Birmingham Assay Office appoints new wardens
The new appointments follow the retirement of long-standing wardens, Tim Clay and John Wood
Birmingham Assay Office has announced the appointment of two new wardens, Russell Jeans, founder and CEO of Sefton and Associates, and Andrew Lee, senior board executive, following the retirement of long-standing wardens, Tim Clay and John Wood.
Jeans is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a postgraduate of Warwick Business School, who has “worked his way up the financial and operational management ladder” in a range of challenging manufacturing and service sector environments.
He spent 12 years at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, holding the roles of commercial director and COO. More recently, Jeans has become the founder and CEO of Sefton and Associates, a recruitment and management consultancy business that operates in the UK, Europe and the US.
Jeans said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved as a Warden at the Birmingham Assay Office, particularly supporting the fantastic team in their plan to transform the business. It has been a very tough year and a half, but the business is balanced and well set for transformative opportunities, many of which are now coming to fruition.”
Andrew Lee is a senior board executive and served as NED, CEO and CFO on the boards of banks and financial service organisations for over 35 years in various roles. Having retired from executive board roles, he has a portfolio of non-executive board appointments in the building society sector and health sectors.
Doug Henry, CEO and assay master, said: “The attraction of the Birmingham Assay Office is a desire to help transform a wonderfully traditional organisation using the latest strategic thinking. This highly regarded Birmingham institution, through its long history, has a reputation for providing provenance, confidence and quality in precious metal certification.
“I am proud to serve such an important institution, that not only serves the local economy and community, but also in the wider sector as it heads into its next phase of development. Having met many colleagues at the Office and sensed their passion for their industry, I am sure we are well placed to take that journey.”
He added: “Both Russell and Andrew bring a wealth of commercial knowledge that will undoubtedly go towards helping the growth of Birmingham Assay Office.”
