Movers and shakers

It is backing the Suburban Courtyard House in the show village, and Stewart Milne Timber Systems (the Witney division of the group) has provided the timber frames for all three houses.

Group managing director Glenn Allison said: "Our participation demonstrates Stewart Milne Group's commitment to expanding its business throughout the UK, particularly in the south of England."

OXFORD: Cobra Biomanufacturing based in Watlington Road, has appointed Dr Tony Mulcahy as general manager.

Dr Mulcahy has a wide range of experience in the biotech sector, and has been with Cobra for 12 years, formerly as director of European business development and most recently as director of customer relations and marketing.

Chief executive Dr David Thatcher said: "This demonstrates Cobra's commitment to accelerating our next phase of growth and establishment of the Oxford site as an independent profit centre."

OXFORD: George Day, a senior service advisor at Motorworld Mazda has been awarded a post graduate certificate in automotive retail management.

The qualification from the Henry Ford College at Loughborough University, follows 18 months of study, much of which was completed in Mr Day's spare time.

Mr Day, 30, has worked at Motorworld for ten years, initially in the parts department before moving to the service desk.

He said: "It has given me a much better insight into all areas of the dealership.

"It was also very useful to meet people from other businesses and swap ideas and suggestions."

ABINGDON: Architects and town planners West Waddy has appointed Oliver Margison as an architectural assistant and Miles Thompson as a senior town planner.

Mr Margison has a wealth of experience having obtained the Royal Institute of British Architects qualification at Oxford Brookes University.

He will be responsible for preparing feasibility studies and planning drawings and general day-to-day client liaison.

Mr Thompson is a senior town planner with more than 12 years experience in local government, most recently as principal development control officer at Wycombe District Council. His role at West Waddy will be to assist the practice in developing its urban design service.

CHIPPING NORTON: Award winning independent travel agency Carrick Travel has taken over the former office of Aeroscope Travel in the town along with a second outlet in Bourton on the Water. The existing staff in each office have been retained.

Carrick Travel was founded more than 30 years ago by Mike and Sally Carrick and has offices in Leamington Spa, Stratford upon Avon, Kenilworth and Cheylesmore in Coventry.

Managing director Tina Nason said: "We are excited about our new acquisitions and are looking forward to offering our services to a wider area."

ABINGDON: Anthony Robinson has been appointed managing director of family removal firm Robinsons International.

Over the past two years Mr Robinson, 35, has helped the company win several contracts worth several million pounds, relocating three of its eight branches to new modern premises and introducing new corporate livery.

It follows his appointment as chairman of BAR Services, having been a director for a number of years.

The British Association of Removers (BAR) is the largest established and most recognised trade association for the removals industry in the UK.

Mr Robinson said: "All these changes are part of the process of ensuring we are a modern business that's fully equipped for the challenges ahead."

BOTLEY: Lisa Marty has joined the Bell Trees Clinic as an integrative homeopath.

Ms Marty is a registered nurse who worked for many years as a Macmillan nurse before studying homeopathy.

She studied at the Contemporary College of Homeopathy for four years and is a registered member of the Society of Homeopaths (RSHom).

OXFORD: Nominet, the .UK domain name registry, has been awarded First Class Star Status Accreditation by research organisation Best Companies.

The accreditation is based on a Michelin-style star rating system and focuses on employee engagement with their organisation and highlights companies that provide an excellent working environment.

Jonathan Austin, chief executive of Best Companies, said: "Nominet's 2007 accreditation is an outstanding achievement. Our role is to set a rigorous benchmark so that organisations can become even better employers."

ABINGDON: IT security firm Sophos has appointed Paul Smolinski as chief financial officer for global operations.

Mr Smolinski will be responsible for driving business growth, developing investor relations strategies and overseeing human resources and legal services for Sophos.

He has more than 15 years of experience in the financial sector and joins Sophos from The Innovation Group where he was the group finance director responsible for finance, legal, human resources and investor relations.

BANBURY: Claire Thompson has been appointed the new marketing manager at Banbury accountancy firm Ellacotts.

She joins from Oxford property firm Lambert Smith Hampton, where she was associate director for public relations and marketing.

Ms Thompson said: "My new role will identify marketing strengths, unite ideas and implement extensive working strategies in line with the firm's growth plans."

David Saunders, managing partner at Ellacotts said: "It will be a pleasure to welcome such an experienced and talented professional on board and I have no doubt that Claire will make an invaluable contribution to our business."