On the Move: New recruits for NWDA board

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Northwest Regional Development Agency has announced two new business appointments and one trade union appointment to its board. Clive Elphick, David Goldie and Frank Hont will serve until December 2012. Mr Elphick is a former director of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy. A former Carphone Warehouse and Cheshire Building Society director, Mr Goldie is now director of the TalkTalk Group, while Mr Hont has been UNISON north west regional secretary since 2003.

Councillor Arthur Barker, leader of Hambleton District Council, is to become chair of the new Yorkshire and Humber Independent Sustainability Board. Cllr Barker has chaired the region’s Climate Change Partnership for five years and, from April 1st, will also take on the role of chair of the Yorkshire Regional Flood Defence Committee. He will step down as council leader in May.

Passenger Transport Executive Group (PTEG) has appointed Pedro Abrantes to the newly created post of economist at the PTEG Support Unit. Mr Abrantes joins from the Institute for Transport Studies at Leeds University where he is currently lecturer in public transport.

Jon Matthews is to return to the affordable housing and regeneration specialist where he began his construction career, joining Lovell as business development manager for Wales and the south west. Mr Matthews – currently residential developments partner for property consultants King Sturge in Cardiff – previously spent five years with Lovell.

Manchester: Knowledge Capital (M:KC) has appointed Kate Pickering as its innovation manager. An ex-TV producer, Ms Pickering has specialised in new approaches to help businesses improve commercial performance and worked with leading international companies and brands including BP, Associated Press and Google.

Mark Richards has joined the Birmingham studio of architects and engineers BDP as architect director with responsibility for the retail sector. Formerly based in BDP’s London studio, Mark’s new role will include developing commercial opportunities and, as project director, he will continue to lead Bury’s major urban mixed use project, The Rock, due for completion in August.

Housebuilder Gladedale Group has announced the appointment of four divisional managing directors. Jim Kirkpatrick takes the helm in Scotland for Bett Homes, Bett Partnerships and Manor Kingdom. Giles Asker will head up Ben Bailey Homes and Ben Bailey Partnerships in the Midlands and North of England. Mick O’Farrell joins the Country & Metropolitan Homes and Country and Metropolitan Partnerships in the southeast, and Country & Metropolitan Anglia. Ross Brodie will head up a new Gladedale Estates Division in Epsom, overseeing a number of mixed use and heritage projects.

Oxford Innovation has purchased the business development arm of Fasset, a specialist operator of regional technology parks. The acquisition will see a team of Fasset senior managers transfer to Oxford Innovation, and Chris Allington, formerly Fasset managing director, will become managing director of Oxford Innovation Centre’s business division.