Category Archives: Appointments

Appointments, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Reech continues to scale growth with appointment of four new senior hires

Forward-thinking full-service marketing agency, Reech, has welcomed four new senior hires to its expert team to help deliver its next phase of impressive growth.

Headquartered in Shropshire, Reech was founded in 2009 by Managing Director, Rob Hughes, and has since evolved into one of the UK’s most reputable full-service marketing agencies, renowned for delivering results-driven campaigns with creativity at its core.

Having increased turnover by 30% over the last 12 months and already on track to accelerate growth by 50% for its current financial year ending March 2025, Reech has recently strengthened its senior leadership team with the internal promotions of Amelia Redge to Agency Director and Sarai Gil to Operations Director.

To sustain its planned growth, the agency has now welcomed four additional senior hires to the business, comprising of Lee Bishop, new Head of Marketing and Performance, Christine James, new Head of People and Delivery, Jake Bown, new Head of Development, and Chloe Andrews, new Growth Strategist.

With unrivalled experience in the marketing sector, all four new hires will proactively support the future direction of the business, as it builds towards achieving 50% turnover growth by 2025.

Rob Hughes, Managing Director of Reech, confirmed: “Over the last 12 months or so, the Reech team and I have worked incredibly hard to expand our client base and firmly cement our position as an agency of choice throughout the midlands and in other key regions across the UK.

I am extremely proud of the level of growth we have achieved and am now focused on ensuring we continue to scale during this next financial year and beyond. Key to this is, of course, bringing in the best people possible to the agency to maintain our high standards of service and delivery, while helping to achieve our growth objectives. As such, I am delighted to welcome Lee, Christine, Jake and Chloe to Reech and am in no doubt they will play a fundamental role to the future success of the business.”

Recently shortlisted for ‘Large Integrated Agency of the Year’ by the prestigious UK Digital Growth Awards, Reech provides a full service approach to marketing, incorporating branding and visual identity, content creation, design and creative, digital marketing, photography and videography, web design and development and full marketing strategy and planning.

For more information, visit: https://reech.agency

Appointments, Business, Employee Benefits, News

Perkbox and Vivup hire Louis Kwakye from Reward Gateway in C-Suite hire

Louis Kwakye joins as Group Chief Revenue Officer 

Perkbox and Vivup is making its first C-Suite hire since announcing its plan to combine. Louis Kwakye will be the company’s new Group Chief Revenue Officer. He brings his market expertise and proven track record after 10 years, most recently as Commercial Director, at Reward Gateway.

Vivup is a leading provider of world-class health and wellbeing benefits, and Perkbox is an award-winning global benefits and reward platform. The combined firms are supported by a strategic majority investment from Great Hill Partners, a growth equity firm that is helping it to scale go-to-market capabilities, innovate product offerings, and accelerate organic and inorganic growth opportunities. The agreed transaction has received Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) authorisation.

Simon Moyle, Group CEO, says:

“Merging Perkbox and Vivup means we’re providing best-in-class technology and incredibly high user experiences, delivered with care. We support people like no other when it comes to wellbeing, mental health with specialist counselling, psychotherapy and employee assistance provision. We help families with child, elder and pet care. Our technology solutions are evolving with carefully considered artificial intelligence tools.

“In the new Group Chief Revenue Officer role, Lou is bringing his history of building winning teams, delivering for clients and an amazing opportunity to accelerate growth. We will demonstrate to new clients and partners why we are the best provider to support employee engagement and resilience, and existing clients will see how we will support them with new innovations and services.”

Louis Kwakye, Group Chief Revenue Officer, Perkbox and Vivup, says:

“There is so much for Perkbox and Vivup to be proud of – they’ve both challenged norms extremely well. Neither are fearful, and both totally understand their strengths. We’ve got a world champion in the making and it couldn’t be more exciting.”

Kwakye’s new role will focus on delivering company services, new products and innovations to the market, helping serve customers by ensuring teams interact with the market in the best way.

