EEF - Region Director for Yorkshire and the Humber. Andy joined EEF in January 2010 as Head of External Affairs for Yorkshire and the Humber and became Region Director later that year. Prior to this Andy was at leaving Business Link Yorkshire where he was Head of Operations. Prior to working at Business Link Yorkshire, Andy was Operations Director at Business Link Humberside. He worked here from April 2000 until the Regional Businesses Links were merged in April 2008.
Welcome to Yorkshire - Chief Executive. Gary led the winning bid to bring the Grand Départ of the Tour de France to Yorkshire in 2014 and was instrumental in the entire process from start to finish. It has since been hailed as the grandest ever Grand Départ.
He helped galvanise the county’s public and private sectors to stand together to back the successful bid to bring the Tour – the world’s largest annual sporting event – to Yorkshire ahead of other bidders such as Florence, Barcelona, Utrecht, Berlin and Scotland.
Gary has been recognised for his contribution to the county he loves including being named Yorkshire’s Man of the Year in 2014, Yorkshire and Humber IoD Director of the Year 2014 and received Yorkshire and Humber IoD’s Lifetime Achievement award. He has also been presented honorary doctorates from the University of York and Sheffield Hallam University.
Since his appointment as Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire in October 2008 he has successfully raised the profile of Yorkshire at a regional, national and international level.
Welcome to Yorkshire is widely regarded as the leading tourism agency in the UK, is hailed by the Government as an example to be followed and has won international awards for its marketing campaigns.
A dynamic and motivational leader, Gary has an excellent track record in brand building and managing complex businesses. After 18 years with Royal Insurance, he built a reputation for turning around failing businesses. At Bradford and Bingley’s retail property services arm he quickly turned around four years of losses into profit. He also rebranded Prontaprint and Kall Kwik and is the former managing director of Johnsons Cleaners UK.
His love of sport extends into his work; he is President of the world’s oldest cricket festival at Scarborough and also on the Board of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
A passionate Yorkshireman, in his spare time Gary is also an award-winning Dales sheep farmer and lives on a working farm near Leyburn.
Scott is co-founder of Red’s True Barbecue, the fledgling brand currently taking the UK by storm with its blend of Authentic US Barbecue and craft beers. Founded in September 2012, the company now operates from Leeds, Manchester, Headingley and Newcastle and already plans for more openings later this year.
Employing over 200 people, and with an annualised turnover in excess of £13m and EBITDA at just over £1m Red’s True Barbecue has proven itself to be one of the most exciting UK concepts in operation today.
Prior to Red’s Scott’s had no experience in the leisure industry but being South African, huge cuts of meat have played a pivotal role if his life since birth. Obsessed with anything BBQ, Scott’s attention to detail when it comes to the smoking process is legendary, its often said Scott does all the hard work at Red’s and James just gets by being good looking. Scott’s expertise lays squarely with the meat, the smoking process and a good chunk of the history behind American BBQ, this all helped when he co-wrote the restaurants forthcoming recipe book “Let There Be Meat” available in July 2015.
Scott lives in Leeds, loves mountain biking, golf, squash and has a keen interest in custom motorcycles… though he doesn’t actually have a license yet.
James is co-founder of Red’s True Barbecue, the fledgling brand currently taking the UK by storm with its blend of Authentic US Barbecue and craft beers. Founded in September 2012, the company now operates from Leeds, Manchester, Headingley and Newcastle and already plans for more openings later this year.
Employing over 200 people, and with an annualised turnover in excess of £13m and EBITDA at just over £1m Red’s True Barbecue has proven itself to be one of the most exciting UK concepts in operation today.
Prior to Red’s James built a successful property company in Leeds which was subsequently sold to CountryWide in 2012. With no prior experience in the leisure sector he decided to take a punt based on an overwhelming and often obsessive passion for real Smokehouse BBQ. Scott normally takes the lead in all things food James created the companies most popular table sauce and co-wrote the Red’s True Barbecue recipe book “Let There Be Meat” both available in stores Summer 2015.
James Lives in North Yorkshire and enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, rock climbing, building and riding racing motorbikes, pretty much anything high adrenaline, a bit scary and very dangerous!
Frank Ashton is Turbo Aftermarket Strategic Marketing Leader at Cummins Inc, the world’s largest independent engine manufacturer. He is a senior manager at Huddersfield site which makes new and remanufactured turbos – Cummins Turbo Technologies is world market leader in commercial vehicle turbos.
Through four years at Cummins and 20 consulting for PwC and KPMG he has delivered change, strategy, supply chain and performance improvement projects.
He is a member of the Business, Innovation and Growth Panel for the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Panel and is a strong advocate for the role remanufacturing, local supply chain development and the Circular Economy can play in the region’s growth.
HS2 - Construction Procurement Director. Previously from joining HS2, Nigel spent 25 years in the Oil and Gas industry, working for organisations such as Bechtel, and Kellogg Brown and Root and more recently 10 years at Lend Lease, where he was the Group Head of Procurement and Supply Chain for the European region.
His last position was as Project Manager on “Elephant Artworks” which is a pop up box park creating niche low cost rental retail spaces using recycled shipping containers.
Nigel won a global safety award from Lend Lease in 2009 for the “Best Collaboration project” for improving the safety management systems for their top 150 supply chain companies . Nigel was one of two founders of” BuildingConfidence” an industry wide supply chain accreditation scheme and in 2010 which is now utilised by 18 main contractors in the UK to prequalify their supply chain.
In 2011 he won the BiTC exemplar project for “Responsible Sourcing” in all industries in the UK and along with “Fair Trade” went through to the European Responsible Business Awards. Also in 2011, Nigel was one of the 7 founder members of the “Supply Chain Sustainability School”. An online training resource for the SME community within the construction industry.
In 2012 Nigel was named as an industry game changer for his work in progressing “Responsible Sourcing and Sustainable Procurement” in the UK construction industry. Prior to joining HS2 Nigel was a member of the Lafarge Tarmac Sustainability Panel, where he was the responsible procurement expert.
