Pictured: (L–R) Greg Bradley, Founder and Ben Stocks, Managing Director, BLK BOX.
There were new and notable appointments this week at BLK Box, Savills, Sidero and NDT Global.
Ben Stocks, Managing Director,
BLK BOX
Strength and conditioning equipment manufacturer BLK BOX has appointed Ben Stocks as Managing Director.
Stocks will lead the organisation alongside entrepreneur and BLK BOX Founder Greg Bradley.
Existing BLK BOX clients include Manchester United, Arsenal, PureGym, Loughborough University, Google, Nike and both Irish and Ulster Rugby. The gym fit-out specialist also sells to individuals via its e-commerce site, capitalising on the increased demand from fitness enthusiasts choosing to train both at home as well as in the gym, a trend which continues to accelerate following the pandemic.
A chartered accountant and experienced senior executive, Stocks said he relishes the chance to join forces with Bradley.
“I have been working with Greg for over a year now, first in a non-executive capacity and now as managing director,” he said. “During this time we have established a strong yin yang relationship, where our relative strengths and weaknesses are well complimented.”
“The team has worked phenomenally hard to get to where we are now, building a robust foundation for strong and sustained future growth. We’ve got a brilliant team, we’ve got amazing clients and we’ve got an ambitious plan.”
“Along with our passion, vision and enthusiasm, we also have the skills and experience to deliver so, I would say, let’s go change the world,” he added.
BLK BOX has been on a steep upwards trajectory since its formation ten years ago, expanding its team and manufacturing premises to meet demand.
Last year, it relocated to a new 140,000 sq ft manufacturing and distribution facility at Monkstown Industrial Estate in Newtownabbey in a £1m investment. That followed a £2m investment in November 2020 in laser-cutting equipment and a state-of-the-art automatic powder-coating line.
Stocks, who was named the Institute of Directors (IoD) Northern Ireland Young Director of the Year in 2021, brings to his new role significant experience in commercial and financial leadership.
Previous roles included CEO of Lisburn-based medical equipment manufacturer Leckey from 2018 until January this year, where he facilitated the owner-founder to move to a non-executive chairman position. During his time there, Ben negotiated the sale of the company to private equity-backed Sunrise Medical in August 2020.
Post-sale, he was promoted to the executive board of Sunrise Medical, assuming responsibility for the integration of Leckey and the ongoing leadership of the group’s enlarged paediatric rehab portfolio. He also spent over four years at leading cycling ecommerce business, Chain Reaction Cycles, as Managing Director and, prior to that, Head of Strategy.
BLK BOX founder Bradley said Stocks had come on board at exactly the right time.
“Ben has been working with me as non-executive director for the last 12 months, during which time he has helped BLK BOX meet the demands of rapid growth and set in place a strategy that will see the company continue to expand globally,” he said.
“He has one of the sharpest minds I have met in business and brings a wealth of experience from his time at Chain Reaction Cycles and Leckey.”
“I will still be heavily involved within the company, predominantly focusing on key relationships, strategy, brand and product. Together we are tremendously excited about the next chapter,” he added.
Liza-Jane Kelly, Head of London Residential Business,
Savills
Savills has named Liza-Jane Kelly as the new Head of London Residential Business, with responsibility for its 37 offices across the UK capital. She will assume the role on January 1st 2023.
Kelly started her career in property working with Sherry Fitzgerald, where she remained for seven years before her move to London. There she made her mark with major players, including as a partner in Marsh & Parsons alongside Mark Fitzgerald, before joining Savills in 2018.
At Savills, she oversaw the successful integration of Currells into the Savills business. She has since built and managed specialist teams in each of the 37 Savills London offices, having identified the opportunity to offer clients a highly targeted service focused on entry price point prime residential property.
Commenting on her promotion, Kelly said:
“I served my apprenticeship in Ireland and quickly acquired a passion for advising clients and helping buyers and sellers to make some of their most important investment decisions.
“Real estate is a people business and I am excited to have this opportunity to expand my connections with clients and their advisers right across our London and global network, and will be particularly thrilled to reconnect with old friends and associates from Ireland.”
