Tuntum Housing Association:
Charmaine Simei (pictured above) will succeed Richard Renwick MBE as chief executive of Nottingham-based Tuntum Housing Association when his predecessor retires this autumn after almost three decades in the post. Ms Simei is currently director of customer experience and communities at Longhurst Group and brings more than 25 years of experience in social housing and related fields including 12 years in senior leadership roles.
She was voted professional of the year at the Women in Housing Awards 2021, and is a board member for Communities that Work, the national voice of housing providers which helps people find work.
She is also a former chair of the Centre of Excellence Community Investment East of England network and co-chair of HACT’s Racial Equality Group, having been a long-serving mentor for the Housing Diversity Network.
Tuntum is one of the largest independent black and minority ethnic housing providers in the UK. It is based in New Basford and owns more than 1,600 homes in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Derbyshire.
NG Chartered Surveyors:
Nottingham commercial property specialists NG Chartered Surveyors has appointed Thomas Szymkiw as a director and head of agency following a lengthy spell with fellow city firm FHP Property Consultants.
Thomas graduated in building surveying and started his property career in the residential sector at a local estate agency.
He joined FHP as a graduate surveyor in 2015 in the office and industrial department and was promoted to associate director in 2021.
He said: "After over eight-and-a-half years at FHP I decided it was the right time to take on a new and fresh challenge to progress my career.
"The opportunity as director and head of agency at NG is something I couldn't turn down. It will provide me with the freedom to operate within multiple property sectors, office and industrial sectors mainly, a whole new different client base and wider spectrum of work."
Lemon and Lime Interiors:
Derbyshire-based Lemon and Lime Interiors has appointed Kathy Burke and Rebecca Messer to its growing team.
Kathy joins as a sales consultant, and has experience in residential and commercial interior design. She was also previously an assistant head of a primary school.
Rebecca Messer joins the team as a sales administrator. She has a background as a chartered legal executive and chose to leave the legal profession to pursue a more fulfilling work-life balance and spend greater time with her family.
She will be responsible for compiling documents for the staging operations team, supporting with invoicing, as well as creating and managing social media and newsletter content to showcase the team’s project expertise.
Howes Percival:
Howes Percival has appointed specialist corporate immigration lawyer Bilal Ehsan as a director.
Bilal, who joins from Deloitte where he was an associate director (solicitor), is an experienced lawyer with expertise in supporting start-ups, SMEs and multi-nationals on all aspects of business immigration.
He is also skilled in developing and managing immigration programs for a diverse range of clients and his previous work at some of the world's largest professional services firms further solidifies his expertise.
He routinely supports businesses with sponsor licence applications, work related visa sponsorship, permanent residence and right to work considerations.
He takes a particular interest in providing operational and strategic advice to companies on the multifaceted immigration landscape, immigration policy design and implementation, sponsorship compliance and considerations arising from a corporate restructure.
Precept:
Derby HR and employment law specialist Precept has welcomed two new members to the team.
The business has appointed Lucy Laughton as its business development manager, whilst University of Derby student Fortune Ikemefua has joined the company on a temporary basis as a digital marketing specialist.
Lucy, a motorsports photographer who spent eight years working in construction, says she is looking forward to being an ambassador for Precept and supporting businesses in the city.
She said: “I love meeting people and developing relationships, and I’m looking forward to building long-term relationships and sharing the Precept ethos of doing things differently.
“Derby is a great city – I’m a season ticket holder at Derby County – and that’s why I’m pleased that Precept have recently become partners of Derby County Community Trust.”
MTMS:
An Army veteran who has served around the world has joined the team of Derbyshire rail maintenance business MTMS. Bruce Spencer has joined the Swadlincote business as the group strategic lead.
Bruce has dedicated most of his working career to the Army as both a regular and reserve officer. He travelled the world for 38 years after first being commissioned into the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters.
During his Army career he served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia to name just a few and was in the Adjutant General’s Corps in the 90s where one of his roles included Military Attache in Kathmandu, Nepal.
He has trekked the Himalayas, sailed the Atlantic and taken a kayak through the Pyrenees.
Outside of work he dedicates his time to the Derbyshire Blood Bikers, Chesterfield Sea Cadets and the Mickleover branch of the Royal British Legion.
Now the married father-of-three will be looking into the future of MTMS and how it will look over the next few years in an ever changing business landscape.
Forward Solutions:
Growing freight software management firm Forward Solutions has boosted its leadership team with the promotion of Tom Donnelly to manager of operations and the return of Tony Eley to the business as development manager.
Tom has been at Forward Solutions for almost 19 years, and has worked his way through the ranks at the Nottingham-headquartered firm, having worked as both a software support engineer and product specialist.
Tony re-joins Forward with more than 30 years of experience, having provided services for organisations such as ITV and Manchester City FC. He had worked for Forward under its previous guise, Forward Computers, as a senior developer.
He said: “It feels fantastic to be back at Forward House after 18 years away! It has been great to meet the new members of the team, as well as those who’ve remained here.”
Lovell Partnerships:
The East Midlands team at housing developer Lovell Partnerships has made several senior appointments and promotions.
Longstanding employee Beth Bundonis has been made regional managing director to oversee the growth of the East Midlands team, stepping up from regional commercial director.
Regional technical director Lewis Charity has been promoted to land and technical director.
The regional office has also secured three senior hires – commercial manager Dan Buller, refurbishment manager James Phillips and sales and marketing manager Mark Blake.
