Page 37 – Business in the Community

Roland Ilube

Roland Ilube OBE

SVP Finance – Mobility, Shell

Race Equality Leadership Team

Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant with the audit firm Coopers & Lybrand, Roland joined the Shell Group in 1995.  

He started in the retail business in the UK as a management accountant and then moved to West Africa where he was Finance Manager of Shell’s Downstream Business, firstly in Gabon, then in the Ivory Coast. He returned to the UK in 2002 and joined the Downstream Finance Portfolio team where he spent four years working on acquisition and divestment projects before being seconded by Shell to the Project Financing team of an LNG Joint Venture Company.

After that, he moved to Lagos, Nigeria, where he set up and ran the M&A and Commercial Finance team. In 2012 he came back to London to take up the role of GM Finance for the Lubricants and Commercial Fuels Business across Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA). In 2015 Roland returned to the M&A and Commercial Finance team as Head of Global Downstream, based in London.

Roland has been an executive sponsor of the Shell African Network, the employee network for people of African and Caribbean heritage, since 2012.

Roland is married and has three sons. In his spare time, he plays, watches and talks about cricket.

About Business in the Community’s Race Leadership Team

Each area of work Business in the Community (BITC) undertakes is led by a group of senior executives who provide strategic guidance and support us in achieving our objectives.

The purpose of BITC’s Race Equality Leadership Team is to support employers to help break down the barriers that prevent the progression of ethnic minorities in their workplaces and show how an inclusive organisation better serves its customers, clients and communities.

Find out more about BITC’s work on race equality.  

Manroop Khela

Manroop Khela in a dark suit and red tie looks at the camera

Manroop Khela

Head of Specialist Business Units, Santander

Race Equality Leadership Team

Manroop Khela was appointed to the role of Head of Specialist Business Units in December 2019, leading specialist segments including Santander Consumer Finance and Cater Allen Private Bank. He also developed new business models for Santander’s unsecured lending and is a member of the UK ExCo.

In March 2018 he held the position of Head of Transformation and CEO Office.  Prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer for Retail & Business Banking in Santander UK. He has worked in the Santander Group since 2004 across Europe, Latin Americas and Asia focusing on consumer finance and retail banking and since 2013, with a special focus on transformation. In 2011, he launched and was CEO of Hyundai Capital UK, a joint venture between Hyundai & Kia Motor Groups and Santander specialising in automotive financing. 

In January 2019 Manroop was appointed a Trustee of Help for Heroes, a leading charity providing lifelong support to service personnel and military veterans with injuries, illnesses and wounds sustained while serving in the British Armed Forces.

About Business in the Community’s Race Equality Leadership Team

Each area of work Business in the Community (BITC) undertakes is led by a group of senior executives who provide strategic guidance and support us in achieving our objectives.

The purpose of BITC’s Race Equality Leadership Team is to support employers to help break down the barriers that prevent the progression of ethnic minorities in their workplaces and show how an inclusive organisation better serves its customers, clients and communities.

Find out more about BITC’s work on race equality.  

Mark Summerfield

Mark Summerfield stands by a river with a city skyline in the distance

Mark Summerfield

Director of Human Resources,
CPS

Race Equality Leadership Team

Mark has worked in Civil Service departments and other sectors, at senior levels within the human resources profession.

Mark joined CPS in July 2007 as Deputy Director Pay and Reward and became the CPS HR Director in August 2010. He has led on the CPS People Strategy and Success of our People that has delivered a range of improvements in workforce capability and engagement while overseeing the strategy to achieve the most significant reductions in staff numbers in the history of the service. Under Mark’s tenure as HR Director, employee engagement at the CPS has improved by 12 percentage points.

Mark is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and completed his master’s degree in law and employment relations at Leicester University in 2001. 

Prior to joining the CPS, Mark was Head of Employment Policy and Reward at Department of Health where he developed a business-focused reward strategy, negotiating significant changes to remuneration with the major public sector trades unions. 

Mark also developed the Department of Health’s arrangements for performance management with strong links to pay. He spent some time working within organisational development at the Department of Health on initiatives to drive organisational, team and individual performance and engagement. 

Before working at the Department of Health, Mark was the Head of Reward at Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, where he designed the reward and recognition strategy and developed a career family structure for Jobcentre Plus advisers, mapping capability growth to learning and development, deployment and reward. 

