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Board Members
Chief Executive, SW Chamber
Nigel Hutchings
Tel: 01275 370789 Email: nigel.hutchings@businesswest.co.uk
From his previous role within the banking sector, Nigel joined the Bristol Chamber of Commerce some five years ago as Head of Policy, and deals with representational issues on behalf of members to local, regional and national bodies. Following the launch of Business West in July 2003, Nigel was appointed as the Regional Affairs Director for the Public & External Affairs Team of Business West.
Another part of his role is to act as Chief Executive for the South West Chamber of Commerce, a grouping of Chambers across the seven counties representing some ten thousand member organisations. In this role he spends a great deal of time travelling the region representing the private sector at a number of regional groups as well as the South West Regional Assembly.
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Chairman, SW Chamber
Neill Mitchell
Tel: 01275 370 790 Email: jane.boa@businesswest.co.uk
Neill Mitchell was elected Chairman of the 7-County, South West Chambers of Commerce in February 2007, being representative of the Plymouth Chamber on the Board. He also remains a publicly-appointed Member of the governance of Network Rail Ltd. and is a recognised independent business and transport analyst. Professionally, Neill additionally directs his own bespoke Corporate Communications, Public Relations and Events Management practice, operating out of both Plymouth and Exeter.
Earlier, Neill served as the first Chief Executive of the Devon & Cornwall Business Council from 2001 until 2005. He held public appointments as a Council Member of the UK Air Transport Users’ Council, a Member of the former Rail Passengers’ Committee for Western England, a Member of the SW Regional Road Users’ Committee and a nominated “South West Ambassador” for the South West of England Regional Development Agency. Previously, from May 1997, Neill was Chief Executive of the historic Plymouth Chamber of Commerce & Industry (and of the Plymouth North American Business Club), from whence he was one of the founding Board Members of the South West Chamber.
Neill was born in Plymouth in May 1953 and has deep roots in the Westcountry. He was educated in Bristol, but has also worked in Westminster, including at the House of Lords and service on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s staff at 10 Downing Street.
Neill is presently resident in the City of Exeter. He has wide-ranging leisure interests and has travelled extensively in the USA, Europe, the Middle East and India.
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Vice Chairman, SW Chamber
Chris Slocock
Tel: 01202 882277
Born in Wimborne Minster in Dorset by the age of 12 Chris was starting work at 5 am every morning; by the age of 14 he had a significant income. At the age of 15 on his last day at school Chris was told to be a bricklayer or a bus driver. Not content with this careers advice Chris went on to Poole College to study for his O and A levels and then to University obtaining an Honours degree continuing working to fund himself through college and University with the help of an education grant.
Qualifying first as a Zoologist, then training as a Surveyor by his late twenties Chris had started his own development and building Company here in the UK and in Australia. Now managing director of a group of companies from Printing, Publishing and Property, Chris has considerable experience over a divers range of business activities.
A past President of Wimborne Rotary Club and founder of the Rotary Business Partners Scheme. Chairman of District 1110 Community Vocational Committee for 2008 – 2009. Chris was presented with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2007 for services to the Community.
A Past Chairman of Colehill Parish Council, Chris continues working in the community, running and supporting local events particularly working with Arts & Business and D of E Awards, Chris was also a founder sponsor of the Better Together scheme, Dorset’s Business Charter for social responsibility.
Immediate Past President of Dorset Business the Dorset Chamber of Commerce Chris, during his 3 years as a senior office bearer culminating as President brought a pragmatic and focused approach – with a strategy of building a Chamber based on best practice, a sustainable structure and an organisation that truly represents businesses of all sizes. Dorset business has grown and restructured and is a leading Chamber in the South West.
Chris is passionate about identifying key issues in Dorset and the South West and developing what he calls “The One Voice Agenda” understanding what is important, identifying solutions and making sure that everyone involved shouts to make them happen.
Frequently campaigning right up to Government level for a “Fair Deal for Business” and what Chris calls “A Community Economic Strategy” – “a sustainable scale and way of doing business that represents the right balance between Government and Commercial and Social interests at community and regional levels.”
