People: New MD for health business; Sales director appointed; and more

After more than 25 years at the helm, Steve Ryan is standing down as Managing Director of East Yorkshire vitamin and supplement manufacturer Bee Health to take up the new role of Production Director.

Lewis Ryan, the current Commercial Director, is promoted to Managing Director with the responsibility for the day-to-day operational management of the Bridlington-based company, and will be formally joining the Board of Directors.

Jan Fletcher, Chairman of Bee Health, said: “Steve originally established Bee Health in 1992, helping it grow it from a small business specialising in bee-derived ingredients, to now becoming one of the leading manufacturers of vitamins and supplements in Europe.

“He will relinquish hands-on control of the business to focus on production strategy and supporting and mentoring the new leadership team.

“We wish to thank Steve for his immeasurable contribution to the success of the business to date and to wish Lewis every success in his well-earned promotion.

“The company has achieved remarkable growth over recent years and these changes lay the foundations to consolidate on this success and to take the business on to the next stage of its development.”

Following these changes the Board will comprise; Jan Fletcher OBE (Executive Chairman), Lewis Ryan (Managing Director), Steve Ryan (Production Director), Andrew Purvis (Financial Director) and Neil Smillie (Executive Director).

Steve Ryan said: “We have a very ambitious business plan to continue our organic growth and we now have a refreshed, dynamic team with a great combination of energy, enthusiasm and experience to take the business forward.”

Bee Health was recently named by industry magazine The Grocer as one of the UK’s fastest-growing, privately owned food and beverage businesses for the second year running.

The company is also one of London Stock Exchange Group’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

Lewis Ryan said: “In the last 18 months the company has doubled the size of its work force and production facility in Bridlington and I’m proud to have played my part in that process.

“I am now delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead Bee Health into the next exciting phase of its development.”

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IT solutions and services firm, pure technology group (PTG), has appointed Scott Deacon as sales director to grow its current customer base by 30%.

The move aligns with the Leeds-based Group’s strategy to increase its turnover – from £30m to £50m – over the next three years.

Having been with the company since its inception in 2007, Deacon was one of the original four people who set up the business with PTG’s CEO Stephen O’Brien. He has held various sales roles within the organisation throughout the 12 years, most recently as sales team manager before his promotion.

Tasked with evolving PTG’s growing portfolio of customers, Deacon will head up the 21-strong department of sales professionals, while also looking to expand the department’s headcount to over 30 during the next year.

Speaking about his promotion, he said: “Stepping up to my new role as sales director is a badge I wear with pride.

“I’ve been with the company since its infancy, so seeing it grow to the multi-million-pound business it is today – and knowing I’ve been a part of that – is extremely rewarding.

“As well as growing our existing customer base organically, I’ll also be developing a new business drive, with the aim to add 270 new customers to our books.”

O’Brien, added: “This was a natural progression in Scott’s career at PTG. He has been with us since day one, meaning he completely understands our culture and beliefs – and he is well respected within the team because of this.

“Forming part of this wider company ethos is a purposeful ‘grow-our-own’ attitude. We’re committed to sourcing and retaining talented individuals who feel challenged and motivated in their roles, and who know they can evolve during their time with us.”

“We’re always on the lookout for new people to join our proactive team. It’s a very exciting time for team growth at the moment.”

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ResearchBods, specialists in customer data and intelligence, have appointed Emily Rutter as Client Services Director.

Rutter has built up over 16 years’ experience with a number of established agencies in the North, working with brands including Tesco, Warburtons, E.ON, Jet2 and More Th>n.

Her role at ResearchBods, which is based in Leeds, will focus on leading and developing the client services team, while taking responsibility for ensuring all clients receive an exceptional level of service and strategic thinking.

Robin Hilton, Co-founder & Director at ResearchBods, said: “As we enter into a new and exciting stage of our journey as part of the STRAT7 group we wanted to appoint an experienced agency professional to head up our client services team.

“Emily is results-driven with a passion for excellence and I’m confident she’ll continue to build on the success of our growing client portfolio.”