Helmsley Group makes key hire to head up asset management division
York-based property investment and development specialist, Helmsley Group, has appointed Alexia Swift-Cookson as its new head of asset management.
Originally from Yorkshire, Alexia joins Helmsley from Cushman & Wakefield in London, where she was a partner.
Bringing 16 years’ experience to the role, she will assist the group’s growth by managing the performance of its syndicated investment portfolio, ensuring that the properties continue to deliver strong returns for Helmsley’s network of over 800 high-net-worth investors.
Commenting on her appointment, Alexia said: “I’m really excited to have joined the Helmsley team. As a small business which packs a huge punch both regionally and nationally, the group’s dynamic and entrepreneurial culture really stood out to me.
“The team’s redevelopment plans, particularly around York’s Coney Street, also provide a once-in-a-career opportunity to be involved in placemaking on a large scale, delivering a transformational scheme that will benefit York city centre and beyond.”
Richard Peak, Managing Director of Helmsley Group, added: “Alexia joins at an opportune time for Helmsley, as we continue to seize opportunities for investment and development in the region. She brings a wealth of experience to the role and will be a key factor in the continued growth of our asset management division and investor network, as well as positively contributing to the development and diversification of Helmsley as a whole.
“As a business which has been developing and investing in Yorkshire for over 40 years, we’re always looking to work with those who are passionate about seeing our region thrive, making Alexia a fantastic addition to the team.”
Forgemasters signs partnership agreement with University of Strathclyde
Sheffield Forgemasters has signed up as a Tier One partner with the University of Strathclyde Advanced Forming Research Centre.
The move will give Sheffield Forgemasters access to state-of-the-art research and development facilities focusing on emerging advanced manufacturing technologies such as residual stress, advanced furnaces, and forging expertise in Industry 4.0 data analytics and modelling.
David Bond, CEO, said: “We have a hugely talented and experienced workforce here in Sheffield tackling some of the biggest engineering challenges we face as the UK makes the transition to a net-zero economy and next-generation defence systems.
“As we move into a new phase of our growth and development – both in clean civil nuclear energy and defence technology – it is vital that we harness the best brains and cutting-edge equipment to support us on that journey.
“This partnership with the AFRC allows us to do that in a way that may help us to become more innovative and productive while maintaining the most rigorous engineering quality standards. The AFRC now has an outreach office in Sheffield connecting us to the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult team in Scotland; making this a truly national endeavour.”
Professor Brad Wynne, who heads the AFRC’s Sheffield outreach operation, said: “South Yorkshire is the crucible of the forging and forming industry and has helped shape the destiny of the British economy since the first industrial revolution. There are huge opportunities for civil nuclear power in the transition to net-zero: but there are also technological and manufacturing challenges. Our mission at the AFRC is to bring industry, government and academia together to overcome these challenges and exploit the opportunities for this region and the wider world as it strives towards the goal of net-zero and improved productivity.”
The AFRC’s Sheffield office, supported by Sheffield City Council, helps the country’s leading forming and forging companies in South Yorkshire tap into pioneering metallurgy capabilities, numerical and analytical process modelling tools and advanced industry-scale forging and forming equipment.
AFRC Executive Chair, Keith Ridgway, who founded the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing in Rotherham two decades ago said: “Sheffield Forgemasters is an iconic global company with deep roots in the history of Sheffield and engineering innovation.”
Manufacturing Growth Programme delivers business support plea after safeguarding 2,000 jobs in Yorkshire
A business support programme that has created and safeguarded over 2,000 manufacturing jobs in Yorkshire is urging local authorities to ensure assistance is still in place under the new funding landscape.
Bosses at the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), which provides grants and dedicated consultancy to SME manufacturers across the region, are warning that the potential gap between European Regional Development Funding and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) could see businesses left without the assistance they need.
Regional director Dean Barnes believes the fragmented nature of UKSPF – where each local district will receive its own pot of money – means it will be difficult to deliver good quality support to management teams that have guided their firms through Brexit and, more recently, COVID-19.
The rallying call comes as MGP reveals its latest performance data, with £1.79m grants delivered to 1,063 Yorkshire companies over the last three years.
