Key appointments at Gloucestershire firms showed no signs of slowing down in September 2021.
New board members were named for GFirst LEP, a new chief executive joined Cheltenham BID, fast-growing tech giant Ripjar named a new chief product officer, and online marketplace Secretsales appointed six new board members.
And that’s just to name a few…
GFirst LEP appoints four new board members
Following the announcement of Ruth Dooley becoming the new chair of Gloucestershire’s local enterprise partnership, four new members have also been appointed to the LEP board.
Tyler Attwood, Nicola Bird, Matt Charman and Joe Roberts all joined the powerful business group.
David Owen, chief executive officer of GFirst LEP, said: ‘We were overwhelmed with both the quality and quantity of the applicants looking to join the GFirst LEP board.’
Mr Attwood, founder and director of Your Next Move Ltd, said: ‘I’m excited to join the GFirst LEP Board and work alongside many talented, inspiring individuals and to continue its mission in making Gloucestershire the best place it can be for both its residents and for business.’
Ms Bell, founder and managing director of AccXel Ltd, said: ‘I am both honoured and humbled at my appointment to the GFirst Board. I cannot wait to get started.’
Mr Charman, head of public sector marketing at Google, said: ‘I am inspired by the bold strategy that GFirst LEP has set in place for the region and I look forward to partnering with this outstanding team, local businesses and the community to help deliver it.’
Mr Roberts, director of Roberts Limbrick, said: ‘I am delighted and humbled to have been invited to join the board of GFirst LEP.’
Gloucester Rugby signs Gill Crowther
Gill Crowther has become Gloucester Rugby’s new HR director.
She was previously general manager of HR at Mitsubishi Motors UK in Cirencester and ran her own consultancy business for a number of years.
Lance Bradley, chief executive officer of Gloucester Rugby, said: ‘Looking after our people is a top priority at the club, and Gill brings a wealth of knowledge and experience gained at such prestigious companies as Ford Motor Company, Glaxo, Microsoft, Nominet and Mitsubishi Motors to help us do that.’
Cheltenham BID appoints new chief executive
The board of Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID) named Heath Gunter as its new chief executive.
Mr Gunter takes up the new role following the powerful business group’s successful renewal ballot in July 2021, which saw town centre businesses vote in support of a second five-year term.
Mr Gunter will be responsible for leading the work of the BID championing the town centre and its businesses, which will see £2.8 million invested in Cheltenham over the next five years.
Ripjar appoints Gabriel Hopkins
Ripjar Ltd, a Cheltenham-headquartered ‘global leader in financial crime detection and data intelligence’, announced Gabriel Hopkins as its chief product officer.
Mr Hopkin is described as ‘a seasoned technology and financial services professional’ with more than 20 years of experience in product management and software development.
Before joining Ripjar, he was vice president of product management within the fraud and financial crime team at FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) for almost 10 years. He also held various product leadership positions at WorldPay (now FIS) and Adeptra.
Alex Chalk appointed as solicitor general
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has appointed Alex Chalk, MP for Cheltenham, as the nation’s Solicitor General.
In his new, additional role Mr Chalk will oversee the work of the Law Officers’ Departments which include the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, as well as the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
The Solicitor General also carries out a number of functions in the public interest, such as considering unduly lenient sentences, and taking action when there has been a contempt of court. These functions are carried out independently of his role as a Government minister.
Mr Chalk MP described the appointment as an honour.
Secret Sales hires retail ‘super group’
Cheltenham-based Secret Sales has announced six new directors to help drive its online marketplace’s international expansion.
Shahnila Rashid has been named as its chief trading officer. She joins the firm after nine years at TJX, owner of TK Maxx, where she was vice president and merchandising director from 2005 to 2014.
Fiona Lay has been appointed as digital director. She spent more than two decades at Debenhams, where she was most recently digital and trading director.
Sarah Savva has been appointed external relationships director. She has served as business lead for third party brands at Marks & Spencer since 2020.
Cathy Reid joins customer excellence director from Mountain Warehouse and Lucy Malcolm Green is Secret Sales new head of digital merchandising.
Stacey Sue is the firm’s new finance director. Between 2007 and 2012 she was finance director at Lulu Guinness.
Chris Griffin, Cheltenham businessman and chief executive officer at Secret Sales, described the new appointments as a ‘super group of retail stars’.
Linsey Temple joins Eastwood Park
After 10 years leading Gloucestershire Engineering Training, which has helped train staff for many of the county’s leading engineering firms, Linsey Temple has joined Eastwood Park.
She becomes chief operating officer at the wedding, events, conference venue and hotel in Wotton-under-Edge.
Cheltenham Town FC appoints Tom Adams
Tom Adams has become the new head of commercial operations at Cheltenham Town FC.
Mr Adams said he was ‘delighted to have joined Cheltenham Town’ and was ‘looking forward to the challenge, and building on the great work done by all involved with the club this far’.
