North continues to expand with 40 new hires in the last year

A North East-based shipping insurer has continued to recruit during the coronavirus pandemic with a raft of new appointments.

20 positions have been created within the last six months at North P&I Club, including the appointment of freight, demurrage and defense (FD&D) solicitors Janna Keir and Faye Thompson, and actuary Laura Stopford.

This takes the total number of new hires to nearly 40 in the last year, including 17 internal promotions across the maritime insurer’s operations.

The recruitment wave forms part of North’s strategic visions to grow and diversify its team of maritime experts, with the company proud of its role as a major North East employer.

Paul Jennings, chief executive of North P&I Club, said: “Our people are our greatest asset, and so even as COVID-19 hit, we have remained committed to investing in our workforce and supporting economic opportunity in our region.

“It’s fantastic to welcome a host of new individuals to our growing business. From solicitors and project managers, to HR advisors and marketing experts, we have hired for a range of senior positions and all are specialists in their field.

“Their expertise and knowledge will undoubtedly help us continue to see the business go from strength to strength.

“We’re also proud of the fact that over half of these new appointments are women, with 12 of the 20 new appointments female. North have plans to continue to diversify our senior team and have recently appointed our first female vice-chair to the board.”

North currently employs more than 270 people in Newcastle and a further 110 in offices around the world.

The business prides itself on advocating gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated industry, with the Club’s first female vice-chair of the Board, Ioanna Procopiou, also appointed this year.

North has recently surpassed its total entered tonnage to over 230 million gross tonnes, further cementing its position as leading member of the International Group of P&I Clubs across which operate across the world.