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The latest appointments and promotions
Restaurant manager relishes new career course
Davide Occhiuzzi H e has worked in fine dining restaurants in London, Paris and Dubai. Now Davide Occhiuzzi is bringing his experience to Northamptonshire as the new restaurant manager at Murrays, Whittlebury Park.
The restaurant is now the proud holder of its third AA Rosette. “This is an exciting period for Murrays,” says Davide.
“I am looking forward to using my experience to build on the restaurant’s well-established reputation to take dining here to the next level and I am thrilled to be embarking on the next stage of my career here.”
Trainees set their sights on success
Law firm Howes Percival has welcomed eight new trainee solicitors to the firm and has appointed its first solicitor apprentice. It has also appointed four new solicitors who have completed their training contracts.
Pictured are Nichola Constantinides and Iona Palmer, who have begun their training at the firm’s office in Northampton. During their two-year training contract, they will complete four six-month seats, each in a different department.
Nichola centre has begun in the insolvency and corporate recovery department while Iona right is splitting her training between the commercial property and corporate, commercial and banking teams. Also pictured is Eliza Kay, whose first training stint is with the corporate, commercial and banking team in Milton Keynes. The new intake join six current trainees who have completed the first year of their training contract.
Partner and training principal Simon Murphy said: “Preparing the next generation of lawyers is essential to the future of our business. We like our trainees to get stuck in, work as part of the team and get involved in quality work, which gives them the best possible start to their legal career.”
Charis Skipper has joined Howes Percival as its first solicitor apprentice. “We hope that this could become a route into the practice for more people in future,” said Mr Murphy.
An accident on holiday that left a friend paralysed and in a coma for six weeks became the inspiration for a career in health and safety for Scott Murrin.
The newly appointed health and safety consultant at Acorn Safety Services in Northampton vividly recalls the accident, which happened when he was 16.
“I was on holiday with some friends and one of them fell off a balcony,” he says. “He was in a coma for six weeks and was paralysed down one side. Fortunately, he recovered but it was a horrendous time.
“The barrier along the balcony was not high enough and I remember thinking Scott Murrin
more could have been done to prevent the accident happening. Ever since then I have been passionate about improving health and safety and keeping people safe.”
Mr Murrin has worked in the health and safety industry for nearly a decade. Acorn Safety Services works on hundreds of projects across the UK every year and has opened a new office in Birmingham to add to its existing offices in Northampton and London.
The company has several long-term projects on the horizon and is helping clients to adapt to life postpandemic, says Acorn’s health and safety manager John Crockett. “As a result, our team is continuing to expand.”
Events officer promoted to manager role
Events and engagement officer Sam Hunter is settling into her new role as partnerships and events manager at the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Hub.
She has been promoted after joining SEMLEP in 2019 and has maintained the pro-gramme of events at SEMLEP throughout the pandemic and Brexit transition, organising SEMLEP’s series of Covid-19 webinars discussing government support measures and its series of Brexit workshops helping businesses to understand the new ways of working. “The number of people needing our support back in March 2020 was overwhelming and I am proud that we were able to offer support to businesses during that uncertain and frankly quite scary
time,” says Ms Hunter pictured.
Sales head targets business development
Former estate agent Richard Panter has joined electrical and mechanical contractor RK Electrical Mechanical Services as head of sales and new business. “Having a background in estate agency provides me with a range of transferable skills,” he says. “Over the years I have built up a host of contacts in the local area and I am looking forward to Business Times small add 2019.qxp_Layout 1 17/08/2021 13:16 Page 7building on this in my new
Richard Panter role as well as helping to meet the needs of those I already know.”
Mr Panter has spent most of his career working in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. Away from the office he is a keen sportsman, still playing for Rothwell Town Cricket Club’s first team in the Northants County League.
His new role at the RK Electrical Mechanical Services’ office in Desborough will see him develop the company’s offer in the industrial and commercial sectors as well as to domestic clients.
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With the end of the year rapidly approaching, SEMLEP’s Growth Hub manager Vicky Hlomuka reflects on the year that has gone and considers the year to come.
We are here to support those looking to thrive
Ithink it is fairly safe to say that this has been another extremely challenging year, both for individuals and for businesses. However, it is nearly over. We are nearly through 2021 and we can look forward to coming back better and stronger than ever for 2022.
With New Year rapidly approaching, it seems like a good time to look back over the year that has passed, to assess where we are, to consider what we have achieved and to start to think about how we can build upon that for the year to come. 2021 has been a tough year. The continuing pandemic, with its lockdowns and restrictions, and the on-going impacts of leaving the EU have left many companies struggling to maintain growth. On top of the purely practical implications that these have had is the stress and worry that has accompanied them.
I am very proud to be able to say that SEMLEP’s Growth Hub has been here to provide support, to offer advice and to help businesses to overcome the worst challenges that they have faced. Our business advisers have been hard at work all year helping businesses at every stage of their journey, providing one-to-one support and giving managers the opportunity to work on their business with the aid of an experienced outside perspective. Whether that is a one-off discussion of a particular problem or ongoing support, our business advisers have been doing some fantastic work.
We have also run a huge number of different events covering absolutely every aspect of running and growing a business. This year our events on adapting to the new import and export rules have been particularly vital but, as the year has progressed, our webinars on the various different skills and areas of knowledge needed to ensure long-term, sustainable business growth have also proved useful and popular.
We have continued to keep our Business Support Resources Hub up to date with a wide range of tools and resources for business leaders. This covers everything from coronavirus support, finance and funding and information on starting a business through to mentoring and workplace mental health.
We are being asked to add new resources all the time so this bank of resources continues to grow and diversify.
Despite this year’s challenges, SEMLEP’s Growth Hub has continued to run core business programmes such as Growth Curve. This combines university-led masterclasses with one-to-one consultations with a business Vicky Hlomuka
adviser, allowing you to create an action plan for the future and gain access to funding.
We have also run more cohorts of the Peer Networks programme, a group learning and peer networking programme for SME leaders, and the new Foundations for Growth scheme which provides support to up-and-coming businesses looking to begin their growth journey.
This year has also seen the deployment of Intensive Business Support schemes funded by the UK government’s Additional Restrictions Grants via various local authorities and run by SEMLEP’s Growth Hub. This combines government funding to help to alleviate the effects of the pandemic with a series of one-toone sessions with a business adviser, making it another valuable scheme of which we are proud to be a part.
That was the year that has passed. But what is in store for the year ahead? At the moment it seems like we can be optimistic. The worst of our problems will soon be over and we can continue returning to something like normality, even if that normality has changed a little.
Businesses are going to continue to want to grow, thrive and succeed and we will be on hand to provide the tools, support and encouragement they need to do so. Despite the challenges, business have come through 2021 stronger, leaner, and more determined to succeed than ever before.
With more events, more programme cohorts and more business support schemes planned, SEMLEP’s Growth Hub is determined to make 2022 the best year for business.
