The North East business scene has seen a flurry of key appointments and promotions this week across major firms including Knight Frank, Silverstone Building Consultancy, the North East Automotive Alliance (NEAA), and Burnetts Solicitors.
North East Automotive Alliance names Martin Kendall as new chair
The North East Automotive Alliance has announced Martin Kendall as its new chair. He is the managing director of Logisteed UK Limited, formerly known as Vantec Europe Limited. Kendall succeeds Professor Matt Boyle, who has served as chair since 2010 and is a founding director of the NEAA. At the recent NEAA Annual Awards Dinner, Professor Boyle received the outstanding contribution award in recognition of his long-term impact on the region’s automotive supply chain.
Martin Kendall is based in Sunderland and oversees Logisteed UK operations at Nissan Motor Manufacturing, Komatsu UK, Thorn Lighting, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Bentley Motors, BMW Swindon and Oxford transport, AESC Envision, and GE Vernova. He began his career at Nissan when the plant opened in 1986, working in material handling before moving into material handling engineering.
Paul Butler, chief executive of the NEAA, said: “Matt Boyle has been a hugely influential figure on the North East manufacturing scene and has been an outstanding chair of the NEAA. His wisdom, guidance and clarity of thought is something that I, as chief executive, have benefitted from on so many occasions and he has helped make us the organisation we are today. On behalf of the staff at the NEAA, the board of directors and the membership, I would like to thank Matt for the outstanding contribution he has made.
“We now welcome Martin Kendall as chair. A strategic thinker, Martin brings a leadership style that embraces continuous improvement, forward thinking, adaptability and innovation. He takes up the role of chair at a pivotal moment for the automotive sector, and we look forward to working with him and the Board to drive forward new opportunities and future growth.”
Knight Frank Newcastle expands business rates team
The Newcastle office of global commercial property consultancy Knight Frank has announced two appointments within its northern business rates team. Joining from JLL, Paul Davinson and Ross Haywood have become partners and will play a central role in the growth and development of the regional business rates service across the firm’s Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester offices. They are supported by rating consultant Sophie Gardener and business support coordinator Mandy Clough in the Newcastle office, where there are plans for more recruitment.
Ian Tew, head of Knight Frank’s Newcastle office, said: “The expansion of our team through these strategic hires demonstrates our commitment to investing in the services our clients request, in this instance our business rates advisory offering, which is central to our long-term strategy across the UK. Ross and Paul bring exceptional experience and we look forward to the impact they will have here in the North East as we continue to grow our business rates service.”
Mr Davinson said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for me, as Knight Frank – already the best in town – look to expand their rates team. Demand for specialist advice has increased exponentially as the business rates landscape becomes ever more complex and continues to evolve for both owners and occupiers. I look forward to meeting this challenge.”
Mr Haywood added: “Paul and I have worked together successfully as a team for a number of years now and I’m looking forward to continuing our partnership. Knight Frank is a global name, with a stellar reputation, and it’s an honour to be moving to such a prestigious and successful company at a time when the issue of business rates has never been so pressing and so important.”
Silverstone Building Consultancy announces two promotions
Silverstone Building Consultancy has announced two promotions at its Newcastle office. Josh Brown has been promoted to senior associate director and Martin Bradley has stepped up from senior building surveyor to associate director. Mr Bradley, who has 17 years’ surveying experience, and Mr Brown, who also has 17 years’ experience, both manage construction projects and carry out building surveys for clients across the UK.
Their promotions follow the successful delivery of major projects including a multimillion-pound refurbishment of a Grade II listed building to create a UK super bank for Newcastle Building Society, and £3 million worth of property upgrades for global construction machinery supplier Hitachi Construction Machinery UK.
Josh Brown said: “Being promoted to senior associate director is a proud milestone in my career. I’m looking forward to mentoring the next generation of surveyors and helping drive the business forward.”
Martin Bradley added: “I’m proud to have been promoted and look forward to playing a role in Silverstone’s continued growth while supporting the team and clients across the business.”
Burnetts Solicitors appoints new corporate partner
Law firm Burnetts has grown its Newcastle presence with the appointment of experienced corporate partner Chris Morgan. Mr Morgan joins Burnetts’ established Corporate M&A team, bringing a wealth of experience across the full range of corporate law matters. He regularly advises businesses on acquisitions and disposals, company reorganisations, and shareholder and partnership arrangements.
Having acted on multimillion-pound transactions for a diverse client base, Mr Morgan is said to have extensive experience working with owner-managed SMEs as well as large companies across sectors including professional services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, leisure, and tourism.
Mr Morgan said: “I am delighted to be joining Burnetts during such an exciting time for the firm. The corporate team has a strong reputation across the region for high-quality work advising on M&A transactions, which was a key factor in my decision to join.
“From the outset, I was impressed by the culture of the team which is collaborative, ambitious and highly client focused. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues to continue to develop our Corporate offering in Newcastle.”