Nigel is also a part time lecturer at Sheffield university, where he lectures on Global Procurement in their MSC programme.
Michele is the Commercial and Business Partnerships Manager at the re:centre for the Circular Economy at the University of Bradford.
She has a background in partnership development and has worked extensively with companies such as: Coca Cola, Beecham Group, The Pacific Institute and Common Purpose.
Her role is to initiate and develop resilient partnerships with innovative organisations where there is a desire to build Circular Economy capacity and grasp the opportunities. Her passion is to facilitate business to work effectively with the University and enable organisations to transfer Circular Economy theory into practice.
Haribo - Managing Director. Herwig Vennekens joined Dunhills Ltd (HARIBO) in 2007, taking the position of Managing Director for the UK’s leading gums and jellies brand, overseeing double digit growth year-on-year and the construction of a £92m factory, which is set to create hundreds of job opportunities and economic prosperity in the region.
As a result of the success of HARIBO UK, becoming the number one confectionery brand in the UK, Herwig has also been appointed to the international marketing board and is Managing Director, Marketing and Strategy, for the Scandinavian countries.
Mr Vennekens started his career at Procter and Gamble, progressing to Marketing Manager for Vicks in Europe and Commercial Head for distributor managed markets in France and Italy.
In 1999 he became Managing Partner in a privately owned management consultancy in Germany before joining McCormick Ltd in 2002. As Commercial Director Northern Europe and later Director of Business Development Europe, Mr Vennekens was responsible for sales and marketing programmes across the region.
Kirklees College - Deputy Principal. June Durrant has spent most of her career in adult and further education, culminating in her recent appointment as deputy principal at Kirklees College. June has a passion for skills development and ensuring that the college truly is employer-ledwhen developing its curriculum. June also shares the college’s focus on ensuring all students leave college ‘job-ready’, and equipped with the wider employability skills that employers need.
Sophie Jewett is the owner of York Cocoa House, a chocolate emporium where guests are invited to discover the magic and mystery of chocolate and indulge in a feast for all of the senses in the heart of York, the Chocolate City. A career in hospitality, event management, marketing and PR underpinned by a love of food, chocolate and York created the idea of York Cocoa House which opened in 2011.
Sophie is passionate about creativity and community collaborations and is inspired by the philanthropic chocolate makers of the past and the desire in us all to play in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Sophie leads several courses with the University of York Adult Education based on the social, political & economic history of chocolate, is a lead member of the UK Guild of Fine Chocolate, sits on the Leeds City Region Business, Innovation and Growth Panel, CBI Enterprise Forum, Regional Council and is an Enterprise Ambassador working with local schools.
Helen is Managing Director for Johnston Press Yorkshire and Scotsman Publications; multi media publishers of news brands The Yorkshire Post, Yorkshire Evening Post, Harrogate Advertiser, Scarborough News, Wakefield Express, Halifax Courier, The Scotsman, Edinburgh Evening News and Scotland on Sunday.
Against the backdrop of a fast changing media environment the flagship brands The Yorkshire Post and The Scotsman are being constantly evolved to appeal to emergent markets in the new Scotland and in post TDF confident Yorkshire.
Under her leadership online commerce and audiences are growing rapidly and a new marketing solutions business had been launched ; Digital Kit Bag.
Helen started her career in advertising sales in 1986 and has worked for numerous publishing groups up until her appointment into her new role last September.
Director - NIS. Gill was the third generation of her family to work at the Sellafield Nuclear site, starting as a teenage Junior Process Worker, before training as a Health Physics monitor and moving to Calder Hall as a Team Leader in 1994.
At Calder her career changed direction when she joined the cooling tower demolition project, undertaking the role of managing the multiple and complex Stakeholders. This culminated in 2007 with the successful explosive demolition of the towers where, as one of the project execution team, she was fortunate enough to have a ring side seat.
The end of this project saw her look for a new challenge and in 2008 Gill left Sellafield to join NIS who specialise in the design and manufacture of bespoke plant and equipment, primarily for the nuclear industry.
Gill was appointed to the NIS board of directors in 2011, and in 2012 was awarded the UK National Nuclear Skills award for outstanding leadership for her work in support of the national skills agenda. Gill is still an active STEM ambassador, member and supporter of Women In Nuclear, Chair of the nuclear industries innovative Give2Gain employer ownership project and also a board member of the National Skills Academy for Nuclear Manufacturing.
CEO & Chairman at Team Humber Marine Alliance. Mark, a seasoned Industrialist, has over 25 years experience in the Industrial/Engineering sector with significant UK and International expertise of Strategy, Business Development, Marketing and Export. Mark is a member of the Regional Advisory Board for EEF The Manufacturers' Organisation, Humber LEP Marketing Group, Humber University Technical College - Project Steering Group, Governor at North Lindsey College.
For the past 6 years Mark has been focused on the Marine & Offshore industries particularly around opportunities in the "OffshoreWind" sector endeavouring to involve local and regional companies in the supply chain. He has grown Team Humber Marine Alliance into a self sustaining Business Development organisation with 200 member companies. Mark is a manufacturing evangelist, advocate of renewable energy and passionate about collaborative working.
Mike is Managing Director and shareholder of Ossett Brewery, a fast growing Regional Brewery with 24 pubs and venues in Yorkshire. He is a British and Australian citizen and lived in Australia and Japan for 20 years working for the Virgin Group of companies expanding retail, cinema and other Virgin companies to the Far East. His first experience in this sector was opening a pub with Richard Branson in Tokyo’s Narita called the “Barge Inn” which is how Virgin is pronounced in Japanese.
Ossett Brewery remains on a rapid expansion plan and Mike is intent on making sure that Ossett Brewery continues to work towards circularity throughout its brewery, pubs and venues.
Adrian is a co-founder of Gener8 Green, providing innovative demand reduction and energy generation/supply solutions.
