COMMUNICATIONS agency Guerilla has appointed nine recruits.

The Newcastle firm has recruited Tom Harrison, Julie Burrell, Cathy Tuffnell, Kaja Amundsen, Diane Malaugh, John Miller, Leanne Whittingham, Alex Lockey and Kimberley Workman.

Managing director James Allen, who formed Guerrilla in 2002, said: "As a business, Guerilla is thriving, so I took the decision to search for more talent to join the team. I am very happy with my decision and the new recruits have fitted perfectly into their challenging roles."

* NEWCASTLE Building Society has appointed David Coldridge as sales development manager.

Before joining the society, he was national sales development manager for Bank of Ireland, and most of his career has been spent at the Woolwich, in roles including head of business development. Steve Urwin, senior executive (marketing) at Newcastle Building Society, said: "David's wealth of experience in this environment will definitely enhance our aim to be clearly recognised as the premier provider of guaranteed and deposit-based products by the whole of market."

l DESIGN and PR agency MDA has appointed a senior account executive.

The Newcastle firm has recruited Joanna Lavender from destination marketing agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI), where she worked on campaigns including the launch of NewcastleGateshead's inaugural food festival, EAT!

l STRUCTURAL design company Amp Consultants has appointed Lee Belshaw director-designate.

Mr Belshaw has been with the Darlington company for six years after joining Amp from Newcastle University with a master's degree in structural engineering. He has since passed his exams to become a chartered engineer.

AMP managing director David Hodgson said: "Lee's appointment is a reflection of the valuable contribution he has made to the company."

l CONSTRUCTION consultancy Armstrong Davis Associates (ADA) has appointed Mike Cook as a consultant in Stokesley.

Mr Cook has a master's degree in law, a postgraduate diploma in legal practice and a BSc (Hons) in quantity surveying, and his appointment has been hailed as key in strengthening ADA's presence on Teesside.

Director Dave Armstrong said: "Mike brings a wealth of valuable and relevant experience to ADA, and we are delighted that he has accepted our offer to join the team."

During his career, Mr Cook has worked on behalf of Northumbrian Water, British Nuclear Fuels and Huntsman Polyurethanes during his ten-year tenure at Stockton-based consultancy Faithful & Gould.