NEWSBRIEF

Ennstone issue to fund acquisitions

Ennstone, the building materials group, plans to fund acquisitions in its English business region out of the £16 million that will be raised through a 1-for-2 rights issue, launched this week. "There will be opportunities to pick up pieces from mergers that other people don't want," said chairman Vaughan McLeod.

jillings to be taywood hr director

Sue Jillings has been appointed as Taylor Woodrow's director of human resources, a new position within the group. She was previously head of HR development at Railtrack and was the professional lead for the company's culture change programme.

bid rumours send cussins shares up

News that the Newcastle-based housebuilder Cussins Property was in talks that may lead to a bid for the company, sent share prices up 14 per cent. Now trading at 105p, Cussins market value stands at £16.5 million. At its annual meeting in June, Cussins said first-half sales were expected to fall below those in the year-on-year.

miller water launches m&e arm

Miller Water, an operating unit of Miller Civil engineering, has launched a dedicated M&E section headed by Lee Horrocks. Some 70 per cent of Miller Water's contracts require specific M&E attention.

hyder increases acerplan holding

Hyder Consulting has increased its shareholding in Acerplan, the German architectural and engineering consultancy, from 40 per cent to 85 per cent. Employing 200 staff, it was the first consultancy in the New Lander to achieve ISO 9001.

ws atkins man bags £307,000

Michael Jeffries, chief executive of WS Atkins, had a total salary and benefits package worth £307,000 last year, ahead of the £181,000 he collected in 1998. Jeffries has 990,000 shares in the company. His long-term incentive plan holds the carrot of a further 300,000 shares with the equity participation plan flagging up an additional 57,000 shares.