With an extensive and highly effective background in the British Army Corps of Royal Engineers as a multi skilled Combat and Technical Engineer, Adrian played a significant role in contributing to their effectiveness in both peacetime and on operations.
In key support roles, he helped in the implementation of infrastructure, such as transportation routes, runways, military camps, post-conflict reconstruction and humanitarian support in the form of water production, electrical supply and critical infrastructures for Military operations in combat zones around the world at the same time taking up the gold standard training opportunities which the service provided.
This experience has led to a proven track record in setting-up and supporting energy-related companies specialising in both energy demand reduction and on-site or renewables generation as well as consulting for a diverse range of private sector organisations.
A no-nonsense and direct approach has built confidence with clients especially within farming communities where a cultural, technical and commercial understanding of needs is vital as is thinking outside the box and a demonstrable passion for innovative energy solutions on both the supply and demand side of the equation.
This has translated into commercial opportunities with commercial sector clients.
Adrian brings a wealth of technical experience and has consulted for some of the largest organisations in the world; he innovates and pushes the boundaries and is forever learning his trade and expanding his network of trusted contacts.
Adrian is currently working on a 5 Year Carbon Reduction Plan for a major Blue Chip client with a portfolio of over 500 high-energy use locations across the UK.
A strong track record which is highly informed, flexible and focusses entirely on customer needs and benefits providing a major USP over competitors.
Tracey Grindal is the Canada network lead for Energy (oil & gas, LNG, pipelines, renewables) and Mining. She has been with UKTI Calgary since June 2007 and has focused on these sectors throughout her time with UKTI. While located in Calgary, Tracey covers onshore and offshore, conventional and unconventional activities in the sector including the oil sands. Prior to UKTI, Tracey worked for over 10 years in the tourism industry conducting research for the city of Calgary. She was born in Sedgefield, County Durham and lived in New Marske, close to Redcar, before emigrating with her family when she was nearly thirteen.
Emma Shiel is a Trade Advisor for UK Trade & Investment at the British Embassy in Dublin. Emma works on a broad range of sectors and at present specialises in Food & Drink, Clothing Footwear & Fashion, Leisure & Tourism and Agriculture.
Prior to joining the Embassy in March 2014, Emma worked for Enterprise Ireland, assisting Irish companies in their endeavours to export to France.
Emma attended Trinity College, Dublin, where she obtained an Honours Degree in Business Studies & French.
Sean is Chairman of BECBC (Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster) and an independent executive consultant, specialising in commercial matters, from contracts, incentivisation and tendering to high level negotiations and project management. Sean was formerly at the NDA, for 9 years, where he was Commercial Director for the last 4. Prior to this he was Head of Commercial Revenue and Projects with overall responsibility for revenue management of a portfolio in the region of £1.2 billion per annum from across the NDA estate.
In addition, Sean was the Senior Responsible Officer for the asset disposals including the surplus land at Wylfa, Oldbury, Bradwell and Sellafield the disposal of Springfields to Westinghouse, and Capenhurst Site to URENCO.
Sean has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA. He has more than 20 years of engineering and commercial experience and has worked for most of his career in contracting for a variety of industries.
Sean is also a Non-Executive Board Member of INSPIRA, and joint owner of three family owned businesses.
Cummins Turbo Technologies - Europe, Middle East and Africa Purchasing Leader. Paul has been with Cummins Turbo Technologies for 17 years, all of which has been spent in Purchasing. His key focus objectives are to develop local supply bases to meet the needs of High Variety Low Volume requirements
Wm Morrisons Supermarkets - Category Director. Fraser began his career in Wm Morrison back in 2008 having worked with Nissan for 7 years previously. He has a wide range of experience across many product lines and now heads up the Core Grocery Category. Quoted as being a “humble Yorkshire man”, Fraser is an award winner across the organisation for “Bringing the Best out of Our People 2014” and he is looking forward to bringing out the best of Yorkshire Suppliers at Manufactured Yorkshire.
He plays rugby for Wharfedale Rugby Club, likes mountain biking and has recently become the proud father of a baby girl.
Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre - Business Development Director. Stuart has worked in the nuclear sector since for 25 years, both for site operators and in the supply chain. His early career was dominated by technical roles in waste management and decommissioning whilst in the last decade, he has held senior positions at a range of companies, focusing on business development in the nuclear and engineering sectors where he achieved successful company growth. In 2014 he was appointed Business Development Director for the Nuclear AMRC, the leading centre for manufacturing innovation and nuclear supply chain development within the UK.
Pera Consulting (UK) Ltd - Chief Executive. John has been at the leading edge of economic development and business support nationally and internationally for 20 years, working collaboratively to connect the public and private sectors and drive progress and innovation.
John likes life at the commercial coal face, analysing governments' complex challenges and creating powerful integrated solutions and harnessing his management experience and motivational leadership style to guide companies through change to growth.
From his early career at the Department of Employment, John has been immersed in the world of government-funded business support. Regional roles followed, enabling him to build his experience through the coordination of employment and training services, the management of support services for small firms and the leadership of public bodies providing skills, enterprise and business support programmes.
Aagrah Group of Restaurants - Managing Director and Executive Chef. Aagrah is UK and Europe’s largest Kashmiri restaurant chain.
Prime Minster David Cameron honoured Mohammed Aslam MBE with a Special Recognition accolade at The British Curry Awards 2013. The prestigious award acknowledges his significant contributions to services to industry. The 2000 strong audience gave a rapturous standing ovation to Mohammed Aslam in appreciation of his commitment and dedication.
Just over three decades ago Kashmiri Cuisine was virtually unheard of in the UK. Thanks to Mohammed Aslam from the Aagrah Group of restaurants it has become one of the most popular Asian food types in Yorkshire, rapidly picking up new and dedicated fans all over the UK. It is now seen as a distinct area of cuisine, not just another type of ‘Indian’ food and Aslam is credited by many for spreading that crucial awareness.
