Autumn 2022 jobs and people news in the East Midlands
2025-05-01 04:26:04
Here is the latest appointments, promotions and people news from Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire this autumn:
Cooper Parry
After launching ambitious plans to grow fivefold in five years, Cooper Parry has announced another appointment to boost its leadership line-up.
Phil Erridge has joined the Castle Donington headquartered firm as chief operating officer after 16 years with HSBC where he led its global wholesale model management and delivery function.
Phil had a number of significant senior roles with HSBC, including managing the commercial bank’s financial crime risk function globally.
Phil is passionate about developing the operating elements of Cooper Parry following significant recent investment from Waterland Private Equity.
He will work alongside chief executive Ade Cheatham and Cooper Parry’s leadership team to lead the firm’s integration activities across several strategic acquisitions and drive operational efficiency.
Ade said: “I’m delighted to welcome Phil to the CP family. His role as COO will be invaluable as we target significant and ambitious growth over the next five years. And now with substantial PE investment behind us, having someone with Phil’s global breadth of experience and can-do attitude is both timely and terrific."
Phil said: “What attracted me to CP was both the culture of the business and its desire to continually improve and challenge the market.
“For me, this mindset is hugely exciting as it provides an environment to do great things. I’ve watched with interest the growth of Cooper Parry and I’m thrilled to be joining at a time of significant growth and massive change.”
Stepnell UK
Rugby headquartered construction contractor Stepnell has promoted long standing employee Tom Sewell as the company’s newest director.
It follows almost a decade of service at the company – joining as operations and commercial manager, before progressing to regional director for the East Midlands.
As a regional director, Tom supported the growth of Stepnell’s East Midlands office from 2014, leading the business unit over the years.
He has supported a number of regional successes for Stepnell, including this year’s completion of a sports centre for Martin High School in the village of Anstey – which adds to the 32 Leicester schemes for Stepnell achieved over the past eight years.
Most recently, Tom has been overseeing the fifth and sixth phases of improvement and expansion works to global HR, payroll and finance software company MHR’s Nottingham headquarters.
In his new role, Tom will be assuming wider business responsibilities while continuing to lead the business in the region. Tom will also oversee the relocation of the Stepnell East Midlands office to a bigger and enhanced office space in the coming weeks.
Infuse
Derby IT consultancy Infuse has welcomed Pete Marsden in the new role of senior projects engineer, as the firm celebrates a recent office move to Pride Park and continued expansion across the Midlands.
With more than 15 years’ experience in IT, mostly working within the Midlands, Pete has worked in a variety of sectors since graduating from the University of Plymouth with an IT degree.
His career began working with clients in the education sector, and progressed into technical support and installation roles at a number of well-established organisations.
As senior projects engineer he will support the firm in delivering a wide range of IT services, including managed IT support, cyber security, communications and cloud services.
He will lead projects for businesses of all sizes and have responsibility for on boarding new clients, as well as managing server installations and network migrations.
Managing director Paul Howard said: “We are pleased to be welcoming Pete to the team, as Infuse undergoes another exciting period of expansion and we aim to grow our reputation for providing hassle-free IT solutions in the Midlands and beyond.
“I’m confident that his experience of working with SMEs and his variety of expertise will make him a valuable addition to the company.”
University of Nottingham
Professor Derek McAuley has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his work translating technology research into innovation, business value and real-world impact.
The Royal Academy of Engineering elected 72 leading figures in the field of engineering and technology to its fellowship.
The group consists of 60 fellows, seven international fellows and five honorary fellows, each of whom has made exceptional contributions to their own sector, pioneering new innovations, leading progress in business or academia, providing high level advice to government, or promoting wider understanding of engineering and technology.
Prof McAuley is professor of digital economy in the School of Computer Science and director of Horizon, an interdisciplinary research institute funded through the UKRI Digital Economy programme.
His research has contributed to many areas of computer systems engineering, including optical networking, internet technologies, virtualization, operating systems and distributed systems.
This research had also led to Prof McAuley being called upon for policy matters and he served on the Furman panel looking at digital competition that resulted in the UK HM Treasury report Unlocking Digital Competition which has added to a growing number of activities around regulating platforms.
