TWO new directors have been appointed by fast-growing Newtons Solicitors which has built a network of nine offices across Teesside and North and West Yorkshire in six years.

Residential property solicitor, Meryn Astwood, who joined the firm in 2011, becomes a director at the head office in Knaresborough, and corporate and commercial property solicitor, Claire Armer, who joined Newtons in 2014, becomes an LLP member at Newtons offices in Richmond and Ripon. They bring the total number of directors within the Newtons Group to 18.

Newtons Solicitors, founded by Chris and Sarah Newton in 2009, provides a range of commercial and private client services and now has a £3.75 million turnover and 70 staff.

Managing director Chris Newton said: "Meryn and Claire are extremely competent lawyers and part of the next Newtons generation who will help me develop the business even further. I’m looking for forward to working with them in their new roles."

Newtons Solicitors also has offices in York, Harrogate, Ilkley, Leyburn, and Stokesley.

SHEPHERD boss Jim Marner has been elected as president of the Building & Engineering Services Association.

Mr Marner, 46, who holds a senior position at York based Shepherd Engineering Services (SES), has 32 years’ experience in the building and engineering services sector with his current employer having joined the firm as a craft apprentice in 1982.

First established in 1904, B&ES is one of the largest trade associations in the building and construction industry.

Its 1300 member companies are engaged in the design, installation, commissioning and or maintenance of a wide range of building engineering services including domestic and commercial heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

Mr Marner’s career path has taken in many senior positions at SES; at the age of 32 he was the company’s youngest regional manager, then promoted to Yorkshire operational director responsible for a turnover of circa £30 million, followed by appointment as divisional director looking after a turnover of approximately £60milion and more recently holding the dual roles of national pre-construction director and business development director.

Within B&ES, he was a member of the Council of the Association from 2003 to 2006 and chairman of the North West Region from 2006 to 2008. In 2012, he was elected to the chairmanship of Yorkshire Region, and returned to the B&ES Council in the same year.

INDEPENDENT corporate finance and accountancy services provider Blue Sky Corporate Finance has strengthened its corporate finance team with the appointment of Jonathan Dixon in the Yorkshire & North East office.

Mr Dixon joins Blue Sky from the British Business Bank where he worked with Local Enterprise Partnerships on the development of new initiatives to support access to finance for growth businesses.

As interim chief executive of £90 million fund Finance Yorkshire, Mr Dixon led a team that secured investment capital from European Investment Bank, ERDF and UK Government and oversaw its launch in 2010, to offer business loans, seedcorn and equity funding to SMEs.

For seven years prior to that, Mr Dixon was deputy chief executive at the £63 million South Yorkshire Investment Fund.