A hard, stoical work ethic, keen sense of humour, innovation, philanthropic attitude and an overwhelming determination to succeed has reaped rewards for Aslam and his Aagrah business has had a hugely positive impact on the communities in which it operates. From humble beginnings, this group of 15 restaurants, a multi million pound purpose built conference and banqueting centre, The Midpoint suite, is on the border of Leeds and Bradford, seating 450.
Aslam is also the vision behind Aagrah’s home dining experience. He produced the recipes for Aagrah’s Tarka Cooking Sauces. The sauces were launched 2011 in Tesco and Asda, these have proved to be hugely popular. The range has since expanded further with new sauces added as well as Chutnies, Pickles and Marinades.
The company employs 450 staff.
Seabroook Crisps - Marketing Director.
A graduate with BA (Hons) Marketing who started his career in tobacco working in Russia and Central Asia before moving to a UK based brand marketing role within the same industry. A classically trained FMCG marketer who then joined the pharmaceutical division of Reckitt Benckiser in 2006 before moving to Kellogg’s as a Marketing Manager in 2009. Joined Seabrook in September 2012.
Owner - The Spiced Pear. Even as a Yorkshire school boy, chef Tim Bilton – of The Spiced Pear Hepworth – lived and breathed great British food. From his early days working as a kitchen porter in the school holidays, peeling and washing huge sacks of carrots and potatoes, he was aware of the importance of quality produce and ingredients.
After two years training under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons he returned to his roots as head chef at Bibis Italian Restaurant in Leeds city centre and, in 2008, took on The Butchers Arms in Hepworth, transforming it from a failing business into a family-friendly dining pub with British food at its heart.
Passionate about simple, sustainable food, his policy was (and remains) to use ingredients from within a 75 miles radius – with neighbouring gardeners even dropping off their trugs of local vegetables and fruit on his doorstep – and a flurry of awards followed including a Deliciouslyorkshire for ‘The Best Use of Regional Produce on the Menu’, beating off stiff competition from 450 other entries, ‘Best Gastropub’ at the Great British Pub Awards and a listing in The Good Food Guide.
At every opportunity, he would shout about British (and Yorkshire) food, first by representing the North East in two seasons of the BBC’s Great British Menu, and then as ‘2011-12 Deliciouslyorkshire Champion’ – the official ambassador of Yorkshire food and drink. He also reinstated the local Hepworth Feast, bringing families and community members together through regional food and music at a truly local event.
In May 2013, Tim opened The Spiced Pear in Sheffield Road turning it into Yorkshire’s destination fine dining restaurant, vintage tearoom and cocktail bar, with a Yorkshire Tasting Menu, offering bespoke bites from the local area. Awards for his best of British food have included Deliciouslyorkshire ‘Best Afternoon Tea’, Yorkshire Life‘Newcomer of the Year’ and ‘Chef of the Year’, and ‘Readers Restaurant of the Year for the North East’ from theWaitrose Good Food Guide 2015.
Despite the accolades, however, the team’s focus remains on the produce, which continues to be sourced from a band of loyal, local British suppliers, made using pure, artisan or traditional methods, with minimal intervention and lashings of skill and craftsmanship. Suppliers include Shepherd’s Purse, Greedy Little Pig, Ampleforth Cider, Cannon Hall Farm, Round Green Farm, and the list goes on.
With a Raymond Blanc-inspired allotment plot, which supplies fully traceable herbs, salads and fruit, it’s hoped the restaurant will be fully sustainable by 2015 with ingredients grown even closer to home!
Rupert Parsons, Managing Director of Womersley Fruit and Herb Vinegars, took over his family business in 2009 and has since transformed the business by rationalising the product range, developing the brand and reviewing his routes to market. He has also recently secured Somerset Cuisine, the food branch of Crabtree & Evelyn, as his manufacturing partner. Rupert is now driving growth based on the rich history and heritage that stemmed from his father’s passion for gardening in his own fruit and herb garden at Womersley Hall near Pontefract.
Andrew Sutulic is the Manufacturing Director of Polyseam Ltd, Huddersfield; the Manufacturing and R&D Centre for the international group of Polyseam companies.
Educated and working as a design engineer in the textile industry, then moving into the supply and sales of pumping equipment, followed by ten years of business to business sales in the chemical industry before forming Polyseam in 1993, with two colleagues, as a supplier of private label sealants, adhesives and fillers, with the role of Managing Director.
As a result of the recent acquisition of Polyseam by a major customer in Norway, Andrew is now the Manufacturing Director of the site in Huddersfield which is shortly to be moved to a local new purpose built facility which will produce Polyseams Protecta branded high performance passive fire protection products and Graft branded construction sealants.
Peter is Director of the University’s Centre for the Circular Economy, based in the new £6M re:centre, a cross-university research and business engagement centre focused on innovation, enterprise and strategy around resources, materials and energy within industrial economies.
He is also Director of the academic collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, leading the new online MBA in Innovation, Enterprise and Circular Economy, as well as the Executive Education course for the Global CE100.
His primary focus is to help businesses to develop new Circular Economy strategies to support organisational resilience, especially in areas around remanufacturing and developing new business models.
Approved Foods - Founder. Starting off as market traders in Hull and Doncaster, Dan Cluderay and his wife Nichola progressed into food wholesale, supplying other market traders. From wholesale they moved into a number of retail outlets that supplied both the public and wholesale trade and finally Approved Food was born in 2009.
Dan may be known for appearing on "Dragon's Den" in February 2015 where he was ousted from the Den - only to come up trumps with £400k investment the day after the show was aired from a Yorkshire Company.
Approved Foods has recently been named as one of the Top 500 UK Internet Retailers.
Asda - Senior Buying Manager. Rick has spent his career in various buying roles with Asda, massing up a wealth of experience across many product lines. In his spare time, he enjoys crossfit, cycling and snowboarding.
