People: Wallace Whittle; Federation of Small Businesses; Modo25; and more
Wallace Whittle has hired Sarah Chipchase, a sustainability expert, to develop the expertise and capability of its growing ESG and sustainability consultancy.
Chipcase, who will be based in Leeds, will work with ESG and sustainability team lead Nick Hayes and has more than 20 years of experience in working with clients to improve environmental performance in the built environment.
She will become a director in the business and a key part of her role will be to oversee the development of Wallace Whittle’s sustainability advice while also forming part of the company’s continued planned growth across the UK, with particular focus in England.
She said: “Sustainability matters in every part of modern building projects – funders wants to see environmental performance designed into plans, and end users want to know the buildings they occupy or live in are as sustainable as possible.
“Wallace Whittle has a growing body of top-quality work in this field so we’re in a very strong position to help clients address their sustainability priorities.
“It’s a very exciting part of the sector to be working in and a great time to join an ambitious and dynamic business.”
Wallace Whittle has developed an ESG management tool called PathWWay – a customisable dashboard which allows project teams to add tailored ESG criteria and track progress against project objectives.
The tool was developed in response to the huge number of complex frameworks when the team recognised the need for a single source of verifiable information that could be shared across different stakeholders.
Hayes added: “Sustainability is still a very fast-moving part of the building sector and clients need the right experts onside to help them meet their targets and ambitions.
“Sarah is a recognised expert in how building projects can not only meet their sustainability compliance obligations, but how they can set new standards and innovate.
“She’s a hugely valuable addition to the team and brings a wealth of experience in this important area.”
:::
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has confirmed that Andrea Morrison, a transformational business and leadership coach from York, has been selected as new regional chair for Yorkshire, the Humber and the North East.
Her role is to head up grassroots volunteer activity in the region.
She has been an FSB member since 2018, having started her own coaching business more than 10 years ago.
She has delivered several funded programmes throughout the region, including her Courageous Females Programme, one-to-one coaching as part of the Business Scale Up Programme and more recently The Leadership & Excellence Development Programme and peer-to-peer programmes through her second business, Your Small Business Board Ltd which she jointly runs with Philip Bolson.
Her journey to self-employment started after a decade working as an Employment Law Barrister. Previously she has held the elected role of North Yorkshire Area Lead.
Morrison said: “I am thrilled to have been selected for this role, putting me at the heart of FSB regional activity.
“This year looks like being a really challenging year for the UK’s small business community, so it imperative that the FSB is able to support small businesses and voice their concerns.
“I am very excited to get going with this role and my first goal is to grow the FSB’s volunteer network across the Yorkshire and the North East.
“This will require us continuing to attract new members to the FSB and encourage them and existing members to get involved. In this way we will keep generating fresh ideas and grass roots knowledge which will continue to cement our position as the Region’s number one business campaigning organisation.
“FSB has been doing amazing work in the region; getting small business interests reflected in local growth plans, supporting businesses suppliers affected by the problems at Liberty Steel, researching the untapped potential of female entrepreneurs and ensuring local business owners are providing a regional voice to national stakeholders.
“I will be banging the drum for our small business community at all times, and there’s certainly no shortage of issues at the moment to get stuck in to.
“I want to help and support FSB staff and volunteers with the various causes we champion as an organisation – but it’s all ultimately about creating a better business environment in which every small business owner is supported so their business can grow and flourish.”
:::
Leeds-based digital marketing agency, Modo25, has made four new hires to kick off 2025.
The new recruits will strengthen the SEO, Affiliates and Sales teams in the business, bringing a combined 33 years of experience.
The firm has welcomed Louise Hudson as SEO account manager and Kamila Shanazarova as SEO & content outreach executive.
Both bring a wealth of agency experience, after spending five years each at Kinesso, formerly StickyEyes, working on clients such as Adobe, Honda and Norton Finance.
In their new roles, they will strengthen the SEO team to devise comprehensive organic search strategies, write content, outreach for links and provide technical recommendations for clients.
Hudson said: “I’m excited to join Modo25 and to continue to develop content SEO strategy for clients while honing my skills and diversifying my portfolio.”
In addition, Shweta Darshane has joined as an affiliate account manager from EssenceMediacom.
Bringing over three years of experience to the company, she has previously worked across various industries, including clients such as Pentland Brands, Butlins and Warner Leisure Hotels.
She joins the team to manage a range of affiliate programmes to create and run affiliate strategies, recruit new publishers to drive growth, negotiate exposure and monitor performance on behalf of clients.
Andrew Sherwin is the most recent hire, joining the ASK BOSCO® team as senior business development manager this month, to help bring on new clients across the board for both the SaaS product and agency services.
He has a 20-year strong software-as-a-service sales background, previously working at Signal Ai and The Curve consulting.
Sherwin said: “I am buzzing to be joining the Modo25/AB team. The team are awesome, the product is ground-breaking. All my background just feels right for what we do, and I believe that I have a lot to offer to help us grow.”
Modo25 has also confirmed it has been named a Google Premier Partner for the second consecutive year, earning its accreditation for 2025. This recognition places Modo25 in the top three per cent of Google Partners in the UK.
John Readman, founder and CEO of Modo25 and ASK BOSCO®, said: “We’re excited to welcome Louise, Kamilla, Shweta and Andrew.
“Each bring a wealth of experience, fresh perspectives and great ambition that align with our growth visions for the agency and SaaS product at an exciting time for us.
“Being recognised as a Google Premier Partner for the second year in a row is an incredible milestone for Modo25.
“Achieving this status is no small feat, particularly for an agency of our size. It reflects our team’s dedication, expertise, and commitment to delivering exceptional results.”
:::
Martin Hutson
Leeds-headquartered Torsion Group has made key leadership appointments within Torsion Care and Torsion Projects.
Martin Hutson has been appointed chief executive officer of Torsion Care and Torsion Projects, following the continued expansion of the business.
He steps into this role from his previous position as managing director of Torsion Care.
Under his leadership, Torsion Care has experienced significant growth.
He will continue to drive the company’s expansion in care and retirement living, strengthening investment partnerships and advancing its vertically integrated model of Invest, Develop, Construct, and Operate.
John Currie continues his leadership as managing director of Torsion Projects, ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality developments across the business.
Ian Ward has been promoted to managing director of Torsion Care.
Since joining the business in 2021, he has played a key role in strengthening operations and driving expansion.
In his new role, he will lead the day-to-day operations, strategic growth, and reporting functions of Torsion Care.
Hutson said: “I am thrilled to announce the well-deserved promotion of Ian Ward to managing director of Torsion Care.
“Ian has been an invaluable member of our team, demonstrating outstanding leadership and commitment to our vision.
Ian Ward
“His expertise in care and retirement living developments, coupled with his deep understanding of operational oversight, makes him the perfect leader to drive the business forward in this next chapter.”
Dan Spencer, founder & CEO of Torsion Group, added: “Martin has been an exceptional business partner, driving the rapid growth of Torsion Care and establishing it as a market leader in the care and retirement living sector.
“His strategic vision and ability to deliver results have played a crucial role in the success of the business.
“With an exciting pipeline of developments ahead, I have every confidence Martin and Ian will continue to build on this momentum, forging strong partnerships and delivering outstanding schemes that set new industry standards.”
Following success across the Midlands and North as well as expansion into the South, Torsion Care has also confirmed the promotion of Chris Burns from land director to investment & acquisitions director.
