People: The latest West Midlands hires

Al Rayan Bank has appointed Kathryn Kerle to its board as an independent non-executive director.

Kerle has more than 35 years’ experience in the finance industry, having begun her career at The Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, before establishing her own management consulting firm The Paradigm Alliance in Sydney.

Prior to joining Birmingham-based Al Rayan Bank, she led a team responsible for reviewing customer complaints at Royal Bank of Scotland as part of a strategic remediation project.

She also previously held the position as head of enterprise risk reporting and has worked for Moody’s Investors Service, where she held a number of analytical and managerial roles in the UK, US and Singapore.

Kerle said: “Islamic finance has played an important role in reinforcing the UK’s position as a global financial hub. This makes it an exciting time to be joining Al Rayan Bank and the Islamic banking sector.

“Islamic banks have a significant part to play in the future of the financial landscape. Sustainability is high on the agenda for 2021 and banks such as Al Rayan Bank will play a vital role in helping the UK finance sector align with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards. I look forward to sharing my experience to help to bring Al Rayan Bank forward on this journey.”

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Birmingham full service content marketing agency HDY Agency has expanded its senior team after appointing its first chief operating officer, Andy Herbert.

Bringing more than 15 years of executive management experience, Herbert joins the agency to support its managing directors and co-founders with their vision of expanding the agency.

HDY Agency was co-founded by Ed James and Angel Gaskell in 2018. The agency, which has an international portfolio of clients, is set to celebrate its best financial year on record after securing £1mworth of new business during the first UK lockdown.

Prior to his role at HDY, Herbert held a number of executive roles including operations director at McCann and head of creative services and talent at Cogent.

Herber said: “Joining a rapidly growing agency like HDY that’s already making waves in the Midlands and beyond is a fantastic opportunity.

“I’m passionate about the success of agencies and know that agency structure and operations is the core of business performance. I’m looking forward to working with the team and supporting Angel and Ed as they look to attract and retain outstanding creative talent.”

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Birmingham communications technology company Intercity Technology has bolstered hired Phil Bindley as managing director of its cloud and security division.

Hejoins Intercity with a background in information security and technology, having worked for organisations including The Bunker, BlueChip and Anix Group.

Bindley said: “Working in this sector for over 20 years has given me a wealth of experience in delivering technology security solutions and leading network transformation projects for a range of clients. It is so important that as providers we look to become the enabler for our customers, maintaining and delivering confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.

“Cloud and security are major growth areas for Intercity so I’m excited to use my knowledge and insight to help the business’s customers during this challenging period.”

Andrew Jackson, CEO of Intercity Technology, added: “During one of the most difficult periods for many organisations, Phil’s appointment strengthens the talent we have across our workforce and further supports the growth we have seen as an organisation over the past couple of years.

“Under Phil’s stewardship, I look forward to watching our Cloud and Security Division develop and grow to meet the continued needs of our customers. There is much work to do to support organisations as they face further periods of change and transition ahead.”

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Darrell Mitchell has been recruited by mechanical and…