Barry Sheerman is the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Huddersfield, having first been elected in 1979.
He was formerly Chairman of the Education and Skills Select Committee from 2001 – 2007, and then the Children, Schools and Families Committee from 2007 - 2010.
Barry currently Co-Chairs the Skills Commission which is conducting an enquiry into the quality of vocational education in the UK. He is also leading on the Tristram Hunt review of ‘Schools to Work’, a commission looking at equipping young people to leave education with relevant work force qualifications.
Having started his professional life as a University Lecturer, he is currently a visiting Professor at the Institute of Education, London University, and is also a visiting Professor in Social Enterprise at Huddersfield University.
Barry is an energetic social and political entrepreneur having initiated over 30 different social enterprises over the past 20 years. Currently he is Chairman of independent think-tank Policy Connect and involved closely with the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety, Urban Mines (an environmental charity), The John Clare Trust and The Dominic Rodgers Trust.
Director of Research, University of Cambridge. Steve spent 12 years in industry, becoming Professor of Life Cycle Engineering at Cranfield University in 1998 and has recently joined University of Cambridge. He is Director of the national EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Industrial Sustainability. His research seeks a deep understanding of how industry brings environmental and social sustainability concerns into its design and manufacturing practices, with a duel emphasis on urgent & practical change now and system level change that offers hope for a sustainable future.
His work includes sustainable factories, food systems for people with reduced access to food, and cars with water for exhaust that do 280mpg (equivalent).
Steve has acted as Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords on Waste Reduction, is Board Member of the Centre for Sustainable Engineering and is a Partner in two cleantech start-ups.
Alasdair is the Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA). CECA is the representative body for the UK’s civil engineering contractors, who build and maintain the nation’s critical infrastructure networks in the key sectors of transport, energy, water, waste, and communications. CECA represents over 300 contractors of all sizes, covering approximately 80% of the civil engineering market in Great Britain. CECA members employ close to 200,000 people, deliver work worth around £15 billion every year, and build or maintain infrastructure that provides the basis for economic sustainability and quality of life in communities across the country.
Krisztina has been with the UK Trade & Investment Section of the British Embassy in Hungary for nearly ten years. In her current position she manages the CEE Advanced Manufacturing (AM) Campaign team – colleagues from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia (TBC), and Slovenia.
The CEE AM campaign team works with British companies that are interested in doing business in the CEE region. Team members continuously seek opportunities for UK businesses in their respective markets and attend trade shows to engage with potential clients.
Sectors of interest:
All those knowledge and capital intensive industries, where advanced technology / machinery / equipment / solution are required in the production phase. These include:
Greg Watkins has lived and worked in Thailand for 23 years. For 18 years he has been Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT), one of the leading overseas BritChams in UKTI’s Overseas Business Network initiative. Prior to leaving UK he was desk officer for Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei in two separate postings at the Department of Trade and Industry in London. He was also Marketing Director at Tara Siam Business Information, a business research company in Bangkok, for 5 years before joining BCCT.
There are opportunities for British businesses across a diverse range of sectors including agri-business, food processing, food & drink, consumer products, automotive (leading manufacturer in South East Asia, 9th largest in the world), advanced engineering and aerospace, renewable energy, oil and gas, services (business, financial and professional), broadcasting and ICT and education and skills (especially vocational training and English language).
Christopher Plant is CEO of the British Slovak Business Centre and a successful entrepreneur who specialises in marketing and business solutions. Chris was born in the UK and has been living and working in Central Europe for over 20 years. He has lived in Germany, Austria and Slovakia. His work portfolio has included many high-level clients, including the United Nations, the European Patent Office, and the Lear Corporation. The British Slovak Business Centre is an incubator for British business in the Slovak Republic.
Christopher heads the British Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic and is the CEO of the British Slovak Business Centre, a fast-moving growth centre that connects British small- and medium-sized businesses to the Slovak market. The BSBC, a joint initiative of the British Chamber of Commerce in the Slovak Republic and UKTI (UK Trade and Investment, offers immediate market insight and guidance to UK business interested in export to Slovakia and inward investment. The BSBC provides start-up guidance, market promotion, tailored advisory services, and business intelligence support to assist British business achieve and maintain a foothold in the local market.
Chris owned and directed a marketing consulting company for twenty-three years prior to this role. During this time, he developed innovative approaches to market visibility, branding, project management, and internal structure and processes. In this role, Chris is responsible for administering the UKTI Overseas Business Networks Programme, fostering bilateral trade and investment solutions between the United Kingdom and Slovakia, and supporting the members of the British Chamber of Commerce. Chris takes an active role in British and Central European business communities and his expertise in business and marketing strategy, corporate branding, and management have proven invaluable to British business in Slovakia.
Eva is Market Adviser for UKTI Iceland and provides essential support for UKTI, manages trade activities at the British Embassy in Reykjavik, researches market opportunities, retains market access and adds value to UK foreign exports.
Main sectors covered include consumer goods, especially food and drink, life sciences, ICT and energy (renewables).
Head of Manufacturing Policy - Business Innovation & Skills
Caroline has worked on economic development policy in Government for the last 10 years. She has led the Manufacturing Policy Team in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills since 2011, running the annual BIS Manufacturing Summit and most recently leading work on the 2015 Manufacturing Supply Chains Action Plan. Prior to that Caroline worked in regional and local growth policy in both DCLG and BIS including leading on Local Enterprise Partnerships policy for BIS immediately after the last election.
Head of Manufacturing, Santander UK
Charles joined Santander in 2010 as Head of Asset Management in the newly created Asset Finance picking up a £1billion portfolio of assets and transitioning the business from a ‘wheels based’ operation to one capable of servicing the full range of corporate and commercial customers. He later went on to run Santander Asset Finance and ultimately fully integrated it within the regional bank network. He was appointed to Head of Manufacturing at the end of 2013, where he is responsible for ensuring Santander has the products and service delivery manufacturers need to drive their businesses forward.
