H&H Group PLC, based in Carlisle, has announced the appointment of businesswoman and farmers wife, Lynne Mallinson, to the position of Non-Executive Director to the Board.
Lynne, who has a lifetime’s career working at the forefront of business and who lives near Penrith, is currently Commercial Director for local Lake District-inspired dessert company, Classic Desserts.
Starting out as a bank cashier aged 16, Lynne set herself an ambitious career target to be a bank manager. This she achieved, at the age of 22, when she became one of the country’s youngest female bank managers. She then went on to set up and run for almost two decades, her own multi award-winning business – Country Puddings Ltd.
In joining the Board, Lynne brings with her an in-depth knowledge of business and a broad range of skills, which include business acumen, performance analysis, marketing awareness and problem solving – gained from her experience as a bank manager, from running her own company, and from selling to the marketplace.
In welcoming Lynne to the Board, Richard Rankin, Chief Executive for the H&H Group PLC, said: “As an organisation with number of different business interests it is important that we have a Board which has deep understanding and knowledge of our customer base and how to remain relevant and relate to them. Lynne has run her own successful company for many years and uses her expertise to help others, whether in the business environment or for charitable organisations. I have known her for many years, and I am delighted she has agreed to join us as her specialist skills in strategy, marketing and planning will be an invaluable asset, and will dovetail and compliment the skillset and specialist knowledge of our other committed Board Members.”
Lynne grew up on a dairy beef and sheep farm near Cockermouth in Cumbria, and is part of a large farming family, who have used various H&H services over the years. As a young girl she spent many an auction day at Carlisle Mart. She married a farmer and now lives on a dairy and sheep farm near Penrith, where she set her business up from her farmhouse kitchen. From humble beginnings, her entrepreneurial mind helped her business take off, and grow to supply some of the top independent retailers in the UK and overseas.
She also finds being involved in the community hugely rewarding. She was formerly a governor of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Penrith and treasurer for the local scout group. She has volunteered for local charities, raising in excess of £20,000, as well as volunteering time at an orphanage in Cambodia.
Responding to her appointment, Lynne said: “H&H is a very strong brand which is highly respected throughout Cumbria, and the wider agricultural industry across the North of England and Scottish Borders and I am thrilled to have been asked to join the H&H Group Board. Living in a farming community all my life, it is a company that I have grown up with. When I launched my business one of the very first farmers’ market I ever attended was the H&H Farmer’s Market at Borderway, and I always used H&H Reeds in Penrith to produce labels and printed materials for my company.
“In taking up this role I hope that from the experience and knowledge I have, I can make a valued contribution. My aim is to add value and in particular, to share my knowledge of business growth and marketing to help the Group to realise its vision for the future across all of its businesses.”
With a diverse range of interests, the H&H Group PLC operates as a holding company, with seven successful operating companies encompassing Livestock and Machinery Auctioneers, Valuers, Chartered Surveyors, Property and Estate Agents, Auction Rooms, Commercial Printers, Graphic Designers and Insurance Brokers. Founded originally as farmstock auctioneers, today, with nine Harrison & Hetherington Auction Marts, auctioneering is still very much a part of its business.
The H&H Group head office is located at Borderway Mart Carlisle, with its operating companies based at premises throughout the region, from Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.
