People: Hull and East Yorkshire Business Board; Burberry; Haith; and more

Jason Speedy, the chief operations officer of Ideal Heating, has been appointed as the first chair of the recently formed Hull and East Yorkshire Business Board.

He is taking on the leading role, in which he will act as a figurehead of the Board, which is supporting and advising the development of the economic priorities of the new Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA).

Composed of 22 influential business leaders from across the region, alongside the two local councils, the Board is providing input into strategic decision making, including the delivery of a £400m investment fund secured as part of the devolution deal with the Government.

Speedy joined Ideal Heating as COO in November 2019, and previously spent over 20 years with Siemens.

He said: “The Business Board was created to bring together private and public sector leaders, to help shape the region’s economic growth strategy and ensure we have a single, clear voice representing our diverse business community and advising the new Combined Mayoral Authority.

“I’m honoured to have been appointed chair of the HEY Business Board, at a hugely significant time for our region.

“Devolution represents a transformational opportunity to unlock major inward investment and growth in areas such as employment, skills and innovation.

“As a leading business and large employer rooted in Hull and East Yorkshire, we at Ideal Heating are committed to playing our full part in forging a prosperous future for the region and unlocking all of the exciting opportunities offered by devolution.”

The Business Board is one of two recently formed strategic groups providing support to the new governance structures of the Hull and East Yorkshire region, alongside a Skills Board.

The relevant order was laid in Parliament last month to officially create the Hull and East Yorkshire MCA, and it will lead to a mayoral election, with voters going to the polls for the first time on Thursday 1 May 2025.

Mayoral elections will then take place every four years.

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West Yorkshire-based fashion brand, Burberry, has confirmed changes to its Board.

Stella King has been appointed as an independent non-executive director and member of the Nomination Committee, with effect from 1 April 2025.  

She is currently at Moncler which she joined 13 years ago in 2011 as president, Asia Pacific. 

In January 2022 she moved to the role of chief Chinese business officer and will step down from that role on 31 December 2024. 

She also served as a non-executive director of Moncler subsidiary Stone Island between March 2021 and April 2024. 

Earlier in her career, she served as president, Asia Pacific for Sergio Rossi and also held various managerial positions at Lane Crawford in Mainland China.

Also, Fabiola Arredondo and Antoine de Saint-Affrique will retire from Burberry’s Board as non-executive directors following the AGM to be held in July 2025.

Arredondo has served as a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committees since her appointment on 10 March 2015. 

She is a former chair of the Remuneration Committee and has also served as a member of the Audit Committee.

De Saint-Affrique joined the Board on 1 January 2021 and has been a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees since that date.

Arredondo and de Saint-Affrique will continue to serve as committee members until their retirement from the Board.

Gerry Murphy, Burberry Chair, said: “Stella has impressive and deep understanding of the luxury market and consumers in the Asia Pacific region.

“Her insight and expertise will be a great asset to Burberry and we are pleased that she has accepted our invitation to join the Burberry Board.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Fabiola and Antoine for their service to the company.

“The Board has benefited greatly from their extensive knowledge and experience throughout their tenures and I wish them both every success in their future endeavours.”

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Haith, a manufacturer of vegetable handling machinery based in Armthorpe, Doncaster, has confirmed the retirement of Mick Haith after 47 years with the company.

His interest in engineering began when he was seven, helping his father and company founder, George Haith, assemble machines.

As a teenager, during summer holidays, Mick worked alongside his brother Chris on factory refurbishments for companies such as Knights of Norfolk and HC Tinsley, earning 25p an hour for his efforts.

Mick officially joined Haith in 1976, aged 16, painting eight-tonne bulkers at the company’s Castle Green site in Tickhill.

He then moved to Haith’s Sunderland Street site, installing bulker belts and as servicing combine harvesters and pea viners alongside his father.

In 1977, he moved to Haith’s current Armthorpe site. In 1985, Mick took on the challenge of running another Haith business, Ramsey Rent, a company he ran for two years, before returning to Tickhill Engineering Co Ltd, working in the stores covering for his brother Nigel, who had been injured in a go-kart accident.

As well as overseeing the stores, Mick, who passed his Class 1 license with only two days of practice, also spent time as a delivery driver for the company when needed.

He continued in the stores department for the remainder of his career, culminating in his promotion to procurement director.

Duane Hill, managing director, said: “Mick has been an integral part of Haith for nearly five decades.

“Mick’s passion for engineering and knowledge of Haith equipment are well known. It’s incredible to think that Mick has worked for his family’s business for nearly 50 years.

“He has made a massive contribution to the company in those five decades. We will all miss him but wish him a long and happy retirement.”

Mick said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the company. It has been fantastic to be a part of such a successful business, and I’m incredibly proud of many things we have achieved, particularly building our current factory in Armthorpe.

“While I will be enjoying my newfound leisure time and I’m looking forward to having time to rebuild my classic motorbikes.

“I will be keeping an eye on the company as Duane has a lot of exciting plans for the Haith brand.

“Since my father started the company, the Haith name has become recognised around the world for exceptional quality, reliability and innovation, and I am certain this will continue under the current leadership team.”

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Silsden-based dental health company, Ethoss Regeneration, has appointed Dr Stuart Kilner as head of education for its EdgeX platform.

Launched earlier this year, EdgeX is a free education platform designed to upskill practitioners in the field of modern dental implantology, graft materials, and techniques.

Kilner is renowned for his expertise in implantology and restorative prosthetics.

A graduate of the University of Manchester, he advanced his training with diplomas in Periodontology & Aesthetic Restorative Dentistry and an MSc in Advanced Oral Implantology from the University of Barcelona, Spain.

He specialises in comprehensive implant rehabilitations that blend function and aesthetics, and has lectured across Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.

He said: “EdgeX is a superb new platform, which provides practitioners with a free-to-access, all-around guide implantology, focusing particularly on bone augmentation.

“As head of education for EdgeX, I am committed to fostering practical, impactful learning through STEP, our Surgical Training and Education Programme, and the EdgeX video series, which will empower dentists to elevate their clinical skills and patient care.”

Peter Wheeler, Ethoss managing director, added: “EdgeX is an exciting development in education for the dental sector and we are happy to welcome Dr Kilner to our team.

“His experience and expertise will be crucial as we look to further develop the platform and provide even more training content for all areas of implantology, including new technologies and new products.”