May 2010
The inaugural panel for 27/05/10 consisted of:
PANEL CHAIR
Margaret Wood
Regional Chairman for Yorkshire – Institute of Directors
As an entrepreneur and the MD of a successful engineering company, also chair and director of a number of regional public bodies, Margaret Wood bridges the gap between public and private sector. Her achievements in combining business success with a commitment to public service, is reflected in the Yorkshire and Humber’s Institute of Director Awards, where she received the Special Judges Award. The strength of this submission led to the Institute inviting her to become the first woman Regional Chairman, a role she has held since June 2009.
Margaret is currently Managing Director of ICW UK Ltd, a specialist glazing manufacturer, which exports its products worldwide to clients across Formula 1, health, science and manufacturing. Margaret set up the company in 1993 with no experience, following the death of her husband.
Since 2007, Margaret has chaired Wakefield first, having been a board member since its inception in 2001. As part of her role on Wakefield’s Economic Task Force, she has helped secure the city council a 4 star rating for its services. Other key roles held include President of the Mid- Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and board member for Forward Ladies.
Margaret is also on the board of Leeds City Region Business Leaders and Wakefield and District Housing, and Business Link. She is also Make Your Mark Ambassador, which entails her speaking at key events. As Business Ambassador for Yorkshire, Margaret was recently chosen to join five other inspirational business leaders from the region to champion innovation and enterprise in some of Yorkshire’s most deprived areas.
Simon Hill
Executive Director, Business – Yorkshire Forward
In a career spanning 20 years, Simon Hill has worked across the breadth of business environments, from fledgling start-ups to established big players. He’s faced the challenges and enjoyed the successes of being in business, and brings that experience to his current role as Yorkshire Forward’s Executive Director of Business.
At Yorkshire Forward, Simon heads up a team responsible for delivering business growth across Yorkshire and Humber and his responsibilities include Enterprise, Innovation, International Trade and Business Relations.
Matt Holmes
Managing Director – Liquid Accounts
Matt Holmes is the MD of Huddersfield-based online accounting pioneer, Liquid Accounts Ltd, and Chair of the Cloud Computing Special Interest Group for BASDA (the Business Application Software Developers’ Association) and as such is at the forefront of creating industry standards and guidelines for the newly-emerging field of online software.
Previously Matt was Director of IT for a law firm in London and worked with Companies House on its Electronic Filing Gateway, and with HMRC on its VAT Filing Committee. He was the first developer in the UK to have his online company formation software approved by Companies House.
Liquid Accounts was voted Best Web-Hosted Accounting Software in the 2008 Software Satisfaction Awards, and was runner-up in the Best Small Business Accounting Software category in 2009. They are unique in offering a flexible, scalable and affordable accounting solution to SMEs that works in conjunction with a free Client Manager module for accountants. They are currently recruiting resellers and strategic partners.
Jill Hague
Area Commercial Director for HSBC in Kirklees & Calderdale
Jill Hague is responsible for a team of Commercial Managers and Specialists who support 2,500 businesses in our area. These range from small owner managed businesses to large £30m+ organisations employing hundreds of people.
Jill has worked for HSBC and before that Midland Bank for 29 years in various roles across the region and lives locally in Huddersfield. Jill is a familiar figure throughout the Kirklees business community.
Kevin C Newson
Senior Partner – Yorkshire Bank
Kevin heads up the Yorkshire Bank Commercial, Private and Specialist team covering Kirklees and Calderdale. He has worked with Yorkshire Bank for 30 years and his previous roles with YB include Commercial Manager in Halifax, Branch Manager of both Dewsbury and Huddersfield branches and Area Manager, West Yorkshire for Private Banking.
He is a Board member of the Yorkshire Awards and the Huddersfield Town Centre Partnership as well as Trustee of Kirklees Active Leisure and is well known in the local professional community.
Professor Bob Cryan
Vice-Chancellor – University of Huddersfield
Professor Bob Cryan took up the post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield in January 2007.
Professor Cryan is a former member of staff and graduate of the University of Huddersfield. He has extensive experience of strategic leadership – his areas of particular specialism include learning and teaching, international collaboration, research, third-stream initiatives, and widening access and participation.
He is proud to be a graduate of the University and to have had first-hand experience of the life-changing potential and the tremendous support that Huddersfield offers it students.
After graduating with a first class honours from the University, Bob went on to complete a British Telecom-sponsored part-time PhD programme, whilst working as a lecturer at Huddersfield.
In 1992 he was appointed Director of the Centre for Communications Systems Research at Manchester Metropolitan University. He was appointed to a Personal Chair, and Head of the Department of Electrical, Electronic Engineering & Physics at Northumbria University in 1994.
In 1996 he was appointed Head of the School of Engineering at Northumbria University. He moved to the University of Wales, Swansea in 1999 to be Chair of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He also held the Siemens Chair of Communications and the post of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering – Research Assessment Exercise 5-star faculty.
In 2002 he returned to Northumbria University as Pro Vice-Chancellor, becoming Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2005, with responsibilities including both teaching and research
Professor Cryan has ambitious plans for growth for the University, particularly around postgraduate and international student recruitment. He is also working to increase the University’s research profile, so that an ever broader range of subjects joins those in Huddersfield that are already receiving national and international recognition.