Charles is a qualified Chartered Surveyor. Prior to joining Santander Charles held a variety of roles, he worked for a number of years as European Sales Manager for Henry Butcher, one of the premier asset disposal and valuation companies in the world and latterly for Gordon Brothers, the US based leverage private equity house where he ran their European consultancy business.
British Romanian Chamber of Commerce - with an expertise in marketing and public relations and leveraging her wide experience in event management, Cristina has put her passion for communication and business networking and joined the Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Romania and initiated key events for the Swiss business community in Romania.
She has recently taken on a new challenge, i.e. providing research and market entry assistance to UK small and medium-sized Enterprises interested in exporting to or investing in Romania and Poland, as part of a large-scale global project in conjunction with the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
The aim is to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK to export to and invest on the Romanian market - especially in the following sectors:
ICT, Food & Drink, Manufacturing, Engineering, Textiles
Vice Consul, Food, Beverage & Retail, UKTI Chicago - Charlie Shields has been with the BCG Chicago since June 2010. After serving a variety of roles, he now heads up the Food, Beverage, and Retail team in UK Trade & Investment. Prior to BCG Chicago, he served in the US Peace Corps in Azerbaijan for 4 years. His spare time is spent traveling, learning languages, reviewing and photographing music concerts, and working on starting his own specialty pickle business.
Steve Barnes is Director of Economics & Commercial Services, Foof & Drink Federation.
Responsible for policy on exports and supply chain as well as membership and the development of new income streams.
Previously Business Director at IGD delivering events, customised projects, online services and training courses internationally.
Anthony Holley is the regional leader for the national waste management company Biffa in Yorkshire.
Biffa Yorkshire is an integrated waste management business providing collection, treatment, recycling and technologically-driven energy generation services. Through the expertise of its people and investment in technology they promote and deliver sustainable waste management solutions.
In the region, Biffa operates through a network of collection depots and treatment facilities in Sheffield, York, Leeds, Bradford, Dewsbury and Brighouse.
As a Chartered Waste Manager and with over a decade of experience in the waste and recycling industry he has helped successfully steer the business to be one of the largest waste management companies in the region.
Currently completing an MBA at Warwick Business School the top priorities on his agenda are safety within the industry and creating circular economy solutions for local businesses.
“Biffa is committed to helping their customers to recycle as much waste as possible, helping to guide them toward circular economy solutions.” says Anthony. He goes on to explain that “This has been achieved by Biffa revolutionising its recycling services, to provide their customers with increased recycling capabilities and provide outlets for energy to waste solutions.”
James Devitt works for the University of Huddersfield, Research and Enterprise Team helping to support business collaborations and engagement with the University. He has a particular interest in supporting the future development of manufacturing sector. James’ strategic thinking and the ability to form good relationships helps facilitate connections with businesses regionally, nationally and internationally.
James sits on the management team and supports the future development of the successful 3M Buckley Innovation Centre in Huddersfield. He is an economic development professional with an in depth knowledge of the economy and the local business community. Until recently he was the Economic Strategy Manager for Kirklees Council. James also has a strong association with the wider region and leads in developing inward investment activity for the manufacturing sector within the Leeds City Region.
Teresa has worked with Total Foodservice for 18 years (then Howarth Foodservice of Huddersfield). Starting her career with the company as a telesales operator she has progressed her career and is now the Company Sales Manager. Teresa manages a team of 4 Regional and Office Managers, 9 Business Development Executives and 12 Telesales Executives. She also manages group account customers with over a £1million turnover.
BGS - MAS Nuclear Sector specialist. John is a lean manufacturing specialist with hands on improvement implementation experience, a sound technical background, and over 25 years’ experience of implementing quality systems and lean practices for multi-national first tier suppliers to the nuclear, aerospace, automotive and sectors.
John is highly accomplished in business and process analysis techniques which lead to improvements in all areas of a company. Previously John was employed as a Senior Consultant for WCS International, creating strategies for improvement and implementing the changes throughout many major blue chip companies.
He has been involved in over 130 projects in a wide range of sectors and has identified and achieved combined savings within SME clients of over £30 million.
John is the Nuclear Sector specialist at the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) now part of the Business Growth Service.
Business Growth Services (MAS) - Regional Manager. Steve is a highly experienced Manufacturing Professional, with a background in manufacturing operations and continuous improvement with major Blue Chip companies. His strength is his drive and passion for improving business performance and a pragmatic approach, making a difference to a company.
From a background in the specialist pre-print industry he has worked in the Food, Chemical and Printing industries. Steve specialises in Business Improvement through various and appropriate Lean Techniques including Process Mapping, Management Information Systems, Operational Improvements, SMED, Route Cause Analysis, Six Sigma etc. He also has a vast experience in managing manufacturing business.
E3 Recruitment - Director. Tracie has worked in engineering and manufacturing recruitment for the last 15 years and holds over 20 year’s recruitment experience with knowledge and expertise across Automotive, Energy & Utilities, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Machinery & Components, FMCG, Food, Renewable Energy, Packaging, Facilities Management, Public Sector, Petro-chemical, Aerospace Industries
Tracie is a dedicated Director/Business Partner with excellent attention to detail and listening skills and a determination to do the best for both her clients and candidates.
Having built and maintained lasting relationships with companies which include a wide portfolio of returning clients she has an ability to source and attract key personnel in hard to fill roles.
Starting her career as a consultant Tracie very quickly mapped a path into management working with SME and blue chip organisations in the Recruitment Industry renowned for building result driven teams and mentoring and developing consultants to deliver consistent results. Instrumental in new business start-ups within the Engineering Manufacturing Recruitment Arena.
In 2013 Tracie choose to go into partnership with 3 other likeminded, driven individuals to reposition Engineering Recruitment by launching E3 Recruitment. The business since then has grown from strength to strength working closely with Clients and candidates offering solutions that truly add value to all areas of business and career development.
