People: Skipton Building Society; Tyr Law; CTS UK; and more

Skipton Building Society has appointed a long-time Ilkley resident as its new chief commercial and strategy officer.

Kris Brewster steps up to the role on an interim basis after most recently heading the building society’s strategy, sustainability, and corporate communications teams.

Brewster, who lives in Ilkley, joined the Society in 2010 as head of products.

He is also chair of Skipton’s Sustainability Steering Group, a dedicated panel of senior leaders overseeing the Society’s stretching social and environmental commitments.

He said: “Stepping up as chief commercial and strategy officer at Skipton is a really exciting opportunity for me, and I’m grateful that Skipton continues to give me the support and platform to improve and progress our commercial strategy, and deliver value to members.

“During my 12 years at Skipton, I’ve seen so much change inside and outside the Society.

“The challenging economic and social landscape means we need to work harder than ever to deliver enhanced value and solutions for members.

“The Society is in a great place following a strong performance so far in 2022.

“I’m extremely proud to work for a Yorkshire born and bred organisation that supports its workforce so well – with the Society announcing earlier this month it will give a £1,500 one-off cost of living payment to all colleagues below senior management level in September’s pay packets.”

Brewster started his career with Dixons at its head office in London, before moving into product management with HSBC, Bradford & Bingley, Santander, and Northern Rock.

He is a Loughborough Business School graduate, and completed an MBA at Bradford Business School in 2012. He is also a non-executive director of Leeds Heritage Theatres.

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Leeds-based commercial law firm, Tyr, has added another partner to the team with the recruitment of Sarah Temple.

She joins from Lupton Fawcett to further strengthen the commercial property team at Tyr.

Temple specialises in complex freehold and leasehold transactions for investors and corporate occupiers. She acts for  a wide spectrum of clients including financial institutions, portfolio landlords and sector specialist occupiers including retailers, education and charitable organisations.

Managing partner and head of property at Tyr, Dean Jowett, said “I am pleased that Sarah has joined the team. Sarah is a fantastic lawyer who brings huge expertise and adds a great client following to the commercial property team which has been showing strong growth for several years.

“Like all of our lawyers Sarah is focused on working in partnership with her clients and is a great fit with our key values.”

Temple added: “I am excited to join Tyr and to contribute to the ongoing development of the property team and the wider firm.

“Strong partnerships and outstanding client service are hugely important to me and this aligns perfectly with the values of Tyr.”

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CTS UK, a North Yorkshire-based business supply chain specialist, has strengthened its team with a significant management appointment.

Lisa Ford joins as sales director at a pivotal stage in the Northallerton company’s development in the wake of a record-breaking year.

Ford, from Wrenthorpe, near Wakefield, has 30 years of experience in sales, mainly in management, working for the Yorkshire Post, Supplies Team Solutions and stationery and office supplies company Banner.

She said: “This is a dream move for me. It is a wonderful opportunity to join a young, vibrant and expanding company, with a clear vision and a tremendous team spirit.

“I will be leading a talented sales team as we build on CTS’s reputation as one of the leading business supplies companies in the north of England.

“My experience with Banner, where I was sales director leading a team of 50 for six years, has given me an in-depth knowledge of the office supplies market.

“I grew Banner’s public sector channel by 50%, before the pandemic hit and the stationery market contracted sharply.

“CTS is now enjoying significant growth across all categories, supplying PPE, personalised uniforms and workwear, merchandise, facilities, and stationery as well as sourcing, warehousing and fulfilment and our client list, including Frasers Group, is stellar.

“I pride myself on earning and maintaining trust from the executive board down to the sales floor and I enjoy building thriving sales teams through encouragement and empowerment.”

AJ Swinbank, founder, and chairman, said: “This is a massive, game-changing appointment for us. Lisa comes with a fantastic track record of achievement in sales directorship and is a proven leader with passion, a tremendous work ethic and a clear vision.

“She arrives at an important time for CTS as we build upon our substantial progress during the past two years and seek to expand our product and client base.

“We are expanding quickly, with increased turnover and profits in 2021, new premises in Northallerton, new clients and brand-new state-of-the-art machinery.”

Howard Gill, managing director, added: “Our diverse sectors include PPE, uniform, consumables, warehousing and fulfilment.

“We are looking to grow through e-commerce channels, offering warehousing and fulfilment.

“With online retail booming, we have also seen an opportunity to launch seasonal and reactive clothing on Amazon and fulfilling in-house. Lisa will be crucial in maximising these opportunities.”

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South Yorkshire-based glass packaging manufacturer, Beatson Clark, has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Stephen Reyes as business development manager.

Reyes will be the new face of the business, travelling round the UK to visit potential customers in the food, beverage, brewing, spirits and pharmaceutical sectors.

He has many years of experience working in sales and business development for a number of packaging firms, including Duo Ltd and Berlin Packaging UK.

While working at Berlin Packaging UK he became known as “The Beer Guy” after developing a reputation for his extensive knowledge and contacts in the brewing sector.

He said: “I’ve known Beatson Clark and the marketing manager Charlotte Pike for a long time and I’ve always got on well with the company.

“Beatson Clark is a relatively large business but it has a family feel, which is rare in these days of global corporations.

“I want to help the company to grow and increase its turnover overall and I want to build even better relationships with our customers. My role is about identifying trends and looking for new markets.

“I’m looking forward to getting out there, meeting some new faces and getting reacquainted with existing customers. I’m aiming to build new relationships and make more people aware of our business and the fantastic service we offer.”