Swindon Chamber Council members

The 2011 – 2012 Council is:

President – Gary Mealing, International Commercial Manager (HSBC)
Background: Gary has spent more than 20 years in Banking but prior to this worked in his parents Bakery, experiencing first hand some of issues faced in the day to day running of a business. As the title suggest his focus is now on businesses that either do or have aspirations to import or export. HSBC has an international network with representation in more than 65 countries and territories across the globe. HSBC has great opportunities to really make a difference and use its international expertise to help customers grow their business. Gary returned to Swindon three years ago after an absence of 15 years working in various locations including a spell offshore in Guernsey. He has just moved into his own home in Swindon and having lived in Old Town for the last three years has come to love the diversity of the town’s culture.

Jo Bobbin, Operations Director (In-house Research & Training Ltd)
Background: Jo has spent the past 18 years in marketing communications and market research and has extensive experience in account management, new business development and conference speaking.
In-house Research & Training Ltd specialises in offering mail, web, face to face and telephone research, which gives their clients the opportunity to choose the right research methodology backed with the support and knowledge that In-house can provide on the customer journey. A highlight was being voted Wiltshire Small Business of the Year at an awards dinner in February 2009. Jo has always lived and worked in the Swindon area and seen a lot of its growth.

Iain Black, Relationship Partner (Monahans Chartered Accountants)
Background: Monahans Chartered Accountants specialises in advising businesses and individuals on Audit, Management Accounting and Tax. As well as being a Swindon Chamber of Commerce Board Member Iain also represents Monahans on the Swindon Old Town Business and Professional Association. He joined Monahans in January 2008 after spending 17 years working in the Assurance Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in the South West and in Brisbane, Australia. During that time he gained a breadth of experience dealing with clients from small owner managed business through to large public and private companies, and large multinationals and across a wide variety of sectors. Outside work he regularly risks his life and limb off-road on a mountain bike and has been known to hit the golf course now and then.

Lisa Williams, Private Partner (Clydesdale Banking Group)
Background: Lisa re-located to Swindon in 2001 after living in the North of England from birth. She has worked for the Clydesdale Banking Group for over 25 years and during this time Lisa gained experience in all aspects of banking including: business development, managing branches & head office functions. Lisa now specialises in private banking, managing all aspects of her private clients’ financial requirements. The geographical area that she covers includes Bath, Swindon and the surrounding areas.
Lisa has originally become a member of the Chamber of Commerce a few years ago to learn more about the surrounding area. Earlier this year she became a Council Member so that she could become more involved with the local issues that affect her home town.

Leslie Michael Durrant, Managing Director (DPDS Consulting)
Background: As the group chairman and managing director of DPDS Consulting, Les is responsible for overall financial and management control of the Consulting Group with offices across the UK and specific responsibility for leading major individual projects. Formerly planning and development director of EH Bradley Planning Services, his extensive 40 years of experience also includes 15 years in the public sector with a County Council, two London Boroughs as principal planning officer with Horsham District Council, West Sussex. Specialist areas of expertise include major development applications, planning appeals, and formulation and management of large development projects, with specialist application in the commercial sector and town expansion projects.

John Davies, Corporate, Commercial and Brands Law Partner (Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons)
Background: John joined Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons in 1997 and deals with acquisitions and disposals of businesses, MBOs and joint ventures, and corporate restructuring. He is also heavily involved in negotiating and drafting substantial commercial agreements. Acting for a variety of clients ranging from SMEs to global multi-nationals, John prides himself on taking a commercial approach to problem solving, giving clear and common sense business advice and taking a genuine interest in his clients’ businesses. As well as his position on the Chamber Council, John has a particular interest in the fabric of the business community and sits on the management board of the Swindon Strategic Economic Partnership. A former rugby player and a proud Welshman, John now enjoys squash, tennis, food and travel.

David Latham, Project Leader (Mindful Employer)
Background: As project leader, David is delighted by the interest displayed by local businesses for the Swindon Mindful Employer Network. Regular meetings on wellbeing and mental health at work are popular with employers big and small and David has been instrumental in planning annual conferences in Swindon. He has a long term interest and involvement in the media and is a freelance broadcaster and producer with BBC local radio and Chairman of a local commercial radio company. David is a past chair of Hospital Radio Swindon, former trustee of the Charities Information Bureau and BBC Children In Need coordinator in Wiltshire between 2000 – 2004.

Charlotte Mannion, Director (Quick Learn)
Background: Charlotte is a director of Quick Learn Limited, a Swindon based communications consultancy. She designs and delivers communication skills events covering leadership, coaching, assessment, performance management, customer service, effective meetings and presentation skills for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) and for teams within national and international companies. Charlotte has lived in the Swindon area for the past 23 years and previously set up and ran the Centre for Professional Development for Great Western Enterprise for 11 years.
Charlotte is the chair of CIPD Swindon and North Wiltshire branch, Chair of the Self Employed Network for HR professionals, a local school governor with an interest in HR and Staff Development and she hosts a monthly Business Women’s club. She is a member of Swindon Old Town Rotary and artistic director of the Ridgeway Theatre Company. Charlotte is an enthusiastic public speaker and the author of several Useful Guides covering Mentoring, Public Speaking and Report Writing.

Graham Taylor, Principal and Chief Executive (New College Swindon)
Background: New College Swindon is a top performing Further Education College with approximately 13,000 learners, excellent success rates and outstanding/ good OFSTED grades. Graham has a background in market research and corporate planning in three multinational companies and over 25 years experience in further and higher education across six Colleges. Graham worked his way up the lecturing ranks, teaching business studies, accounting and Information Technology and served as head of business studies and assistant principal, marketing and enterprise. An author of ten best selling books he also serves on the AoC Strategic Quality Group and 13-19 Funding Strategy Group. Interests include football and guitar.