This has leveraged over £3.2m of private sector investment and helped manufacturers enter new markets, diversify their products/services, improve efficiencies and secure vital quality accreditations.
“We’re about to enter one of the most exciting, but challenging times in business support where the focus will fall away from ERDF and into a new landscape where each place (it could be as small as a District Council) will be given control of what they want to invest in and how they want to shape their local investment plan,” explained Dean.
“It is key that neighbouring councils work together to pool funding to deliver support at a regional level to ensure they get the most out of their budgets and reduce the amount of ‘business support’ noise in the marketplace.”
He went on to add: “The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is intended to help the Government’s desire to ‘level up’, but Yorkshire businesses must have a voice on what they want.
“They don’t just need grant funding, they also want advice, best practice implementation and help with long-term improvements.”
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice, MGP was launched in 2016 to create a targeted service to support manufacturing SMEs.
This focused on creating a team of Manufacturing Growth Managers who work with management teams on initially completing strategic business reviews.
From there, they provide grant funding and signposting services to specialists that deliver improvement projects in strategic planning, productivity and process improvement, competitiveness, innovation and leadership and management.
Nearly a third of firms so far have chosen to tap into marketing and market knowledge support, followed by a quarter choosing help to improve productivity and 14% wanting assistance with continuous improvement.
Jane Galsworthy, Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Advice, said: “We are already helping with the ‘levelling up agenda’ by supporting small businesses in less developed areas to grow and have adapted our support model to meet evolving business needs.
“These include continuing to boost productivity, helping firms work towards Net Zero, job creation, internationalisation and, increasingly, embracing digitalisation and Industry 4.0.”
She concluded: “There has been some massive strides forward in business support and we’ve seen first-hand how the right expertise can unlock the potential of some of our brightest SMEs in Yorkshire. It would be foolish to throw that all away with the launch of UKSPF funding!”
ABP appoints new Head of Marine in the Humber
Paul Bristowe has taken over as ABP’s new Head of Marine in the Humber, replacing Gary Wilson, who is retiring after 50 years in a maritime career. The Marine team comprises of 300 people and includes the Humber Pilots.
Paul comes to the Humber from BP plc where he recently ran the Trading Operations team, looking after oil and gas logistics for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He previously spent four years as BP Shipping’s Global Head of Voyage Operations with responsibility for orders, monitoring and optimisation of 50 owned and 200 chartered vessels transporting oil, gas, products, and chemicals.
Before joining BP Paul served for 25 years in the Royal Navy where he flew Sea King helicopters before moving into a succession of warfare roles at sea. His military career culminated in Command of HMS Somerset where he led a seven-month maritime security deployment undertaking counter-piracy and escort operations in the Indian Ocean, Somali Basin and Strait of Hormuz. Highlights included the Royal Marine boarding team releasing the crew of a hijacked Pakistani fishing vessel, and a combined operation where Somerset’s crew arrested a gang of Somali pirates who had overthrown an Italian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
Simon Bird, Regional Director of ABP Humber said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to ABP. From his international experience with BP to his distinguished 25-year service in the Royal Navy, Paul brings the leadership, commercial acumen and technical knowledge we need for such an important role overseeing the shipping movements for 17% of the nation’s trade.”
Mr Bristowe said: “I’ve been impressed by the scale of operations on the Humber which play such an important role in keeping Britain trading. I’ve also been heartened by the high standards of professionalism of the people I’ve met and the all-important safety culture of the organisation. I’m looking forward to spending time with all the various teams, understanding their roles and helping identify improvement opportunities.”
Centrick launches Sheffield hub as expansion continues
Residential and commercial property specialist Centrick has launched a new regional office in South Yorkshire as its national expansion drive continues.
The company’s arrival in Sheffield city centre comes after it gained major new building and estate management contracts across the region. It has won new instructions on around 1,000 homes with a similar number coming under management later in the year.
The Birmingham-based business is investing more than £1 million this year as it recruits around 50 staff to deliver services from new regional offices in Sheffield and Gerrard’s Cross, as well as city hubs in Manchester, Portsmouth, and Nottingham.
More hubs at key locations are in the pipeline. Centrick’s building and estate management and build to rent teams will grow to more than 70 by the end of the year, handling a portfolio of over 350 developments comprising around 20,000 homes.