Nottingham Venues
Nottingham Venues, the new name bringing meetings, events, hotel stays and venues across the University of Nottingham’s campuses under one brand, has appointed a new director of human resources.
Suzie Adams joins the organisation, which has close to 250 employees across its various sites, after a career spent with some of the world’s biggest cruise line companies, including the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
Nottingham Venues general manager Tom Waldron-Lynch said: “We are on a journey of growth and independence where we talk about being “One Destination with Endless Possibilities”.
“A major part of that journey requires the best possible talent to join us as we strive to lead the field in our offering to guests and employees.
“Attracting someone of the calibre of Suzie is a big part of that, as she has incredible experience in both moulding and creating outstanding career experiences in the hospitality industry.
“We know that we have a superb guest experience across our venues and we want to create that same experience for our staff. Suzie will be invaluable in doing just that.”
After a career on the ocean before returning to dry land to establish the HR department at the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Suzie will now help Nottingham Venues to attract, retain, train and inspire its growing team.
Lubrizol
A chemistry student who spent a year working with Lubrizol in Derbyshire has completed the gruelling, South West Coast Path hike in less than two months to raise money for a mental health charity.
Cecily Bell, 22, returned this month after completing the 630 miles and climbing a total elevation gain equivalent to four times the height of Mount Everest.
She was supported by Lubrizol, based in Hazelwood, who made a donation to the charity Cecily was raising funds for – Black Minds Matter. She has now raised nearly £4,000 through her blog page.
Cecily, who spent a year working in the company’s chemical department while also studying remotely for her masters in chemistry from Durham University, chose Black Minds Matter because she said mental health was of particular importance to her.
She said: “I think we all struggled during lockdown with our mental health due to the isolation and many of us walked more throughout that time, either to meet friends or to get fresh air.
“I really wanted to help this charity because supporting mental health is important to me.
“They provide free professional therapy and resources to black individuals across the UK. When I met someone who had worked with the charity, and they explained how important their work is, I knew I had to support them.”
The route she hiked goes around the coastline of England’s south west peninsula and Cecily, from Chiswick in London, walked and camped along the route alone most of the way but was joined from time to time by friends and family.
Lubrizol provides specialty chemicals for the transportation, industrial and consumer markets.
Elanders UK
Elanders UK, has appointed David Clark as operations manager at its dedicated swing-tag and fulfilment site at Spreckley, Nottingham.
David, formerly operations and quality assurance manager at Stirland Paterson Group, is one of a number of new appointments across Elanders UK in the last 12 months.
The company has its UK headquarters in North Tyneside, a site in Bellshill, Scotland and dedicated automotive supply chain site in Birmingham. In total, it employs over 160 staff in the UK.
It is a global partner for integrated supply chain services, such as print and packaging resources, with more than 90 operations across four continents.
David said: “Elanders UK is a growing, ambitious company with a team of 15 currently based at Spreckley.
“As operations manager, I will be in charge of the site and one of my key aims is to build on the message that we are a good employer that offers strong career development opportunities.
“We have a talented and committed team and we need to support them with further quality people as we move forward.”
Managing director Kevin Rogers said: “David has a highly impressive background with 40 years of experience in the print industry and has the drive and ambition to match.
“Elanders UK is a rare example of a business offering the majority of its services in-house rather than rely on outsourcing. We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver efficiently and to an excellent standard. David will play a key role in driving the site forward.”
Nelsons
Senior associate and solicitor Gemma Hopper, from the Court of Protection department at leading law firm Nelsons, has been recognised with a national accreditation for her expertise in providing legal support for older and vulnerable clients, their families and carers.
The accreditation is awarded by SFE (Solicitors for the Elderly), which sets the standards for the highest quality legal advice in specialist areas, such as wills, powers of attorney, deputyships and elder abuse.
To achieve the accreditation, Gemma completed an assessment to demonstrate a solid understanding of the specific needs and considerations required when safeguarding and protecting older clients’ interests.