He explains: “Our customers are managing in incredibly difficult times – the cost of living, the intense competition for talent, growth expectation whilst having to consider downsizing teams. On top of this, post pandemic issues continue. These extremes are happening in working environments every day, and we want our customers to know we’re on the front line with them.”

—

About Perkbox 

Perkbox is the global benefits and rewards platform that allows companies to care for, connect with and celebrate their employees, no matter where they are and what they want. With over 10 years’ experience, Perkbox is trusted by thousands of companies with users across the globe. Its location agnostic globally available platform helps companies with diverse and dispersed workforces harmonise their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) — keeping each employee happy, healthy, and motivated.

About Vivup

Since 2005, Vivup has been providing world-class health and wellbeing benefits to employees across the public and private sectors while arming employers with the tools to cultivate resilient workforces, retain great staff and win the war on talent. Vivup partners with almost 4,000 clients and supports 3.3 million+ employees throughout the UK.

Vivup was awarded UK Employer of the Year at the Investors in People Awards in 2022 and won Best Supplier to Work for at the Employee Benefits Awards in 2023 and in 2024. Simon Moyle, CEO was awarded UK Leader of the Year at the Investor in People Awards in 2022 and won Scale up Entrepreneur of the Year (North East) at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2023. Vivup has also just been awarded Number One SME in the UK by Elite Business and has been featured in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 Guide.

About Great Hill Partners

Founded in 1998, Great Hill Partners is a private equity firm targeting investments in high-growth companies across the software, digital commerce, financial technology, healthcare, and digital infrastructure sectors. With offices in Boston and London, Great Hill has invested in more than 95 companies, establishing an extensive track record of building long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs and providing flexible resources to help middle-market companies’ scale. Great Hill has been recognized for its industry leadership, being ranked #4 in the 2023 HEC Paris-Dow Jones Mid-Market Buyout Performance Ranking on March 6, 2024, which evaluated fund performance of 632 leading private equity firms between 2010-2019. For more information, including a list of all Great Hill investments, visit www.greathillpartners.com.

Appointments, Berkshire, London, Manchester, News, Pensions, Scotland

Vidett expands-UK team with four new appointments

Vidett, a UK leading professional trustee and pension governance firm, has expanded its UK team, making four new hires.

 

Nick Prouvost joins as client director in Manchester and will help Vidett provide a range of professional trustee services to clients, including investment strategy and endgame execution and planning. He joins from PwC where he was a senior manager in the investment team working with schemes ranging in size from £50m to £500m. He also assisted trustees with managing their investment strategies and helped schemes prepare and implement full scheme buy-outs. Prior to this, he worked at Deloitte and JLT in investment consultant roles.

 

In Scotland, Ian Shand joins as a manager to support Vidett’s professional trustees. He will focus on governance, pensions secretarial and project tasks and is also part of a team implementing The Pension Regulator’s general code requirements for clients.

Ian has a wealth of experience working with schemes, ranging from the very small to the very large (c£4bn). He started his career in pension administration for a large public sector scheme, and later joined Mercer, before moving into client management, governance and trustee support roles at TDC, Dalriada Trustees, Barnett Waddingham and most recently, Broadstone.

 

Rose Taylor joins in London as an assistant manager, supporting client directors and managers with secretarial and governance tasks for a portfolio of clients. Prior to joining she spent almost 10 years at DHL, progressing from pensioner services administrator to pensioner services team leader, managing a team of seven, and ensuring scheme responsibilities were met for the retired members of the DHL Group Retirement Plan.

 

In Reading, Christine Denys has been appointed as an accounts assistant in Reading to oversee the accounts payable function, managing and processing all supplier invoices, expenses, credit cards and outstanding debt. She joins from a start up in the retail industry called Situ Live, where she progressed to become their management accountant. She has also worked in the finance department at construction firm, Ward Williams Associates.

 

Commenting on the appointments, Wayne Phelan, Co-Chief Executive at Vidett, said: “Vidett has recruited some exceptionally talented individuals. Nick’s investment knowledge, strong presentation and consulting skills enable him to understand and explain investment products in a way that people less familiar with the investment world can understand which our clients will value hugely.  Ian has great experience of working with different sized schemes, plus his involvement in GMPe projects, buy-in/buy-out, PPF transfers and other bespoke projects will prove invaluable.

