Appointments: Stafforce Personnel, Grant Thornton, Wood Richardson

ROTHERHAM’S Stafforce Personnel has put in place Lisa Gainsford as chief executive of the company.

She joined in April this year in an interim role working with the executive team to formulate a growth strategy.

This has led to the imminent launch of The Nicholas Associates Group in January 2016.

Ms Gainsford said:”I was bowled over by the ethics of the company and the people in it, who are talented, committed and passionate.

“The opportunity to join the Group as CEO and lead the Company on this journey will be challenging but immensely rewarding.”

Ms Gainsford spent 13 years as managing director at Randstad Inhouse Services; a business she launched and grew to nearly £250m revenue, before moving to Blue Arrow as managing director responsible for managed services, national accounts, sales and marketing.

Nick Cragg, founder and group executive chairman of Nicholas Associates Group, commented, “It became clear very early on that Lisa was the right person to lead the change. She has an excellent pedigree and reputation in the industry.

“Under her stewardship, along with the rest of the executive team, I’m confident we are in safe but very dynamic hands.”

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THE Leeds office of Grant Thornton has been strengthened with the appointment of Jill Bolton as associate director and Chris Archer as director.

Ms Bolton has 15 years’ experience advising cross-sector management teams and specialising in the private equity market.

She joins from Callcredit Information Group where she was corporate finance manager and advised on the sale of the business to US private equity house GTCR, before which she was at Park Place Corporate Finance.

Mr Archer joins from Yorkshire Bank where he worked for seven years as a senior business development director in the mid-market and as the bank’s national head of food and drink.

He has worked in corporate finance and private equity for 13 years in London, Singapore and Leeds at Investec, other accountancy firms and at ISIS Equity Partners.

Richard Goldsack, partner in Grant Thornton’s corporate finance advisory practice, said: “These latest appointments are part of our ongoing commitment to building the corporate advisory practice in Leeds.

“Jill and Chris’s experience add further depth and strength to the team as M&A activity in the region continues to gain momentum following what has been a very busy period for us.”

The Leeds corporate finance team at Grant Thornton recently advised on transactions with Armstrong Massey, Tastecard and Kerfoot.

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YORK-BASED printing business Wood Richardson is keeping it in the family with the appointment of its new managing director.

John Richardson has been at the helm on the firm for 30 years, and now his son James is taking over from him as he takes on the role of chairman.

The in-house print and production firm was founded in 1905, and the Richardsons have been running it since the 1920s.

James Richardson, new managing director of Wood Richardson said: “My father has been a wonderful example for me to follow and I am proud to take on the responsibility and maintain the values the company has embedded throughout its culture in the future.

“I have gained considerable experience whilst working out of the business in various sectors and look forward to bringing some of these learnings into the company. I’m ready to tackle the challenges of the future head on at Wood Richardson and am keen to continue to invest in the very best of modern print and production machinery whilst supporting and empowering the long serving team to ensure that Wood Richardson can remain competitive in both today and tomorrow’s marketplace and be the very best choice for our client’s print service needs.”

James Richardson studied a BSc (Hons) Print & Media Management at Leeds Metropolitan University before going on to work at his family’s firm, where he introduced different shift patterns and flexible working to reduce company overheads and improve profitability.

John Richardson, chairman at Wood Richardson said: “James has a strong printing and production background gained across a variety of printing companies and therefore has the experience and skill set to continue the good work, maintain the credible family name and steer Wood Richardson to the next level.”