People: Drax Group; Fulcrum; Smartflow Couplings; and more

Power station owner Drax Group says Andy Koss, chief executive – generation, resigned as a director of the company on 7 April 2020.

His service agreement with Drax Power will terminate by reason of redundancy on 30 June 2020.

His departure is part of the transition of a new executive management structure for the Generation business of the company.

Koss will not seek re-election as an executive director of the company at the AGM being held on 22 April 2020.

Philip Cox, chairman, said: “On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Andy for his 15 years’ service at Drax, during which time he has made a major contribution to the transformation of Drax into a leading generator and supplier of renewable energy.

“We wish Andy the very best for the future.”

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Sheffield-based Fulcrum Utility Services has appointed Jennifer Babington as non-executive director with effect from 1 May 2020.

She joins the board with extensive experience in law, finance and industry. 

Having started her career as a corporate finance lawyer at Norton Rose Fullbright, she later moved into the renewable energy and infrastructure sector as legal counsel of Element Power, a renewables company, overseeing its wind and solar developments in northern Europe.

Following this, she served as the chief of staff at the UK Green Investment Bank, the Government’s green investment fund, established to commercialise green investments in the United Kingdom.

She is currently operations director and general counsel of Virgin Racing (trading as Envision Virgin Racing Formula E Team). Babington has a Master’s degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University.

Fulcrum has also said that Wayne Hayes, non-executive director, will be retiring from the Board with effect from 30 April 2020.

He joined in February 2018 when the Dunamis Group was acquired.

For personal reasons he is retiring from all business activity. However, Haynes has agreed to continue to support the Board, following his retirement, as a special adviser.

Phil Holder, Fulcrum’s chairman, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jennifer to the board as a non-executive director.

“Her breadth of experience will further enhance the board, its independent judgement and will support the Group through the current short-term uncertainty and will complement the next phase of strategic development and growth. 

“Jennifer’s specialist knowledge in the renewables sector and green investments space is particularly exciting and will assist the Group in capitalising on the significant long-term electrical opportunities available to us as the UK decarbonises its energy.

“I would also like to thank Wayne for his significant contribution since he joined the Board. We wish him a long and happy retirement with family and friends.”

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Manufacturing business Smartflow Couplings has appointed former Agility CEO Andrew Jackson as non-executive director as the firm prepares to expand into new global markets in the oil, gas and chemical sectors.

Jackson, who is based in Harrogate, previously headed Agility’s $300m chemical logistics group operations across Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia and has worked in supply chain roles for organisations including DuPont and ICI.

Gary Thompson, managing director of Smartflow, said: “Andrew joins at an exciting time for the firm as we embark on the testing of nine new products thanks to a £173,000 innovation project, heavily funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

“Andrew’s knowledge of the global chemical and energy markets, along with his supply chain expertise, will bring valuable strategic direction as we explore new partnership opportunities worldwide.”

Smartflow manufactures dry break couplings for the oil and gas, petrochemical, food and drink, road and rail, marine and other industries where spillages need to be minimised or fluid transfer efficiency maximised. It has offices in Scunthorpe and Harrogate.

Jackson said: “Smartflow’s innovative products already bring cost, waste and safety benefits to customers around the world.

“I am looking forward to maximising the growth potential of this exciting business which will involve collaborating on large-scale infrastructure projects with partners both in the UK and overseas.”

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Sheffield-based postural care specialist Jiraffe has strengthened its team, with the appointment of a new business development manager.

Rachel Davis joins Jiraffe with a wealth of experience, particularly within the healthcare industry, having worked as an occupational therapist for the NHS for three years upon graduation from the University of Derby with a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy.

After leaving the NHS, she then worked in training, where she progressed to a marketing role before joining Jiraffe earlier this year.

Davis said: “I’m thrilled to have begun working at Jiraffe. It is such a busy, proactive company and every day is different to the last.

“I was drawn to Jiraffe as they have a sense of authenticity at their core that can be quite hard to find – helping children truly is at the heart of their mission.”

Holly Jenkins, director at Jiraffe, said: “We’re extremely excited to have Rachel join us as she has such a wealth of skills and experience from across our industry.

“We’re delighted to welcome Rachel to the team as we build further on the growth and success of recent years.”

Jiraffe, launched in 2014, is the UK distribution division of Jenx, a family-run company established in 1982 with the aim of enriching lives and changing perceptions about disability.