Connecting business, skills and opportunity in Bracknell Forest
Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership
The Partnership
Jim Reay
Syngenta
Co-chair of Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership
I believe promoting economic development is important in order to ensure that our region remains competitive, i.e. in service of a prosperous, healthy and green Thames Valley. Bracknell has a key role to play in this, and I am motivated to ensure that Bracknell works towards fulfilling its potential. I have held a role of Non-Executive Director at the Berkshire LEP since 2021, and I am an internationally experienced senior leader with a wide range of supply chain, R&D, and change management experience in a complex and knowledge-based environment. After a variety of roles in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Business change, I now head a small Strategic team networking across a diverse set of stakeholders to maximise R&D outcomes. I look forward to working with all on the Bracknell Economic Partnership, as we all have important perspectives and pieces of the jigsaw as we try to create a better Bracknell.
Ben Jokiel
Activate Learning
Co-chair of Bracknell Forest Economic Partnership
I am the Group Director of Bracknell and Wokingham College the Construction and Engineering faculty at Activate Learning. My role is two-fold, with responsibility for a both the campus and a faculty. •As Campus Director, I am responsible for the feel of the campus, improving the staff and student experience. •As Faculty Director, I provide the best curriculum and learning experience across our faculties, working closely with local employers and other stakeholders to meet local and national skills needs. I have been working in the further education sector for the last 22 years, starting my journey as a part time teacher of Engineering after gaining my degree in Aerospace Engineering. I have worked in a number of different organisations and many different roles but always focussed on creating the best possible opportunity for young people to enter the careers of their choice. I have a particular passion for apprenticeships and very much believe the further education sector is key to this country’s success and with collaboration we can achieve anything.
Bryan Almond
On Semi
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Cllr. Paul Bidwell
Bracknell Forest Council
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Paul Britton
Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce
Paul is a Brunel graduate in Business Management with over 20 years’ experience in economic development, place marketing and business representation. Prior to joining the Chamber he spent eight years with Thames Valley Economic Partnership (TVEP) managing inward investment for the region – culminating in the development of a submission to the FT Publication fDi Magazine ‘‘European Cities & Regions of the Future’ which acclaimed the Thames Valley amongst the highest ranked small regions in Europe. After two years in professional services he returned to inward investment and joined the Chamber of Commerce in 2009 overseeing the delivery of DiT (UKTI) inward investment related contracts. Paul led the development of the award-winning Thames Valley inward investment portal in 2012 and established the Thames Valley International Technology Conference at Microsoft EU HQ, now in its sixth year. Paul was appointed Chief Executive of Thames Valley Chamber Group in October 2015 and spearheads an exciting period of investment and transformation at the Chamber. He continues to travel to champion new global Trade & Investment partnerships and promoting the virtues of the Thames Valley business community.
Nikki Burns
FSB
Nikki Burns has been the Chair for Thames Valley Area at the Federation of Small Businesses for 10 years where her role involves building relationships and engaging as a key stakeholder with local authorities, government bodies and key employers to enable positive influence and affect change, support strategic agendas, lobbying and wider economic plans and more recently recovery plans. Her 30 years of business experience started with the DTI, in training entrepreneurs and supporting new businesses. She then became part of the original team at Orange and experienced the amazing journey from the starting line to one of the most successful companies in the UK up to its final sale in the year 2000. Her next step launched her own management consultancy uniquely emphasising the power of brand through people before then dedicating several years to co-founding and building the world’s first truly independent mobile payment service and business from concept to completion. In her latest ventures, Nikki has launched a number of dynamic new businesses for an exciting range of products created for the personal development, heath tech and well-being market place which encapsulates innovative solutions to support the vulnerable in multiple areas of life. Despite her hectic schedule, Nikki has a strong belief in paying it back and continues to consult for ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners to help start, grow and maximise their businesses.
Adrian Davies
DWP
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Paul Day
File Stream
I have lived in Bracknell Forest for all my life, I am manging director of Filestream Limited based in Crowthorne and a parish councillor in Binfield. I am chair for a social housing providers resident panel for Berkshire, Surrey, Hampshire and Isle of Wight and a member of the Thames Valley Police Independent Advisory Group. I also like to raise money for charities by doing challenges and currently training for the London marathon in 2025.
Ian Ferguson
Bracknell BID
Ian is a marketeer and place manager having developed pfbb over the last 20 years to become one of the UK’s leading BID and place management consultancies playing leading roles in supporting local authorities and Business Improvement Districts in place branding, place management, and economic development. He supported a wide range of local authorities as an Expert for the Government’s High Street Task Force and is often providing advice and support in relation to town and city centre regeneration to senior policy leads in MHCLG.
