Business briefs: David Kemp | Inveralmond Brewery | Aldermore | EIE13

THE largest division of energy services giant Wood Group has appointed David Kemp as its new chief financial officer.

Kemp, who co-founded Trap Oil in 2008, was executive chairman at the North Sea driller until its flotation on Aim two years ago, when he became finance director. In his new role at Wood Group PSN, he will report directly to Robin Watson, the Aberdeen-based division’s chief executive.

Watson said: “His entrepreneurial knowledge of the global trade and acquisitions market makes him a highly skilled and respected financial professional.”

• The brewer behind brands including Lia Fail, Ossian and Thrappledouser is to make an official beer for the “Year of Homecoming” in 2014, according to government agency Event Scotland.

Ken Duncan, head brewer at the Perth-based Inveralmond Brewery, described his Homecoming Scotland beer as “an exuberant, gleaming golden brew, which dances berry sweetness on the palate and enthuses aromatic hoppiness”.

The beer will be launched this autumn in casks and 330ml bottles in Europe, North America and the UK.

• Fledgling bank Aldermore yesterday unveiled its first full-year profit as its drive to challenge the big high street players gathers pace.

The Peterborough-based group, which has lent more than £1 billion to small businesses and a similar amount to homeowners since its launch in 2009, edged into the black with profits of £759,000 in 2012, compared with losses of £899,000 the year before.

Aldermore now has more than 80,000 accounts for retail and business savers and saw deposit balances leap 59 per cent to £2.1bn at the end of 2012.

• Sixteen firms will try to woo investors next week at the EIE13 conference, run by Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh Carbon Innovation Centre and Informatics Ventures.

The competitors that will mount Dragons’ Den-style pitches are: Celtic Renewables; Datagist; Destina Genomics; Giglets; Global Surface Intelligence; iPower; Mallzee; Monitor Hub; Quorate Technology; Rathlin Medical; Sirakoss; Sunamp; Taragenyx; Trident Energy; UWI Technology; and Vueklar.

Sixty companies in total will be exhibiting at the conference.