27/09/10 – Endemol chief creative officer Paul Romer is parting company with the global reality producer after 15 years, the company said today. He had been in post since 2009.
Romer was part of the original creative team behind “Big Brother” and exec produced early series of the show alongside John de Mol when it launched in the Netherlands. He will be replaced by a new creative board made up of Tim Hincks, CEO of Endemol U.K., David Goldberg, chairman of Endemol North America and Endemol Group president Marco Bassetti.
As part of the restructure, Iris Boelhouwer has been promoted to managing director of creative operations, coordinating the producer’s creative operations around the world.
The newly formed creative board will oversee development and ramp up Endemol’s ability to roll out its formats across the network. Last year the producer created 200 new formats – and is attempting to synchronize more of its creative processes around the world.
24/09/10 – Western Coal Corp. has announced that Julian Treger has resigned from the Company’s Board of Directors, effective September 30, 2010.
Mr. Treger, Managing Director of the UK-based hedge fund manager Audley Capital Advisors LLP, has been a Board member since December 2007. Mr. Treger has been instrumental in the development of the Company over the past three years, culminating in the emergence of Western as a sustainable mid-tier coal producer with a new leadership team and an exciting growth strategy.
David Beatty, Chairman of the Board, added, “We thank Julian for his support and contributions to the Company and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
The Board is well advanced in filling the vacancy created by Mr. Treger’s resignation and expects to be in a position to announce his replacement in the coming weeks.
23/09/10 – Vodafone director Nicholas Read has resigned from China Mobile Ltd.’s board after the U.K. company sold its entire stake in the Chinese telecommunications operator, China Mobile said Wednesday.
The resignation of Read, who is Vodafone’s chief executive for Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific, took effect Wednesday, China Mobile said.
22/09/10 – Marc Menesguen has been promoted from managing director of L’Oréal’s luxury products division by group CEO Jean-Paul Agon.
According to the company, the creation of a strategic marketing department is a “result of the decision to anticipate worldwide evolutions, in order to steer the group towards essential transformations in the areas of strategic watch, consumer understanding, marketing creativity, advertising creation, digital communication and distribution methods”.
Menesguen joined L’Oréal in France in 2005 and pursued a marketing career as general manager of L’Oreal Paris in the UK. Menesguen’s former role has been handed to Nicolas Hieronimus, who was formerly the managing director of the professional products division.
Hieronimus is succeeded by An Verhulst-Santos, who was general manager of the professional products division in the US.
22/09/10 – Burger joint McDonald’s has promoted marketing director Alistair Macrow to take over as its top UK marketer, following the promotion of Jill McDonald to CEO.
Macrow’s promotion to vice-president of marketing follows a wider reshuffle at the fast food giant that has also seen former UK CEO Steve Easterbrook move to the new position of vice-president and global chief brand officer.
Macrow, who joined McDonald’s in 2007, will take on Jill McDonald’s responsibilities for brand strategy and campaigns as well as responsibility for new product development.
21/09/10 – Bellamyhayden managing partner Gary Peace has emerged as another casualty of the agency’s merger with Naked Communications.
Peace is being made redundant due to a management restructure resulting from Bellamyhayden’s merger with Naked, which will see the former cease to exist in its current form.
Peace joined Bellamyhayden in January 2008 as operations manager & planning director from media agency Davinci Selectwork, which is now known as Foundation, and was promoted to managing partner at Bellamyhayden in February. Peace is one of a number of redundancies at the agency affecting key staff including managing director Sunita Gloster, who joined from the UK in February.
21/09/10 – Jelf Employee Benefits has announced that Jamie Cleall-Harding has been promoted to the position of UK PMI healthcare director (South). Cleall-Harding will be responsible for leading a senior management team across all aspects of the Jelf Employee Benefits healthcare business.
With 27 years experience in healthcare, Cleall-Harding is has worked for Jelf for seven years, since Jelf Corporate Healthcare (now Jelf Employee Benefits) acquired Pontin & Stein, the specialist private medical insurance intermediary, where he was partner. During the intervening years, Cleall-Harding has held many senior management, sales-orientated positions within the Jelf Employee Benefits business. Cleall-Harding will report directly in to Jelf Employee Benefit’s managing director, Glenn Thomas.
20/09/10 – Aviation specialist Air Partner plc, has promoted Suzanne Sharp as Manager of its UK Commercial Jets division, effective immediately.
The division charters airliners with 20 to 500 seats to move groups of every size. Clients include the sport, entertainment and energy industries, governments, military and humanitarian aid organisations, royal families, motor manufacturers and the conference and incentive sector.
Suzanne has been managing Air Partner’s government and defence teams in the UK and Europe for the past three years. With a heightened emphasis at the Air Partner Group to expand its airliner charter activity, her new appointment into a key management role sees her reporting to Head of UK Trading, Celine Shabbas.
“Suzanne consistently displays the flexibility and responsiveness necessary to ensure that tasks are handled efficiently and seamlessly. With her strong aviation background and knowledge of the business it is fitting she takes on this role to head the CJ team,” said Celine. “She will focus on the division’s long-term growth and client retention, reinforce established business relationships, forge new customer interactions and implement a new service-driven business structure.”
Suzanne has worked in aviation for 14 years, the majority of them specialising in government and defence passenger and cargo operations. She joined Air Partner’s UK head office in 1996 and worked in the Commercial Jets and Freight divisions prior to becoming a Senior Commercial Trader. In 2006 she left the company to widen her knowledge and experience within another aircraft broker’s passenger charter department but returned the following year.
17/09/10 – 3i Group plc announced today that Jonathan Russell, one of its senior dealmakers, is quitting the firm amid an organizational shake-up intended to position the business to expand after changes in the private-equity industry.
Mr. Russell, 50, is currently managing partner of buyouts at the firm. He has been with 3i for 24 years and has been a member of the group’s management and investment committees since 1999. Mr. Russell has also been chairman of the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
16/09/10 – Kevin Bacon, the managing director of Jamie’s Italian International, has left the group as it streamlines its management team.
Bacon, who joined the growing chain that is spearheaded by Jamie Oliver last year, said he had parted on good terms with the company and was “looking at other opportunities”.
The international arm of the company will now be run by Simon Blagden, managing director of the UK business, after Bacon departed on 31 August.
During his time with the group, Bacon, who was a former managing director at The Restaurant Group, had developed plans to take the fledging brand to Asia.
15/09/10 – Toyota GB plc has announced the appointment of Jon Williams as its new managing director effective 1st October 2010.
Williams, 43, takes up the post from Miguel Fonseca, who has been appointed Vice President Sales and Marketing at Toyota Motor Europe after four years leading the team at Toyota GB.
Williams, Commercial Director of Toyota GB since 2007, said: “I am honoured to be given the opportunity to lead Toyota in my home country and look forward to further strengthening our reputation for quality, environmental leadership and the highest standards of customer service.
