Assay Office appoints new wardens

Birmingham Assay Office has announced the appointment of two new wardens.

Russell Jeans (pictured), founder and CEO of Sefton & Associates, and Andrew Lee, a senior board executive, have taken up the warden roles following the retirement of long-standing wardens, Tim Clay and John Wood.

Russell, a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a postgraduate of Warwick Business School, has worked his way up the financial and operational management ladder in a range of challenging manufacturing and service sector environments.

Russell spent 12 years at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce including, the roles of commercial director and chief operating officer.

He set up Sefton & Associates, a recruitment and management consultancy business that operates in the UK, Europe and the US.

Russell 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 more than 35 years.

Having retired from executive board roles, he has a portfolio of non-executive board appointments in the building society sector and health sectors.

He 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. ”

Doug Henry, CEO and assay master, said: “Both Russell and Andrew bring a wealth of commercial knowledge that will undoubtedly go towards helping the growth of Birmingham Assay Office. ”