celebrating record-breaking growth and expansion and has just undergone a major rebranding exercise.

Endacott joined CWA in 2011 having worked at Cox Turner Morse for nine years.

Hender began his career with Couch Consulting and joined CWA last year while Welch previously spent six years with WSP.

CWA was established in 2011 as Copeland Wedge Associates. The consultancy provides civil and structural design consultancy services to a wide range of sectors including leisure, residential, education, health, industrial, retail, infrastructure and public bodies.