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This week’s North East appointments

Stephen King, Go North East

Bus operator Go North East has strengthened its senior management team and elevated its commitment to marketing by appointing its first-ever head of marketing.

Stephen King, who was formerly marketing and sales manager at the firm, has taken up the new position of head of marketing and retail. Stephen has led Go North East’s marketing activity over the last couple of years, supporting the company’s £30 million investment programme.

Mr King is responsible for marketing strategy and delivery; retail strategy, including the firm’s smartcard and mobile phone ticketing systems; stakeholder engagement and customer services. He manages a 17-strong team at the company’s head office in Gateshead.

Stephen King, head of marketing and retail, said: “I have been a part of the Go North East team for many years. I am looking forward to working closely with Kevin to build on the success of the consumer-focussed marketing of the last two years, and increasing our business to business activity.”

Andrew Cargill, Materials Processing Institute

Research and development specialist the Materials Processing Institute has further strengthened its management team as it looks to grow its influence in national and international markets.

Andrew Cargill has been appointed Marketing Manager at the Institute after over 26 years working in sector-specific marketing.

The appointment falls in line with the Institute’s overall strategy after it returned to independent ownership from Tata Steel last year.

The 48-year old joins the company from Pipeline Engineering & Supply Co. Ltd, after setting up and then running its marketing department.

Andrew said: “I am delighted to be joining MPI at this stage of their evolution, this is a great time when there is so much growth potential to explore.”

Phil Wynne, Apex Radio Systems

Phil Wynne has joined Apex Radio Systems. Phil’s role is to support new business development and account management. Phil brings to Apex 32 years of two way radio experience and we are truly excited about this new appointment.

“We at Apex were looking to strengthen our position in South of England, Wales and London. Phil brings a perfect set of skills to the business and we are really happy to have him as a part of our team” said Jim Curry, Managing Director, Apex Radio Systems Ltd.

“I am looking forward to this exciting opportunity to strengthen and develop Apex business in Wales and South of England. Additionally, I am extremely pleased to be working with the market leading company within the two way radio communication industry” said Phil.

Suzie Guest-Martin, Lloyd Newcastle BMW

Lloyd Newcastle BMW has appointed BMWi Consultant Suzie Guest-Martin to further boost the dealership’s expertise in the electric vehicle market.

Suzie, who joins Lloyd Newcastle having previously made her name with her own business in the electric vehicle market, will be based at Lloyd Newcastle’s Barrack Road, Newcastle dealership and will offer customers expert advice on the BMW i3 and i8 vehicles.

She said: “I’ve been working on changing perceptions of electric vehicles for the last two years so the move to Lloyd Newcastle to become BMWi Consultant is an obvious one. BMW has a reputation for quality and for being at the cutting edge of technology, so I’m delighted to be joining a business at the forefront of the industry.

“Everyone here is focused on helping customers find the right vehicle for them, and I look forward to sharing my expertise in the electric vehicle market with Lloyd customers.”

Steven Foley and Leanne Goodall, NatWest Newcastle

NatWest has appointed Steven Foley as Relationship Director and Leanne Goodall as Senior Relationship Manager based in Newcastle.

In their roles Steven and Leanne will be supporting customers across the North East region. They will be responsible for developing relationships with new and existing customers and supporting SMEs in their growth ambitions.

Steven has previously served as a Business Development Director at NatWest having worked at the bank for 29 years. He has been working in Corporate and Commercial banking since 1993. He has a certificate in Business and Financial Management and in Business, Manufacturing and Trade.

Leanne previously held the role of Business Support Manager at NatWest. She has also been working for NatWest for 29 years and within Corporate and Commercial division since 2000. She has worked as a Relationship Manager and in the bank’s Risk department.

Jason Heywood, Regional Director Corporate and Commercial Banking, said: “We are delighted to have Steven and Leanne in these new roles. They have a wealth of banking and finance experience between them, and their appointments demonstrate our commitment to serving customers across the North East region.”

Lee Welford, Steve Egglestone and Tracey Forshaw, Owen Pugh

Dudley based Owen Pugh Training Services, a division of leading full-service civil engineering contractor the Owen Pugh Group, has taken on a new training co-ordinator and two new trainers in line with customer demand. 2014 saw an increase in CPCS tests of 193%.

Lee Welford steps into the role of plant trainer after spending the past 18 months as a plant operator for Owen Pugh and 20 years overall as an operative. Cramlington based Lee has also spent five years in the Further Education environment, working as an NVQ assessor for the construction plant industry.

Further boosting the team’s skills set, Steve Egglestone also joins Owen Pugh as a trainer with over 30 years’ experience in plant. Owen Pugh Training Services also welcomes training coordinator, Wendy Wilson, to the team to provide day to day support to the team’s general manager, Tracey Forshaw.

Commenting on the three appointments, Tracey Forshaw, general manager of Owen Pugh Training Services, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Wendy, Steve and Lee to the team, each bring a wealth of experience that will take the business forward into our next stage of growth.

Paul Hebden, Duchy Homes

Duchy Homes has expanded its recently formed North East division with the appointment of Paul Hebden as the company’s new North East Commercial Manager.

Paul Hebden will head up the Commercial Department of the company which operates from offices in City Quadrant on Waterloo Square in Newcastle City Centre. Paul has many years’ experience in the industry, in both commercial and technical environments, and joins the organisation from Bellway Homes

Paul Hebden, Commercial Manager at Duchy Homes North East said: “I’m excited to take on this new role at Duchy Homes. The company has built up a great reputation in the industry and I am looking forward to being a part of its future success across the North East.

Paula Tinkler,Chemoxy International Ltd

Independent contract manufacturers Chemoxy International Ltd has appointed Paula Tinkler as its new commercial director.

Before joining Chemoxy, Paula - an Electrical Engineer and an expert in Process Control - held key positions for other leading companies, including six years as Lucite’s European Resins Business Director, and as Global Procurement Director at Mitsubishi Rayon Lucite Group.

One of her first roles after graduating was for the Process Control Department within ICI Engineering on Teesside, where she worked in Acrylics, Olefins, Polypropylene, Nylon, Ethylene Oxide, Methylamines and Nitram plants.

Paula said: “Chemoxy is at the forefront of developing performance products like low-odour and low-toxicity coalescents. We’re also leading the way in solvent recovery, by recycling waste solvents from other industries which would otherwise be disposed of. The innovations that have been made are incredible, we’re developing better and better materials and coatings all the time, and better processes that result in improvements to people’s lives.”

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