People on the move: North East appointments and promotions of the week

Newcastle Financial Advisers has appointed Kerry Rothwell as performance and development partner.

Ms Rothwell will support the professional development of the business' team of advisers and wider operations including support and paraplanning teams, having previously been head of business practice at Fairstone Financial Management Limited. She will also help Newcastle Building Society acquire other financial advice businesses.

She said: “Ensuring that we make high quality financial advice as accessible as possible to everyone is a top priority for Newcastle Building Society, and our colleagues are a huge asset to the business in realising this ambition. That’s why I’m particularly looking forward to supporting the development of the whole team at Newcastle to ensure we deliver consistently high standards of customer service throughout all the communities we currently serve in the North East, Cumbria and North Yorkshire and with an eye on expanding in to new communities also.”

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Iain Lightfoot, managing director of Newcastle Financial Advisers, said: “Kerry’s appointment brings a valuable set of knowledge, skills and experience to the Newcastle Financial Advisers team. I am delighted to have her on board and her addition to the business will help to further drive and deliver high quality financial advice that is personalised, authentic, reliable and thereby makes a real difference to our customers’ lives.”

Domestic appliance repair company Pacifica Group has appointed former HomeServe UK CEO Martin Bennett as chairman.

With a background in financial services, Mr Bennett is already chairman across a number of businesses including Oncourse Home Solutions, a Chicago-based provider of home warranty products and services. He joined HomeServe plc in 2003 as commercial director, before progressing through the company during a 15-year career becoming finance director, chief finance officer, chief operating officer and subsequently chief executive of HomeServe UK between 2014 and 2018.

Mr Bennett said: “It is exciting to be joining the largest independent provider of repair and warranty services in the UK. The business is uniquely positioned, being able to provide regulated appliance warranties and on-demand repairs, all through its own technology and with its own engineer force. Pacifica not only keeps households running but does so in a way that has a significantly positive impact on the environment. The business has a real pride in delivering customer service, which is a special quality. Kevin and the team have aspirations to grow the business significantly moving forward, and I look forward to supporting that journey.”

Kevin Brown, chief executive of Pacifica, said: “Martin’s expertise, both in our industry as well as from sectors with strong synergies, particularly those that apply technology to deliver services, makes him the ideal person to become Pacifica chairman. I am incredibly proud he has joined our board to help refine and enact our growth strategy, organically and through acquisition that will help us deliver locally focused services across the UK.”

RG Corporate Finance (RGCF) has boosted its team of dealmakers with the appointment of Ella McDonald as corporate finance manager.

Ms McDonald, who joins RGCF from Deloitte's West Yorkshire base where she was CF assistant manager, brings with her experience of working in big four accountancy firms also including PwC. In her last role she worked on deals from £10m up to £100m across the north of England.

Ms McDonald said: “RGCF has established a great reputation as a dynamic and focused CF boutique and I am very proud to be part of the team. Its client portfolio and the breadth of the transactions it advises upon are very interesting and I am keen to play my part in helping businesses and shareholders achieve positive outcomes through their work with RGCF.”

Carl Swansbury, partner and head of corporate finance at RGCF, said: “Ella is an extremely talented and driven CF professional who is an ideal addition to our growing team. The increase in transactional activity, together with a strong pipeline of M&A transactions and fundraises in the coming quarters, is necessitating further expansion within RGCF. Now, with a team of more than 25 corporate finance, finance/tax DD and transactional tax specialists, we have created the capacity as well as the expertise to support an even larger national client base.”

Property regeneration consultants AspinallVerdi has appointed Amy Bennett as a development consultant at its Newcastle office.

Originally from the Isle of Man, Ms Bennett began her career at KPMG on an apprenticeship programme where she worked with high-net-worth clients and development companies.

Alongside her studies, she worked at estate agents Bailey & Co. as a part-time sales and lettings negotiator, and also got experience at Knight Frank, Savills and Johnson Tucker in Newcastle, where she worked on development, capital markets, valuation, agency, and property management departments.

Brett Devenish, director and head of the Newcastle office of AspinallVerdi, said: “Amy’s appointment continues our strategy of nurturing and developing youthful talent with a passion for working in property, allowing her to flourish by working alongside and learning from our experienced team of property regeneration experts. We look forward to helping her progress on her journey to chartership.”

National housebuilder Bellway has appointed Simon Park as group head of sustainability.

The chartered environmentalist, from South Tyneside, brings with him more than a decade in corporate sustainability roles. His main responsibility will be to implement the company’s Better with Bellway strategy, the company’s sustainable approach to business practices which includes commitments to reduce carbon emissions and enhance biodiversity.

Mr Park said: "I was impressed with the level of ambition in the Better with Bellway strategy, including setting Science Based Targets for carbon reduction, which is something I had worked on in my previous roles.”

Before joining Bellway, Mr Park spent four-and-a-half-years as senior energy and sustainability manager at Durham University where devised and implemented a sustainability strategy which led to the university rising 70 places in the People & Planet University Green League, and winning a Green Gown Award in the Nature Positive category which recognises sustainability excellence in education.

Industry championing body Constructing Excellence North East has announced Nik Turner as its new chair.

Ms Turner, who is executive director of communities and customer service at believe housing, succeeds Carol Cairns who represented Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) on the board. She will be supported by Lee Francis, chief executive of RE:GEN Group, who is vice chair.

Ms Turner, who has served on the board for five years, said: “Constructing Excellence North East has a vital role to play bringing members together to drive change and create real success for our region. Now, more than ever, as we move forward with devolution, we want to deliver a collective voice for our members, ensuring that policy makers and key stakeholders understand the needs and aspirations of our sector."

Chief executive Catriona Lingwood said: “Not only does Nik bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, she has also sat on the board of Constructing Excellence North East for five years. She will be chairing a dynamic board made up of committed people from across all parts of the sector.”