HANDELSBANKEN York has appointed a new corporate banking manager in response to increasing demand for its local relationship banking services.

Marie Johnstone joins the fast-growing relationship bank with more than 18 years of banking experience, most recently with Barclays in York.

Marie said: "I am delighted to be joining the Handelsbanken team in York and look forward to working with and supporting both existing and new customers moving forward.

"What attracted me to Handelsbanken was its pure focus on serving the customer.

"As experienced local bankers we have the power to make all the decisions that matter to our customers, swiftly and sensibly here in the branch.

"The bank provides customers with an extremely high level of service, and products structured to meet their individual needs."

The York Handelsbanken branch, part of the Swedish headquartered banking giant, was established in 2010 at York Business Park in Nether Poppleton.

COMMERCIAL engineering firm Robinsons M & E has announced a new appointment which will see one of the UK’s youngest managing directors take the reins of an expanding £5 million firm.

Luke Kitchen, aged 28, is set to replace Chris Spencer as managing director of the Harrogate-based firm from this week.

Mr Spencer Chris is taking a step back from the day to day operations of the business after 33 years with the company and retains position as chairman to assist with the strategic development of the firm over the next couple of years.

Having joined Robinsons M & E at the age of 21, Mr Kitchen most recently operated as commercial director.

Prior to his seven years’ service at Robinsons M&E, Mr Kitchen’s previous roles have included finance manager at Kelkay and trainee accountant at Naylor Wintersgill.

Mr Kitchen said: "This is a very exciting time for Robinsons M & E and I’m relishing the opportunity that my role as managing director presents.

"I have worked closely with Chris over the last couple of years and know the business and the industry inside out.

"My new role heralds a fresh new era for the business. The sky really is the limit when it comes to the dynamic young team we’ve built and invested in over the past few years."

HARROGATE and Leeds practice Aspect Architecture has appointed Peter Tomkins as an architectural technologist and trainee architect.

A graduate of Nottingham Trent University, Mr Tomkins will attend Leeds Beckett University over four years on a day-release basis to become a qualified architect.

Architect James Elliott, who is a partner at Aspect, said: "We have a growing number of interesting projects in the pipeline, including a couple of sizeable high-spec residential schemes, both of which are in North Yorkshire.

"As the region’s economy gathers pace, Peter’s appointment will provide us with the extra capacity and skills that are essential to handle the increasing demand for our services from both the commercial and residential sectors."