About Business in the Community’s Race Equality Leadership Team

Each area of work Business in the Community (BITC) undertakes is led by a group of senior executives who provide strategic guidance and support us in achieving our objectives.

The purpose of BITC’s Race Equality Leadership Team is to support employers to help break down the barriers that prevent the progression of ethnic minorities in their workplaces and show how an inclusive organisation better serves its customers, clients and communities.

Find out more about BITC’s work on race.  

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Business in the Community is creating a skilled and inclusive workforce for today and tomorrow

Fiona Adshead

Fiona Adshead in brown jacket smiles at the camera

Fiona Adshead

Independent Wellbeing, Sustainability and Public Health Advisor

Wellbeing Leadership Team

Fiona is an independent expert advisor on wellbeing, sustainability and public health. Formerly she was Bupa’s Chief Wellbeing and Public Health Officer, responsible for leading global commercial strategy on workplace health and wellbeing, prevention, behaviour change, partnerships, and sustainability, catalysing action on improving the health of Bupa’s people and customers.

Before joining Bupa, Fiona was a Director at PwC consulting on health and sustainability. For five years, she was Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director General in the UK government responsible for health improvement and health inequalities followed by being Director of Chronic Disease and Health Promotion at the World Health Organisation.

She is a high-profile wellbeing and public health leader with a track record of reframing thinking and developing innovative strategy and programmes at the heart of business and government. She has wide-ranging experience of working with business leaders, global companies and organisations, such as Business in the Community (BITC), WEF and WBCSD on wellbeing and sustainability issues. With extensive experience of working with the World Bank, European Commission and other international agencies.

Fiona is an international adviser to the Royal College of Physicians, a visiting Professor at UCL and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is a Senior Associate at Cambridge University’s Sustainability Leadership Programme, where she teaches regularly. Fiona is a member of British Land’s Sustainability Advisory Panel, Marks and Spencer’s Sustainable Retail Advisory Board and the What Works on Wellbeing Advisory Panel.

Fiona is a Chair of the UK Health Forum and a trustee of the London Sustainability Exchange. 

About Business in the Community’s Wellbeing Leadership Team

Each area of work Business in the Community (BITC) undertakes is led by a group of senior executives who provide strategic guidance and support us in achieving our objectives.

The purpose of BITC’s Wellbeing Leadership Team is to build a movement that is committed to positioning health and wellbeing as strategic boardroom issues with a particular focus on mental health; driving collective action through evidence-based, practical solutions.

Find out more about BITC’s work on wellbeing. 

Rachel Whitaker

Rachel Whitaker looks straight into the camera

Rachel Whitaker

Consumer Savings Platform P&L Owne,
AVIVA PLC

Yorkshire and Humber Leadership Board

Rachel has been Head of Systems Thinking for Aviva PLC in the UK since 2017.

She is passionate about great customer experiences across all channels of customer interaction and great employee engagement. With a decade of experience of delivering strategic organisational change to continuously deliver better results for Aviva’s customers and the business, she is keen to use her business skills, knowledge and connections to further benefit the wider community in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Rachel joined the Yorkshire and Humber Leadership Board in January 2019 and is passionate about large businesses playing a role to further improve the communities they operate within. Aligning business functions and collectives of businesses to achieve a common purpose is at the heart of Rachel’s experience.

She enjoys public speaking and sharing stories of learning and success with others.

Outside of work, Rachel has two young and energetic boys, spending most of her time outdoors in all weathers with her family in Sheffield.

Neil Robinson

Image of Neil Robinson

Neil Robinson

Group CSR Director,
Manchester Airport Group

North West Leadership Board

Neil Robinson as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Director for Manchester Airports Group (MAG), has responsibility for the group’s award-winning CSR programme. The programme includes a multidisciplinary team delivering all aspects of CSR strategy, environmental programmes, community engagement and policy interface with local and national Government.

With a background in sustainability, Neil Robinson is a chemistry graduate with a postgraduate degree in environmental management and an MBA from Birmingham Business School.

Prior to joining Manchester Airports Group Neil has held senior positions with companies including London Underground and Jaguar Cars.

