Advisory Board

What we do

The Advisory Board consists of leading business people in the East Midlands area representing local, national and multi-national companies. The Advisory Board works with us to:

advise on trends in the business world
keep us up to date with the training and education requirements of employers
comment on our programme developments
help us raise our profile in the local business community

With all of this input you can be sure that your course covers the latest business thinking and delivers you as a graduate with the skills and attributes you need to make an immediate and effective contribution to the company you start, or continue to, work for.

Who we are

Chairman
	Mr Brian Ashby, FRICS Norseman Holdings Ltd Chairman » Find out more about me I founded the Viking Property Group in 1970, working at an international level in the UK, USA and Canada. I co-founded Norseman Holdings and have a key role in its management. I also play an active part in the community; I'm currently President of the Derbyshire Community Foundation, Chairman of the Advisory Board to the Faculty of Business, Computing and Law at the University of Derby, and Business Champion of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. I previously formed and chaired the Ashby Charitable Trust for over 25 years.
Advisory Board Members
	Mrs Julie Acred, OBE Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive » Find out more about me I am Chief Executive of Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one of the first Trusts in the country to gain Foundation Trust status. The Trust has an annual budget of £322 million, and serves a population of around 600,000. I joined the Trust in 1998, when the two hospitals in Derby were merged. Since that time the Trust has signed a PFI deal for a £334 million construction scheme at the Derby City General Hospital, and has developed a graduate entry Medical School in conjunction with the University of Nottingham.

	Mr Stephen Banks Boots The Chemist Retail IT Director » Find out more about me I gained an honours degree in Pharmacy before starting my career with Boots the Chemists, and have since added a Masters degree in Business Administration. My career has been spent at Boots working in a variety of store, area/regional management and head office roles before my existing appointment as Retail IT Director. I live in Nottingham, and am married with three children. My interests outside of work include current affairs, history, football and keeping fit.

	Mr David Bell JC Bamford Group Human Resources Director » Find out more about me

	Mr Clive Bridge Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd Corporate Affairs Director » Find out more about me

	Mr Ron Dougan Trent and Dove Housing Chief Executive » Find out more about me I have worked in the housing sector for nearly 30 years, mainly on 'problem' estates in the North West. I led the successful transfer of East Staffs council housing stock and led the setting up of Trent & Dove Housing from scratch. In just 6 years, Trent & Dove have become one of the most well respected housing associations in the Midlands and have been recognised as both an Investor in People and Investor in Excellence, with many local, regional and national awards. I am a well known speaker in the housing field and I'm the National Housing Federation 2007 Leader of Tomorrow. I am also Chairman of Aspire Housing Operations Committee, Executive member of the North Area Social Housing Forum, Vice Chair of the NHF Continuous Improvement Group and a West Midlands NHF Committee member.

	Mrs Elizabeth Fothergiill Pennine Healthcare Managing Director » Find out more about me I gained an Honours degree in Library and Information Studies in 1974 and an MA in Management in 1982. I am Managing Director of Pennine Healthcare Limited, one of the UK’s leading privately owned manufacturers of single use sterile disposable healthcare products. The company has a wide ranging sales base, including the majority of the UK hospitals and an extensive export market, with sales to over 70 countries world-wide. The company employs over 300 people and has recently moved to a new purpose built factory at City Gate, Derby. I am also a council member of the Associate British Health Care Industries. My other interests include the Archaeological Society, opera and classical music.

	Mr Steve Hall Derby Evening Telegraph Editor » Find out more about me I became Editor of the Derby Evening Telegraph in August, 2005. It was a return 'home' for me as I am originally from Ilkeston and had previously worked for eight years on the Northcliffe Newspapers title until 1995. I began my career in journalism in 1982 and my previous posts include those of Editor, Exeter Express & Echo, Deputy Editor, Nottingham Evening Post, and Assistant Editor, Derby Evening Telegraph. Titles I’ve edited have won a number of national accolades, including UK Evening Newspaper of the Year, UK Campaigning Newspaper of the Year, UK Team of the Year and UK Scoop of the Year. I’m a member of the Strategic Marketing Group of Marketing Derby and also serve on the Advisory Board of Common Purpose, Derby.

	Mr Peter Richardson Until recently was Director and Chief Executive of The Derbyshire Building Society » Find out more about me

	Mr Alan Rook ITV Central News Head of News » Find out more about me I'm ITV's Head of News in the East Midlands. I'm well used to life on both sides of the camera - both regionally and nationally. I worked as Editor of ITV's flagship daily live show This Morning as part of a two-year stint in Daytime television. In 2006 I also presented the network's paranormal programme Haunted Homes. I joined ITV Central in the autumn of 2005 as Editor of the East Midlands team. Since January 2008 I've worked as ITV Central's Head of News, in charge of both the East and West Midlands editions of Central Tonight and Central News. I split my working week between Birmingham and Nottingham. As a presenter I've worked in news, current affairs and lifestyle TV alongside Kate Garraway, Nick Knowles, Kate Thornton and Natasha Kaplinsky. Most memorably for me, I fronted ITV's live current affairs show Straight Up on the day that Princess Diana died. I began my working life as a builder but, aged 18, landed a job as an apprentice on a local newspaper in Kent. Since then I've clocked up 21 years as a journalist, working across the South and South East, London and the Midlands. I've worked in print, radio and, since 1991, in television. I'm married with four children - two boys and two girls. We live in a small, rural village near Lincoln.

	Mr Brian Stanton Rolls-Royce Director - Customer Training and Employee Learning » Find out more about me I had a technical background in electronics before moving into Training and Development with Rolls-Royce in the 1980s. During this time I gained a number of qualifications in management and ultimately and MPhil degree in Management Learning. I've worked in the UK, Germany, South Africa and am currently based both in Singapore and Derby. I've worked in an advisory capacity for a number of academic bodies including the British University in Dubai and a number of Chinese universities and colleges. Rolls-Royce, the world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, operates in four global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy. It is investing in core technology, capability and infrastructure that can be applied across these sectors to take a competitive range of products to market. Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces and more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies. The company has energy customers in 120 countries. Rolls-Royce is a technology leader, employing around 37,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. Annual sales total £6.6 billion, of which 54 per cent are services revenues. The firm and announced order book is £25 billion, which, together with demand for services, provides visibility of future levels of activity.

	Mr Stephen Whiteley Landau Forte College Principal » Find out more about me