Wallsend-based offshore wind software company Kinewell has appointed David Pinches as non-executive director and Craig Lilford as fractional chief financial officer to its board.
Pinches, previously head of software group at Sage, currently serves as non-executive chair at Salesfire and was introduced to the North Tyneside business by Mercia following a £750,000 investment from the North East Accelerate Fund. Lilford, who has held senior roles at Sage Group and RBS Group, joins as fractional CFO alongside existing board advisory positions across venture-backed companies.
The board expansion follows Kinewell’s acquisition of marine weather risk software developer ForeCoast Marine, expanding its software platform to cover marine operations alongside cable and turbine layout optimisation for offshore wind projects.
Back in March, Kinewell raised £750,000 from the North East Accelerate Fund managed by Mercia Ventures, unlocking additional grant funding to total more than £1 million to support technology commercialisation and headcount expansion. This funding injection provided the capital foundation for board restructuring and corporate growth.
David Pinches said: “Kinewell is a fantastic success story for UK plc, creating high skilled jobs and exporting its software solutions to customers across the globe, but more importantly, the company is also playing a pivotal role in tackling one of our planet’s greatest challenges, energy security and the climate crisis. I am thrilled to be joining the business as Non-Executive Director at such an exciting time in its journey and look forward to contributing to the next stage of the company’s growth while supporting the global transition to a net-zero society.”
Craig Lilford commented: “What really drew me to Kinewell was the chance to be part of a business tackling some of the offshore wind sector’s biggest challenges. The team is doing genuinely important work to help offshore wind institutions reduce costs, improve performance and accelerate deployment, and that really resonated with me. Having spent much of my career helping businesses grow and create long-term value, I was also struck by the strength of the technology and the ambition of the people behind it. Joining the board at this point in Kinewell’s journey feels like a hugely exciting opportunity.”
Dr Andrew Jenkins, founder and chief executive of Kinewell, added: “We are delighted to welcome Craig and David to the Kinewell board. Their extensive knowledge and experience of technology, finance and marketing, as well as working with scaling businesses, will significantly enhance both the software solutions and support we provide to our clients and the long-term development of our business as we continue to innovate and grow.”
Image source: Kinewell
