People: Airport appoints new head of cargo; Construction group bolsters senior team; and more

Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) has announced the appointment of Ray Wood as Head of Cargo.

Wood joins DSA from Virgin Atlantic where he was regional sales manager for cargo. Prior to that he spent four years at IAG Cargo and 14 years at Lufthansa Cargo.

Chris Harcombe, Aviation Development Director at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: “Our cargo business is a critical part of our long-term growth plan and Ray’s appointment as Head of Cargo recognises this.

“He is responsible for the commercial and operational development of our cargo business and will build upon the excellent progress we have made in recent years. We’re thrilled to have him on board and are already benefiting from his knowledge, experience and network.”

The airport is reporting record full-year cargo throughput levels for 2018/2019 at 18,000 tonnes, increasing by 42% from 12,600 tonnes in 2017/2018.

The airport’s Masterplan targets doubling throughput to 40,000 tonnes per annum by 2022/2023, through increasing scheduled freighter traffic, developing existing relationships and growing the client base.

Wood said: “I’m really happy to be here, as the role is unique in as much that the airport has insourced its cargo handling operations as well as attracting new operators to the airport.  The opportunity of being able to build upon a fresh cargo operation, with some early successes under its belt was very attractive to me.

“DSA is positioned as a freighter-friendly airport, and customer feedback is very positive. It’s invested in the team, doubling the headcount to offer enhanced capacity and flexibility offering a 24/7 operation to our customers.”

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Horbury Property Services, the repairs, maintenance and compliance business that is part of the Horbury Group, has expanded its senior team with the appointment of Ashley Hibberd as Contracts Manager.

Hibberd joins the Rotherham-based firm with more than seven years’ experience in construction and property management. He previously worked for three years as Projects Co-ordinator for construction company Robert Woodhead Ltd, where his main duties were project management and quantity surveying.

As part of his new role, Hibberd will be responsible for managing multiple public and private sector client contracts and overseeing the work of site managers to ensure all maintenance, refurbishment and fire safety programmes are completed on-time and to the agreed budget.

Richard Sutton, General Manager at Horbury Property Services, said: “We are pleased to welcome Ashley to Horbury Property Services.  He has joined the business at a very exciting time as we continue to grow and secure more contracts across both the public and private sectors.

“We are confident that with his extensive experience in the construction sector, Ashley will prove to be an asset to the team and with further enhance the expertise we offer to our clients.”

Horbury Property Services provides a full range of services, including inspection, installation, repair and maintenance of fire doors, joinery works, fire stopping, sealing, fire compartmentation, fire alarm and emergency light testing, portable appliance testing, electrical testing and installation work, building fabric repairs as well as external cladding and render repairs.

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Aziza Yessi has been appointed as Sales Manager at AA five-star hotel, The Grand, York.

Yessi has worked in five-star establishments around the world, with previous roles in Europe and Asia. She brings a comprehension of the international market and the rising expectations for inbound tourism to her role as Sales Manager.

She obtained a Masters degree in Tourism and Hospitality in Cyprus. Yessi joins The Grand, York from Villa Hotels, Maldives where she looked after all five properties.

She strategized and implemented a sales and marketing plan to break into the Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) market, where she led the company into new business in 11 CIS countries.

Yessi will now work alongside Louise Gee, The Grand, York’s Director of Sales to develop business leads for the hotel, both internationally and locally.

Yessi said: “I am thrilled to take on this role in such a landmark venue and can’t wait to start applying the knowledge of international markets that I have acquired throughout my career to this stunning venue. The team have been wonderfully welcoming and prospective guests are hugely positive about the hotel which is brilliant to experience already.”

Philip Bolson, General Manager at The Grand, York, added: “We are delighted to expand our highly capable sales team to include Aziza. Her international background is a huge benefit to the hotel as we strive to reach new audiences and deepen our connection in both the Asian and American markets.”