People: Holden Smith; Signature Property Finance; AYKO; and more
Yorkshire-based law firm, Holden Smith, has confirmed the promotion of conveyancer Ryanne Smith to director.
The firm’s co-founder, David Bancroft, said: “We are happy to announce the promotion of Ryanne to director. Ryanne’s hard work and determination have been instrumental to our business growth over the last 12 months.
“In her new role, she will continue to work closely with me and the senior management team as we bolster our team and services over the coming months.
In May, Holden Smith – which employs over 100 people – relocated its head office to new 3,200 sq ft base in Denby Dale, Huddersfield.
Speaking at the time, Bancroft said: “We’ve experienced rapid growth in the last 12 months. Now is the right time for us to take up a new, larger office that gives our current team the facilities they need, and the room we require as we continue to grow our team.”
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Signature Property Finance has appointed Paul Ratcliffe, who joins as relationship manager for the North and North West of England.
He brings more than 30 years of banking experience to the role, having previously held similar positions with Yorkshire Bank and Santander.
Thomas Howells, chief operating officer, said: “It is gratifying that the continued growth and success of Signature allows us to attract individuals of Paul’s calibre and following in the region.
“Paul has a great reputation for his approachable, engaging attitude and he’s ready to work with developers to get deals done, on the terms agreed at the outset.
“He knows how we work and why we are delivering record lending year-on-year, recognising the opportunity our reputation affords him to hit his targets.
“Now is the right time for Signature to recruit talented relationship managers like Paul, who will help us meet growing demand across the North.
“We know property investors and developers can benefit from our brand of short-term property finance, delivered by people who understand local markets.”
Ratcliffe added: “There has been a lot of coverage of the success Signature Property Finance has enjoyed in recent years and when the opportunity presented itself, I knew this role was too good to turn down.
“It is clearly a well-managed business with a defined strategic growth plan, driven by an experienced senior team.
“I have good connections across the North and North West, particularly in Manchester, Bradford and Sheffield, where I intend to put Signature on the property finance map.
“I’m confident I will make the most of this opportunity and help Signature become the lender of choice for property investors and developers across the region, who understand certainty of funding is more important than a tempting, often too good to be true low rate.”
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Leeds-based e-commerce agency, AYKO, has expanded its team with six new hires across Shopify, Magento, SEO, Amazon and more.
The new appointments come as the agency continues to scale its growth ambitions following recent client wins such as Croydex, Southern Sheeting and Collectors Outpost.
Sam Theakston joins as the new head of Shopify. He will have overall responsibility over Shopify Plus, Advanced, Personalisation and migration, as well as driving new and existing opportunities across Shopify through strategic partnerships.
A new addition to the team, Jake Griffiths, joins as Amazon Marketplace manager. He will support clients with Marketplace strategies including Amazon by optimising and promoting their listings to increase sales and maximise revenue.
Alison Jurjeva joins as senior paid media manager. With a wealth of experience in paid advertising, she will play a pivotal role in continuing to enhance the agency’s paid media offering.
Arriving as senior digital PR executive, Caitlin Murphy will be leading AYKO’s Digital PR offering on key accounts alongside the SEO team providing media relations and outreach strategies to build client brands.
Dean Steele has been taken on as senior project manager, with 10 years of experience in both Magento and Shopify, initially as a developer and more recently as a project manager.
He will manage projects on both platforms to help develop and improve delivery.
Joining the team as an SEO executive, Eloise Heeley will be supporting the SEO team by providing clients with SEO auditing, platform migrations, and growth strategies.
James Hyett, CEO and co-founder of the agency, said: “We’re looking forward to 2024. We’ve seen positive signs of growth through 2023 when others have perhaps seen a downturn.
“I attribute the success of 2023 to the lack of attrition and positive growth in our existing client base.
“I’m particularly pleased with the recent hires as they don’t just add to the headcount but add to the breadth and depth of service we can offer existing and new clients alike.”
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York-based medical diagnostics tests maker, Abingdon Health, says Andrew Feather has been appointed interim finance director (non-Board) with immediate effect.
He has over 25 years’ experience in financial management as a seasoned interim finance director.
His previous interim experience at companies in or serving the healthcare and life sciences sectors includes senior roles at Carclo plc, Tecomet Symmetry Medical Ltd, Covidien and Neoss Ltd. He is also a qualified Chartered Management Accountant.
Initially, Feather will work with Melanie Ross, CFO, during a handover period until Ross leaves Abingdon on 30 November 2023.