In his Spare Time Chris is a passionate fly fisherman and enjoys time with his family.
Chris is married to Yayu and they have 3 Children James 18, Dean 14, both at Poole Grammar School and Annalise 12 at Bournemouth School for Girls and they live in Wimborne Minster.
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Chief Executive, Somerset Chamber
Rupert Cox
Tel: 01823 444924 Email: rupertcox@somerset-chamber.co.uk
Rupert was appointed CEO of the Somerset Chamber of Commerce & Industry Ltd in May 2006 and together with a newly invigorated Board they set about introducing a change agenda into the organisation that led to the launch of the first 3-yr business plan – “The Somerset Chamber – A New Era Has Begun”. The concept of the Somerset chamber being recognised as the HUB of business influence in the county has helped increase membership by 45% in just one year.
Rupert’s early career was in agriculture. Having studied at The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester in the early 1980s he farmed in partnership, firstly with his father, and then with his wife a 500 acre holding in the Langport area of Somerset. A career change in 2000 coupled with studying for CMS and DMS through University of Bournemouth at Yeovil College led Rupert to the role of Regional Organiser for the FSB – a post he held for 5 years.
Other than his role with the Somerset Chamber, Rupert runs a small PR company, Village Green PR Ltd with his wife, Angela, and he is also an Independent Councillor on South Somerset District Council where he Chairs the influential Scrutiny Committee. Away from business life Rupert plays and coaches cricket as well as supports (finances!) his daughter at equestrian events across the southwest.
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Chief Executive, Gloucestershire Chamber
John Cripps
Email: john.cripps@gloscci.org
Educated: Cheltenham Grammar School
Service in Royal Air Force (4 years)
Returned to Estate Agency and up until 1980 was employed by a number of local and national companies.
1980-1984: Marketing Director for a building contractors and civil engineers in Cheltenham
1984-1986: Project Manager with property development company
1986-1996: Chief Executive of Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce & Industry
1996 to date: Managing Director and Company Secretary of Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Directorships:
South West Chambers of Commerce
Gloucestershire Enterprise Ltd
Gloucestershire First
Crimestoppers Gloucestershire (Chairman for 3 years)
Public Appointments:
Member of the Standards Committee of Cheltenham Borough Council
Member of Gloucestershire Valuation Tribunal
Married one grown up son.
Interests: Lying in the sun and going brown!
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Chief Executive, Plymouth Chamber of Commerce
David Parlby
Tel: 01752 220471 Email: david.parlby@plymouth-chamber.co.uk
David has spent most of his working life as a management consultant, primarily with KPMG Consulting where he was a partner until 2002.
David initially specialised in the field of decision support, helping clients use IT to improve their approach to decision making, but later moved into the areas of business strategy, HR and marketing. He has worked in the UK and Europe at the most senior levels of organisations such as Unilever, BP and Vodaphone. He has been a regular speaker at seminars and conferences on the topics of operational research, knowledge management and various others.
After leaving KPMG David developed a portfolio of activities including freelance consulting, buying, running and selling a pub and studying and teaching cookery. In 2005 he was appointed CEO of the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce since when he has been very actively engaged in helping to develop the conditions for successful business in the Plymouth and travel-to-work area.
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Executive Chairman, Business West
Dr John Savage, CBE
Tel: 01275 370791 Email: john.savage@businesswest.co.uk
Executive Chairman to Business West, John has a broad range of business experience gained in hands-on management activity over a period of more than 40 years. Originally destined for the Anglican priesthood, practical life pressures led to a career change and sixteen years of general management in the food production industry. Then, following a period of five years running his own international distribution company with over sixty heavy goods vehicles he joined the Associated Newspaper Group to carry out specialist consultancy within a number of their subsidiary companies. As Managing Director of six ANG businesses he added to his range of experience so that it now includes manufacturing processes, gravure and flexography printing, heavy goods vehicle engineering and operations, port and rail terminal operations, public service vehicle operation, engineering manufacturing, motion picture production, property development, stone masonry, and large scale catering.
