Sector
Further Education

Biography
Rachael is Principal and CEO of HTP Apprenticeship College Ltd which she established in the year 2000. Prior to that she was involved in Government funded training working for New Deal and a national apprenticeship provider. Her roots are also firmly based in the world of Hospitality, Tourism and Farming. She grew up on the Isle of Wight and has brought up 2 children and is married to Malcolm. She also owns Albert Cottage Hotel in East Cowes on the Island.

The role description for the LEP Chair is available here.

*Independent Non-Executive Director as outlined in the Corporate Governance Code 2018

Sector
Private sector representative

Biography

Nick is a Strategic Adviser to DP World’s UK businesses and is also a non-executive director of Solent Stevedores.

Nick graduated from the University of Bath in Economics and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

His first role in commerce was with McCarthy & Stone, builders of sheltered housing, but since then he has worked in the shipping and ports sector in various roles including for P&O Ferries Portsmouth and Carnival UK.

Nick joined DP World in 2005 as Finance Director in Southampton and in April 2016 he was appointed CEO of DP World Southampton.

Outside of work Nick plays squash and golf and enjoys walking.

Biography

Sam is the Airbus Portsmouth Site Director. The Airbus Portsmouth site is a major centre for the development and construction of space technology in the UK, featuring the largest cleanroom complex in the country. It specializes in Telecommunications, Military Satellite Communications, Earth Observation and Scientific payloads and instruments, as well as digital processor and active antenna equipment and ground and maritime terminals for satellite communications.

Sam is an accomplished professional with a background in the Defence and Space Industry. He has spent 20 years of his career at the Airbus Portsmouth site, where he has been instrumental in the design, build, and test of spaceborne and airborne active and passive microwave sensing instruments for Earth Observation and weather and climate monitoring.

Stuart Baker is MD of Maritime UK Solent – the private sector led representative body for the Solent’s outstanding maritime sector. He is also an Executive Director at Solent Growth Partnership, leading work on economic strategy, skills, net zero, innovation, trade and investment, business support and sector development. Stuart is also an Executive Director at The Solent Cluster.

Ross McNally, CEO and Executive Chair of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, has over 40 years’ Board level experience across business representation organisations and a range of service sectors. Providing leadership of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce his focus is on strategy, development, stakeholder engagement and ensuring the collective voice of Hampshire businesses shapes policy objectives.

Ross was formerly Chief Executive of the network of accredited Chambers of Commerce in the South East of England. At CEO-level his career spans leisure and tourism, franchise development, national business association and Higher Education. Ross is educated to post graduate level in business and leadership management with skills in strategic business direction, positioning and transformation. Ross is a member of the Hampshire Prosperity Partnership Board, and a trustee of The Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society.

Will leads the Visit Isle of Wight destination management & marketing organisation / VisitEngland accredited LVEP (Local Visitor Economy Partnership) team as its executive director. Responsible for the day-to-day operational running of the organisation, the strategic and operational marketing development and implementation along with the financial governance and delivery of the WIGHT BID (Business Improvement District) project, Responsible for developing and securing the future funding of tourism marketing and destination development for the Isle of Wight, engagement and liaison with key Island, sub-regional and national strategic stakeholders whilst raising the profile of the visitor economy and its economic benefits both on and off the island whilst delivering off-island marketing activities to increase the number of tourism visitors and it’s economic impact on the Isle of Wight. Will is currently the chair of the VisitEngland steering group for English Tourism Week and has had operational, marketing and governance experience across the Visitor Attraction, Travel Trade, Business Tourism, Transport, Tour Operator, Events, Maritime Training and Charity sectors over 30 years.

FSB Development Manager, Nicky Kildunne represents and supports over 9,000 small business owners and sole traders across Hampshire, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight.

Nicky’s experience of supporting hundreds of small businesses spans starting up, growing and scaling businesses, as well as surviving economic shocks like Brexit and the COVID pandemic. Through her work for FSB, Nicky has helped hundreds of businesses to navigate the day-to-day challenges of setting up and running a small business.

Graham Galbraith has been Vice-Chancellor at the University of Portsmouth since 2013.  Previous roles include Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire (2008-2013), and Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) at Glasgow Caledonian University (1993-2008).

Awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year Honours List for services to education.

Board member of the UPP Foundation Advisory Board, Study Portals Advisory Board, EdTech Advisory Board for Higher and Further Education, member of the Solent Growth Partnership Business Representative Forum and NED for Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.  Graham holds Chartered Engineer status, Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, and is a Member of the Chartered Institution for Building Service Engineers.

Graham has a wealth of management experience and a strong entrepreneurial outlook combined with a substantial record of academic achievement and a thorough understanding of the HE sectors in the UK and overseas.  He is passionate about HE and its power to transform the life choices of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds.  He is committed to leading the University of Portsmouth to provide the very best student experience underpinned by internationally excellent research and world-class business engagement.

Leigh-Sara Timberlake is the dynamic Group CEO at Business South. She has been a key player in the organisation since 2008 and took the helm in 2020. Leigh is passionate about advocating for the Central South region on a national and global stage.

Her energy and conviction have seen the organisation grow to the one we see today and she proudly leads a small but perfectly formed team that shares her vision for the Central South.

Business South is an independent and influential organisation operating in Central South UK as a non-partisan business engagement organisation. It connects leading employers to promote the area and champion the economy in the region.

Business South’s vision is for the region to be recognised nationally and internationally, as a preferred location of choice, able to attract and retain talent, driving increased opportunities for investment, good growth and business.

I am the Managing Director and Owner of Mountjoy, we operate predominantly in the Solent region working in partnership with our clients to construct, refurbish and maintain their buildings – providing their residents and customers with safe, comfortable and welcoming living, learning and caring environments.

We live locally to where we work, our focus is to provide local employment opportunities and use local SME’s and supply partners for every aspect of our services and work we provide to our Clients.

We enhance the communities where we work through partnerships with local charities whose purpose is to support disadvantaged families and young people to give them life chances and hope. We do this by volunteering our time, expertise, resources, and provide work experience opportunities to enable each charity to amplify their impact.

We educate young people through careers fairs, mock interviews, work experience placements, National Apprenticeship Week and our employee Traineeship and Apprenticeship Academy.