People: Parseq; YPO; Bevan Brittan; and more
South Yorkshire-based business services and IT provider, Parseq, has strengthened its senior team as it targets further growth.
Gordon MacKinnon has been appointed director of growth and client services.
A qualified banker, he spent the first 20 years of his career in the financial services sector, before transitioning to the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in 2005 – progressing to lead digital transformation projects, client relationships and delivering outsourced solutions for global banks and insurance companies.
He joins from international business services provider Williams Lea.
In his new role, he will lead the firm’s business development strategy, and identify opportunities to apply Parseq’s full suite of solutions – from finance and accounting services, including invoice processing and credit management, to back-office services such as digital mailrooms and cash allocation – to better meet clients’ strategic objectives.
MacKinnon’s arrival closely follows a number of other recent appointments to Parseq’s senior leadership and account management teams.
In January, the business welcomed Keith Wright as group operations director from Paragon Customer Communications, and Emma Fulker as a senior account director from global business services provider Communisis.
MacKinnon said: “I’ve been following Parseq for some time now, and I was drawn to the business by its structure and ambition.
“It is always looking to do more and unlock greater value while remaining highly agile, meaning it can swiftly meet clients’ needs and continually innovate where needed.
“The acquisition and integration that the business went through last year has created significant new opportunities for clients and the business. It’s an exciting time to be coming on board.”
Craig Naylor-Smith, CEO, added: “We have ambitious growth plans for 2024, and Gordon will play a critical part in delivering these.
“His deep experience in leading major transformation projects and nurturing client relationships will help us identify new ways we can use our technology and services to overcome our clients’ challenges, while ensuring that we continue to be a strategic, long-term, true partner – evolving with their business, and always improving the results we deliver.”
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Wakefield-based YPO, one of the UK’s largest public buying sector organisations, has appointed Andrea Smith as executive director for procurement.
Within this newly created role, she will lead the strategic direction of procurement teams and implement the development of strategy as a board member.
Smith has over 25 years of experience in delivering strategic and operational performance improvements within a commercial and procurement capacity.
For the past 12 years, she has held senior leadership roles in procurement within the NHS, with her most recent role being integrated care system (ICS) procurement director at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
As a Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Fellow and Health Care Supply Association (HCSA) Council member, she won the National Healthcare Commercial Leader Award in 2020 for excellence in delivering commercial leadership.
Her experience spans both public and private sectors, including leadership roles at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Smith said: “YPO is at the forefront of procurement innovation, delivering genuine value to the public sector.
“This is a fantastic opportunity at a pivotal moment for the industry, and I’m looking forward to engaging with our procurement teams to gain insight into their daily challenges and customer feedback.
“Together, we will continue to drive excellence and make a meaningful impact in the public sector procurement landscape.”
Simon Hill, managing director, added: “Andrea joins us with years of valuable procurement experience, most recently leading a procurement team in one of the most challenging periods in NHS history during the pandemic.
“The board and I are looking forward to working with Andrea closely over the coming months to shape YPO’s future procurement strategy.”
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A new corporate and commercial partner has become law firm Bevan Brittan’s sixth senior hire in 2024.
Faisal Dhalla is the latest recruit to Bevan Brittan’s Leeds office, which recently celebrated the milestone of having more than 100 colleagues based in the city.
He will join an expanding Independent Health & Care offering, focusing predominantly on the dental sector.
His track record across a career of almost 22 years includes advising a range of private and public sector organisations on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and collaborations, commercial contracts and banking and finance law.
Additionally, he has extensive experience in advising shareholders on shareholder exits, notably specialising in exits involving sales to large corporate groups.
Dhalla has advised clients across a variety of sectors including health and social care, manufacturing, construction, engineering and IT, with a particular focus on “buy and build” strategies.
Christian Hunt, a partner and corporate specialist at the Leeds office, said: “Faisal is another high-quality addition to our team in Yorkshire, which supports clients across the North and the rest of the country.
“His experience will add yet more strength and depth to our team, which continues to support clients on transactions that enable them to further their business strategies and expand or achieve value by being acquired.”
Vincent Buscemi, partner and head of Bevan Brittan’s Independent Health & Care team, added: “Faisal has a fine track record in supporting clients across the health and social care sector.
“In particular, he brings very significant experience and knowledge of the dental industry which will enable us to further improve our support to clients in that area.
“His arrival once again shows our ability to recruit highly-respected senior people into our business and areas such as Independent Health.”
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Mindful Memorials, a fourth-generation monumental masonry business in York, has appointed Benjamin Buckley as design apprentice and Stephen Leiby as monument fitter, supporting the future legacy of the family company.
Following in the footsteps of their great great grandfather, Henry Rotherham, the first master stonemason within the family, the men will become the fifth generation to work in the industry and to continue championing the craft.
Having completed his A Levels in Art, Photography and Biology, Buckley will use the transferable skills he has learnt to support with fronted website design, new product development, marketing and creating 3D assets for the website, as well as new design tools.
He said: “As the fourth generation to work for the family business and the fifth to be involved with stone masonry, I have grown-up learning about the company and the products that we design and produce. There’s a lot more to it than people would imagine.
“Through this position as a design apprentice, I have a clear progression path to follow, which gives me variety and the opportunity to develop my skills.
“It’s important to me that I continue the family legacy and that the values we have, such as quality and the compassionate approach we take, are retained.”
Previously working as a factory operative at Yara, the fertiliser company, Leiby’s role as a fitter will involve travelling to each of the locations before installing memorials, plaques and monoliths.
Ensuring the memorials are correctly installed, he will take on responsibility for the location, secure fixing and governance of each stone, double-checking that they have been fitted in accordance with the cemetery requirements and that all necessary coding is incorporated.
He said: “When I saw the role advertised, I thought it would be something different and would allow me to carry on the family tradition of working in this sector.
“It’s perhaps not what everyone would want to do, but I am grateful to be helping others in difficult times of their lives.
“There is a lot more to this job than people may realise, not least ensuring the stones are correctly installed and that they meet with all of the necessary guidelines. It’s so important we get it right, after all, it’s a big responsibility to be the final part of this journey and we take it very seriously.”
Director of Mindful Memorials, Anna Buckley, added: “We are so pleased to announce that Benjamin and Stephen have joined the team. It means a great deal to us that they have chosen to join the family business and to retain the legacy that we have built over generations.
“There was never any pressure on either of them, however seeing their passion for what we do and the compassionate approach that we take, it’s going to be really interesting to see where their thoughts and ideas about the business take us.”