Manchester Airports Group is the owner and operator of four airports, Manchester, Stansted, East Midlands and Bournemouth. The group operates a property development company managing a property portfolio of £600m. MAG has an annual turnover of about £550m. MAG is a growing business that is using its success to drive regional benefits; focusing on employment, skills, education and regeneration. More than 30,000 young people’s education in communities were directly supported by MAG in the past year. The group contributed £7.8 billion to the national economy and its airports employed more than 41,000 people on site. MAG’s operations are carbon neutral and 100 per cent of energy needs for the airports is achieved through renewable sources.

Rebekah Wallis

Rebekah Wallis smiling

Rebekah Wallis

Director of People & CR,
Ricoh UK (Ireland + Nordics)

East Midlands Leadership Board
The Prince’s Responsible Business Ambassador – East Midlands

Rebekah Wallis is Director of People and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) at Ricoh UK (Ireland + Nordics).

Rebekah is responsible for the strategic direction of employee experience, talent management and development, corporate responsibility, sustainability and community investment. With over 30 years’ industry experience, Rebekah has developed a passion for building an inclusive and connected culture where employees can achieve true fulfilment. She has been instrumental in implementing positive culture change at Ricoh following a series of acquistions and integrations, with her people-centric approach strongly influencing the company’s ways of working, resulting in engaged and passionate teams across Ricoh.

Deborah Gordon Brown

Deborah Gordon Brown smiling, looks to the side of the camera

Deborah Gordon Brown

Partner,
Shoosmiths

East Midlands Leadership Board

Deborah Gordon Brown is a Partner at national law firm, Shoosmiths LLP 

Deborah began her career at international law firm Hogan Lovells as a trainee solicitor, moving to Shoosmiths seven years later. 

Deborah specialises in real estate and acts for corporate property funds, portfolio holders and national occupier clients. Deborah has been recognised in the Legal 500’s hall of fame for partners who have received consistent praise by clients for continued excellence.

In addition, Deborah sits on the firm’s inclusion group and community investment committee. Deborah’s team have been active members of Business in the Community for many years, undertaking a number of programmes including Right to Read, Number Partners and Business Class.

Deborah leads the Nottingham office and sits on the board of the firm’s partnership council. 

In her spare time, Deborah is a board trustee of the Nottingham Women’s Centre and was for many years a volunteer Football Association Child Welfare Officer.

Heather Lee

Heather Lee in a beige jacket smiles at the camera

Heather Lee

Chief People Officer
Lincolnshire Co-Operative

East Midlands Leadership Board

Heather Lee is Chief People Officer at Lincolnshire Co-operative, recognised for its employment practices with  Investors in People Platinum, Disability Confident Leading and a long-term, committed Mindful Employer. 

A strategic leader and people professional, Heather has sector experience in retail, defence, and utilities, Blue Chip FTSE 100’s and the Co-operative sector.

An Economics graduate from the University of York, she is also a Fellow of the CIPD and holds an MBA. Heather is Vice-Chair of Governors at a Boston College, a General FE College and Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Cornerstone Employer Group, promoting best practice in business support to careers education.

Christopher Gray

Christopher Gray in suit jacket and open shirt

Christopher Gray

Chief of Public Sector,
AND Digital

Chair, North West Leadership Board
The Prince’s Responsible Business Ambassador – North West
Business in the Community Community Leadership Board

Chris Gray is Chief of Public Sector at AND Digital. AND Digital are a rapidly growing specialist digital transformation firm. As part of this growth Chris is responsible for driving AND’s work with public sector clients across the UK and Europe.

Throughout his career Chris has worked at the intersection of public sector delivery and technology, helping clients drive digitalisation, innovation and change with a key focus on the use of data and analytics. Chris has worked extensively with UK government departments on major change initiatives as well as having several international roles during his career to date.

Chris is the current Chair of Business in the Community’s (BITC) North West Regional Leadership Board and HRH Prince of Wales Ambassador for Responsible Business. Chris is also a Director of Prospere Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust with schools in South Manchester and a member of the University of Liverpool Management School’s Advisory Board.

Chris is an impassioned supporter of LGBTQ+ and female leadership initiatives and works with a range of organisations in the North West to mentor and coach individuals.

Chris completed a BSc at Aston University in International Business and Modern Languages as part of which he studied at the Grenoble École de Management, France. He has also studied Artificial Intelligence at Oxford Saïd Business School and is currently studying INSEAD’s Online Certificate: Leading in a Transforming World.