People: Edge; PrinSIX; GV&Co; and more

Property consultancy firm EDGE has expanded its Leeds base with the appointment of Simon Spencer.

Spencer joins as director in the EDGE Leeds office and as the company’s 100th employee.

He brings a wealth of project management experience in the construction industry, through both the public and private sectors. He has extensive experience within the education sector specifically for the delivery of schools, Further Education colleges and Higher Education campuses across the north of England. Within the private sector, Spencer has project managed large-scale infrastructure, commercial and mixed-use schemes.

He said: “I am really excited to commence my next chapter of my career with EDGE. The company has a great and unique culture, focused on investing in its people. The opportunity to join one of the country’s leading construction and property consulting organisations was a key factor for joining EDGE, with its director-led approach providing an outstanding service for our clients.”

Since the initial formation of the Leeds office in January 2022, the company has further grown its regional portfolio of commissions and local resource to a team of 21 professionals, incorporating project and commercial management to building and digital surveying services.

Dale Rodgers, director at EDGE, added: “Simon’s appointment as our 100th employee is a huge milestone for the business. It is symptomatic of our growth, but above all, this demonstrates the effectiveness of our unique service offering.

“We strive to establish and nurture long-term relationships with our clients built on a culture of trust and transparency, underpinned with a service delivery that is second to none. We offer our expertise in cost management, project management, and building and digital surveying, maintaining a repeat commission metric of 86%.

“I am looking forward to working closely with Simon to help build upon our initial success to develop and sustain the growth of our Leeds office.”

EDGE’s West Yorkshire client base includes The University of Leeds, Leeds Bradford Airport, UNITY Doncaster, and Wykeland Group, along with household names B&Q, Mitchell & Butler and Johnson & Johnson.

The company’s strong regional healthcare profile is underpinned through relationships with Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS FT, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust, and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

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Leeds-based Fintech PrinSIX announced the appointment of Rowland Johnson as chairman of the board of directors.

Johnson brings to the board his extensive experience of founding and scaling the cyber security business Nettitude. Johnson was responsible for the strategy, growth and international expansion of the business, working with governments, multi nationals and domestic organisations. Nettitude was sold to Lloyds Register in 2018. Johnson is also an elected Council Member and International President of CREST, the international not-for-profit, membership body representing the global cyber security industry.

Julian Graham-Rack, founder and CEO of PrinSIX said: “We are fortunate to be able to draw on Rowland’s decades of experience in growing fintech based businesses, and we are delighted to welcome him onto the Board as Chairman. His reach into the financial services sector, through corporates, regulators and governments will be invaluable to us as we continue our growth agenda.”

Johnson added: “PrinSIX has developed and launched an impressive business model which has potential application across a range of sectors and geographies. The initial contract with KCOM, and their engagement with Equifax are testament to the value of PrinSIX to any organisation who need to digitise. I am delighted to have the opportunity of helping the team now to move to the next stage through new client recruitment both at home and abroad.”

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Property consultancy GV&Co has welcomed graduate building surveyor Bradley Cox on the back of a string of client wins for its building surveying and project management division.

Cox graduated from Northumbria University with a BSc (Hons) in Building Surveying and will now work towards The Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) over the next two years. The RICS approved qualification ensures surveyors meet the high standards of professionalism required to become chartered.

He said: “Family members are involved in civil engineering and project management, so I’ve always been interested in construction, and I knew that building surveying was an area that would suit my skill set. I’m looking forward to working with the team at GV&Co, which has a great reputation and exciting cross section of clients.”

Gavin Ritchie, director of GV&Co’s building consultancy division, said: “Business is brisk, and our division is currently delivering an extensive range of projects worth between £50,000 and £50m across the whole of the UK.

“At GV&Co we are always keen to attract talented young graduates with an eye for detail and commitment to professional progression. Bradley will work across a mix of industrial, office, retail and new development projects as he learns from our experienced team.”

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Arc Inspirations, the operator of bar brands Banyan, BOX and Manahatta, has appointed hospitality sector veteran Mike Tye as chairman.

He will support the senior team led by CEO and co-founder Martin Wolstencroft in the on-going development of the business – amid a significant growth phase for the company that will see Arc launch five new sites in the next 12 months.

A former CEO of Spirit Group PLC, Tye is a seasoned builder of businesses with more than 30 years’ board and leadership experience in the UK hospitality sector.

Currently chair of the Big Table Group, he previously served as chairman of Haulfryn Group and Moto Hospitality Group.

During the executive phase of his career, Tye led a number of prominent leisure businesses, including David Lloyd Leisure, Premier Inn and Costa Coffee.

Martin Wolstencroft, CEO, said: “This is a cornerstone appointment for us following the successful conclusion of our recent investment process with BGF (Business Growth Fund), as we take our business into the next phase of its growth and development. Mike is one of the standout business leaders in our industry; his knowledge and expertise is absolutely second to none, and we are delighted to welcome someone of his calibre to Arc Inspirations. It is a real coup for us and speaks volumes for the strength of our business and the opportunities we have in front of us.”

The new chairman will work alongside the Arc Inspirations senior management team which, in addition to Wolstencroft comprises: Managing Director Anni Opong; Finance Director Tim Knockton; People and Culture Director Nazareen Johnson; Property Director Nik Lowery, and Head of Marketing Laura Lewis. Tye will take his place as a non-executive director on the board alongside Arc co-founder Chris Ure and the BGF’s Barry Jackson.

Tye said: “I’ve followed Arc’s progress for a number of years and it’s clear that Martin and his team have built a high quality and brilliantly well-run operation, with great consumer propositions, and outstanding growth prospects. I’m delighted to join the board, and am looking forward to what promises to be an exciting time ahead, as we work together to bring even more success to the business.”

The appointment of Tye comes after non-executive director Steve Richards, who is also the current CEO of Parkdean Resorts and chair of UKHospitality, decided to step down after nearly five years in the role.

In September, Arc Inspirations posted record group sales and profits of £38.9m and £7.5m (adjusted EBITDA) for the financial year ending March 2022.

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Leeds-based construction marketing agency Harris Creative has made two additions to its team to increase the capabilities of its digital division.

Richard Butler joins Harris as its new senior front-end developer to work alongside its existing web team. He’s brought a wealth of knowledge and experience in website building and management to the agency having previously run his own agency as well as working as part of a BAFTA award winning production company in previous years.

In recent months, Harris launched its brand-new SEO and PPC services with the addition of new recruit Zeitzan Palazli.

She has joined the team as SEO and PPC executive. Her talents and experience in optimising websites and digital content have proven to be a valuable asset to Harris already, with several of the construction agency’s existing clients adding web optimisation solutions to help with boost search rankings.

Kirsty Scott, joint managing director, said: “2022 has been a very exciting year for us, having already welcomed two new members to our PR and social media teams at the beginning of the year. Now, with Richard and Zeitzan joining the team, it allows us to expand on our ability to provide all digital services, including our brand-new SEO and PPC service, in-house, increasing our adaptability so that we can deliver the same overall strategy for our clients.

“The importance of a strong marketing strategy can really be the difference for construction-based companies, as being on the front foot and always looking to improve brand awareness or promoting services can give you an edge on competitors. That’s why we’re delighted to see a number of our existing clients using our new service with Zeitzan as well as utilizing Richard’s abilities when it comes to website development.”

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