People: Blueclaw Media; Stone King; Advanced Supply Chain Group; and more

SEO digital marketing agency, Blueclaw Media, has appointed a new organic performance director and a new business growth director this month.

The latest hires will join the agency’s senior team as the firm continues to grow.

Stu Foster, former SEO and site performance director at Farnell Global, has become organic performance director, and will be overseeing all SEO and web performance for internal and external clients, as well as streamlining internal operations.

Lizzie Lewington, business growth director, joined Blueclaw from Bigfoot Digital where she was managing director, and will build on the agency’s strong SEO experience and projected growth through her time as head of SEO operations at Epiphany/Jaywing.

Lewington said: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Blueclaw team – it’s a really exciting time to join the business with the recent XLMedia acquisition propelling us into international markets.

“The level of talent we have in our team is second to none and will be a game changer as we prepare for new levels of growth, both in the UK and overseas.

“XLMedia has an established and robust base in the US, so North American expansion is key to our iGaming growth plans, as well as other untapped international markets.”

Blueclaw Media was acquired by XLMedia PLC in September last year for £1.8m following the company’s significant H1 revenue growth in North America.

The Leeds-based agency has expanded its SEO and Digital PR services into major international markets, with a focus on EU sports, iGaming and personal finance. Major XLMedia brands within the agency roster includes Freebets, 101 Great Goals, MoneyUnder30, and WhichBingo.

Blueclaw has also recently moved from The Calls, Leeds, to a collaborative office on Park Row, in order to accommodate its expanding team.

Fergus Clawson, director, said: “It’s a great time to join Blueclaw given the new areas of opportunity that the XLMedia acquisition has provided, and we’re ecstatic to have Stu and, Lizzie on board to help us meet sales targets, grow the business and build our agency profile within key sports, iGaming and finance markets.”

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Leeds law firm Stone King has welcomed partner Sean Randall Morris and Paralegal Grace Souter to the firm, representing an expansion of its construction law practice. They join the business from RWK Goodman.

Morris is an advocate and arbitrator with extensive experience in the construction and infrastructure sectors, handling contentious and non-contentious legal matters, and drawing on his background as a Civil Engineering Surveyor and Chartered Surveyor.

Tony Pidgeon, partner and head of Stone King’s Dispute and Resolution team, said: “Sean has a great wealth of knowledge and legal experience in the construction sector and we’re excited for him to increase and further strengthen our offering to clients in this area of law.

“We’re also very pleased to welcome Grace, who will continue to work alongside Sean and support the growth of our construction group.”

Morris added: “I have had the good fortune to support a great variety of clients including developers, contractors and consultants on some very complex and technical legal issues and look forward to bringing this experience to Stone King and working alongside my new colleagues at the firm.”

He specialises in Alternative Dispute Resolution and has broad experience in the public and private sector. He also retains his membership as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

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Yorkshire-based Advanced Supply Chain Group (ASCG) – part of the Reconomy Group – has named Keith Lawrence as its new business operations director to support long-term growth.

Lawrence brings two decades of supply chain and logistics experience, having spent most of those at Wincanton in a wide range of warehouse and operations management and leadership roles.

He is experienced in supporting blue chip retailers’ supply chains and has also spent time in the retail industry, helping a fast-growing health & beauty brand remodel its supply chain for growth.

He joins most recently from a leadership position as head of operations at Wincanton.

At ASCG, Lawrence will support the business’ growth, providing technology-led supply chain solutions for its growing omnichannel retail customers.

ASCG employs more than 1,300 people globally and is recruiting across roles at sites in Bradford, Halifax, Sheffield, and Corby, as well as HGV drivers across the UK.

Ben Balfour, chief operations officer, said: “Retailers are continuing to face a wide range of pressures as they navigate global supply chain uncertainty.

“Our own team has expanded on the back of our customers’ growth and the resilience of those leading the sector.

“Keith brings solid experience of helping retailers solve real world problems and driving continuous improvements. One of our values is agility and we are of a scale where Keith has been able to join and have an immediate impact.”

Lawrence said: “It was important to me to join a business which combined a positive close-knit culture with big ambitions and the ability to live up to those goals.

“With a clear USP of being able to provide the market with bespoke IT-led solutions, which address each customer’s unique challenges, the chance to be part of a business that is truly a strategic partner to every customer was a compelling one.”

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As part of its strategic growth plans, Rotherham-based private healthcare insurance broker Intelligent PMI Ltd, has appointed Jackie Hamilton as its new business development manager.

With over 25 years in commercial roles, Hamilton brings a wealth of experience to the team.

Her previous roles have included serving as business development manager for Purple Vouchers and Visual Group Doncaster, which will provide a strong background for her to promote private medical insurance policies and the Intelligent PMI Affiliate Network to businesses across the UK.

Her responsibilities will include working with business owners to help source them the most appropriate medical insurance for their team and working with new Affiliate Network partners.

The new Affiliate Network offers businesses the opportunity to offer PMI to their client base using the expertise of the team at Intelligent PMI.

Kieran Maguire, director, said: “We are pleased to have Jackie on board. As we push forward with our growth plans, developing B2B relationships is an important strategic priority.

“Private medical insurance is becoming one of the top employee perks to offer. Having the right cover in place means that business owners have peace of mind that their business and employee have access to the best possible medical care, avoiding lengthy NHS waiting lists and minimising downtime.

“We are confident Jackie will work tirelessly in this new role to develop relationships and promote the Intelligent PMI brand within the SME sector.”