The new Sheffield office, located at Concourse Way, will be led by property specialist Sarah Parkyn, who was recently appointed as operations director of Centrick’s buildings and estate management division.
The award-winning, experienced property professional has more than 29 years’ experience in the industry. She has extensive knowledge of both the private and public sectors having worked for a local authority, social housing providers and in residential block management.
Sarah Hammond, building and estate management director, said: “We are enormously excited by our arrival in Sheffield. It is a fantastic city and offers us an excellent base from which to service our clients both in the city and across the region.
“We see Sheffield and Leeds as key areas for the development of our services. We already have clients in the region and we are working hard to expand our reach even further, with a new team led by Sarah Parkyn who has extensive knowledge of the area.”
Centrick chairman James Ackrill said: “The launch of our new office in Sheffield marks another milestone in our continued national expansion program. Our approach to growth at Centrick has always been cautious and considered. The concept behind our expansion has been to try and stay true to our values of building quality local teams with local knowledge and connections that benefit the buildings that we manage.
“Our Sheffield office will allow us to build a working environment closer to the buildings that we manage across the region. By doing this we can forge stronger working relationships both with our clients and our network of local contractors.”
He added: “This blend of hub and spoke offices allows us to continue to invest within key areas of our core team, such as building safety and compliance, whilst providing a local service, on a national level. As the number of homes we look after continues to grow we expect this scalable model to expand further to meet the requirements of our clients.
“The teams located throughout England have the benefit of a comprehensive infrastructure of technology, knowledge and expertise all designed to fulfil the vision of Centrick, ‘helping to make our customers’ lives better’.”
Green light for latest Ripon business park expansion
Potter Space, which owns and operates five business parks across England, has released details of its plans to create two new industrial buildings at its Ripon site, after receiving approval from planners.
In the latest phase of development at the business park in Melmerby, which is located close to the A1M, Harrogate and York, two new buildings will provide three units, 54, 55A and 55B, totalling an additional 70,000 sq ft of space.
Joint acting agents for the new units are Fox Lloyd Jones and Gent Visick.
Unit 54 will provide 20,000 sq ft (1,858 sq m) of space on a 1.41 acre plot. The larger neighbouring units 55A and 55B will each offer 25,000 sq ft (2,322 sq m), on plots of 1.47 and 1.48 acres respectively.
Due to be ready from Autumn 2023, the new units at Potter Space Ripon will incorporate solar panels, EV charging points and cycle stores as standard.
Jason Rockett, Managing Director at Potter Space, said: “We’re pleased to be able to bring our latest investment plans to fruition at our Ripon business park and create more high-quality warehousing and industrial space to meet demand. The three units, all of which are available to pre-let now, provide businesses with an opportunity to relocate and thrive at a superb North Yorkshire location that is so much more than just a base for business.”
Nick Salkeld, director at Fox Lloyd Jones, said: “We have continued to experience sustained demand for prime industrial and warehouse space across North Yorkshire. Existing stock is in short supply resulting in many schemes experiencing high pre-let or pre-sale interest as demonstrated by the recent deals on Unit 24 and Unit 53. The grant of planning permission to expand the Ripon estate is terrific news and we’re delighted to be working in partnership with Gent Visick to manage enquiries from businesses seeking sustainable buildings on a well-managed, secure and a highly accessible site.”
KCOM appoints new Chairman of the Board
KCOM has appointed Johan Dennelind as Chairman of its Board of Directors, as a part of his relationship with Macquarie Asset Management as an industry advisor.
Johan will join KCOM and lead the Board effective immediately, replacing Nathan Luckey who will step down as Chair but remain as a Director on the Board of KCOM.
Johan brings with him significant experience in the telecoms industry and has led several telecommunication businesses, including the Telia Company as the President and CEO between 2013 and 2019. Telia Company is a listed multinational telecommunications company and mobile network operator operating across Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway.
Johan said he was delighted to be joining KCOM as it embarks on the next chapter of its transformation as a regional powerhouse of full fibre broadband connectivity. Johan’s focus will be to provide strategic industry and market advice to KCOM while supporting and providing direction to KCOM’s executive leadership team.
