This week has seen significant movement within the North East business community, with several prominent organisations announcing key appointments and promotions across the legal, charitable, professional services and technology sectors.
Sweeney Miller Law Strengthens Employment Law Offering
North East law firm Sweeney Miller Law has formally launched a dedicated employment law service with the appointment of senior associate Paul Lott as head of employment law. This strategic move is designed to provide comprehensive support to businesses throughout the North East region and beyond.
Mr Lott brings an impressive seventeen years of specialised experience as a qualified solicitor focusing exclusively on employment law and human resources matters. His extensive background includes advising both employers and employees across diverse sectors including private enterprise, public bodies and charitable organisations.
His professional expertise encompasses successful representation of clients in Employment Tribunal proceedings covering a wide range of issues including unfair dismissal cases, redundancy matters, discrimination claims, unlawful deduction from wages disputes, contractual disagreements and TUPE transfers.
Beyond his professional practice, Mr Lott serves as deputy chair of the trustees at South Tyneside Citizens Advice, having volunteered with and supported this vital organisation for more than ten years.
Speaking about his new role, Mr Lott commented: "Joining Sweeney Miller Law represents an exciting step forward in my career. The firm demonstrates a clear commitment to supporting businesses with practical, commercially grounded advice, and I'm looking forward to developing and expanding our employment law offering. My professional focus has always centred on helping organisations manage their workforce fairly, confidently and in full compliance with regulations, and I'm delighted to bring this approach to a team that shares these fundamental values."
Heel & Toe Appoints New Chief Executive
County Durham children's charity Heel & Toe has announced the appointment of Amanda Tweedy as its new chief executive officer. Ms Tweedy succeeds the charity's founder and former chief executive Doug Long, who is preparing for retirement after eighteen years of dedicated service.
To ensure a smooth leadership transition, Mr Long will remain with the organisation as executive director until September this year. The charity's journey has been remarkable, beginning with humble origins supporting just four children from a port-a-cabin facility in Spennymoor.
Today, Heel & Toe operates two dedicated Therapy Centres located in Pelton and Perkinsville, Chester le Street, providing free and subsidised therapy services to approximately one hundred and eighty disabled children each week.
Ms Tweedy originally joined Heel & Toe in 2011 as fundraising and development officer, progressing through several senior positions including fundraising executive, fundraising manager, and most recently deputy chief executive.
Reflecting on her appointment, Ms Tweedy stated: "This represents an incredibly exciting time to assume the role of chief executive at Heel & Toe, particularly with the launch of new therapy services and the recruitment of additional therapy staff members. We are confident that the charity has successfully navigated recent challenges and that the future outlook appears significantly brighter."
Swinburne Maddison Enhances Financial Leadership
Law firm Swinburne Maddison has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Helen Broadhead as head of finance. This strategic appointment forms part of a broader programme of organisational growth, ensuring that the firm's financial governance, reporting systems and operational infrastructure evolve in alignment with its expanding scale and ambitions.
Ms Broadhead brings extensive professional experience spanning multiple sectors including professional services, financial services, manufacturing, retail and consumer goods. Her career background includes significant roles within prominent organisations such as Zurich, Intersnack, Berghaus and Jackson Hogg Recruitment.
Commenting on her new position, Ms Broadhead said: "I'm excited to be joining Swinburne Maddison at such a positive stage in its development journey. The firm has established an excellent reputation for legal expertise, professional standards and outstanding client service. I'm looking forward to working closely with the leadership team to support sustainable growth initiatives and provide clear financial insight that will inform future strategic direction."
Jonathan Moreland, managing partner at Swinburne Maddison, added: "Helen's appointment represents another important step in strengthening the firm's leadership capabilities and operational infrastructure as we continue our growth trajectory."
Intasite Welcomes SaaS Executive to Advisory Board
Teesside-based technology company Intasite, which provides cloud-based digital induction and site access solutions for high-risk industries, has appointed experienced software as a service executive Steve Spark to its advisory board. Mr Spark joins in a strategic advisory capacity to support the company's continued growth and scaling efforts following a record performance year.
Mr Spark commented: "Having worked with numerous SaaS businesses throughout my career, what particularly excites me about Intasite is the strength of its product-market alignment and the clarity of its growth vision. I'm looking forward to helping the team refine its go-to-market strategy, scale operational capabilities, and unlock new opportunities both across the United Kingdom and in international markets."
Danielle Croce, commercial director at Intasite, expressed enthusiasm about the appointment: "We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Steve to our advisory board. His proven track record in scaling SaaS businesses is genuinely impressive, and his strategic insights will prove invaluable as we enter our next significant phase of growth and development."
Harbro Electrical Invests in Digital Marketing Talent
Electrical wholesaler Harbro Electrical has strengthened its team with the appointment of new digital marketing apprentice Jessica Gowling. Based at the company's Peterlee operation, Ms Gowling has joined on a multi-channel marketing apprenticeship programme delivered through Baltic Apprenticeships.
Owner Phil Harbord created this new position to support Harbro's continued business growth, with particular focus on strengthening the company's online presence and enhancing social media engagement activities.
Ms Gowling explained her responsibilities: "As digital marketing apprentice, I'm taking charge of our social media content creation, including filming, editing and posting activities. I'll also be responsible for managing email marketing campaigns, and eventually I'll be working on developing and optimising Harbro's website presence."
She added: "I previously studied photography and graphic design at college, so being able to apply those creative skills within this professional role represents a significant bonus. Everyone at Harbro has been incredibly supportive, and I would genuinely love to remain with the company permanently following the completion of my apprenticeship programme."
