NEWS
BY JULIE BURNISTON
New staff drive OCALS forward
Two new members of staff are powering the growth of conveyancing personal search provider , OCALS .
Anne-Marie Nwaogwugwu , who has been appointed operations manager , is highly skilled and familiar with the industry , while the similarly experienced Connor Mundy steps onboard as business development manager .
The appointment of both Anne-Marie and Connor is part of a conscious growth plan by OCALS ’ managing director , Jeremy O ’ Connor .
While the Stockton-based company , which offers more than 80 different search options under one roof , was lucky that Covid and subsequent lockdowns didn ’ t have too much of an effect on business , playing it safe long-term was never on the agenda .
“ Covid or not , we refuse to stand still ,” says Jeremy O ’ Connor . “ As a company we are ambitious , we work hard , we feel positive .
“ We have also been around long enough
OCALS ’ managing director Jeremy O ’ Connor is excited to welcome new staff members
to see markets go up and down . We lived through the market crash of 2008-09 , and so when Covid happened we may have thought , ‘ Oh my goodness ’.
“ But we knew what we were doing , we made a plan and put it into action .”
Even in the first year of Covid , OCALS made a profit , and as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic , Jeremy moved on to phase two of his plan – expanding the business by bringing in his two new dynamic team members .
“ Anne-Marie is actually returning to us , so she ’ s familiar with the company ,” says Jeremy .
“ Her role is to run the day-to-day business , with me as a sort of ideas and vision consultant .
“ Connor , an enthusiastic and experienced business development manager , already has his feet under the table and is getting OCALS ’ name out there by meeting people and moving us forward .”
With things already moving apace , Jeremy is looking to expand the company once more in the second half of the year and to also take on apprentices at the end of the summer . “ I look forward to that ,” said Jeremy . “ It feels great to be providing jobs and a start for local people – it ’ s something we ’ ve always tried to do and aim to continue doing .”
Find out more about OCALS at ocals . co . uk .
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURE : STUART BOULTON
Apprentices add a wealth of value to Mercury
A
family-run wealth management company says welcoming the next generation of professionals through apprenticeships has proved invaluable to the firm .
Oliver Bourke , managing director of Stockton-based Mercury Wealth Management , admits apprentices have become so integral to the team , he and his semi-retired father regularly ask : “ What would we do without them ?”
Oliver praised Ellie Boylan , 18 , for completing her apprenticeship with a distinction .
Ellie now has a full-time job with the firm , which helps people achieve their retirement dreams and life goals through intelligent investing .
“ It was a wonderful achievement for Ellie and she worked exceptionally hard , but both her and Ben , our other apprentice , are assets to the team ,” Oliver said .
“ I think it ’ s great that they have been able to come in and make such a big impact on our business at the same time as
78 | Tees Business studying and earning their stripes . “ They have set themselves up for a fantastic career in financial services .”
Ellie took business studies at secondary school as one of her options , which got her interested in the financial services industry .
Wealth management was a new concept to Ellie , at just 16 , but when she found out about the opportunities at Mercury , she thought it was somewhere she would “ love to work ”.
Modest Ellie , who says she was surprised to be successful in getting the position , said : “ I have had a brilliant experience as an apprentice and would really encourage other young people to
Adding value - From left , Mercury Wealth Management ’ s Ben Stewart ,
Ellie Boylan and Oliver Bourke .
consider apprenticeships . “ I ’ m so glad I went down this route rather than college and university .
“ Working as well as learning has made a big difference , because you understand a lot more by actually being in the workplace and seeing things in practice .”
With another apprentice about to take on his final project , Oliver says he would have no hesitation in recruiting apprentices in the future .
He said : “ Our business is about looking after and passing on wealth to the next generation - so we are really just practising what we preach by bringing the new generation into the business .”