Here we feature the latest appointments and promotions in the public, private and third sectors in Wales.
FinTech Wales
FinTech Wales has appointed Gemma Hallett as its head of skills to address the skills gap in Wales.
Ms Hallett joins the independent membership association of the FinTech and financial services sector in Wales following 16 years’ experience working as a teacher, coach, entrepreneur and business mentor.
She enjoyed a successful rugby career representing Wales at the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup where she had a 15-year career alongside lecturing at the University of South Wales.
Ms Hallett is also the founder of miFuture, an edtech solution that unlocks and promotes future fit career opportunities to encourage Gen Z and school leavers towards Wales’ emerging, growth and priority sectors.
In the new role she will lead on FinTech Wales’ skills strategy to increase awareness of FinTech career opportunities and to develop, upskill and retain the skills required in Wales to support the FinTech ecosystem and its rapid growth.
She will lead the FinTech Wales’ skills advisory panel alongside Deloitte’s David Rozier.
Ms Hallett said: “FinTech Wales has already made great strides in raising its profile across the UK and globally, and we have a real opportunity to establish Wales as a leading player on the global FinTech stage. My job now is to make sure we’re building the right foundations in Wales so that we can attract, develop, upskill and retain great talent.
“It’s no secret we have a critical skills shortage. The number of job opportunities far outweighs the skills available, however I know that we can make a difference and gradually close that gap. There’s no quick fix, but there are plenty of opportunities for us to engage and shape a future talent pool and make a big impact long-term.”
FinTech Wales launched in April 2019 to provide an independent voice for the FinTech industry, both within Wales and beyond.
It aims to develop an ecosystem that will encourage and attract new FinTech companies to start-up or scale-up in our region.
Earlier this year, Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) announced a £1.6m investment in FinTech Wales , which will be spread over a five-year partnership between CCR and FinTech Wales.
Sarah Williams-Gardener, chief executive at FinTech Wales, said: “From the very first time I met Gemma her passion for developing talent was abundantly clear. Her tenacious energy and leadership has enabled us to deliver on our aspirations to raise awareness of, and develop talent for the thriving Welsh Fintech sector.
“In order to achieve our mission and see Wales being globally recognised for its FinTech excellence, we have to have a strong pipeline of skills and talent in place. This is an essential requirement when attracting more FinTechs to scale their teams in Wales.
“I’m delighted to have Gemma on board. We share the same passion and determination to provide Welsh communities with high value employment opportunities, in parallel to supporting the innovative world leading FinTech’s we have here in Wales. Our members and partners are already seeing benefits from our early initiatives and with Gemma on board there’s much more to come.”
Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales
Robert Howell, head of IT at Monmouthshire Building Society, will become the latest board member for The Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales (WCRC).
The centre, which supports businesses against cyber crime, said Mr Howell’s insight and knowledge of the digital space strengthens its already distinguished board.
Mr Howell joined the Society in 2000 and worked his way up to head of IT in 2017 where he led on numerous online projects in the building society.
Mr Howell said: “I’m delighted to be able to represent the Society on the board of the Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales. As a small organisation operating in the financial services sector, we have gone through a lot of challenges around building our digital capability, whilst maintaining the highest level of cyber security.
“We’ve learned many lessons on our journey, and will no doubt learn many more as we evolve our digital strategy and infrastructure across the organisation. This is a great opportunity for Wales to build a community of experts dedicated to cyber security, who can share advice and resources with others, and the Society is proud to be a member.”
Detective superintendent Paul Peters and director of the WCRC, said: “Welcoming Robert to our board is a real coup for us. His experience in the cyber field and his understanding of the digital world we all now operate in will be a huge credit to us as we develop the centre even further in regards to our services and how we can continue to support our members. We work hard at staying at the forefront of cyber security and by having the opportunity to work with someone of Robert’s calibre significantly strengthens our position.”
Kocho
Kocho, a cloud transformation and cyber security provider, has appointed Tony Simmonds as head of business transformation.
Mr Simmonds brings 15 years of digital transformation experience to the London-headquartered firm which has offices in Cardiff and Manilla.
Before joining the firm, Mr Simmonds was operational change and improvement director at Future Publishing, where he was responsible for streamlining financial, editorial and sales operations following a series of acquisitions.
He was also senior business analyst and change manager at OVO Energy, where he oversaw the development of an app for pay-as-you-go customers.
He will lead Kocho’s business transformation team which will be responsible for overseeing user and stakeholder engagement, resistance analysis, process improvements, user adoption programmes, training programmes, and communications plans.
Chief executive Des Lekerman said: “Business transformation is a key element of the project that we deliver. I’m delighted to welcome Tony to Kocho, where we know he will drive transformational change for our clients, creating long-lasting results for them and Kocho alike.
“Tony’s experience of working in senior operational roles in industry means he truly understands the pain-points associated with large scale technology deployments. It also means he has first-hand experience of how to make sure operations are geared up to meet user and business needs. His operational skillset will be of enormous benefit to our growing number of clients.”
Mr Simmonds said: “The company is on an ambitious and exciting journey as it helps more and more companies embark on widescale digital transformation programmes with security at their core. My role will ensure that these programmes focus on more than just the technology in order to deliver the tangible return of investment that every company is after.”
