A run down of the latest appointments in the manufacturing world throughout the month of August.
Anna Dawkins, OSSL
OSSL, the parent company of Wolverhampton-based D & J Steels and the Brockhouse forging group of West Bromwich, has announced the appointment of Anna Dawkins as a non-executive director.
Anna was educated at Merchant Taylors School, Crosby, and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, gaining an MA in geography.
She then qualified as a Chartered Accountant while in the Corporate Finance Department of Arthur Andersen before moving to Deloitte. In 2004 Anna was one of the founders of Argyll Partners, a boutique corporate finance house based in London.
Established in 2002 to help companies find low-cost manufacturers abroad, OSSL has grown to encompass steel stockholding and forging, now supplying a range of sectors from engineering and manufacturing to mining and oil & gas,
Chris Hutton-Penman, Chairman of OSSL, said: “We are extremely fortunate to have secured someone of Anna’s calibre to join our Board. It’s a great vote of confidence in the company and its future.”
Rain Newton-Smith, Confederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has announced the appointment of Rain Newton-Smith as its director of economics.
Newton-Smith was most recently head of emerging markets at Oxford Economics, where she served as the lead expert to China.
This involved providingmacroeconomic forecasts and analysis on China’s role in the global economy and the development of Asia, helping a range of companies and international financial institutions to expand into new markets and grow their business.
Prior to that, Rain worked in monetary policy and international forecast to the MPC at the Bank of England where she led a team with responsibility for developing a risk assessment framework for the UK financial system.
John Cridland, CBI director-general, said: “The UK recovery is firming up but there is still much more to be done to ensure it is sustainable in the long-term, and Rain’s breadth of experience will be crucial for helping us determine the right policies to support businesses as they expand and grow.
“Rain’s international expertise, particularly in Asia, will be key to supporting the CBI’s efforts to get more businesses exporting their products and services to high-growth markets around the world.”
Cathie Hall, K3 Syspro
Cathie Hall has been made managing director of business solutions provider K3 Syspro, where she’ll be responsible for spearheading the company’s service offering to the manufacturing and distribution sectors.
Ms Hall brings a wealth of experience to the role having worked in ERP throughout her career, and replaces former MD Andy Latham, who will head up the new K3 Group Manufacturing and Distribution Division.
K3 Syspro has been providing a range of business solutions including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Intelligence (BI) and financial solutions to manufacturing and distribution companies for over twenty years.
The company’s latest offering, SYSPRO 7, is already earning plaudits around the globe after recently being nominated for a host of awards including a Golden Gate Award and an American Business Award.
Ian Bartholomew, Monarch Aircraft Engineering
The Monarch Group has announced Ian Bartholomew as its new Interim managing director of its aircraft maintenance division.
He succeeds Mick Adams, who is leaving the business to take up a post at Etihad Airways as Vice President of MRO based in Abu Dhabi.
Mr Bartholomew is currently commercial director of MAEL and has over 25 years’ experience in the aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry.
Andrew Swaffield, chief executive officer of The Monarch Group, paid tribute to the outgoing Mr Adams.
“On behalf of the Board I would like to thank Mick Adams for his contribution to the business during his 29 years in total with the Monarch Group. This is a life-changing opportunity for Mick and his family and he departs with our best wishes for his future career.”
Valentina Cristea, Axiom Manufacturing Services
Axiom Manufacturing Services, the Welsh contract electronics manufacturer, has appointed Valentina Cristea as part of its graduate scheme.
Ms Cristea is a recent graduate of the University of South Wales, where she secured a first class honours degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Axiom’s graduate programme, which was launched in 2013, is individually tailored to ensure the maximum learning experience for each of its participants.
As an industry leader, the manufacturer is uniquely positioned in Wales to deliver comprehensive electronic industry experience as she rotates through the business’ support and manufacturing departments; before ultimately focusing on her specialist field of procurement.
Materials director Chris Nye, who will oversee her progression and understanding of the business, said: “It’s essential for each member of our team to understand and invest in this strategy and providing talented, driven individuals like Valentina the chance to begin their careers with us is the best way to do this.”
Andrew Roberts, Weightmans LLP
Law firm Weightmans has appointed Andrew Roberts as its new head of manufacturing.
With over 25 years in commercial litigation, Mr Roberts also has a long-standing interest in manufacturing and is also a member of the firm’s Education sector group.
Prior to joining Weightmans in December 2013, Andrew had spent over 20 years at DLA Piper in Liverpool where he had been a Partner since 2007.
He is acknowledged in the 2013 edition of the Legal 500 as being someone who represents both private and public sector clients in relation to commercial litigation.
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