With over 30 years of industry and public sector experience, John’s management experience has been gained from world class manufacturing environments such as British Steel Plc, (Manufacturing Manager) and our local fire and rescue service, (Incident Commander / Business Support lead).

John studied at Staffordshire University where he completed a degree in Business and Finance. He is a Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, a Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and has been appointed Chartered Fellow of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

John has a wealth of experience in contract management, health and safety compliance and business recovery / incident management and spends much of his time assisting and educating incident victims particularly after major events, although prevention activities also feature heavily in his day to day role as a fire officer.

John is an enthusiastic supporter of charities and local schools, having completed many hundreds of miles, raising £000’s cycling around the UK and Europe generating much needed funds for deserving local causes and the Fire Fighters Charity.  John also supports our local schools in the Careers and Enterprise Company initiative.

John is a member of the Staffordshire Branch of the  Institute of Occupational Safety and Health management committee, a member of The Dove Service Board / Trustees  and is absolutely passionate about bring growth and prosperity to our area.

www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk

Hannah is a Director at Stoke-on-Trent-based ceramics firm Valentine Clays, which provides raw materials to the pottery industry. She has a wealth of experience in business development and planning, product development, strategic marketing and public relations, project and event management, and growth planning for SMEs. She also has a high level of knowledge in the ceramics industry.

She has two degrees one in Marketing Communications and another in Product Development. Her experience has been predominately in the ceramics industry in PR and Marketing roles and includes having worked for top international companies such as Prada, the Arcadia Group, American Eagle Outfitters and Emma Bridgewater.

Since joining the family business in January 2015 Hannah has managed and developed a £4 million expansion project for Valentine Clays including a production & warehouse facility, LoveClay Ceramics Centre and the take-over of internationally renowned ceramics show Art in Clay.

Her main ethos is to increase awareness of both Staffordshire and the ceramics industry, to support other local SME’s and to help to put Staffordshire firmly on the map. With this in mind she feels privileged to sit as a Director on both the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership Boards (SSLEP). As well as the Management Committee for the British Ceramics Confederation.

www.valentineclays.co.uk

Paul Farmer, OBE, has been the Managing Director of Wade Ceramics since 2001, after joining the firm as Financial Director in 1995.  Prior to this, Paul’s background was in accountancy at a high level, working in different industries including aerospace.

From 2001 to 2009 Paul took Wade on a journey which saw the company open its new high-tech facility near to Festival Park.  His drive and initiative has opened up new markets for he company, which is now recognised globally as a leader in the design and production of high quality ceramic products.

In addition to his business success, Paul has also been very active locally, giving his time and commitment to several charities including Mind, the Donna Louise Trust and North Staffordshire Carers’ Association to name but a few.  He also sits on the Board of several organisations to steer industry forward and create opportunities and growth within the area.  Paul was President of Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce from 2016 to 2019 and is also a board member of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

www.wade.co.uk

One of the founding Directors of Reels in Motion one of the UKs leading Video Production companies as well as co-owner of Stoke Studios and the Production House.  Matt’s has had a very close relationship with the Chamber since starting Reels in Motion in 2004 and always seeing the value the Chamber brings to the Businesses of Staffordshire and often acknowledges the importance the chamber has played in his own companies growth.  Matt was part of the founding group for Future Finest and served as Chair for Future finest before progressing through the Chamber Council and Board and taking the Role of President in 2019.

www.reelsinmotion.co.uk

Since joining Synectics Solutions in 2006, Kate’s journey within the company has helped her to gain an in-depth understanding across a broad spectrum of the company’s business units. Initially Data Analyst on the company’s National Fraud Initiative project, Kate progressed to the role of Manager in the Finance department and added Recruitment and Admin to her remit.

Since then, she has led the team of SIRA Relationship Managers and the Automotive team during a period of rapid international expansion. She therefore understands the absolute importance of the values that are intrinsic to the company’s culture. This in-depth knowledge of each business function, combined with her wealth of experience, led to Kate being appointed as People and Client Success Director in 2016. This role allowed Kate to focus her skills and attention on ensuring Synectics maintains the highest possible level of service standards that our clients have come to expect.

During the Board restructure in 2020 Kate was appointed as Vice-Chair of the company, providing vital support in the leadership of the Board and engaging them in assessing and improving their performance. She continues her executive Director role for People and Client Success, maintaining accountability for the provision of services to Synectics Solutions’ UK, European and North American clients.

https://www.synectics-solutions.com/