Jay currently holds the position of Head of Machining Group at the Nuclear AMRC, responsible for advanced machining, metrology, portable manufacture and leading a team of highly motivated engineers. He is a member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He studied at Bradford University and holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Manufacturing Engineering, he also studied Mechanical and Production Engineering at Wakefield College. Prior to his appointment at the Nuclear AMRC he started his career as an engineering apprentice and spent 14 years heavily involved in production engineering; servicing the aerospace, mining, medical and general engineering sectors.
Lesley Gulliver is Brand Strategy Director at The Engine Room - the Huddersfield-based award winning design and brand agency. With twenty years’ industry experience, she is a highly experienced brand strategist – always remaining focused on clients’ commercial objectives and staying grounded to project drivers. Lesley is also one of a small number of Design Associates for The Design Council – the national strategic body for design.
Value Exchange - Founder and Owner. BA (Hons) Dip DM IPM Dip MCIM Chartered Marketer
Luan Wise is an independent marketing practitioner, with 15 years experience in full service agency, client side and consultancy roles.
Highly qualified, Luan has a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree from Sheffield Business School, postgraduate diplomas from the Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing (IDM) and Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM) plus the CAM Award for Digital Marketing Planning.
In 2012 Luan achieved Chartered Marketer status and was nominated on of the UK¹s Top 50 Creative Freelancers by industry publication The Drum. In 2015 Luan was included in Insider South West's 42 under 42 list of the region's brightest business talent. LinkedIn also named her amongst the Top Five best connected marketers (International Women's Day 2015).
Luan is a strong advocate of industry best practice and sits on the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Council for West & Wales, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) South West board and chairs the CIM Gloucestershire team. Luan has judged a number of industry awards including the DMA¹s and Customer Experience Awards.
Luan has worked for clients of all sizes, from household names such as Hilton and University of Cambridge to the kinds of companies that are big in their field but unknown to the wider world. As Marketing Manager for a B2B organisation in the marketing services sector she supported sales growth from £3m turnover to £60m turnover over 5 years (featuring in the Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 two years running).
Gary Scott is a member of the Management Committee, National Account Manager and occasional Truck Loader & receptionist at Suma Wholefoods.
Suma Wholefoods - National Account Manager. Suma is a specialist wholesaler of Organic, Fairtrade, Natural and Vegetarian products based in Elland, however Suma is no ordinary wholesaler; they are the world's largest equal-pay Workers' Cooperative and one of the most sought after organisations within our region to work for. Suma has managed to mix business with ethics for nearly 40 years, whilst remaining commercially viable. With no traditional management structure and a 200 strong multi-skilled workforce, Suma still produce a profit with a turnover of £44m. But how do they do it?
Halifax Courier Employer of the Year Award winners, Suma, has a lengthy list of non-traditional principles and are strong proponents of real employee engagement.
Brought up on the Holmewood Estate in Bradford, Gary has a varied career including 8 years as a soldier, as a Marketing Manager for the Youth Hostel Association, an Arts Centre Manager and eventually ran his own business in the eco-tourism industry.
He also spent many years working abroad with the UN, and has led fund raising efforts for causes such as Oxfam, Haiti Earthquake, Romanian Street Children, and his special cause - a Palestinian Childrens' Hospital in East Jerusalem. After a recent foray into the world of local politics, Gary is The Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Halifax in the May elections.
Jonathan is National Head of Santander’s Breakthrough Programme.
Breakthrough is Santander’s unique and innovative way of helping ambitious businesses grow and prosper, through support with Funding, Knowledge, Talent, International Trade and Connections.
A career banker, Jonathan has experience of a wide range of banking matters. Most recently, Jonathan opened the Santander Huddersfield Commercial Banking office, bringing Santander’s offering to Kirklees and Calderdale. “We are absolutely passionate about helping businesses realise their dreams, delivering a great customer experience and building long term relationships. Using our scale, expertise, partnerships and global network, we are opening the strength of Santander to the benefit of our customers and helping them achieve their next Breakthrough”.
Alex McWhirter is Chief Executive of Finance Yorkshire, the investment fund for growing businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber.
A professional engineer, he spent eleven years working in the engineering industry in various global locations before working in the public sector.
Prior to his role with Finance Yorkshire, Alex was Assistant Director of Business at Yorkshire Forward. He was responsible for Access to Finance, including Enterprise and Business Start Up, Finance and Investment Readiness initiatives, Grant for Business Investment, Grant for Research and Development, and the Rural Development Programme for England.
Previously, Alex worked at Scottish Enterprise, the main economic development agency for Scotland, and with Scottish Trade International, the international trade development agency in Scotland.
He was responsible for operational activities and networks in specific international markets, and for the provision of financial assistance to companies increasing their international business prospects and competitiveness.
In his current role, Alex works closely with the Finance Yorkshire Board and Fund Managers to provide much needed investment to SME's across Yorkshire and the Humber.
Finance Yorkshire provides seedcorn, loan and equity linked investments, ranging from £15,000 to £2m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to meet their funding requirements for growth and development.
Simon Bedford has worked on contract for UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for over 10 years. In this time Simon has worked with more than 600 companies discussing the company’s strategy, assessing the appropriate “route to market” options and supporting their developments.
During this period Simon has co-written a range of guides for UKTI on subjects including Overseas Joint Ventures, Successful Licensing, Selling Services Overseas, and International Trade – An Accountant’s Guide. His book “Exporting Made Easy” is a practical guide to selling overseas through agents and distributors.
Simon has in depth knowledge of a wide range of markets from Europe and the USA, to the Middle East and South East Asia. He worked for many years in the international division of a Belgian multinational.
Simon is an Associate Lecturer in International Business and Marketing at Sheffield Hallam University.
Chris Buesnel has worked as a loss adjuster for over 30 years. He is currently employed by Crawford and Company as a senior adjuster within their Large and Complex Loss team.
