Northern Spire, Brewin Dolphin and Gary Fox Consulting are among a collection of businesses which have announced new appointments.
Northern Spire – Roger Burn, financial advisor
Sunderland-based, financial services specialist, Northern Spire Limited has announced the appointment of Roger Burn as financial advisor.
Northern Spire, which provides a wide range of financial services for clients looking to build, grow, protect or preserve wealth, is a senior partner practice of St James’s Place Wealth Management.
Roger, 45, previously worked as a recruitment manager before making the move in to financial services. Prior to joining Northern Spire, he gained the required qualifications for the position via the St James Place Wealth Management Academy. His new role includes servicing existing clients and bringing in new business.
Roger, said: “My recruitment experience means I have a strong work ethic and a get-up-and-go attitude when it comes to client relationships. I understand the importance of nurturing relationships and making sure they are given the vital attention needed to flourish.
“Although in a secure role at my previous employment, I craved a new challenge and have always been interested in financial services.
“I was in touch with managing partner at Northern Spire, David Cook, for business purposes and mentioned I had always wanted to make the move to become a financial advisor. To my surprise and delight, he said that if I were to gain a place on St James’s academy, I would be welcomed with open arms to Northern Spire. Needless to say, my mind was made up. Knowing that I would be walking straight in to a role at such a well-respected company meant there was no risk, only reward!
“At 45, it is thrilling to start a new career and feel such purpose. I want to break down the misconception that only wealthy people have financial advisors. I am keen to speak with people on average income who are unaware of what we can offer.
“My mum has had dementia for eight years and I am absolute in my passion for helping people prepare for the future, both for potential care needs and for their families. Savings accounts and trust funds are an ideal way of ensuring individuals and their loved ones are prepared and it alleviates pressure from an already stressful situation.”
David Cook, managing partner, Northern Spire, said: “Roger is the fourth person to join our team in recent months and he’s the perfect addition. He is hard-working, has a can-do attitude and a passion for working with a wide variety of people and personalities. Financial services is a people-centric industry, it’s about making sure that clients know you have their best interests at the core of everything you do.
“The team at Northern Spire is growing and as this continues, we have client care at the top of our priority list. Reputation means everything to us and that is why we only have the best of the best working on behalf of our clients to secure their assets.”
Brewin Dolphin – Sam Gibson, financial planner
Wealth manager Brewin Dolphin has added to its team in Newcastle with the hire of financial planner, Sam Gibson.
Ms Gibson brings more than 15 years of wealth planning experience, having previously held positions at Hargreaves Lansdown and Standard Life. She is the third addition to Brewin Dolphin’s Newcastle financial planning team in recent months.
Lucie Gordon, head of Brewin Dolphin’s Newcastle office, said: “We are thrilled to have Sam join the team. We are excited to see how she will apply her expertise to help clients manage their finances, particularly after what has been a difficult and unprecedented time as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Ms Gibson said: “I’m delighted to have joined a company with the culture, heritage and calibre of Brewin Dolphin, and can’t wait to begin meeting clients.”
Gary Fox Consulting – Chris Murray, chief operating officer
Newcastle-based business and IT practice, Gray Fox Consulting, has announced the appointment of Chris Murray as chief operating officer.
Chris joins from BT Global Technology Services, and brings 30 years of experience, most recently working on digital transformation programmes for large global enterprises.
Established in 2019 by founder and CEO, Alistair McLeod, Gray Fox Consulting is a boutique consultancy, focused on providing small to medium enterprises with advice and support for business and digital transformation programmes. It works in partnership with UK organisations across multiple industries and has over 60 years of combined experience, helping clients successfully adopt and leverage technology to meet their business goals.
Despite the pandemic, the company has seen revenue increase by over 50% in the last 12 months and has ambitious plans to double in size each year for the next five years. The business has already gained an impressive client portfolio which includes Ryder Architecture, NewcastleGateshead Initiative, Traverse Ltd and RTC North.
Alistair McLeod, said: “I established Gray Fox Consulting two years ago, having previously been a director at Waterstons IT Consulting. I identified a gap in the market, to help SMEs access high quality strategic advice, while helping them develop digital investment plans that are pragmatic and affordable. Having begun my career as a software developer and later, becoming a company director, I have the added value of understanding both business and tech.
“I have known Chris for many years, having worked with him previously at a global business consultancy in the 1990s, and his background and credentials will add real value to our clients. Chris has the passion and drive to support our future growth plans as we mark our second anniversary, this November.”
Gray Fox Consulting also helps young people in the region realise their potential, through voluntary work as an enterprise advisor to schools. The business is passionate about inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Chris Murray, said: “Prior to joining Gray Fox Consulting, I worked across a number of senior roles at BT Global Technology Services, gaining invaluable experience and insight in digital transformation for large corporate clients. Alistair approached me because he recognised how this experience could be beneficial to SMEs in the North East. We are both passionate about making a difference to the region.”
Embryo – Lauren Entwistle, Nafisah Atcha,content executive, Jen Forrester, head of strategy
Lauren Entwistle and Nafisah Atcha have joined the Content Team, and Jen Forrester has joined as Head of Strategy.
The addition of these three new team members takes Embryo’s total headcount to 44, a 108% increase in staff in just over a year.
Lauren and Nafisah will work to create engaging, optimised content for Embryo’s clients, which now include the likes of alldayPA, OnBuy, and Pound Toy. Meanwhile, Jen will work with the Strategy Team to drive Embryo forward as we head into 2022.
The addition of Lauren, Nafisah, and Jen, marks a strong end of the year for the agency who recently won a 2021 UK Search Award and were crowned Digital & Creative Agency of the Year at the 2021 City of Manchester Business Awards.
Embryo prides itself on offering a strategic, data-led digital marketing service, and the new team members join a group ready and willing to deliver exceptional results for clients in a variety of industries.
Managing Director Ross Green had this to say on the new hires:
“We’re delighted to have Lauren, Jen, and Nafisah join our team. Their experience as writers and strategists will help us build on our already exceptional level of service.
“Despite only being here for a couple of days, the guys already feel like part of the furniture and we’re excited to see what they will bring to the business.”
He added: “As we head toward Christmas and 2022 we’re planning big things and are looking forward to helping our clients grow their businesses further.”
