People on the move: key North East appointments and promotions

Tyneside tech company CEO Darren Jobling has been appointed to the board of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). Mr Jobling started his career in the games industry where he pioneered the creation of racing simulations for industry giants such as Electronic Arts, Activision and Take Two. He is now the CEO of Newcastle based Zerolight, which works with automotive giants such as VW, Mitsubishi.

He joins the BBFC board as a non-executive director, who are responsible for advising the BBFC on matters relating to organisational strategy and the administering of its financial affairs.

Mr Jobling, said: “I am delighted to join the board of the BBFC at such a transformative juncture in their long and distinguished history. With the explosion of media, I believe that the BBFC’s mission of empowering individuals to view age appropriate content has never been more relevant. I very much look forward to assisting in the future development of their groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence technologies.”

Ed Twiddy, the co-founder of Atom Bank and former director of the North East LEP, has been appointed as the new chair of Northstar Ventures.

Alongside his board position at Northstar, which is a source of early stage capital for new tech firms, Mr Twiddy is retaining a role as director of environment, society and government at Atom, where he has been leading Atom’s engagement with schools and universities across the region. He also brings expertise from ongoing roles at Durham University, Tyne Rivers Trust, and his time with HM Treasury and on the advisory panel for the Northern Accelerator programme.

He said: “I first came across Northstar when I was at the Treasury and then saw the impact that the team had first hand during my time at the NE Local Enterprise Partnership. I’m absolutely delighted to have this opportunity to work with such an expert and well regarded team as they continue to fuel growth by finding and funding the next generation of great companies in the region.

“For the next phase of Northstar’s evolution the firm needs to be fit to support the devolution agenda, ready to commercialise the innovation coming from our university partners and able to find entrepreneurs from all parts of society who have the creative spark and drive to build more great firms in our region.”

He replaces David Hickey as chair, who stepped down from Northstar’s board at the end of December, after nearly a decade in the post.

Northumberland based environmental consultancy Biodiverse Consulting has appointed Neil Wilson as its new finance manager. Mr Wilson joins the team with a wealth of experience, having been the previous managing director of North East software firm, Mandata.

He said: “I am delighted to have joined the team here at Biodiverse Consulting. Sharing their passion for balancing business with biodiversity, I feel incredibly inspired by their work to support nature’s recovery. With plans for exponential growth on the horizon, I am thrilled to be at the forefront of this exciting period.”

Biodiverse Consulting’s founder and director Vicki Mordue said: “We are thrilled to begin 2024 by welcoming Neil into our growing team, and with mandatory changes to environmental legislation due to come into force in February, he joins us at a pivotal moment for our industry.”

GMI Construction Group has appointed Darryl Brown to the new role of regional commercial director for the North East. Working alongside regional director Gary Oates, he is tasked with further growing the independent company’s presence in the region. With more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, Mr Wilson joins GMI from Leeds-based Priestley Construction, where he was head of commercial.

Having graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a BSc in project management, he started out as an assistant site manager, later progressing through a series of quantity surveyor roles.

He said: “I’m delighted to join GMI and look forward to working with its team in the North East and growing its portfolio of public and private clients across multiple sectors.”

Blyth Harbour Commission, the statutory trust that operates the Port of Blyth, has appointed Catherine Young as the new chair for its board of commissioners. Ms Young, formerly deputy chair, replaces Geoff Hodgson following the completion of his term. Having worked as deputy chair since January 2022, and as a commissioner for seven years before that, the board said she is well equipped with the expertise and experience needed to oversee the ongoing success of the Port and its subsidiaries.

She said: “Firstly, I would like to extend my gratitude to Geoff Hodgson, who is stepping down after a highly successful term on the board which has coincided with record-breaking financial performance and several significant developments. I am also delighted to be continuing my service for Blyth Harbour Commission as chair and I am looking forward to working closely with board members and senior management to deliver further growth and prosperity for the benefit of our stakeholders and the wider regional economy.”

Sunderland firm Onyx Scientific is set to expand its commercial operations in the US after appointing Anthony Harbour as business development manager in North America. Mr Harbour has specialist expertise in biopharma and biotech and prior to joining the team at Onyx Scientific he held sales and business development roles at Alevi and ParaPRO LLC based in North America.

He said: “I’m looking forward to the new challenge of expanding Onyx Scientific’s current commercial footprint in the United States, and spearheading the company’s future growth in the North American market. Having worked extensively across multiple territories and time zones across North America, my knowledge and expertise of the local and national market in the US will enable me to hit the ground running in this role.

“I am committed to harnessing the power of Onyx Scientific’s existing client base and forging new strategic relationships through my work with the company. Onyx Scientific has enjoyed significant growth in recent years, and I’m passionate about being part of the next phase of the business’s expansion.”