He said: “I’m looking forward to working closely with the rest of the board, KCOM’s leadership team, and Macquarie Asset Management to consolidate the huge steps forward the business has taken in recent years while also planning for a successful future.”
Also joining Johan on the board will be Fiona Goldsmith who will bring her considerable and wide-ranging business and finance experience to KCOM. Fiona is a chartered accountant whose career has spanned several executive leadership and Non-executive roles. Fiona will Chair the Audit and Risk sub-committee of the KCOM Board of Directors.
Fiona’s latest executive role was as Finance Director at Land Securities Trillium, the UK’s largest commercial property development company. During her tenure as Finance Director the business launched a £1bn infrastructure fund. More recently, Fiona has supported companies with her extensive finance, audit and risk experience acting as Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit Committee at public listed UK firms MJ Gleeson Plc and Safestyle UK Plc.
KCOM Chief Executive Tim Shaw, said: “I’m delighted to welcome both Johan and Fiona to KCOM at what is a very exciting time for the business as we continue to grow and expand across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
“They bring with them a huge amount of experience of the telecoms and business world and their insight will be invaluable as we continue to build on the successes of recent years.”
Council leader pledges to engage with Hull’s business community
Recently-elected Leader of Hull City Council Mike Ross says he is keen to engage with the City’s business community.
Originally from West Sussex, he studied politics at the University of Hull and has been a councillor in the City since 2002, where he has held key portfolios including education and housing.
“Being the Leader of the Council comes with a responsibility to make the City the best it can be, and to attract more people to come here,” said Cllr Ross.
“The role of Leader comes with tremendous authority to make things happen, so I am keen to hear from people, to hear what they want to see happen in the City. Some will be small things, some will be massive things which will take more time, but I want to hear from people living here and making a living here.
“One of the key issues is what sort of council it is – I want to listen and am prepared to listen. I want to hear from people about what they want to see the council doing.”
Cllr Ross revealed he had made a start by writing to all council staff to see what changes they want to see to make improvements.
At a lunch, jointly hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and HullBID, Cllr Ross put a focus on the City centre which he said had to be supported as it was the focal point of the City.
“The Lib Dems want to support communities across the City,” he said. “It should be about place, and we want to create an environment where our places can thrive, not just survive.
“I want to be prioritising clean neighbourhoods where clean streets will encourage investment.
“Investing in infrastructure is important too – we all know about the road issues and we are keen to shift people away from cars and be greener, so we are starting a major listening exercise to see what the public wants, so we can get it right.”
Cllr Ross then turned to the cost of living and warned of tough times ahead. “The Council will not stand back as the City suffers,” he said. “I do want to see the Council do all it can to help the City thrive. I believe we can achieve more by working together, working in partnership, create an alliance of the willing to stand up for the City and work together.”
A question and answer session hosted by Chamber President Mike Whitehead, saw several members of the audience calling for changes to the City’s bus lane rules, and a show of hands conclusively called for a return to peak time restrictions, rather than all day restrictions.
Other questions included the Albion Street Car Park development, innovation and balancing the books, the Devolution debate, the skills agenda, digital exclusion and of course, the proposed Cruise Terminal.
In response the question from the Chamber’s Vice President and Chair of the Shipping, Transport and Renewables Committee, Cllr Ross agreed he was in favour of the City having a cruise terminal and would like to bring more people in to visit the City, but he didn’t want it to detract from what was already here and he promised he would make sure it was done properly.
Bringing a refreshingly honest session to a close, Cllr Ross urged people to get in touch and let him know what they want to see happen in Hull.
Delta-Simons acquires Ground Engineering Ltd
Delta-Simons, the Lincoln-headquartered multi-disciplinary environmental and health and safety consultancy division of the Lucion Group, has completed a key strategic acquisition in the East of England.
Peterborough-based Ground Engineering Ltd, which specialises in the provision of site investigation services and geotechnical testing, strengthens Delta-Simons’ Geo-Environmental team, bringing additional site investigation expertise, capability and also enhancing its geographical footprint.
The bolt-on deal, which brings a skilled team of 24 geotechnical engineers, geologists, laboratory technicians and drilling operators to Delta-Simons is the first acquisition since its own integration into fast-growing private equity-backed environmental services company Lucion Group in April 2021.
