PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Superyacht company West Nautical has appointed two new senior team members on the back of recent growth.
The Newcastle business, which has recently expanded to Dubai, has appointed Neil Schofield as the new chief operating officer, and Paul Williams as client manager. Both will be operating from the central head office in Jesmond.
Managing director Geoff Moore said Mr Schofield and Mr Williams will be instrumental in the development of the company’s UK, European, Eastern European and Dubai offices.
He said: “Neil brings with him a huge amount of maritime expertise from his background in technical roles, logistics and commercial shipping, and Paul is an extremely experienced sales and client-relationship manager, with a wealth of knowledge of the luxury industries, particularly in the local Newcastle area.”
Richard Bennett has been appointed as category manager at electrical safety testing company Seaward.
Mr Bennett will help to drive forward the Peterlee company’s product lines and support its international presence, overseeing PAT testing, multifunction testing, and high voltage equipment. He joins Seaward after a 12-year career in the Royal Air Force, where he served as a weapons engineer. His experience includes working with organisations including the UK and US militaries, specialising in bomb disposal, ejection seats, and aircraft safety.
He said: “I’m really pleased to join Seaward and be given the opportunity to be part of an international company with such a strong reputation in innovation and quality. I look forward to utilising my experience to further develop Seaward’s product lines and help drive the company’s global expansion.”
Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society has welcomed Leigh Venus as its new CEO.
Mr Venus, who has extensive experience in the culture and heritage sector, has joined the North East attraction and educational charity, which delivers a range of public events, projects, and educational outreach.
He said: “I’ve loved Kielder Observatory since I first set foot there, so this is a dream come true. The organisation delivers a powerful social good anchored by unique visitor experiences and public outreach, and I’m excited to be part of that. I can’t help but notice my name fits the bill too!”
Mr Venus has been a leading figure in culture and heritage since 2009. As heritage development manager for the RNLI he looked after the organisation’s museums across the North. He was also responsible for reviving and developing Jarrow Hall museum and heritage site and directed operations at Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema.
Port of Sunderland has appointed industry specialist, Sven Richards, to oversee its commercial operations.
Mr Richard spent just under three years at Cumbria’s Port of Workington prior to joining the port, where he held the position of port manager. Prior to that, he was the port operations manager for Port of Tyne, where he worked for nine years.
He said: “Having worked in the industry for over a decade, I’ve long been an admirer of the port and how it has continued to reinvent itself and stay ahead of the curve as the market for the provision of port services and infrastructure has changed. If you look at where the port was a decade ago when I was just up the road at the Port of Tyne, it is almost unrecognisable how much it has changed.”
Middlesbrough-based Pneuma Group has made its first appointments in a brand new construction and maintenance team.
The property arm of Pneuma Group has appointed Tony Todd, John Gillan, Neil Atkinson and Paul Round to the Pneuma Property Group team, to support the residential and commercial property acquisitions designed to breathe new life into Middlesbrough and the North East.
The team will deliver construction and maintenance works for existing residential and commercial properties and already have a fully developed pipeline of future projects. They will also be supporting other parts of the group with their expertise, from the recently acquired Central Point offices and 176 Bar and Kitchen on Linthorpe Road, through to hospitality venues including the group’s high profile restaurant acquisition, Six at Baltic.
Keith Nicholson, managing director of Pneuma Group, said: “We are fortunate to have such a skilled and experienced team joining the group and I’m looking forward to working with them to deliver exceptional spaces for staff and exceptional services to tenants.”
Elizabeth Waterman has been appointed to the board of the national energy sector membership organisation NOF.
Ms Waterman, who is principal engineer at engineering consultancy PDL Solutions, will be adding her expertise to Durham based NOF’s 11-strong board of executive directors and nonexecutive directors.
In 2017, Ms Waterman was named in the Women’s Engineering Society’s Top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35 list in association with The Telegraph. She also has a business development role in PDL’s advanced engineering analysis consultancy services, mentors colleagues and is a STEM ambassador for the company.
She said: “I was thrilled to be asked to join the NOF board. PDL and NOF have a long-established and close working relationship.”