Coventry University VC appointed to Innovate UK board

THE vice-chancellor and CEO of Coventry University, Professor John Latham, has been appointed to the governing board of Innovate UK.
 
Business secretary Sajid Javid announced the three-year appointment of both Professor Latham and entrepreneur Tim Edwards to the UK government’s innovation agency’s board.
 
He said: “We want to make the UK the best place in the world to innovate and grow a business. Innovate UK has helped more than 5,000 companies to grow and create jobs. As board members John Latham and Tim Edwards will bring a great deal of valuable experience to the important role driving the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.”
 
Professor Latham joined Coventry University in 1984 in the Department of Computer Science, before progressing to a number of senior management positions including managing director of Coventry University Enterprises and deputy vice-chancellor for business development. He became vice-chancellor and CEO in March 2014.
 
Recently he played a key role in the creation of the University’s £32m Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering in Coventry, in partnership with Unipart, which opened its doors last year to give students a ‘real world’ experience on industry’s front line while they study.
 
Professor Latham said: “Successful collaboration between universities and businesses remains critical for the growth of the UK economy, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to bring my knowledge and experience in this field to the Innovate UK board and to represent the university and Coventry itself at the forefront of British enterprise development.”

Director of sales appointed at Europe’s first Park Regis hotel

PARK Regis Birmingham, the city’s newest four star hotel and the brand’s first in Europe, has appointed Rebecca Delmore as director of sales.

Responsible for sales across the hotel’s bedrooms, conference suites and 16th floor restaurant, Delmore joins the Park Regis with more than a decade’s worth of sales experience, both as director of sales at Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport and as head of sales at Worcester Sixways Stadium, where she was responsible for income across conferencing, banqueting, events, sponsorship and match day hospitality for five years.

She said: “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of Europe’s first Park Regis in Birmingham, and the hotel will have a lot to offer. Our 16th floor ‘sky bar’ will host a restaurant concept that is brand new to the city, we’ll have three luxurious hotel suites and 253 deluxe bedrooms.

“We will also have conference and meeting spaces, a fourth floor restaurant and terrace, and an executive floor with its own designated check-in desk, rooms and lounge.”

The hotel is due to open in Broad Street in February.

Boughton brings in group operations manager

WITH production volumes at its Boughton Engineering operation running at record levels, the company has appointed Mark Stanforth as group operations manager at the company’s headquarters in Wolverhampton. 

A specialist in lean manufacturing, product assembly and logistics, Stanforth will work alongside group operations director John Symonds, managing the close production co-ordination between Boughton’s fabrication and componentry facility in North Devon and its main finish assembly plant in Wolverhampton.    

Prior to joining Boughton, Stanforth was responsible for assembly and logistics with a major international plant and equipment manufacturer.

Group managing director Richard Skan said, “We are delighted to welcome Mark to our factory management and production team at a simultaneously exciting and challenging time. His background in large scale lean manufacturing techniques perfectly complements and adds value to the development programmes we have ongoing across the business.”

Sandy Brown Associates bolsters team with graduate hire

THE Birmingham office of Sandy Brown Associates has added to its team of specialist building acoustic engineers with the recruitment of Aaron Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, who recently graduated from Salford University, originally joined Sandy Brown for his year in industry placement in the firm’s London office.

Bob Albon, associate at Sandy Brown in Birmingham, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome back Aaron.

“During his placement year with us he showed what an excellent acoustic engineer he is so we’re delighted that he chose our Birmingham office when he returned as a qualified engineer.”

Sandy Brown Associates has provided acoustic advice on the redevelopment of the Mailbox in Birmingham as well as the Biomedical Innovation Hub and High Temperature Research Centre for the University of Birmingham.