People: GSC Grays; Hull and East Yorkshire Skills Board; Croda; and more

North Yorkshire-headquartered rural land and property specialist, GSC Grays, has strengthened its leadership team with three senior appointments.

Janine Tompkins has been appointed chief operating officer and Sally Bowen joins as financial director, both in newly created roles.

Caroline Bowerbank has also joined as human resources manager.

Guy Coggrave, managing director, said: “Janine, Sally and Caroline bring valuable expertise that strengthens our leadership and enhances the company’s future.

“Their skills reinforce our management team providing essential support for our expansion and ensuring we continue to deliver outstanding service to our clients.

“Together, they will help drive business success through strategic planning and staff development.

“Over the past 12 months, GSC Grays has significantly expanded our geographical presence, service offering and workforce to support a growing client portfolio.”

Tompkins previously served as central operations director at bed retailer Dreams and as operations director at Bestway Group.

Her earlier roles included operational management and business planning for Tesco.

At GSC Grays, she will oversee the company’s operational policies, initiatives and goals, driving strategic planning and operational excellence.

Bowen has taken up the role of finance director having previously worked with Simon Bailes Peugeot dealership group and Wensleydale Creamery.

She will lead financial strategy, ensuring robust management practices while supporting growth, profitability and operational efficiency.

Bowerbank is a CIPD-qualified HR professional with over 20 years of experience in the public sector, charities, outsourcing and most recently in professional services with Clive Owen Accountants.

She has overall responsibility for HR, collaborating with the business directors to develop and implement HR strategies and enhance people processes.

GSC Grays now employs 139 people across nine offices in the North of England, including a growing presence in recently opened offices in Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, and Driffield, East Yorkshire.

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Jayne Adamson, executive director of people at the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, has been appointed as the first chair of the recently formed Hull and East Yorkshire Skills Board.

She will act as a figurehead for the Board, which is supporting the development of a regional skills system for the new Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Adamson has held leading positions in the health sector for the last 17 years, and previously worked for companies such as Smith+Nephew and Ideal Standard.

She said: “It is an incredible privilege to be appointed as chair of the HEY Skills Board. I am excited to work alongside such a dedicated group of people to foster growth, development and opportunities within our community.

“I believe that by leveraging our collective expertise and passion, we can create a brighter future for all.

“I look forward to collaborating with local businesses, educational institutions and other stakeholders to create a robust ecosystem of support and opportunity.

“By working together, we can empower individuals to reach their full potential and contribute to the prosperity of our community.”

The Skills Board is providing an opportunity for the business sector to advise on what areas need addressing in the skills agenda, allowing employers and providers to work to create innovative solutions to supply and demand challenges.

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

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East Yorkshire-headquartered chemicals business, Croda International, has confirmed that Julie Kim will retire from its Board on 26 July 2025.

Kim has served four years as a non-executive director and is stepping down in order to focus on her executive commitments.

She has recently been named as the next CEO of Takeda Pharmaceutical.

Danuta Gray, chair of Croda, said: “Julie Kim has made an excellent contribution and we wish her every success for the future in the next stage of her executive career at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.”

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Hilco Real Estate Finance (HREF), has appointed Jamie Jolly as managing director for the Midlands, North and Scotland to help support the lender’s expansion across the UK.

Jolly joins HREF from London-based Hampshire Trust Bank where he led the bridging division for almost three years.

He began his 24-year lending career in 2001 with Cheshire-based Blemain Group, (that later became Together), where he spent more than 14 years, eventually heading the commercial lending division.

HREF chief investment officer, Max Lewis, said: “Jamie was the ideal partner to join us at a crucial time for HREF, as we expand our presence outside London, where we have been based to build our early market share in the specialist bridge lending market.

“His entire career has been in bridging and specialist lending, and Jamie has led some of the highest growth businesses in the industry for the last decade, and we’re excited to have him join our growing team.”

Jolly said: “I’ve been watching HREF’s early progress with interest, and from a standing start two years ago they’ve already got great traction and the entrepreneurial team they have been building was the key to attracting me to join the business.

“In a market where deals can be tough to get over the line with some lender models, it was also an appealing opportunity to join a lender that is incredibly well capitalised and commercially minded when it comes to reviewing lending opportunities.

“HREF has a clear strategy to grow regionally in the coming years, and from my base in the North I am well located to allow us to further support this region.

“The team have been doing an increasing number of deals with developers and brokers across the whole of the UK and Ireland, but we know there are a lot more opportunities out there in the areas that suit our direct, pragmatic approach to lending on deals that make sense, even if they involve unusual and what can be perceived as challenging deal structures and assets.”