Movers & Shakers: New marketing manager for Eastern Enterprise Hub

The organisation, based on Ipswich Waterfront, aims to foster enterprise responsibly, drive entrepreneurship and develop business skills, in order to benefit of the region’s economy.

Amy said: “I’m delighted to have joined the Eastern Enterprise Hub. Not only is the organisation made up of a team of supportive, hard-working and passionate individuals, but I‘ve been appointed at an exciting time as our wide range of programmes will begin again in the next few weeks. The hub works hard to support people from all walks of life to start up or develop their business ideas, and that is something I’m very proud to be apart of.”

After graduating from university with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2011 and completing an internship at Suffolk New College, Amy began her marketing career at a Hadleigh-based company. Her role at the hub will involve all aspects of marketing including website development, social media, producing literature and impactful programme promotion.

EEHub chief executive Simon Mead said: “Amy is a fantastic addition to the Hub’s team, her previous marketing experience compliments the teams existing skills and it is clear that she will fit in really well. Bringing in new staff members keeps the hub fresh, and helps to keep us innovative with new ideas and perspectives. Therefore choosing the right team member is crucial to our commitment to offer the best entrepreneurial support possible.”

: : Residential and domiciliary care provider Healthcare Homes said goodbye to group payroll manager Marion Applin and human resources adviser David Fieldhouse with a special retirement lunch celebration.

Marion has worked with the senior management team at the firm, based in Langham, Colchester, for 25 years. Healthcare Homes was launched eight years ago, but she previously worked with the team at Care UK.

She is leaving the business to spend more time with her family, including three grandchildren. Meanwhile, payroll assistant Hayley Brown has been promoted to payroll manager.

Human resources adviser David Fieldhouse, who has also worked with the firm since it was formed, plans to spend more time indulging his love of engineering, locomotives and fishing.

Marion said: “I have been at Healthcare Homes since it started, but have also worked with the management team in other businesses for over two decades. I have really enjoyed my time with the team and wish them well as the business continues to grow. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my mother and three grandchildren, as well as taking a holiday or two in the coming months.”

David said he had witnessed considerable growth at the company during his tenure.

“It continues to expand across the eastern counties and is now a major employer in the area. As such, I have really enjoyed my time working alongside the growing team at Healthcare Homes and will certainly keep in touch with them.”

Chief operating officer David Bates said: “I would like to extend my thanks to both Marion and David who have played hugely important roles as the business has grown over the years. The dedication, support and loyalty both have shown can only be commended, and now we wish them both the very best in their future retirement.”

: : Janine Scarff has joined East Anglian building supplies company Kent Blaxill as painting and decorating representative for the Colchester, Sudbury and Braintree areas.

Janine, who lives in Thorpe-Le-Soken, comes with a strong track record during 14 years in sales.

“Her brief is to develop the company’s decorating business in her area,” said Andy Cherry, decorating sales and operations manager. “She is a high calibre operator who has already made an excellent start.”

Outside of work, Janine enjoys cookery, days out with her family and is a keen Ipswich Town supporter.

n Paul Feuer, general manager of The Beerhouse on Tayfen Road, Bury St Edmunds, is now an accredited Beer Academy sommelier, one of only 40 in the world. The Beer Academy qualification requires a significant depth of knowledge of beer styles and beer and food matching.

Owner David Marjoram said: “It’s a huge achievement for Paul and The Beerhouse that he is one of so few people in the UK to reach beer sommelier status.”

: : Two new recruits have taken their first steps on the career ladder at the Ipswich office of financial and business advisers Grant Thornton as part of the firm’s annual Graduate and Accelerate School Leaver programme.

Charlotte McAuslan and Luke Urwin have joined the three-year training programme in the firm’s audit department. For their first few years with the firm both trainees will work towards professional accounting qualifications while receiving first class training and on the job experience.

James Brown, practice leader at Grant Thornton’s Ipswich office, said: “Despite current conditions, Grant Thornton continues to invest heavily in its business to further strengthen the services we offer to clients. An important part of this strategy is recruiting and training young talent to build our skills base of tomorrow.

“To this end we are taking nearly 300 trainees across 21 of our national offices to begin what we hope will be a long career with the firm.

“We are delighted to welcome Charlotte and Luke to our Ipswich office and we look forward to working alongside and supporting them as they begin their career.”

Graduate trainee Luke said: “I am very much looking forward to furthering my skills as an accounting professional and tackling the wide range of challenges this position has to offer.”

: : Couch maker Plinth 2000 has appointed a new customer services manager.

With the majority of its sales enquiries now originating online or via email and its installed base of clinical-grade treatment couches approaching 100,000 units, the firm, based at Wetheringsett, near Stowmarket, has restructured its internal operations to place greater focus on customer support and created two separate sales hotlines.

Rebecca McCormack will streamline the spares, repairs and service function, assist with the recruitment and training of departmental staff, and ensure that customer support takes a more active role in assisting the Plinth 2000 sales team. It has also set up direct lines for UK and overseas incoming sales calls, to ensure a prompt response to all remaining telephone enquiries.

“We analysed our in-house sales traffic and found that 80-90% now comes via email or our website. At the same time, with the service life of our products averaging 16 years, we inevitably have more enquiries about replacement upholstery, routine spares and repairs, and regular equipment inspection and servicing under the latest regulations. So we needed to uplift our customer support function to a frontline operation,” said managing director Niall Dyer.

“Rebecca has first-hand experience of designing and setting up a customer services department for a medical company, so will make an excellent addition to our internal team.”

Rebecca, a graduate in business studies from Anglia Ruskin University, lives in Bury St Edmunds.

She was previously purchasing and buying executive with licensed retailer and brewer Greene King. She managed large projects such as the integration of new chains into the pub network and worked in partnership with key suppliers on new product trials and promotions.

Prior to that, Rebecca was customer services manager with Cambridge-based healthcare diagnostics company, Lab-21, where she was responsible for all procedures and processes related to the delivery of excellent customer support. She was key to the establishment of a customer services department, including the recruitment and training of three full-time staff, and helped implement an IT system that led to full industry accreditation.

She will bring this practical experience to her new role She will assist Niall in recruiting her new assistant and oversee the daily schedules of sales engineers and delivery drivers, based around customer feedback, and will also ensure that overseas dealers have sufficient staff training and spares stock, to provide first-class localised customer support.