Global Centre of Rail Excellence
Lee Paxton has been appointed director of rail operations at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE).
Mr Paxton, who began his career with Network Rail in 2005, joins GCRE from CrossCountry Trains as industry projects director. He has also held a number of positions at Arriva Trains Wales and East Midlands Trains.
Simon Jones, chief executive of GCRE, said: “Lee is an experienced and highly motivated railway industry professional with a strong track record of leading operational teams and managing the development and delivery of significant infrastructure change. He is a great asset and a very welcome member of the senior team as we continue to attract some of the best talent in the rail industry.”
Mr Paxton said: “I’ve worked with CrossCountry, Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), East Midlands Trains (EMT) and Network Rail over the last 17 years. This experience means that I am passionate about putting the customer first and transforming the passenger experience on Britain’s railways.
“As a major infrastructure project, GCRE will provide much-needed state-of-the-art rolling stock testing, infrastructure testing and storage and maintenance for the UK and international railway industry. It’s a really exciting project that has the potential to transform our rail industry hence my enthusiasm to get involved and help make it happen.”
Hollingsworth Group
Deeside-based civil engineering firm Hollingsworth Group has made four key appointments as part of its drive to reach a turnover of £20m in the next 18 months.
The firm has made a major investment in plant and plans to expand its construction arm, Hollingsworth Ellery.
The company has invested £1m into new equipment and machinery and appointed Peter Blake as operations manager, Jim Cartridge as a buyer, and Mike Steen and Chris Wardle as quantity surveyors.
Director Steve Ellery said: “The Group have a number of blue-chip clients like Airbus and Muller for whom we are working on dairies from Bellshill in Scotland to Bridgwater in Somerset.
“Work did fall away in lockdown but it has rebounded hugely and we have to be ready for that which is why we have been recruiting, especially in senior roles, and with people who we know can help take us forward.
“We are also picking up new clients like chemical and materials manufacturer Ingevity in Warrington and getting enquiries from several more major clients so it is vital that we have the right people in place to take advantage of these opportunities.
“We are looking to do more in the residential construction sector on contracts up to £2 million where people like Peter and Chris have specialist experience.
“We’re already on target to turnover £15 million this year and are looking to build past £20 million in the next 18 months.”
Group managing director Paul Hollingsworth said: “With these new appointments we are well placed to deliver that increase in turnover across all sectors in the next couple of years.”
He added: “At the same time as we are investing in new staff we are also making sure we have the equipment to deliver these contracts which is why we have also invested heavily in new excavators.”
Savills
Savills economics team in Wales is expanding with the appointment of two economists.
Daniel Vargas has previously worked as an economic analyst with the Ministry of Production in Peru and economic impact analyser of science investments for UK Research and Innovation.
A former economist for Wavehill, his expertise includes SME policy, financial inclusion and policy evaluation.
Associate director Ryan McKenzie will also join the new team from Savills London office. Mr McKenzie has 11 years’ experience in property economics, regeneration and urban policy.
Nick Bennett, director of economics for Savills in Cardiff, said: “I am delighted to see these two accomplished and experienced economists join the Wales economics team. In the short time since establishing the economics team in Cardiff we have supported clients with projects that will improve the economy, society and environment of Wales.
“I have no doubt that the strategic international insight and intellectual rigour that both Ryan and Daniel bring to the table will support our growing client base in Wales very well.”
UKSE
Business adviser and banker Howard Thompson has joined the investment team at UKSE in Wales as regional executive.
Mr Thompson was previously responsible for the Welsh Government programme Superfast Business Wales (SFBW), an initiative which helped SME businesses make the most of digital technology.
He has also worked with NatWest Bank, Newport & Gwent Enterprise, and Business Wales.
His role at UKSE will be to make strategic loans and equity investments to Welsh businesses which show potential to grow and create jobs.
UKSE recently loaned £100,000 to family-run M&J Europe of Tredegar to fund expansion, and made substantial investments in nearby Dragon Recycling, with both investments creating and sustaining local jobs.
Mr Thompson said: “I am excited about the role I am taking up with UKSE and being able to support growth businesses and help support local employment.”
“We offer flexible investment packages of equity and loan and work closely with clients to understand their present, and future needs.”
A Tata Steel subsidiary, the UKSE works to support the local economy through funding and high-quality business accommodation.
It is able to make equity investments of up to £1 million, ensuring management stays in control of the business and offers a flexible exit policy. Unsecured loans up to £200,000 are also available, often without the need for personal guarantees.
UKSE owns and runs two highly successful business centres in Wales, Ebbw Vale Innovation Centre and Cardiff Bay Business Centre, offering offices and workshops on easy-in, easy-out terms.
UKSE regional manager Glyn Thomas said: “He has a wide range of business experience in many areas and will be an important addition to the team.
“Here at UKSE we play an important role in both investing in and nurturing Welsh businesses. The investment team provides clients with bespoke investment packages to help them expand and develop. We forge long-term relationships with businesses and are able to move quickly to help them take advantage of opportunities as they occur.”
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