Commenting on the appointment, Justin Marking, Head of Global Residential, Savills said:
“I have worked closely with Liza-Jane since she joined Savills and have been unfailingly impressed by her commitment to growing the Savills business, but most importantly, to very high levels of client service.
“It’s not in our DNA to stand still at Savills and Liza-Jane is always seeking new ways to build our business and improve the way we do things. I look forward to working with her and to seeing new ideas and ambitions come to fruition over the coming months and years.”
Kelly takes over from Jonathan Hewlett who is now Chairman of the Savills Private Office, focusing on the requirements of clients and their advisers in London and across Savills wider UK and global network.
Shemas Eivers, Non-Executive Chairman,
Sidero
Sidero, an Irish software, cloud and digital transformation specialist has announced the appointment of Shemas Eivers to the position of Non-Executive Chairman. Eivers brings a wealth of experience to the role, having founded, run, and held various leadership positions in companies within the Irish technology sector.
As chairman, Eivers will provide strategic guidance to the Sidero team. Last year, Sidero, Tech Excellence’s Company of the Year 2022, announced the creation of 75 jobs at its Athlone base following an investment of €4.5m. This will enable the firm to increase its capacity to build and modernise software for customers at scale.
Eivers has a depth of knowledge in growing businesses, driving company objectives, and developing and leading successful teams. He co-founded enterprise technology firm Client Solutions, which was acquired by EY earlier this year. He also founded the National Software Centre (NSC) in Cork and is chairman of the NSC Campus.
As a leading contributor to the Irish start-up community, Eivers is chairman of the HBAN Boole Investment Syndicate, a Cork-based group of investors focused on investing in scalable technology start-ups, and is a very active investor with over 30 companies to date. He is also co-founder of IT@Cork, a professional network for IT companies in Ireland.
Eivers has received an IT Pioneer Award from the Irish Computer Society and was inducted into the Cork BIC Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.
Carmel Owens, CEO, Sidero said: “We are thrilled that Shemas is joining Sidero at a pivotal time in the company’s journey. He brings unrivalled skills and experiences to this role which will be invaluable as we continue to grow.
“His real-world knowledge and insights on growing technology companies in Ireland will enable us to cement our market position, business direction, and continue to deliver highly innovative solutions in Ireland and increasingly to international markets.”
“I am delighted to have been appointed to this role at Sidero,” said Eivers about the appointment.
“The company is at a very vibrant stage in its development and I plan to leverage my practical experience with senior team leadership to help drive the company to meet our ambitious targets and help customers to grow their businesses.
“I look forward to working closely with the leadership team to grow Sidero as we build on our capabilities and potential.”
Paul Cooper, President,
NDT Global
NDT Global have announced the appointment of Paul Cooper as President.
Cooper has over 20 years of experience managing innovative technical inspection companies, bringing new advanced solutions to the market. His wide range of industry experience and successful business track record includes CEO and senior leadership roles at TSC Subsea, Halfwave, Oceaneering and AGR Pipetech where his skills in management, market development, growth strategy and sales played key roles in the achievement of outstanding performances.
Further to this experience, Cooper also held a position of Senior VP, Technology as a Service (TaaS) at Previan, NDT Global’s parent company, where he steered the deployment of the business strategy within Previan’s business units, stimulating growth and alignment with the company’s mission to keep the world’s infrastructure safe and productive.
In his new role,Cooper will be focused on expanding NDT Global’s technology leading product portfolio, improving the firm’s ability to quickly bring new technologies to market, enhancing and building client relationships, and ensuring the company is agile and responsive to client needs. In addition, he will drive efforts to enhance company culture, ensuring positive perception by employees and customers.
“I’m honored to join NDT Global today, becoming a member of a team composed by people of passion and talent” Mr. Cooper commented.
“We’re going through a period of significant growth which has really been driven by our commitment to being a technology leader and delivering exceptional service quality to every project. NDT Global is a world class company and I am excited to be working with our teams and be part of this wonderful journey!”
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