Board Members
The board members of Business & Enterprise North East are responsible for directing and supervising activity within the organisation and are fully committed to its continued development. Together they bring a wealth of business and personal skills along with expertise from both the public and private sectors.
Chris Beaumont
With over 13 years of experience as a qualified chartered accountant, Chris brings to his new role a wealth of first hand experience in supporting business growth. As a partner with Clive Owen & Co LLP he deals with a wide range of businesses on a day to day basis.
Barbara Dennis OBE
Barbara brings over 20 years’ of experience of social and economic inclusion, the voluntary and community sector and housing, economic and enterprise sector. She provides extensive public and private sector expertise from her roles within a number of different organisations.
Jackie Fisher CBE
Jackie took up the Chief Executive and Principal post of Newcastle College in 2000, moving to the region after having been principal at a further education college in Manchester, which was recognised as one of the best in the country.
Mark Henderson
Mark brings significant public sector experience to the team thanks to his role as chief executive of the Home Group, one of the largest social housing providers in the UK. From this position he brings an insight into how the needs of local communities can be met by the new business support organisation.
Geoff Hodgson
Geoff’s broad management background underlines his all round expertise across a wide number of business disciplines. Working within the private sector he has started businesses, run businesses and sold businesses.
Nigel Hudson
Nigel has held key positions at two of the North East’s largest support service providers for the SME sector – Sage UK and Technology Services Group (TSG). His position as business development director for both companies means he joins the senior management team with real hands-on experience of the issues affecting the businesses operating within the SME sector.
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Alastair MacColl
Before joining Business & Enterprise North East, Alastair worked in newspapers and media-related businesses across the UK for almost twenty years, leading publishing businesses for Trinity Mirror plc and the Daily Mail and General Trust Group. Alastair is Deputy Chair of Teesside University Board of Governors, Chair of Teesside Business School Advisory Council and a member of the Leadership Board of Tees Valley Unlimited.
John McCullagh
A former president of the Institution of Engineers and president of Cleveland Scientific Institution. John is a multi-disciplined company director with a track record of success in a wide range of business sectors.
Martyn Pellew
Martyn has extensive industrial sector experience gathered from his time working at various high profile companies across the UK and abroad. His current role on the board of Middlesbrough specialist ports company PD Ports plc follows his part in the company’s success.
Jo Ray
In her role as managing director of the small business division of Sage UK, Jo has wide ranging experience of addressing the needs of SMEs across a variety of different sectors with a career spanning over two decades.
Dianne Sharp
Dianne heads Bishop Auckland-based Mechetronics, the UK’s leading manufacturer of solenoids - electronic mechanical devices used in vending machines, anti-lock braking, computer printers and switchgear.
Roy Stanley
Roy founded the Tanfield Group Plc in 1996. He was Chief Executive of the group, which operates the trading divisions Smith Electric Vehicles and UpRight Powered Access, until September 2006 when he became Chairman. Roy now concentrates on other varied business interests.
Nigel Wilson
Nigel joins the board of directors with over 20 years’ of private sector experience in sales and marketing. His current role as business development manager for Canon UK means he has responsibility the company’s business customers in the SME sector across Northern England and Scotland.
Lucy Winskell
Over her distinguished career in law, Lucy has become a key figure in the North East business community. Her expertise will provide the board with valuable insight into the legal side of how a business can operate successfully.