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Board Members
Chief Executive, South West Chambers of Commerce
Nigel Hutchings
Tel: 01275 370789 Email: nigel.hutchings@gwebusinesswest.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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Past Chairman
Chris Slocock
Tel: 01202 882277 Email: chris.swcc@printsolutions.co.uk
Chris Slocock is a Past President of Dorset Business (The Chamber of Commerce & Industry for Dorset) and is also currently a Non Executive Director on the Dorset Business Board.
He serves as Director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the national body for the Chambers of Commerce in the U.K, as the BCC Business Representative for the South West.
Chris has a pragmatic approach that is passionate about identifying key issues and developing what he calls “The One Voice Agenda”, a suite of strategies that identify problems, find solutions, and then makes sure that everyone involved shouts with one voice to make them happen.
Chris frequently campaigns for a fair deal for business, right up to Government level, and is increasingly focusing on what he calls a Community Economic Strategy. This is a sustainable scale and way of doing business that represents the right balance between Government, commercial and social interests at community and regional levels, with particular reference to the SME group of businesses.
Chris has considerable business experience, and is currently chairman of a group of companies embracing printing & publishing, and commercial & residential property. He is married with 3 young children, and they live in Wimborne Minster in Dorset.
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Vice Chairman (elected 21st April 2009)
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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Council Member, Plymouth Chamber of Commerce
Ian Brokenshire
Tel: 01752 632100 Email: ian.brokenshire@kpmg.co.uk
Ian is a Chartered Accountant and is Senior Partner of KPMG in Plymouth. KPMG are an international firm of business advisors with key clients across the city and the South West region.
Ian has been an active Board member of Plymouth Chamber of Commerce for many years and is passionate about the SW region, its success and about driving a change agenda.
He brings over 20 years of finance and accounting experience.
As well as Chamber, Ian is actively involved in other roles across the South West region:
A member of the leadership team of the Plymouth Economic Development Group; South West Leadership Team of Business in the Community; Specialist governor of City College Plymouth; Vice Chair of the governors of Old Priory Junior School; and Chair of the Better Together initiative.
Ian is always professional and enthusiastic in all his dealings and thoroughly enjoys getting involved in and adding real value to organisations.
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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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Chief Executive, GWE Business West
Dr John Savage, CBE
Tel: 01275 370791 Email: john.savage@gwebusinesswest.co.uk
Chief Executive to GWE 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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Chairman (elected 27th April 2010)
Derek Phillips
Tel: 01392 879595 Email: derek.phillips1@tesco.net
At a time when Political Leaders are on the move, the Chairman of Exeter Chamber of Commerce and Businessman Derek Phillips, has been chosen as the new Chairman of the South West Chamber of Commerce, the organisation that represents more than a hundred Chambers across the Region.
Derek took the reins from Chris Slocock from Dorset at the Regional Business Group’s AGM last month, held at The Met Office, in Exeter.
After his election Derek paid tribute to his predecessor saying that “Chris’s enthusiasm for the Chamber movement had been inspiring, at a time when strong representation for business in the Region is crucial.”
“The recent uncertainty following the election has now moved on to the next phase, and if business is to recover from the recession and return to economic growth, then a period of sustained stability is the major requirement. However the likelihood of public spending cuts remains, and the South West needs to ensure that it continues to be competitive, both internally, regionally and globally, during the next year whilst the high level of public debt is repaid.”
For over 30 years Derek Phillips was Director of Campus Services at Exeter University and MD of its various spin off companies. Derek is director of ten companies both regional and national and Vice Chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council.
Nigel Hutchings, Chief Executive of SW Chambers of Commerce said: “With all his experience of working in the Region, as well as the issues affecting business, Derek is well placed to take the organisation forward”.
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