Going Places

Company focusThe Budget Group has announced several promotions in Budget Retail. Matthew Donaldson has been promoted to the role of managing director, Budget Retail. Donaldson will also take up the new role of director, internet, for the group. Donaldson worked for Century (latterly Arnott Century) for four years before moving to Budget when the company was purchased in 1999. Since 1999 he has held the positions of: regional manager, North of England and Scotland; associate director; and sales and operations director. Stuart Ramsey has been promoted to the role of finance director of Budget Retail. Ramsey joined Budget in 1994 as part of the contact centre operations management team. He took up a finance role in 2000 following the acquisition of the retail network from Arnott Century, and took on responsibility for IT in 2003, overseeing the installation of the new CDL wide area network. Steve Parr has been promoted to the role of associate director, sales and operations at Budget Retail. Parr was previously regional manager for the retail network in the North of England and Midlands. Steve has more than 20 years' industry experience, initially with Swinton before joining Century Insurance in 1995 as area sales manager, Yorkshire. James Wapples has been appointed marketing manager for Budget Retail. Wapples has worked in various roles within the marketing department at Budget since 1999. He has responsibility for all marketing activities for both consumer and broker acquisition strategies.

Brokers

AA Financial ServicesClare Salmon, recently appointed managing director of AA Financial Services, has made some senior appointments to head the AA's two core personal finance businesses.Neale Phillips has been promoted to head up AA Insurance. Phillips joined the AA in 1995, leading the AA's interests in its £1bn lending partnership with Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS), Centrica Personal Finance Ltd (CPFL). He will also be appointed a director of CPFL. Prior to joining the AA he worked for Visa International, Lloyds Bank Card Services, TSB Card Services and Alliance Building Society.Lloyd East, formerly head of marketing for AA Financial Services, has taken over Phillips' role as general manager of the HBOS joint venture and is the AA's point of contact for all links to HBOS. He retains responsibility for the lending marketing team, as well as being responsible for the wider AA Financial Services marketing brief. East joined the AA three years ago from Lombard Direct, where he was marketing director.

MCEMotorcycle insurance provider MCE has appointed Steven Elliot as team leader. He will be responsible for team leadership, customer relations, and new business at MCE's Wellingborough headquarters.

The Riverbourne Group The Riverbourne Group has appointed Rob Anderson to head up its new risk management division. Anderson has joined from Granada Media Group, where he was in-house health and safety adviser/trainer. Riverbourne Group sales and market development director David Garrad said: "The new division will be able to offer services that include health and safety advice and training, business continuity planning and disaster recovery. Additionally, we are able to provide a full analysis service for companies with a premium spend in excess of £10,000."

WillisWillis Group Holdings has appointed Alistair Lester, Simon Dodsworth and Sebastiano Doria to its M&A team.Lester has joined Willis from Aon mergers and acquisitions group, where he was managing director. Dodsworth has also joined from Aon mergers and acquisitions, where he was project director of its UK operations. Doria has joined from Aon mergers and acquisitions, where he was responsible for its Italian unit.

Insurers

Primary Broker ServicesPrimary Broker Services has appointed Trevor Ugo, Jo Stretch and Lindsay Reynolds to its underwriting team, operating from the Birmingham office.Owen Hendry has also joined Primary Broker Services as a business development manager. Hendry, previously with Allianz Cornhill and Royal & SunAlliance, has experience in broking, underwriting and sales. His new role will involve developing commercial business with an exclusive agency base across East Anglia, North London and the Home Counties.

ACE EuropeACE Europe has made two new appointments at its Watford office.Ian Clarkson, previously at ACE's Manchester office, has joined the Watford office as senior property underwriter. With several years' underwriting experience at both ACE and Royal & SunAlliance, Clarkson will continue to expand ACE's property book in the South East. Chris Templeton has joined ACE Europe as assistant casualty underwriter. With more than a years' broking experience at Bervale Mead, Templeton will work closely with the UK casualty team.

GroupamaGroupama Insurances has signed up two senior figures from AXA.Phil Bird will become Groupama's director of non-motor and SME underwriting and Kate Mutter will head the group's sales and agency activities.Bird was formerly head of product development at AXA and will report directly to Groupama managing director François-Xavier Boisseau when he starts on 13 April.Mutter will join later in the year to lead the group's intermediary sales and agency team.

Other

Furness Building SocietyFurness Building Society has appointed Scott Robinson to its senior management team. Robinson has been appointed to head up the building society's insurance operation and has overall responsibility for the management and development of general insurance business.Prior to joining Furness, Robinson was president of the Insurance Institute of Kendal and held senior positions in marketing, business development and claims management.

SubmissionsWe welcome submissions for the Going Places page. Please send details of new appointments to: Going Places, Insurance Times, 30 Cannon Street, London EC4M 6YJ. You can also fax us at 020 7618 3499 or email going.places@instimes.co.uk .Photographic prints must be good quality - scanned digital images must be 300 dpi resolution or above.