 “Rose brings us experience of dealing with discretionary death benefit cases, lump sum payments, projects, DB work and conducting training sessions and Christine will play a vital role supporting the finance team and ensuring its smooth running. We wish them all every success in their new roles.”

 

Vidett is a privately owned business, independent from any other provider of services to corporate pension and employee benefit schemes. With an unrivalled knowledge bank to support client needs, Vidett currently looks after over 475 clients with total assets in excess of £142bn and over 2.5 million scheme members.

 

Appointments, News

Richard Cookson Returns to Bruton Knowles for National Role

Richard Cookson has returned to leading national chartered surveying firm Bruton Knowles to join the National Utilities and Infrastructure Team as a Senior Associate.

A RICS Registered Valuer, Richard will be supporting on a number of projects across the firm’s National Utilities and Infrastructure Team, including a significant UKPN contract.

With over three decades of sector experience, he rejoins the team after spending 18 months at Dalcour Maclaren where he worked as an Associate Director. Richard first joined Bruton Knowles in November 2021 as an Associate for the U&I Team having previously worked for the Valuation Office Agency as a Principal Surveyor.

Richard said: “I am very happy to be rejoining the Utilities and Infrastructures Team and to be back working not only on familiar projects but new endeavors too! The whole team have made my return so simple, welcoming me back and supporting me with any training and refreshers needed so that I get up to speed quickly.

“When it came down to it, I feel at home at Bruton Knowles. The flexible working opportunities available to everyone throughout the firm, something which many businesses have stepped away from having returned to the office, is ideal for me. I have rarely been back working in the office, but it is this flexibility that helps me to achieve a work-life balance that works best for me.

“My first month has already been so fullfilling. I’ve rejoined the Bramford to Twinstead project and am working closely with my manager Gill to develop my career path and I’m keen to develop my knowledge further and Bruton Knowles is the best place for that.”

Head of Public Sector, Gillian Froud, added: “It’s been a great pleasure to welcome Richard back to our Utilities and Infrastructure Team and while he’s only been back a month it’s as if he never left. He has already proven himself a valued team member by getting stuck straight back into work.

“Richard is very passionate about the industry but also about his role at Bruton Knowles and his return showcases just how strong an atmosphere we provide for our team’s growth and development.”

Bruton Knowles has extensive expertise and in-depth market knowledge of local and national property markets throughout the UK. Utilising its team of motivated resourceful surveyors, the firm provides the very best commercial property advice. www.brutonknowles.co.uk.

Appointments, News, Recruitment

Industry Expert Ross Crook Appointed Global Managing Director of Client Services at Morgan McKinley Talent Solutions

New role created to strengthen and grow the client base.

Global Professional Services firm, Org Group, has announced Ross Crook as its new Global Managing Director of Client Services, for the Talent Solutions business of Morgan McKinley.

With his impressive leadership track record in talent acquisition and solutions and his vision for transformative growth, Ross will play a key role in continuing to drive Morgan McKinley’s talent solution ambitions. Ross will have responsibility for the delivery of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Managed Service Provider services across all regions. Ross and his team of delivery leaders and client services professionals, will focus on exceeding client expectations, driving operational excellence, and spearheading continuous improvement initiatives.

 

Based in the UK, Ross joins at an exciting point in the organisation’s growth and brings over 27 years of experience in talent acquisition to guide the team into the future. Ross joins Morgan McKinley from Sanderson Managed Services, where he served as Managing Director and Board Director securing multiple new annuity and managed service client wins. Prior to working at Sanderson. Ross held talent solution leadership roles with providers Cielo, Alexander Mann Solutions and inhouse at Credit Suisse and Barclays.

 

Seb O’Connell, Group Chief Executive Officer Org Group comments: “We are excited that Ross will be joining us as Global Managing Director of Client Services for our RPO and MSP business.  His strong knowledge and expertise will add further depth to the team and is testament to our commitment to the Talent Solutions part of the Org Group. I am looking forward to seeing the business continue to thrive and for our customers to benefit from his strategic view of their Talent Acquisition challenges.”

