People: Bolser; James Heal; Womble Bond Dickinson; and more

Digital agency Bolser has made five new appointments to help deliver a record turnover in 2022.

Lucy Joyce and Ela Piepiorka have both joined the Leeds-based agency as account executives whilst Lara Birkenfeld has joined as digital marketing executive.

The agency has also strengthened its creative and web development teams. Hannah Watson and Karl Garbutt have joined as junior designer and junior developer respectively.

Operating nationally and internationally, the agency’s clients include Microsoft, The Football Foundation, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, KFC, AIG, The Discovery Channel, Jet2 and EE.

Bolser founder and managing director, Ashley Bolser, said: “These five appointments are testament to the great success and growth the agency has experienced over the last 12 months.

“Leeds is a major hub for the digital sector, and it’s fantastic to have these talented young people forging a career in the industry at the agency.

“We remain confident of achieving a record turnover this year. Our new starters will play a key role in helping service our growing client base and meeting our targets so I am very pleased to welcome Lucy, Ela, Lara, Hannah and Karl.”

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Having been part of the James Heal team for over 25 years, Neil Pryke has been promoted to the position of managing director of PPT Group UK, a role in which will cover not only James Heal, but also partner brand Mecmesin located in West Sussex.

An engineering company based in textile mills above Dean Clough in Halifax, James Heal designs and manufactures a range of textiles testing solutions, with 80% of its products being exported around the world.

Having joined the company’s Innovation department as a mechanical design engineer, Heal worked his way up to become operations and innovation director, and manager of the Halifax site.

He was a major player in setting up and developing manufacturing facilities and operations in Halifax, and the creation and development of instruments such as the Titan CRE tensile tester.

Pryke was instrumental in developing the James Heal brand, working with the Design Council in 2011.

Commenting on his promotion, he said he was pleased to be starting his new role as MD across the PPT Group brands in the UK, where he will continue to develop new solutions at James Heal.

He added: “I’m excited to work with our colleagues at Mecmesin, bringing my experience to another part of our global group of brands.”

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Leeds-based James Cook has been promoted to partner as part of a UK-wide series of promotions within Womble Bond Dickinson.

Previously a legal director in the firm’s Corporate team, he is experienced in advising a variety of clients, from small owner-managed businesses to large corporates, on the full range of corporate matters – with a particular focus on private equity, mergers, acquisitions and shareholder arrangements.

Cook is experienced in advising on private equity transactions, having acted for a number of investors and advising NorthEdge in connection with its investment in Clearly Drinks and Enact on its acquisition of Kennelpak.

He also acted for Enact on its disposal of The West Cornwall Pasty Company, as well as undertaking a number of transactions on behalf of Stevenswood and Polyframe, following on from the investment in those businesses by Cairngorm Capital in 2016.

Cook has experience advising management teams in connection with private equity investment and this year advised the management team of PRAC Financial in relation to the investment in that business by Endless.

He said: “In this new role I look forward to continuing to strengthen the firm’s private equity offering and cement our place as a major player in the regional private equity market.”

Leeds office head Simon Pilling added: “The appointment of James as a corporate partner in Leeds is a real statement about our continued ambition to grow our corporate practice in Leeds, specifically the further development of the strong private equity practice we have built.

“James has built a really strong reputation in and around the private equity market, and his appointment with undoubtedly enable us to continue to go from strength to strength as one of the leading private equity firms in the North.”

Cook’s elevation is part of a wider raft of promotions across WBD’s offices in the UK including 10 partner and three legal director promotions.

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York-headquartered animal health business, Animalcare Group, has appointed Sylvia Metayer as an independent non-executive director with immediate effect.

Metayer has built a successful career in customer-focused commercial leadership roles, most recently at Sodexo SA, a global leader in Food and Facility Management outsourcing, where she has served as chief growth officer and a member of the Executive Committee.

She first joined Sodexo in 2006 as group financial controller. She was later appointed CFO for On-Site Services operations in Europe, and president International Large Accounts, before becoming chief executive officer of Sodexo’s Corporate Services Worldwide Segment.

Her decision to retire from Sodexo as of 31 May 2022 was confirmed in February of this year.

She began her professional career as an auditor prior to holding key financial positions in leading international groups. Before joining Sodexo she was chief operating officer at Houghton Mifflin, a Boston-based educational publisher.

Nick Downshire, who joined the Board of Animalcare when it was acquired by Ritchey plc, for whom he had acted as a director since 1998, has decided not to seek re-election to the Board at the company’s forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

It is intended that Metayer will replace him as chair of the Audit and Risk Committee after the company’s 2022 AGM.

Jan Boone, chairman of Animalcare Group, said: “Sylvia’s wide-ranging financial and commercial experience will be of huge value as the Group continues to implement its long-term growth strategy.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Nick Downshire for his many years of commitment to the company.

“Nick’s extensive business knowledge, sound advice and supportive approach have been of significant benefit to our company during his time as a non-executive director.”

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