Ground Engineering has a distinguished history in the sector, tracing its roots back to 1936 when it was founded as Pre-Piling Surveys Ltd, which later became Soils Engineering.
Today, the company offers geotechnical and geo-environmental ground investigation and associated professional services to a wide range of civil engineering, construction, housing, environmental management and financial sectors.
Working mostly in the East of England, London and the South East, the team’s activities are supported by its UKAS ISO 17025 accredited geotechnical and construction materials testing laboratory.
Ground Engineering’s directors Chris Ebeling and Steve Fleming will remain with the business moving forward, supported by the Delta-Simons leadership team.
Chris Ebeling said: “We decided it was the right time to join forces with a larger group of companies to ensure the future sustainability, growth and success of the business. Our team have built a strong reputation for providing high-quality, trusted geotechnical services to our clients.
“When presented with the opportunity to join a progressive group of companies and specialising in similar services, we immediately recognised the synergies and saw it as a fantastic opportunity for our team.”
Alex Ferguson, Managing Director of Delta-Simons, added: “As an ambitious, purpose-driven and client-focused company we are always looking to strengthen our team with the addition of high quality acquisitions.
“We are therefore delighted to bring the Ground Engineering team into Delta-Simons and the wider Lucion Group. They are a great fit for our existing GeOps division, which continues to grow from strength to strength.
“We’ve had a really busy start to 2022 as we continue to scale the group of businesses in line with our strategic growth plan and look forward to making further progress this year with strong organic growth delivered alongside further potential strategic acquisitions.”
James Winterbottom, senior investment director at Palatine, Lucion Group’s private equity investor since 2019, added: “Alongside strong organic growth across the business we have been pleased to support Lucion Group with a number of value-enhancing bolt-on acquisitions over recent months and we look forward to working with the team to further deliver their strategic growth ambitions in the second half of 2022.”
The transaction was supported by business advisers BDO and HSBC.
Celebrating Olympic Legacy in action at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
An “Olympic Legacy in Action” event will take place at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park this month as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations for the London 2012 Games.
On Saturday 18 June, from 10am to 3pm, children and adults of all ages are invited to come and join the free activities, ranging from paddleboarding to boxing, at venues across the Park.
Young and old can try their hand at inclusive and accessible activities like football, boxing, tennis, dance, and rugby league. There will also be opportunities for paddleboarding and kayaking on Sheffield and Tinsley Canal, and cycling at Don Valley Bowl.
The Olympic Legacy in Action event celebrates the 10th anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is also an opportunity to see the hugely impressive facilities available in the Park at partner organisations like Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre and the English Institute of Sport Sheffield.
The day also forms part of Move More Month 2022. It will provide a platform to showcase a variety of activity providers from across the city, all working collaboratively towards the Move More vision of creating a healthier, happier, and more connected Sheffield.
Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park was established after London 2012 and is the only Olympic Legacy Park outside a host city anywhere in the world.
Bringing together expertise from academia, elite sport, the NHS, and public and private sector organisations, the Park creates a unique cluster of life sciences assets, including research centres, business incubators, educational facilities and laboratories for collaborative research and innovation in health and wellbeing.
Legacy Park Ltd Chair and former Sports Minister Richard Caborn, who was a key figure in bringing the Olympic Games to London in 2012, said: “We have brought sports science and medicine, sports psychology, and engineering together to create a unique legacy unrivalled anywhere in the world and I don’t think it could have happened anywhere else but Sheffield.
“We look forward to celebrating what the Olympic legacy has already delivered and achieved in Sheffield, showcasing our exciting plans as we move forward into the next development phase.
“This event in June kicks off those celebrations to bring hundreds and thousands of kids, young people, and adults onto the site.”
Tom Hughes, sport development manager at Yorkshire Sport Foundation, said: “10 years on from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games we have plenty to celebrate in Sheffield and what better way to do this than bringing together some of the brilliant people and projects from across Sheffield to one big free event.
“We are on a mission to create a happier, healthier and more connected Sheffield and we want to make it easier for people to move more and since there is a real willingness from organisations across Sheffield to do just that, we have 30 brilliant organisations coming down to offer free opportunities for people to get active. It promises to be a really fantastic event!”