“With a deep understanding of our client’s needs, I’m eager to lead our team on this exciting journey to enhance the talent solutions business to become a major global player in the industry. Alongside our skilled colleagues, I anticipate fostering current customer relationships and building fresh ones to further grow Talent Solutions.” commented Ross Crook, Global Managing Director – Client Services, Morgan McKinley.

—

About Morgan McKinley 

Morgan McKinley is a global talent services expert, offering the full spectrum of solutions to meet employers’ and jobseekers’ needs. With 19 offices in 10 countries and nearly 1000 employees, it provides 3 distinct solutions for customers. Morgan McKinley Recruitment Solutions encompassing deep expertise across 10 professional disciplines offering temporary, contract and permanent recruitment; Morgan McKinley Executive Search for targeted C-Suite talent searches; and Morgan McKinley Talent Solutions including RPO, MSP, Project Recruitment and more.

Morgan McKinley is part of Org Group, a more human kind of professional services company that harnesses the power of talent to bring better business outcomes for clients across the world through advisory, managed services and talent services.

To learn more, visit www.morganmckinley.com/uk and https://www.thisisorg.com/

Appointments, News, Tech, Technology

EJ Peak Technology Solutions secures multi-million-pound framework with Yorkshire Water

Yorkshire Water has appointed EJ Peak Technology Solutions, part of the Edwin James Group, to its Motor Control Centres and Systems Integration framework following a competitive tender. The contract will run for an initial period of four years with an optional four-year extension.

Peak has recently opened a new office in Leeds and is now further recruiting in the local area to support the contract.

Projects under the framework will include work on existing Yorkshire Water assets and the integration of new assets into the network, such as PLCs and intelligent motor control centres.

 

Michael Thomas, executive director at Peak Technology Solutions, commented: “We are pleased to secure this new framework with Yorkshire Water and look forward to collaborating with them on their business plan. We work with several utilities clients, and our team has been supporting systems integration, automation, and digital technology innovation in the sector for 20 years.

“Last year, we opened a new digital academy that is equipped with the latest hardware and software platforms used in the sector. This has allowed us to recruit and train talent from diverse engineering backgrounds, adding capacity to support the delivery of AMP7 and AMP8 schemes.”

 

Yorkshire Water provides essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region. It currently serves over 5 million households and 140,000 business customers, collecting and treating approximately one billion litres of wastewater and rainwater every day.

Appointments, Business, Business News, Insurance, Jobs

Howden makes experienced appointment in south Wales as Welsh operation continues to grow

HOWDEN, the global insurance group, has welcomed Chris Harvey to its south Wales team in line with its continued growth.

Chris joins the team as commercial account executive, having previously worked in commercial insurance roles at Towergate and Jelf. Most recently, he was a director and shareholder at a Rhondda-based, rapidly expanding family-owned business.

In his new role, Chris will use his wealth of experience to assist commercial and corporate clients with all aspects of their insurances.

On his appointment, Chris said: “I am thrilled to have joined the Howden team in south Wales, at what is a very exciting time for the business’ Welsh presence. I was drawn to Howden due to its customer centricity.

“We are not restricted by having to place business with certain insurers, and every day is about going above and beyond to achieve the best result for our clients. Howden is very focused on looking after both its employees and clients, which is an important factor to me.

“My main goal is to help as many businesses in Wales as possible, with honest and friendly advice that makes their lives easier.”

Gary Stevens, Regional Managing Director, said: “Chris is already an invaluable addition to our Welsh team, and has shown exceptional skill at this important time in our growth journey.

“Chris’ board-level experience within a fast-growing business puts him in a great position to help our clients, and we are delighted to have him on board as we continue to build a solid community in south and west Wales.”