Simon Fryer
Fryer Commercial
Simon qualified as a Chartered surveyor in 1974, becoming a Fellow of the RICS in 1985. During the 1980's, he became a partner with Reading's commercial agent Campbell Gordon, dealing with office and industrial premises throughout Berkshire. In 1994, he founded Fryer Gilbert and Jepps in Reading, a multi-disciplinary commercial agency practice. This became Fryer Holt by merger with Holt Walters in 2008. In 2010, Simon Founded Fryer Commercial in Bracknell, handling solely office premises, mainly in Bracknell. He acts for well known commercial property developers, investors, pension funds, and some institutions, including the NHS and Wokingham Borough Council. His activities include acquiring, advising, marketing, letting and selling larger office buildings. Among his successes was bringing Honda UK to Bracknell. Simon lives in West Berkshire and is a keen sailor, golfer and gardener, with married sons.
Kiera Head - Lewis
Resource Productions / Berkshire Film Office
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Andrew Hunter
Bracknell Forest Council
Andrew Hunter is the Executive Director for Place at Bracknell Forest Council, his formal training was as a Town Planner and started his early career within Local Authority Planning Departments, focusing on Planning Policy, Development Management and Urban Design. Andrew has held a number of varied roles which have included leading the preparation of Local Plans, strategic masterplanning and managing regeneration schemes. He has developed his experience in broader place-based functions leading Highways and Transport, Regeneration and Economic Development, Parks and Countryside, Public Health, Property and Building Control and Land Charges at Bracknell Forest. Andrew is engaged in the work of the Berkshire Prosperity Board working with Berkshire Partners key themes to drive Economic Prosperity.
Andrew Johnson
Diggecard
Andrew Johnson is a gift card expert, entrepreneur, business owner and CEO within Bracknell Forest. He is the Retail and Corporate CEO of Diggecard, a Norwegian owned specialist gift card company which offers expertise and technology to many global retail and hospitality brands, and corporate buyers. Diggecard's UK offices are based in the TRL building in Crowthorne, Berkshire and also has offices in Norway, Bulgaria and Pakistan. As Retail & Corporate CEO, Andrew holds key positions within the Diggecard executive management team and board of directors, helping to define and guide the strategic vision and goals. He also leads the UK team to deliver the best consultancy services and programme implementation for clients in retail, leisure and hospitality. He is also focused on providing gift card solutions and services for businesses and agencies who want to capitalise on the power of gift cards to deliver their commercial goals. Andrew's career history is varied, working within retail and leisure operations, sales and marketing for De Vere Hotels, Legoland and Virgin Experience Days and going on to manage his own gift card consultancy, which became part of a global gift card company and now continues as Diggecard. Andrew is highly regarded within the gift card industry and has held various leadership roles within key industry bodies. He is the current President of the IMA Europe as well as the former Director General of the Gift Card and Voucher Association (GCVA). He also takes part frequently in expert panels.
Nancy Lalor
Learning to Work CEO
Having worked in the industry of "people" for over 35 years my passion remains the same; and if anything is going from strength to strength. My role at Learning to Work along with the other boards and groups I sit on, places me in a great position to create opportunities, engage in partnership working and collaborate with others to deliver a wide variety of events and activities to develop the work ready skills in young people. The buzz and feel-good factor this creates is fantastic and quite contagious. I love bridging the gap between education and the world of work and supporting young people to navigate their way towards employment, I equally love working with business to create and deliver bespoke activities that raise awareness of their organisation, sector and career paths and opportunities they offer, a real win win!
Chris Mansfield
Bracknell Forest Council
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Michael Potter
Curve Workspaces
Michael is the Managing Director and owner of Curve Workplaces, an office design and build fit out company, which also has a lighting business and furniture company as part of the group. Curve made Bracknell their home in 2016, employs 43 people and the three companies have revenues in excess of £27m. Curve were 3rd in the Sunday Time Fast Track 100, have won the Thames Valley SME Growth Award, the Fastest Rising Property Business , Workplace of the Year and Office Design Specialist of the Year. Curve clients include World Duty Free, Continental Tyres, Christopher Ward, First Intuition, L&G, RLAM, Fidelity and Aberdeen. Curve are sponsors of Henley Rugby Club, Rotherfield Utd and the charity Ambitious About Autism. Michael graduated from the University of Reading and is a Chartered Surveyor from a commercial property consultancy background working across Europe and the Middle East with Cushman & Wakefield.
Peter Swallow
MP
Peter Swallow was elected as MP for the Bracknell constituency in July 2024. Peter is a university lecturer and teacher specialising in classics. His doctoral thesis centred around the reception of Greek comedy in nineteenth-century London, and his post-doctural research investigated Aristotle. During the pandemic Peter taught secondary school classics and is a passionate advocate for the role of humanities education in a broad curriculum, as well as for Special Educational Needs support in schools. He is chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Classics, and Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the South East. Peter was born in Wokingham, and raised in Crowthorne.