People: Ware & Kay Solicitors; PCL; Made Greater; and more

Law firm Ware & Kay Solicitors, which has offices in York, Wetherby and Malton, has appointed employment solicitor Kalpesh Nakeshree as head of its Employment Department.

Nakeshree will provide leadership and support to the Employment Team.

He specialises in all aspects of employment law and will provide employment law advice to both employers and employees.

This will include dealing with restructuring, redundancies, grievances and settlement agreements.

He will also advise on change management, flexible working, Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment (TUPE) and tribunal claims.

Originally from Harrogate, he arrives with considerable experience, having specialised in employment law for over 11 years.

He studied at the University of Manchester before qualifying as a solicitor in 2010 and starting his career in Bristol.

Nakeshree will be based in York but will see clients in the Wetherby and Malton offices.

He said says: “My aim will be to deliver exceptional advice to employers and employees on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law.

“I pride myself on offering no nonsense, pragmatic and commercial advice with the objectives of my client
always in mind.”

Litigation director, Johanne Spittle, added: “Kalpesh will add a wealth of experience and knowledge to the existing team, which has gone from strength-to-strength over the last couple of years.

“He is well known for providing excellent and practical advice.”

:::

Sales professional, Andy Traynor, has joined pneumatics expert PCL as its new key accounts manager, bringing extensive experience in the industrial tools retail market to the role.

After an initial period familiarising himself with the Sheffield-based company’s systems, processes and products, he is meeting customers across the UK.

He will be introduced to PCL’s key accounts by colleague Robert Gardner, who is working with him to ensure a smooth handover before he retires from the company.

Traynor said: “I’m excited about developing partnerships with PCL’s customers, getting to understand their objectives and strategies to help them identify opportunities and realise potential.

“PCL is a trusted brand name for workshops, tyre shops and high pressure applications where time and money is critical.

“The industry has been in a maintain and protect mode for the last couple of years, and although the immediate challenges are around stock availability and pricing, I’m looking forward to focusing on development, and hope that my experience in retail will bring a fresh perspective.”

PCL’s sales and marketing director, Lee Wright, added: “Andy’s approach of nurturing long-term relationships as opposed to transactional sales aligns with PCL’s commitment to partnerships that help the company and its customers to flourish together.

“It will be exciting to see what opportunities his retail expertise will bring as we all look forward to the future following the pandemic.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Robert for his excellent work and wish him a very happy retirement from all at PCL.”

:::

James Maisey, who has been with paid social agency Made Greater in an operational role for the past two years, is set to move into the position of managing director.

He intends to build on the strong core of the Leeds-based business by focusing on brand building and team development, whilst steering the growth and direction of the agency in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Founded by Oliver Jones in 2020, the performance specialist agency was launched to connect ambitious brands with their audiences using paid social channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

The company now employs a team of 12 people and looks after the paid social strategies for 16 businesses, largely consisting of enterprising challenger brands.

Maisey said: “The move into the role of MD is the natural next step for me, as our business is at the crucial point where it needs someone unequivocally invested in its future to navigate the business’s growth, new service offerings, and to continue to build and strengthen relationships.

“Since the agency was founded in 2020, we’ve been intent on working with a range of disruptive, challenger brands.

“We wanted to establish a diverse client portfolio that would enable us to learn, develop, and ultimately enjoy the process of helping brands build stature.”

Jones added: “Our client base of ambitious new brands looking to scale quickly and disrupt their market has grown by 160% over the last 12 months.

“James has been integral to this growth, and I have no doubt he’ll be instrumental in replicating this success as our business goes from strength to strength.”

:::

Dan Mallin

One of the oldest signage businesses in the UK is expanding its team with a new senior hire.

134-year-old Widd Signs has appointed Dan Mallin as head of projects as it continues to grow its 70-strong team across its bases in Leeds and St Helens.

His appointment comes in response to increasing demand for the company’s signage consultancy, design, production, and installation services, particularly across the retail, construction, and leisure sectors.

With a career spanning more than 20 years in the signage industry, Mallin has been recruited to lead the company’s team of project managers, who are responsible for delivering dozens of projects each year on behalf of clients including Marks & Spencer and construction company Winvic.

His role will see him work closely with all areas of the business to ensure projects are delivered efficiently, effectively and to the highest quality standards, meeting clients’ briefs and exceeding their expectations.

The company has promoted Matt Smith to the position of operations manager and recruited a PA, Jacqui Hogan, to support the operations team. Within the manufacturing team, Tom Shackleton has moved from the dispatch department to the role of CNC operator.

Since joining Widd Signs in 2016, Smith has risen through the ranks and his new role will see him driving performance across the business to ensure customer needs are being met at every point in the process, whether that’s design, production, or installation and aftercare.

Matt Smith

To further enhance its industry-leading production capabilities, the company has just invested over £100,000 in a state-of-the-art Swiss-made cutting machine. The machine will enable Widd Signs to offer clients an even broader range of services.

Rory Campbell-Pilling, group head of operations, said: “Dan brings a wealth of expertise and experience to a key role within the business, and in the short time he’s been with us, he’s already impressed both the team and our clients.

“At the same time, we’re really pleased to be able to announce Matt’s well-deserved promotion.

“When he joined the business over five years ago, his potential was clear to see, and since then he’s become a key part of the team in driving and delivering fantastic service to our customers whilst helping others thrive in their roles.”