People: New operations director joins University of Leeds innovation hub; Offsite manufacturer continues to attract industry leaders with key hire; and more

Nexus, the University of Leeds’ innovation hub, has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of a new operations director.

Bringing 15 years’ experience in the innovation and start-up sectors, Dr Mark Tock joins Nexus from Nottingham University Innovation Park (UNIP) where, as operations director, he was responsible for the development and running of the park.

He has led a number of incubation and science park projects, including the University of Sheffield’s Bio Incubator and Liverpool Innovation Park, and has provided advisory and mentoring support to developing incubators in Malaysia and China. He is also director and company secretary at the UK Science Park Association.

Tock will now be responsible for managing the Nexus building and ensuring that the community has a supportive, inspiring and productive environment in which to succeed and grow together.

He said: “Nexus and the wider Leeds City Region has developed a justifiable reputation as the place to grow a successful technology business so I’m incredibly excited to be joining such a thriving innovation ecosystem. I have a real passion for helping entrepreneurs translate world-leading research into real world impacts, which aligns perfectly with Nexus’ ambitions. I look forward to getting to know our community and welcoming new members through our doors in the coming months.”

Dr Martin Stow, Nexus director said: “Mark is incredibly well-respected and has a proven track record of helping start-ups and SMEs grow. Having held positions at some of the UK’s leading incubators and science parks, he shares our commitment to connecting businesses with academia to spark innovation. His experience will be invaluable, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Nexus.”

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Offsite manufacturer ilke Homes has hired former Crest Nicholson director Matthew Bench as group executive director of growth and partnerships.

Bench will head up ilke Homes’ business development and growth functions, and will be a key figure in establishing new strategic partnerships and supporting existing ones.

Bench has over 20 years’ experience in residential investment and development, and joins ilke Homes from one of the country’s biggest housebuilders, Crest Nicholson, where he was group partnership director for over six years.

Bench has worked alongside some of the country’s foremost housing associations and institutions and was responsible for delivering residential and commercial investments across a variety of tenure types, including some of the country’s leading Private Rented Sector projects.

By working with Homes England, local authorities and housing associations, he has helped the government realise its objectives in the affordable housing sector and the Private Rented Sector, in particular with Build to Rent.

The hire builds on the success that ilke Homes has had over the last year, as the company continues to expand. In May, ilke Homes signed the UK’s largest modular housing deal with leading placemaking organisation Places for People, which will see the delivery of 750 precision engineered homes on sites across the UK.

ilke Homes has also recently upped its recruitment drive with the launch of the ilke Academy, the UK’s first onsite modular training facility, based at their Knaresborough factory.

Bench said: “The rapid growth that the offsite manufacturing sector has seen over the last few years indicates that this is no short-term trend. There is an enormous opportunity in the market to improve and expand on this form of housebuilding, and being at the forefront of this change was central to my decision to join ilke Homes.

“Modular housing’s versatility presents us with an opportunity to accelerate alternative tenure types in affordable housing and the private rental sector, and I hope to use my experience across the housebuilding sector to establish new market offerings and continue to drive this company forward.”

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Insolvency lawyer Olivia Robinson has been appointed as the Yorkshire vice chair of R3, the insolvency and restructuring trade body.

In her new role, she will work alongside the current Yorkshire chair Eleanor Temple, a barrister at Kings Chambers, and the R3 Yorkshire Committee to raise the profile of R3 and its hundreds of members and supporters in the region.

She will help to promote the work of R3’s members who assist businesses and individuals facing financial distress. R3 is committed to supporting best practice for the insolvency and restructuring profession, as well as increasing public understanding of personal and corporate insolvency issues.

Robinson says: “Given the current political and economic turbulence, now more than ever businesses need professional advisers they can trust to help them through difficult times. I am proud to take on this role, working with Eleanor and the Yorkshire committee to champion the insolvency profession and ensure that businesses in the region are aware of the positive work done by our members in helping to save businesses and jobs.

“We are fortunate in Yorkshire to have a strong professional community with expert technical knowledge and vast experience of insolvency matters. We urge businesses to turn to our members at the first signs of financial trouble when the most options will be open to them.”

Robinson is a director at Walker Morris in Leeds where she works in the firm’s banking, restructuring and insolvency team. She has ten years’ experience dealing with all aspects of contentious and non-contentious corporate and personal insolvency with a particular focus on financial services and regulated sector insolvency practice.