In this capacity he has responsibility as a lead adjuster for managing claims on behalf of Insurers in conjunction with a team of experts and specialists where required.
Chris is also often called upon to assist and provide advice on technical aspects of insurance coverage and to share knowledge with claims handlers contributing to training programmes.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (FCILA)
Department for Transport - Local Authority and LEP Engagement. Mark began his working life in manufacturing, working as a production manager in both the clothing and plastics industry before leaving to join the civil service at the age of 30. Initially joining the Department for Employment, he has spent his civil service career working in Yorkshire, having been involved in youth and adult training and then business development grants. Since 2001 he has worked on the transport agenda, first for the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber and then directly for the Department for Transport.
Institute for Collaborative Working - Associate Director. Bill brings his extensive experience from the military, industry and academia to support the ICW in developing effective business relationships and collaborations.
With a RAF career of 20 years Bill became the most senior uniformed expert in special technical areas and a trusted intelligence officer. He had several aircraft front line command tours responsible for aircraft availability, and was the MoD Integrated Project Team leader for the procurement and management of airborne equipment. He became a Visiting Professor at the prestigious and world class Cranfield University (Defence Academy) lecturing on defence technologies, and formed and then served as Managing Director of a leading and prestigious new defence business changing the culture from a manufacturing led to market leading and customer focused business exporting world wide – later reaching the position of Group Vice President holding Directorships in the UK, US and Aus. In parallel with the operational duties Bill held a Directorship in a leading, not for profit, Trade Association and was a Chairman of a SME company specialising in Simulation and Training.
Bill is established as a highly successful business management consultant, where he provides deep insight, expertise and advice to businesses that are forming alliances and joint ventures, and who are bidding into and operating in the Defence, Rail, Government and Nuclear Industry.
Sannam S4 - International Business Development Director. Specialist Emerging Market Entry company Sannam S4 offers its clients a comprehensive support eco-system in key markets such as India, Brazil and China and has helped hundreds of manufacturing organisations make significant inroads into some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Keith is, therefore, perfectly placed to advise on the challenges and opportunities to be found in these emerging markets and will walk you through some of the common pitfalls companies make when expanding internationally. He is an internationally recognised speaker on this topic and is happy to answer any questions and conduct one-to-one clinics throughout the exhibition.
E3 Recruitment - Director. James has worked within the manufacturing and engineering recruitment industry for over 10 years, specifically account managing and providing recruitment based solutions to a number of leading International, UK and regional engineering and manufacturing businesses. Being a solution based recruiter, James can demonstrate vast experience working upon contingency, retained and branded advertised search and selection campaigns, placing skilled engineering and technical professionals, from shop floor through to senior level executives.
Demonstrable experience within the following market sectors: Automotive, Energy & Utilities, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Machinery & Components, FMCG, Food, Renewable Energy, Packaging, Facilities Management, Public Sector, Petro-chemical, Aerospace.
Key core skills within, Candidate Acquisition, Business Development, Recruitment and Employment Law (permanent & contract/temporary), Marketing and Strategic Business Management. Strategic Business Planning - Corporate Strategy, underpinned by leading and managing teams of recruitment professionals within Manufacturing, Engineering and Technical markets.
re:centre for the Circular Economy - Educational Designer. Will is a member of the team working in the re:centre for the Circular Economy at the University of Bradford. His roles include teaching and research into Higher Education practice, and supporting academic staff in the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning.
Over the past 4 years he has worked on the University partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation designing and delivering online courses on the Circular Economy for managers and other key people in some of the top global companies in the World. His background is in Biology and Environmental Science.
Corporate Partner - Blacks Solicitors LLP
Ian leads Grant Thornton's Innovation Group in the North based in the Manchester office. The Innovation Group is a national team consisting of R&D tax specialists with sector expertise
Ian is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser and has been working in corporate tax for over 14 years
Ian has gained significant R&D tax relief experience over the past 8 years since HMRC created their R&D specialist units. He has provided R&D tax advice to listed and large corporates across a variety of industries including engineering, nuclear and food & beverage
Ian has developed a good relationship with HMRC's R&D specialists. Ian is a regular speaker at seminars and conferences and represents Grant Thornton at the highest levels with the HMRC Specialist Units and with the Treasury
Ian also advises companies on claiming tax relief where they use Patents in their business.
Value Exchange - Founder and Owner. Nigel is an experienced multi-channel Marketing Technologist, with over thirty years experience in combining the best of Marketing with the best of Technology to drive improved business performance and ROI from marketing spend through integrated Digital Business & Marketing Strategies. He recently was amongst the first to graduate on the Google Squared Digital Marketing course.
Working for a wide variety of clients, from one-man businesses through to FTSE 100 companies, Nigel has provided a whole host of solutions from Print Management to Digital Brand consultancy.
Nigel was an early adopter of digital technology and social media for business and a content specialist for over twenty years, presenting on the subject around the world.
Nigel is a Trustee and founder of Working Wonders, a charity providing funds to make challenged young people work-ready. He is also a National Apprentice Ambassador for the Yorkshire & Humberside region.
Present key clients include financial, health, tourism, events, education, telecoms, legal, public and charity sectors.
Syngenta - Learning & Development Advisor. Nigel began his career as an engineering apprentice at Kirklees College in 1977 (known at the time as Huddersfield Technical College). Now as Engineering Learning & Development Manager at Syngenta, Nigel is responsible for personnel having the skills, knowledge and competencies required to work on a top tier COMAH chemical manufacturing facility. He is also responsible for the recruitment, training and development of the engineering apprentices on site in order to ensure Syngenta has high calibre apprentices capable of meeting the future needs of the business.
Sandra has worked for Kirklees College firstly as a director, then as assistant principal in curriculum for over 6 years. Her current portfolio includes managing construction, engineering, business, hospitality and catering, travel and tourism, hair and beauty, ESOL, community learning and ICT. She previously worked for Dewsbury College for 19 years.