Since joining Nelsons in 2019 as a Court of Protection solicitor, Gemma has provided specialist support to clients who lack the mental capacity to make decisions in relation to their property and financial affairs.
She brings a wealth of experience and focuses on supporting and empowering Nelsons’ elderly clients. This has given her a unique understanding and insight that allows her to approach all clients sensitively and provide advice on what is sometimes a life-changing decision.
She said: “I am delighted to be an SFE full accredited member and hope it will enable me to support more clients and their families.”
Blueprint Interiors
Workplace consultants and commercial office fit-out specialists Blueprint Interiors has strengthened its support team following the appointment of two apprentices and a quantity surveying graduate.
Joining the firm are pre-construction assistant Kwaku Kwarteng accounts apprentice Muhammad Anas, and project administrator apprentice, Francesca Curry.
The appointments are part of Blueprint Interiors commitment to supporting the education of young people and preparing them for their chosen career.
For many years, the company has sponsored awards that promote education in business, and also act as mentors and enterprise advisers within local schools.
Operations director Rachel Biddells said: “We recognise the benefits that come from investing in young talent.
“They have already had a huge impact by bringing in new ideas and approaches and this insight helps to ensure we remain at the forefront of understanding the needs of future generations in the workplace.”
Blueprint Interiors is based in Ashby, Leicestershire, and recently celebrated its 21st anniversary. This year it has completed a number of high profile projects for clients including Worldline in Beeston, Futures Housing Group at Castle Donington, Yu Energy in Leicester, new offices for Roythorne Solicitors in Birmingham and a BUPA healthcare centre in Cheshire on behalf of Enigma Wellness.
Enrok Construction
Matt Shelley has been promoted to contracts manager at Enrok after joining the team 18 months ago as a project manager. He will focus on client liaison, pre-construction and planning and will be responsible for overseeing all of Enrok’s construction projects, managing site teams and ensuring they have the long-term help and support they need to run successful, safe projects.
He said: “I’ve always had a long term plan and vision for where I want my career to be heading and this is a positive next step for me in a great team.
“It’s an indictment of joining a company riding a wave of success and I guess its recognition and reward for doing a good job, which is always appreciated. First and foremost, I want to continue Enrok’s outstanding safety record and strive to bring in best practice expertise from working with larger contractors.
“Secondly, I want to continue to play an active part in growing our business and replicating the fantastic year we have had for many more to come.”
Armsons Barlow
Derby-based project managers, construction cost consultants and building surveyors Armsons Barlow have strengthened their team with the appointments of Ryan Thompson and Gavin Hirst.
Ryan joins Armsons Barlow as senior quantity surveyor and project manager from Geo Hodges & Son in Burton-on-Trent, where he spent 10 years as a quantity surveyor.
During his time with the building and civil engineering contractor, Ryan delivered a variety of schemes ranging in value from £10,000 to £3.7million across sectors including retail, industrial and manufacturing.
Coming from a main contractor’s background, he has a strong grounding in managing costs, from estimating through to final account stages, including tracking and appropriately valuing variations.
Gavin joins the firm as a quantity surveyor and project manager from Loughborough-based Edward Cooper Young Chartered Surveyors, where he spent three years as a monitoring surveyor.
He has a broad range of experience, working on schemes across England and Wales – from small residential developments to large developments consisting of 400 plus dwellings.
E4E
A careers initiative created to help inspire young people in Derby has bolstered its delivery team as it aims to link more businesses in the city with schools.
E4E is a Derby City Council-backed careers scheme that was set up in 2014. Led by manager Arshad Iqbal, it provides CV writing workshops, mock interviews, mentoring and ‘Dragons Den’ style Enterprise Challenge Day, where pupils pitch a project to business leaders who volunteer for the session.
The project has helped almost 50,000 young people and has 600-plus volunteers from various sectors across the city and county.
Companies who are involved with E4E include global organisations such as Rolls-Royce, Alstom, Toyota and Lubrizol as well as small businesses operating from the city such as Colleague Box, Macmartin and Project D.
Rizvan Bhatti has been brought in to engage with more companies in the area in the hope that they will volunteer their time to help schools with their careers programmes.
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