He is dedicated to, and leads Business West in, the promotion of partnership between local government, industry and commerce in order to promote the position of Bristol and its neighbouring communities as a vibrant and vital European city region in the twenty-first century. He is passionately concerned about the failure of the British educational system to produce opportunities for a large swathe of underprivileged young people from successive generations and strives to engineer change to redress this through his chairmanship of, both, the Learning and Skills Council and the Bristol 14 to 19 Campus and as a board member of Connexions West of England.
John has received an Honorary degree of Doctor of Education from the University of the West of England (2003) and an Honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, the University of Bristol (2005). In the 2006 New Year Honours List John’s work was recognised and he received the CBE for services to Business and Regeneration.
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Chief Executive, Dorset Business
Peter Scott
Tel: 01202 714801 Email: peter.scott@dorsetbusiness.net
Peter Scott joined Dorset Business in December 2004 as Chief Executive.
His early career positions included the food manufacturing industry, and economic analysis for textile trade associations. He spent many years representing the U.S. cotton industry, developing overseas markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He established a niche consultancy practice in 1995 providing project management services, and was appointed as President of the Liverpool Cotton Association in 1998 (of which he was made an Honorary Life Member this year). Subsequently Peter established a confederation of trade associations for the paper manufacturing industry.
He went on to join the South West Regional Development Agency in 2002, and more recently worked as a consultant for clients included the Commonwealth Business Council (involved with corporate governance and inward investment issues), and the Arts Institute at Bournemouth, advising on the Project Management for the new purpose-built Enterprise Pavilion – an incubation facility for knowledge-based start-up SME's in the creative industries.
As a regular participant at Conferences and Seminars, and contributor to the specialist press, Peter’s published papers include the themes of economic development, agribusiness, commodities, the environment, and business restructuring.
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Council Member, Gloucestershire Chamber
David Tate
Born: Gloucester, 1941
Education: Kings School, Gloucester
Career: Firstly, Apprenticeship with The Gloucester Aircraft Company. Then Bryce Berger, a manufacturer of fuel injection equipment. Then joined Industrial Fasteners Ltd in 1966 and became Branch Manager for Gloucester with additional responsibilities for outlying areas such as Scotland, Devon & Cornwall and exports. Was instrumental in setting up specimen “just in time” systems with major customers including The Dowty Group, English Chine Clay Co. and the Bristol Commercial Vehicles Co. In 1982 launched Swift Fasteners and during that time became a member of the Gloucestershire Chamber of Commerce and subsequently a Director, currently the Financial Director. David sold the company some 5 years ago but retained an interest in marine aspect of fasteners through his company, Silverwood UK Ltd.
David is a member of The Gloucester Heritage Urban Renewal Group, Gloucestershire First and the Gloucestershire Strategic Partnership sitting on the Transport & Access sub committee, also The Bank of England Area Committee representing the private sector small businesses.
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Director, SW Chamber
Sandra Wilson
Tel: 01398 322000 Email: sandra.wilson@ylem.com
After leaving Bridgwater College and working in Personnel at British Cellophane and then at Hinkley Point, Sandra Wilson moved to Reading, during which time she worked in Insurance and Personnel before moving to Oxfordshire where she co. founded a Financial Advisory business in 1972 and an I..T. Company in 1976.
Having sold the Financial Advisory business Sandra returned to Somerset in 1995 and relocated the Head Office of the I.T. business, Ylem Ltd. to redundant farm buildings which she and her husband renovated on a 30 acre farm property where they now live in a 14th century Devon Long House and continue to grow the business. The business won the Somerset Rural Diversification Business of the Year Award 2006 and currently employs between 15 and 20 at its head office, in Dulverton, West Somerset, an office in Oxfordshire and home based workers in the South East.
Ylem design, develop and supply Business Management Software and install complete I.T. systems to their customers throughout the U.K. and follow this up with tailored software, training and support.
Sandra has served on the committee of the Mid Devon Business Network and in 2004 formed the West Somerset Business Network which she continues to Chair.
She is the current Chair of Somerset Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Bank of England Taunton panel and member of the CBI South West Council.
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