People: New senior consultant at tech solutions company; Departure from Board of listed building materials supplier; and more

West Yorkshire based technology solutions specialist, Bellingham IT has appointed Nathan Stone as senior consultant, supporting the business’s continued growth.

Directly responsible for managing delivery of key projects; both for Bellingham IT and a number of clients, Stone will serve as a cornerstone for the company.

Prior to joining Bellingham IT, he held the position of an IT contractor and has significant experience in managing a portfolio of clients and delivering, implementing and coordinating IT projects.

He cut his teeth in the technology sector at Deloitte’s in Leeds, where he progressed to the position of IT Manager over a period of 17 years.

He said: “I am really pleased and excited about joining Bellingham IT and look forward to working closely with the rest of the team to deliver IT solutions for all our clients.

“With its strong team and a hard-working ethos Bellingham creates a positive environment for all employees. The company also understands and accommodates the unique needs of its clients, this is what sets it apart from everyone else and I’m certainly looking forward to being a part of this.”

Paul Heigham, director of Bellingham IT, said: “Our relentless commitment to providing excellent IT services for our clients is entirely dependent on our team. Nathan brings significant experience and joins a group of like-minded individuals, we are very excited for what the future holds for the company and our clients.”

:::

Listed Sheffield-based company SIG, a supplier of specialist building materials to trade customers across Europe, has announced that Andrea Abt will step down from its Board on 12 February 2020 for personal reasons.

The company has also confirmed the appointment of Kate Allum as designated non-executive director for engagement with the company’s workforce. The appointment will take effect from 1 January 2020. 

Additionally, the company said that Andrew Allner will become a member of its Remuneration Committee with effect from 1 January 2020.

Andrew Allner, chairman of SIG, said: “On behalf of the whole Board I would like to thank Andrea for her contribution to SIG and wish her every success in the future.

“I am very pleased that Kate Allum has agreed to act as the designated non-executive director for engagement with the company’s workforce. As chair of the Remuneration Committee, Kate is already actively involved with the company’s approach to investing in and rewarding our workforce.”

:::

Paul Trickett

Deloitte has strengthened its financial advisory team in Yorkshire with four new appointments – Jonathan Sharp as assistant director in M&A, Emma Hornby as assistant director in Transaction Services, Helen Dunmore as assistant director and Lynn Li as assistant manager in Debt and Capital Advisory.

Sharp has re-joined the firm after spending four years at a boutique investment bank and more recently two years at regionally focused investment firm, Mercia Asset Management.

He joins the Corporate Finance Advisory team with a focus on the regional Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) market, having specialised in technology-led investments previously. He first joined Deloitte nine years ago as a graduate from the University of Southampton.

Sharp said: “It is an interesting time to be in the regional corporate finance market as the wider economic landscape drives opportunities for corporate and private equity M&A. The TMT sector is buoyant locally and Yorkshire is growing as a region of choice for technology led businesses.”

Hornby came to Deloitte from the American FinTech firm TransUnion, having previously worked for two PE houses and starting her career in investment banking.

She is part of the Post Merger Integration team and a specialist in integration and separation. She has over 10 years’ experience in programme leadership, strategy and major organisational transformation working within the financial services, technology, energy and healthcare sectors.

Dunmore joined the Deloitte Debt and Capital Advisory team from HSBC UK Bank. She had a variety of roles including relationship management, retail and leisure sector coverage, and latterly in the bank’s corporate origination team, focusing on raising and structuring debt for privately-owned and listed clients across the UK mid-market space.

She said: “This team is well respected in the regional market and has a wealth of experience. My role is advising both new and existing Deloitte clients on their borrowing strategy amidst what is a constantly evolving lender landscape.”

Li has come to Deloitte as an assistant manager in the Regional Debt and Capital Advisory team.

Prior to Deloitte, she started her career in London, in the Royal Bank of Scotland Markets and Investment Banking graduate scheme. Following that she had a number of roles – credit manager in the corporate restructuring team, secondments in TMT corporate finance and regional structured finance.

She is a qualified charter holder of the CFA Institution, and has strong credit assessment, financial analysis and valuation skills. Her role at Deloitte is to support clients across the industry regarding their refinancing and acquisition financing activities.

Paul Trickett, partner in Financial Advisory at Deloitte in Leeds, said: I am delighted to announce four new appointments. We are continuing to build our specialist capability in the region in M&A, debt advisory and transaction services across focus sectors such as TMT, financial services and healthcare.”

:::

EMIS Group, a Leeds-based listed healthcare software and services company, today announced the planned retirement of Mike O’Leary and the appointment of Patrick De Smedt to the Board as an independent non-executive director and chairman designate.

O’Leary will retire at the conclusion of the 2020 Annual General Meeting on 6 May 2020, after nine years of service with EMIS Group as chairman of the Board and of its nomination committee.

De Smedt will be formally appointed as an independent non-executive director on 1 January 2020 and will take over as chairman of the Board and of its nomination committee on O’Leary’s retirement.

De Smedt was previously interim chairman of KCOM Group during a period which included the successful sale of the company earlier this year.

His entire executive career was spent in the software sector, primarily with Microsoft, across a range of management roles throughout Europe. He is currently senior independent director of PageGroup, in addition to a number of private company roles.

:::

Leeds-headquartered Clipper Logistics has appointed Dino Rocos as an independent non-executive director with effect from 1 January 2020.

He will be a member of the Nomination, Remuneration and Audit Committees from this date.

Roscos is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and a highly experienced supply chain leader, bringing with him over 40 years’ retail industry experience at the UK’s leading omni-channel retailer, John Lewis Partnership, where he served for many years as a senior Management Board member.

Clipper has today also said that Mike Russell, current independent non-executive director and Remuneration Committee chairman, will retire from Clipper on 28 February 2020, having served for nine years on the Board of Clipper and its former parent company prior to IPO.

With effect from 1 January 2020, Stephen Robertson, senior independent non-executive director, will become chairman of the Remuneration Committee.

:::

A Yorkshire firm of solicitors has broken new ground in its 126-year history by appointing an inaugural head of family law.

Pascale Adam joins Milners to spearhead the growth of its emerging family law specialism across its network of offices in Leeds, Harrogate and Pontefract.

She brings to the practice nearly a decade of legal expertise, seven of which have focused on family law.

Managing partner of Leeds-headquartered Milners, Simon Bass, said: “This new role is very much a natural progression for us, and we are thrilled to have captured a solicitor of Pascale’s calibre to be at the forefront of its development.

“It adds another dimension to our own ‘family’ of legal services provided to both individuals and businesses, at a time when the laws surrounding divorce and separation are set for their biggest reforms in generations.

“Clients have been turning to us in ever-increasing numbers for family law advice and support, so now is the perfect time to create a dedicated focus for meeting their needs.”

Adam advises on all aspects of divorce and separation, including issues relating to children, cohabitation, dissolution of civil partnerships, property and financial disputes, and pre-marital agreements.

She said: “Any family lawyer would relish an opportunity like this, and I’m looking forward to working with, and supporting, new and existing clients across the Milners network.

“Divorce and separation can be stressful for everyone involved, particularly children, so we are committed to providing a practical and non-confrontational approach, while providing the very best in legal advice.”

Educated in Harrogate, and a graduate of the Leeds BPP Law School, Adam’s career started in Leeds city centre before moving to York, where she further developed her family law specialism.