Companies across the North East have announced a series of key appointments and promotions this week, including Adderstone Group, Elite Venue Selection, Ward Hadaway, Laura Whittle Chartered Accountant, and Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors.
Adderstone Group Appoints Chris Price as Director of Construction
Newcastle-based Adderstone Group has appointed Chris Price as director of Adderstone Construction as it prepares to commence work on several significant projects. Mr Price brings 28 years of senior construction experience to the role, having previously held director-level positions at Robertson Group, Tolent PLC, Equans, and ScottishPower Renewables. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for major projects across the NHS, Ministry of Defence, civil engineering, and renewable energy sectors. He joins a senior leadership team that includes Jonathan Kershaw and Allison Harrison, both directors at Adderstone Construction.
Mr Price said: “The projects Adderstone Construction is taking on are genuinely exciting – complex, ambitious work that not many regional contractors would be willing or able to tackle. This is a business with real momentum, drive and purpose, and I can’t wait to get stuck in.” Michael Shipley, group CEO of Adderstone Group, added: “Chris is a serious operator with a track record that speaks for itself. Our pipeline is as demanding as it’s ever been, and having someone of his calibre in the team puts us in a strong position to meet that challenge.”
Elite Venue Selection Names Chris Main as General Manager
Elite Venue Selection has appointed Chris Main as the new general manager to lead the team at the Grand Hotel Gosforth Park in Newcastle. Mr Main, who has 22 years of luxury hotel management experience, will oversee all daily operations and guest relations at the 232-bedroom property. His role at the Gosforth hotel follows a successful tenure as general manager at Linden Hall Hotel in Longhorsley, Northumberland, where he began his hospitality career 20 years earlier as night porter. He has also worked for brands and estates including Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Seaham Hall, and Doxford Hall Hotel in Northumberland.
He said: “I’m incredibly honoured to join the award-winning team at Gosforth Park. The hotel has built an iconic reputation for its authentic hospitality and timeless elegance, and I look forward to working closely with our dedicated team to build upon this remarkable legacy, enhance our bespoke guest services, and reinforce the property’s standing as a leading luxury destination in Newcastle.”
Laura Whittle Chartered Accountant Welcomes Husband as Co-Director
A chartered accountant who set up on her own just over a year ago has announced that her husband has joined the business. Laura Whittle decided to launch her own accountancy practice after working in the accountancy sector for over 25 years. Her husband Rob has now joined the business. She said: “My first year as Laura Whittle Chartered Accountant has gone very well, and I am now looking at growing my client portfolio. To do that, I knew I needed additional support, and rather fortuitously, my husband had left his engineering role and was keen to try something different. We had talked about him coming to join me, so we decided to give it a go. I know some people might say mixing homelife and work life can be detrimental, but we’ve found it really works.” Rob said: “It’s been a refreshing change for me working with Laura, particularly after 15 years in the engineering industry which had become much less satisfying for me. At the same time, I’m no stranger to accountancy, having studied maths at university. So, me joining the business did make a lot of sense.”
Ward Hadaway Hires Strategic Risk Specialist Mike Gore
Ward Hadaway has appointed strategic risk specialist Mike Gore. Mr Gore brings extensive in-house experience managing complex operational risk across multi-site businesses. His background spans regulatory compliance, safety management, and business continuity, alongside advising on the practical delivery of risk mitigation across large organisations. The role is designed to support clients proactively, rather than solely at the point where issues escalate into disputes or regulatory action.
Mr Gore said: “Joining forces with Ward Hadaway provides an opportunity to bring together legal expertise with hands-on operational experience. In many businesses, risk is addressed reactively, often once something has already gone wrong. The focus here is on working alongside leadership teams to identify where pressure points are likely to emerge and to put in place a clear plan for managing them. That can range from regulatory compliance and safety frameworks through to wider governance challenges, particularly for businesses that are scaling quickly and need to adapt their structures accordingly.” Steven Petrie, managing partner of Ward Hadaway, said: “Bringing Mike into the fold is about broadening how we support clients as their businesses grow and become more complex. Legal advice remains central, but there is increasing demand for joined-up support that addresses operational and strategic risk in a more holistic way.”
Chadwick Lawrence Strengthens Regulatory Team with Simon Catterall
Law firm Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors has appointed solicitor Simon Catterall to strengthen its specialist regulatory law team. Catterall joins the firm’s expanding regulatory department, bringing decades of experience representing businesses and individuals facing prosecution or investigation by public authorities across Northern England. He will be based in the firm’s recently opened office in Business Central, Darlington. Mr Catterall specialises in regulatory and criminal defence matters, including road traffic offences, health and safety prosecutions, trading standards investigations, licensing matters, planning disputes, and noise nuisance cases. He is particularly well known within the agricultural sector, having served for more than 25 years as an NFU panel solicitor for the North of England. He is also a former president of the Tees Valley Law Society. Outside of legal practice, he is an accomplished author, with his most recent novel, The Raven and The Pipe, published to critical acclaim in 2022.
Mr Catterall said: “Chadwick Lawrence is an outstanding, progressive firm, and I am delighted to be a member of the team. I look forward to working with colleagues across crime and regulatory to build a strong client base in the North East.”