AI, Appointments, News, Technology

Strategic Leadership Expanded with New Chief of Staff Role at digital learning firm

The new role sees Europe’s fastest-growing digital learning provider, GoodHabitz, further committing to its AI and technology journey

In an innovative move, digital learning provider, GoodHabitz, has created a new role for a member of its Engineering Leadership team. Israel Roldán has become the company’s Chief of Staff, cementing the firm’s long-term strategic commitment to operational effectiveness.

The new role’s purpose is to foster collaboration and drive strategic initiatives across the company, including focusing on AI and data. Roldán is an expert in engineering management, web architecture, software development, strategic communications and product development.

Key to Roldán’s new role is advising the GoodHabitz leadership team while also ‘seeing around corners’. He will leverage data and insights to spot opportunities to boost workflow, teamwork and strategic outcomes. He will also set benchmarks and identify challenges early to brainstorm solutions with internal experts. Communication is also paramount. Roldán will be responsible for ensuring the company’s 380+ strong team working across more than 20 countries understand its direction, challenges and opportunities, helping them move forward together and talk with a united voice.

 

Israel Roldán, Chief of Staff at GoodHabitz, explains: “In the past two years, we’ve expanded our strategic initiatives across the company, enhancing our product offerings and customer engagement. Moving from the Engineering Leadership Team to Chief of Staff my role is to ensure initiatives are implemented effectively across all departments, supporting our overarching goal of driving organisations forward by empowering their employees with personal, high-impact learning journeys.

“One of our company’s key objectives is to help our people – and our clients’ people – to develop. It’s what all our work focuses on. Pivotal to this position, and engineering roles generally, is to connect seemingly disconnected efforts and initiatives to better move towards organisational goals. Communication with the directors and facilitating collaboration across the company is central to this.”

 

Chief of Staff roles are more common in the United States, associated with the government, military, and increasingly, corporate organisations. According to GoodHabitz, the role needs a strategic mindset to transform strategy to execution, managing stakeholders along the way. With so many organisations’ processes relying on tech and AI, Roldán believes that many more organisations may tap into their Product Engineering teams as a pool for strategic talent development, as engineering is all about solving problems with the resources at hand.

 

Roldán, personally, has always wanted to move beyond engineering towards product development and strategy as a whole. “I’m genuinely excited about the opportunities ahead. Technology isn’t merely a tool for innovation; it serves as a catalyst for enhancing operations across all departments.

“As Chief of Staff, my role is to orchestrate our efforts to ensure seamless alignment with our overarching strategic goals. This coming year I’m particularly focused on advancing our adoption of AI-powered features and strengthening our data capabilities for more informed decision-making and for the benefit of our students. I look forward to reflecting on our progress and sharing insights from this journey in future collaborations.”

 

—

About GoodHabitz

GoodHabitz believes it’s people who drive companies forward. That’s why personal development is key for every organisation.

GoodHabitz offers digital learning experiences that make personal development work for everyone. Its engaging content and unique approach are designed to move people, teams and your entire organisation forward.

GoodHabitz was founded in The Netherlands and is now active in more than 20 countries worldwide, serving over 2,700 enterprises and SME clients in a wide variety of industries. Read more about us at www.goodhabitz.com.

Appointments, International News, News

Excitation Engineering Services appoints Qatar-based agent to develop business in the local synchronous system control market

Power control specialist Excitation Engineering Services (EES) has appointed Qatar-based Synergy Gulf to develop business in the region. EES’ offering includes supplying front-end upgrades of existing excitation systems, designing and building complete new systems, system maintenance and servicing, failure investigation and engineer training.

As most excitation systems in Qatar are decades old and, in many cases, no longer supported by the original suppliers, EES aims to help engineers and engineering managers overcome challenges with obsolescence management. Synergy Gulf was selected as it met EES’ key criteria of having an in-house team of engineers, existing relationships with Qatar’s major industrial companies and a commitment to ongoing technical support.

EES’ offering in the synchronous machine control system market is unique as it is an independent company that can provide components from all major OEMs without being tied to one brand. Furthermore, it has a warehouse of new and refurbished legacy and obsolete parts that cannot be sourced from the wider marketplace. This enables it to provide cost-effective system upgrades that cause minimal plant disruption.

