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The Business Board provides a strong, independent and diverse business voice into the work and decision making of the Solent Growth Partnership and constituent councils.
HTP Apprenticeship College
Chair
Sector: Further Education
Rachael is Principal and Chief Executive Officer 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.
*Independent Non-Executive Director as outlined in the Corporate Governance Code 2018
Airbus
Portsmouth Site Director
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.
Maritime Solent
Chief Executive
Stuart Baker is Managing Director 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.
Hampshire Chamber of Commerce
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chair
Ross McNally, Chief Executive Officer 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 Chief Executive Officer-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.
Federation of Small Businesses
Development Manager
Federation of Small Businesses 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 the Federation of Small Businesses, Nicky has helped hundreds of businesses to navigate the day-to-day challenges of setting up and running a small business.
University of Portsmouth
Vice-Chancellor
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 Higher Education sectors in the UK and overseas. He is passionate about Higher Education 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.
Solent Freeport
Brian has lived and worked in the area for the last 30 years and has recently retired from BAE Systems Maritime, where he was Business Development Director.
He brings a wealth of private sector experience to his role, with over 30 years’ experience in the Marine and Maritime sector at organisations such as Thales, Marconi and the aforementioned BAE Systems.
Brian is also on the Board of the Society of Maritime Industries and Maritime UK and was previously chair of the Solent LEP.
Portsmouth Creates
CEO
Gemma Nichols is a leader in the UK’s creative industries, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Portsmouth Creates, a Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to enhancing the cultural and creative landscape of Portsmouth. Under her leadership, the organisation has secured significant funding from Arts Council England, to support the city’s creative sector
Before her tenure at Portsmouth Creates, she played a pivotal role as the Commercial and Marketing Director for Southampton’s bid to become the UK City of Culture 2025, where she contributed to the city’s advancement to the finals. Her experience also includes work with Culture Liverpool, where she was part of the Commercial Team and supported in delivering the city’s major cultural initiatives following its designation as the European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Gemma is committed to creating growth within the creative sector and believes in the importance of driving accessible pathways to creative careers and education for young people. Whilst also providing vital tailored support services to meet the evolving needs of Portsmouth’s creative community. She has lead initiatives that have resulted in the creation of over 300 new jobs locally, and the successful leveraging of additional funding into the city’s creative economy.
In addition to her role at Portsmouth Creates, Gemma contributes to regional economic, creative and community development as a member of the Business Board for the Solent Growth Partnership, where she offers strategic insights to support the growth of the creative industries in the region. She also serves as a Board member for Fratton Together CIC and ZoieLogic Dance Theatre.
Her leadership continues to drive Portsmouth’s cultural renaissance, positioning the city as a vibrant and accessible hub for creativity and innovation.
Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce
Helen Curel is Chief Executive of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, representing and supporting businesses across the Island and championing a strong, resilient and sustainable local economy. She brings experience spanning business leadership, organisational change, project delivery, governance and sustainability. Before joining the Chamber, she worked across a range of sectors and organisations, including leading B Corp certification and nature recovery initiatives, as well as supporting growing businesses through periods of change and development.
A long-standing Isle of Wight resident, Helen is passionate about ensuring the Island has a strong voice within the wider Solent economy. As a member of the Solent Growth Partnership Board, she brings an Isle of Wight business perspective and a particular interest in inclusive and sustainable growth, skills, connectivity and creating the conditions in which businesses and communities can thrive.
Business South
Group Chief Executive Officer
Leigh-Sara Timberlake is the dynamic Group Chief Executive Officer 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.
Isle of Wight Chamber
Director
Sarah is one of the founding partners of ERMC Limited, a multidisciplinary construction and property consultancy based in Newport, Isle of Wight serving clients across the South Coast. She is an accomplished professional of 30+ years, with a background in Quantity Surveying and Project Management with invaluable knowledge and experience across a variety of sectors including residential, education, healthcare, commercial and industrial.
Sarah was elected to the Isle of Wight Chamber board in the category of Professional and Business Services in October 2021. She champions sustainability through leading the built environment sector for Together for Mission Zero and acts as a Non-Executive Advisor for Wight Community Energy, a community benefit society delivering community-owned renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy supply projects. She continues to offer her support to the local and national net zero and decarbonisation agenda.
Sarah also supports inclusive workplace initiatives through her involvement with the Inclusive Island programme, which aims to build a more diverse and sustainable workforce on the Isle of Wight. She has also been appointed as a trustee of Creative Island, a cultural development agency for the Isle of Wight committed to improving the quality of life for all those who live locally.
Sarah’s focus on strategic, sustainable growth and investment in the placemaking, culture, arts and heritage across the Solent region supports The Solent Growth Partnership’s goal of empowering a more prosperous and sustainable future for the region.
Mountjoy
Managing Director
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 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 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.
Visit Isle of Wight
Interim CEO at Visit Isle of Wight
Dominic Wray is Chief Executive of Visit Isle of Wight, the Island’s destination management organisation and Visit England accredited Local Visitor Economy Partnership. He leads the organisation at a pivotal time for the Island’s visitor economy, with a focus on strengthening collaboration with tourism businesses, improving engagement and transparency, and ensuring the Wight BID delivers clear, measurable value.
Dominic brings more than a decade of senior leadership experience across the leisure, attractions and tourism sector. Prior to joining Visit Isle of Wight, he was the Managing Director at Vectis Ventures, overseeing multi-site attraction operations, including the iconic Blackgang Chine, and led business transition and acquisition activity. His experience spans commercial strategy, visitor experience, operational leadership and business transformation.
Alongside his role, Dominic has worked as a consultant within the visitor attractions sector, supporting clients including large-scale holiday parks and theme park technology businesses. He has also been actively involved with IAAPA for more than a decade and has spoken internationally, supporting sector learning and best practice across the global attractions industry.
He is also a board member of the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce and a member of the BALPPA Management Committee, contributing to wider sector representation and advocacy. Dominic is passionate about building a stronger, more resilient and distinctive year-round visitor economy for the Isle of Wight.
