Appointments: Grant Thornton; Creative Capital; GBUK

ANDREW DEVONALD has been appointed as business development manager for Grant Thornton based at its Leeds office.

Mr Devonald joins from PwC where he has spent over five years in business development, focusing on building new relationships primarily in the private business and family business market.

Prior to that, he worked in recruitment for six years, specialising in recruiting sales people. He has also worked in pharmaceutical sales and has experience of running his own business.

In his new role, Mr Devonald will work with the local team in Yorkshire to help them identify and support fast growing businesses, building the firm’s presence and profile in the regional business community.

Andy Wood, practice leader for Grant Thornton in Leeds, said: “Over the last few years, Grant Thornton has really differentiated itself as a client-focussed firm, committed to developing long term relationships and providing a full range of services to fast-growing businesses in the region.

“We welcome Andrew’s arrival which will help us to ensure that these messages are conveyed to businesses throughout the region.”

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CREATIVE CAPITAL, a provider of short-term finance to SMEs, has expanded into Yorkshire with the appointment of Martyn Walker as business development director for the region.

Mr Walker joins the privately-funded, Cheshire head-quartered company with over 30 years’ experience in leasing, foreign exchange and asset based lending.

Based in Halifax, his role will see him work closely with companies and advisors in the region to develop selective invoice finance, trade finance and bad debt protection facilities that can be accessed on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

Dai Rees, director of Creative Capital, said: “We’ve seen demand grow rapidly in Yorkshire, with many businesses looking to the alternative funding market to support expansion.

“Martyn’s appointment strengthens our presence in this key region and ensures we continue to deliver rapid access to funding for local businesses.”

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GBUK, which specialises in the manufacturing and distribution of medical devices, has strengthened its team after hiring five staff.

Harriet Adkin and Dulcie Brooke have become GBUK’s new customer service assistants after both recently graduating from York St John University with a BA in Business Management and Finance.

They join a specialist team of customer service representatives based at GBUK’s headquarters in Selby.

Jon Concannon has been appointed as GBUK’s new area business manager for the North Thames area.

Eleanor Wadsworth, a Mathematics graduate from Northumbria University, joins GBUK as a commercial officer focusing on the commercial strategy and development of the company.

Denise Everall joins the Enteral UK arm of the business, which specialises in enabling healthcare professionals to provide enteral feeding support to patients, as an enteral specialist.

The five new recruits take the total number of employees to 61.

Mark Thompson, Managing Director at GBUK, said: “GBUK is undergoing an important phase of strategic growth and our new additions are a key part of this.

“Our growth has allowed us to create more jobs, which in turn is supporting the local economy.”