Appointments: Leeds Community Foundation, Nippon Gohsei, We Are Boutique

A CHAIRPERSON has been appointed at Leeds Community Foundation.

Business angel and entrepreneur Rachel Hannan, who has a background in finance having worked at PwC, has been appointed to the charity, which aims to create positive change in Leeds communities.

In 2015, LCF distributed £3.6m in grants to over 400 groups, who in turn helped over 24,000 people.

Rachel Hannan, who has recently been shortlisted for the Yorkshire Business Masters CSR/ Pride Award, takes on the role of LCF’s first female chairperson after four years of being on the board of trustees.

Ms Hannan co-founded two business start-ups within the fields of manufacturing and professional services. GatenbySanderson, a recruitment and leadership development business reached £23m in turnover before she successfully exited the business in 2010.

Rachel Hannan said: “I am honoured to accept the important role of Chair – having personally invested in LCF, I am deeply aware of the impact a donation can make on the lives of local people and their communities. I hope my experience and connections can help to build on the current achievements of the Foundation and establish relationships with new donors who want to make a difference and invest in the city.”

Sally-Anne Greenfield, chief executive of LCF, said: “We are delighted to welcome Rachel as our Chair; she has been a vital member of the Board to date and it is great to have her in this new role to drive the Foundation forward.

“The third sector is facing more funding cuts than it ever has before and it is therefore crucial that we gain as much investment as we can to support community groups and projects that would cease to exist without our support. We are excited to work with Rachel to generate further awareness of the role of LCF and aim to break the cycle of deprivation that faces our city.”

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HULL chemical manufacturer Nippon Gohsei has hired Matthew Bower to its team.

A former amateur rugby league international, Mr Bower was hired by his colleagues who are involved in the interviewing process.

Mr Bower joins the 10-strong team at Nippon Gohsei’s speciality products business.

He will help run production lines at Marfleet Environmental Technology Park.

Rob Scott, production manager, specialty products, said it was decided to give production team members responsibility for interviewing candidates for a vacancy.

“Effectively, Matthew was hired by the team he would be working with,” said production manager Rob Scott. “He came across clearly as a team player and they knew they would be able to work alongside him without any problems.”

Matthew previously worked as a plumber for KWL Contracting for eight years.

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MEDIA communications agency We Are Boutique has announced three new appointments in its Leeds office.

Former ecommerce marketing director Glenn Parkin joins as search marketing manager, whilst Steph Wilkins joins from Intermarketing Australia.

Steve Denman formerly held a role at Fish4Jobs. He will head up the digital division of the new business team.

The news follows recent client wins including Great Lengths, Blinds2Go and Awesome Merchandise.

Simon Bollon, managing director of We Are Boutique said: “Our drive towards becoming the most famous agency outside of London is only possible with the collective brilliance of creative minds. Our continued growth is testament to our excellent team and the addition of Glenn, Steph and Steve is very much welcomed across the board.”

Formed in 2010 but born in 1985, Boutique has evolved from a traditional media agency to a full service communications agency with core disciplines in media, digital and public relations. Dubbed the strategy and implementation agency and with independence at its core, it is the antithesis of its corporate-centric counterparts.