“Qatar is one of the big three markets in the GCC and has a high level of industrialisation that relies on decades-old excitation systems, which are difficult to source spare parts or support for,” explained Colin Cox, business development manager at EES. “With our in-house technical expertise and comprehensive stock of excitation system parts, we are well placed to provide cost-effective upgrades and offer long-term technical support, servicing and maintenance beyond the initial equipment supply.

“We chose Synergy Gulf to be our local agent in Qatar for two primary reasons. Firstly, the company has a diverse product portfolio, and a significant number of its team are qualified engineers, meaning it can act as more than just a sales agent and provide technical expertise and support. Furthermore, I have a long-standing professional relationship with Synergy Gulf’s CEO, Sudip Maitra, who is a highly respected engineer and a prominent member of the Institute of Engineers in Qatar,” continued Cox.

“Synergy Gulf is proud to partner with EES in Qatar,” explained Sudip Maitra, CEO of Synergy Gulf.” The wealth of experience and professionalism from EES, coupled with the local technical support we can provide, is a recipe for success in the Middle East market. This is especially true when it comes to supporting local customers’ synchronous excitation requirements.”

“Since we appointed Synergy Gulf, it has already arranged a well-attended Seminar in Qatar where EES gave a presentation to local engineers on synchronous system control. The presentation has resulted in several enquiries already, including a sizeable proposal opportunity for system replacement work,” concluded Cox.

Synergy Gulf’s appointment forms part of EES’ Middle-East growth strategy, which will see it appoint local agents in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

To find out more about EES’ technical expertise, visit https://excitationengineering.co.uk/design.

Appointments, News

Deployteq appoints Jorg Boutkan as Head of Partnerships to drive global expansion

Deployteq, an award-winning marketing automation provider, has expanded its team through the hire of Jorg Boutkan as their new head of partnerships to ramp up global operations with Deployteq’s award-winning marketing automation platform.

In his new role, Boutkan will bring his years of experience as a channel manager to develop new partnerships, both agency and technical, as well as lead and support Deployteq’s current partner community.

Jorg Boutkan brings a wealth of expertise in the information technology and services industry including a six-year period at Qmatic, responsible for maintaining and expanding sales channels across Europe, building relationships in the UK, USA, Netherlands, Belgium and West Europe

The appointment is part of Deployteq’s expansion of its global partnerships which focuses on both its home markets in the UK and Netherlands, with the intention to expand further within Europe and the US within the next five years.

The Deployteq platform is specifically designed to enable marketers to concentrate on delivering high-impact omnichannel campaigns across email, WhatsApp and SMS. Recognised as an industry leader in Email Marketing Software and Marketing Automation, Deployteq’s mission is to liberate marketers from overly complex technology with its user-friendly, low to no-code platform.

The appointment comes following Deployteq’s targeted expansion in the UK market to continue strengthening its partnerships with major brands including Wickes, Center Parcs and Virgin Media.

Jorg Boutkan, newly appointed Head of Partnerships for Deployteq, commented:

“Joining Deployteq presents an exciting opportunity to expand our relationships across Europe and the US. I look forward to continuing the great work already proven by Deployteq delivering high-impact campaigns and collaborating with our current partners as well as establishing new relationships to drive growth and success for Deployteq globally.”

Joep van Ham, Email Marketing Team Lead for Deployteq partner, Happy Horizon, commented: “At Happy Horizon we’re elated about the future possibilities with Jorg and Deployteq. Their limitless platform coupled with the exceptional collaboration between our teams allows us to best-serve our clients in creating award winning campaigns. We wish Jorg the best of luck in his new role and look forward to continued success and even greater achievements together.”

Sjuul van der Leeuw, CEO of Deployteq, part of Inspired Thinking Group, commented:

“These are exciting times at Deployteq and we are incredibly proud of the results we deliver for our clients and we welcome Jorg to build upon our team and our existing expertise. Jorg is an excellent addition to our team, bringing with him a vast background of expertise to head up our new partnerships as we look to expand over the next five years. We are very excited for the future ahead and to have Jorg on this journey with us.