Board & Management
Life President
Howard Barry Gold
Life President
Howard Gold was appointed as Life President in recognition of his enormous contribution to the survival and growth of Northern Bear plc. He joined the Board in 2007 and was appointed Non-Executive Chairman in 2008. Howard guided the Group through difficult circumstances during his time as Chairman, including a severe recession and a major restructuring. He stood down as Chairman in 2014 but remained on the Board until 2020.
With a wealth of business experience and extensive legal knowledge, Howard continues to provide support and guidance to the Group and to Mincoffs Solicitors LLP where he practiced for 50 years.
Directors
Steven Mark Roberts
Executive Chairman (appointed February 2014)
Steven Roberts qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in 1991 and has worked in corporate finance since 1992. He joined McInnes Corporate Finance as a partner in 1996 and acted as lead advisor on many small cap transactions. Steve has been a director of Northern Bear from flotation; he was appointed Finance Director in October 2009 and stepped up to the role of Executive Chairman in February 2014. His extensive experience with the Company makes him an ideal candidate for the position and the right person to guide the Board in delivering its strategy going forward.
Thomas Edward Hayes
Finance Director (appointed February 2014)
Tom Hayes qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in 2001 and subsequently spent several years working in corporate finance with Ernst & Young on a wide variety of corporate and private equity transactions. He has been involved with the Group since January 2008 in both divisional and group finance roles and was appointed Finance Director in February 2014. Tom’s broad range of experience in industry and corporate finance gives him an appropriate skill set to manage the Group’s strategic and operational finance matters.
Keith Soulsby
Operations Director
Keith Soulsby has been closely involved with the operation of Northern Bear ever since the company he founded, Wensley Roofing Ltd, became part of the group in 2006. Keith has served continuously on the board since 2007, apart from a short break in 2011-12. Keith set up Wensley Roofing in 1987, building on his experience with the Marley Roof Tile Company and a major roofing contracting business. He has also served on the regional committee of the North East branch of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. On 1 June 2020, following a carefully planned succession, Keith stood down from Wensley Roofing to concentrate on being Operations Director of Northern Bear.
Ian Thomas McLean
Non Executive Director (appointed 2008)
Ian McLean, who was part of the broking team which originally helped Northern Bear to obtain its listing on AIM, has substantial experience in the City. He has worked in the broking and research community his entire career and sat on the board of Quayle Munro Holdings plc, the AIM listed London based merchant bank until November 2013, having served for 11 years. Ian is also on the Advisory Board of Decimal Point, an information and research company based in India.
Jeff Baryshnik
Non Executive Director (appointed 2020)
Mr Baryshnik is the director and sole beneficial owner of Cedarvale Holdings Ltd. Mr Baryshnik, together with Cedarvale Holdings Ltd, holds 4,736,717 ordinary shares in the Company, representing approximately 25.6 per cent. of the Company’s issued share capital. Cedarvale’s interest in the Company was acquired pursuant to a tender offer announced on 26 September 2019.
Mr Baryshnik’s principal occupation is as President of Republic Funds USA Inc, an asset management firm that advises its affiliated partnerships on real estate purchases, sales and asset management. Mr Baryshnik is a Trustee of True North Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: TNT.UN), where he also serves on its Investment Committee. Prior to forming Republic Funds USA Inc, Mr Baryshnik worked at various financial services firms including Morgan Stanley and Citadel LLC. Jeff Baryshnik holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and an HBA from Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business.
Non Executive Director (appointed 2021)
John Holroyd is both a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Advisor. John has substantial experience in professional services having been an audit and advisory partner at Mazars LLP (formerly Neville Russell) for the majority of his career. On retiring from Mazars in August 2018 John set up his own consultancy and advisory business, Cold Hill Consultancy, which provides business advisory services to a range of corporate and public sector bodies.
Managing Directors of trading subsidiaries
A1 Industrial Trucks
Stuart Dawson, Managing Director
Joined A1 Industrial Trucks in 2018 following a successful career in sales including over 20 years selling fork lift trucks.
H Peel & Sons Ltd
Dominic Brogan, Managing Director
Joined H Peel & Sons as a contract manager in the late 1980s and appointed as director in 1993. Over the last 30 years Dominic has been responsible for major interior refurbishments in the hospitality and leisure industries.
Isoler Ltd
John Gilstin, Managing Director
Appointed managing director of Isoler Ltd in 2005, after having been contracts manager for some 15 years. With a background in engineering, John has over 40 years’ experience in the passive fire protection industry.
Jennings Roofing Ltd
Martin Briggs, Managing Director
Appointed managing director of Jennings Roofing Ltd in 2018 after Graham Jennings stepped down to concentrate on the management of Northern Bear plc. Martin has worked at the company since 1992.
J Lister Electrical Ltd
Nigel Shorney, Managing Director
Joined the business in 1998 as a qualified electrician. Nigel was appointed as a director in 2011 and as joint managing director in 2014. He became the sole managing director when the company joined the Northern Bear group in 2020.
www.listerelectrical-york.co.uk
office@lister-electrical.co.uk
Matthew Charlton Slaters
Alan Chapman, Heritage Director
Joined Matthew Charlton Slaters over 40 years ago as an indentured apprentice before becoming a time served roof slater. Alan is a fellow of the Institute of Roofing and past Chairman of the Yorkshire and North East Region of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, as well as Chairman and Regional Director of the North East Roof Training Group.
www.matthewcharltonslaters.co.uk
alan@matthewcharltonslaters.co.uk
MGM Ltd
Phil Burridge, Managing Director
Appointed managing director in 2020 bringing 40 years of experience with him to the company. Phil is a well-known figure in the North East with a vast knowledge of the construction industry.
Northern Bear Building Services Ltd
Neil Jukes, Managing Director
Joined the Northern Bear Group in February 2011. Neil has worked in the construction industry for more than 20 years with experience in major projects, refurbishments, extensions and a variety of reactive and planned maintenance contracts across all sectors.
www.northernbearbuildingservices.com
enquiries@northern-bear.com
Northern Bear Safety Ltd
Jason Harrison, Managing Director
Appointed managing director of Northern Bear Safety Ltd in November 2009. Jason joined Northern Bear plc in 2008 as group safety manager and was instrumental in establishing Northern Bear Safety as a stand alone consultancy.
www.northern-bear-safety.com
jason.harrison@northernbearsafety.com
Springs Roofing Ltd
Keith Muldoon, Managing Director
Joined Springs Roofing in 1990 and appointed managing director in 2006. Keith has over 30 years’ experience in the roofing industry.
Survey Drones
Jason Harrison, Managing Director
Appointed managing director of Survey Drones in 2014. Jason joined Northern Bear plc in 2008 as group safety manager and was instrumental in establishing Survey Drones as a stand alone consultancy.
Wensley Roofing Ltd
Steven Luke, Managing Director
Steven joined Wensley Roofing in 2007. He was appointed Joint Managing Director in 2018 and took sole charge in 2020.