Page 38 – Business in the Community

Paul Griffiths

Paul Griffiths wearing a pin stripe suit, smiling

Paul Griffiths

Chairman,
The Monastery Manchester

North West Leadership Board

Paul Griffith, Chair of The Monastery Manchester, was born in Manchester in 1953 and educated at the school of St Francis in Gorton, East Manchester. Paul has had an extensive 40-year career in the food industry including senior roles with retailers ASDA and The Co-operative.

Previously Chief Executive Officer with Interlink Foods PLC and a former Chairman of the influential Provision Trade Federation, Paul has held general management, commercial and marketing roles with leading retailers and food manufacturers in UK and Europe. He has also headhunted at chair and board level for public and privately held companies. His portfolio roles have included working as an international management consultant and as an adviser on hospitality and event management within heritage assets.

Paul is a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and his voluntary activity includes chairmanship of a charity, The Monastery of St Francis & Gorton Trust in Manchester and its trading subsidiary The Monastery, Manchester. For 16 years he has been a judge of the Edinburgh-based International Indian Chef of the Year Competition, with proceeds supporting Bangladeshi orphans.

A fellow of the RSA and a member of The Royal Society of Saint George, Paul was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in 2004. His hobbies include piloting helicopters.

Kieren Cooper

image of Kieren Cooper

Kieren Cooper

Partner,
Deloitte LLP

West Midlands Leadership Board

Kieren Cooper is a partner at Deloitte and has been working in audit and assurance within the financial Services sector for more than 20 years. 

He works predominantly in the retail banking sector, with a particular focus on building societies and specialist banks. He also works with insurance brokers and wealth mangers across the regions. His time is spent delivering both external and internal audit outsource services, as well as advising boards in specialist areas such a prudential and conduct regulation.

Kieren works closely with the Building Societies Association and often speaks publicly on his areas of specialism. 

Outside of client work, Kieren is the Responsible Business Sponsoring Partner for Deloitte in the West Midlands. In this role he oversees all aspects of responsible business practice for Deloitte in the region including its charitable work, work with schools and education, green agenda and all other aspects of responsible business.

Caroline Colliston

Caroline Colliston smiling broadly in a blue shirt

Caroline Colliston

Executive Partner Scotland
DWF LLP

Scotland Leadership Board

An experienced corporate tax and share schemes solicitor and chartered tax adviser, Caroline sits on DWF’s partner-led diversity steering group and responsible business leadership group.

With over 20 years of experience in providing advice to corporate and individual clients, Caroline has also led the teaching on the postgraduate legal practice diploma and trainee solicitor CPD at the University of Edinburgh, which incorporated the free legal advice clinic.

Caroline is an active member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Tax Law and Policy sub-committee, the Women in Tax Scotland committee and acts as an ambassador for Women in the Law UK in Scotland, as well as actively promoting Fair Work.

Caroline believes passionately in fair access of opportunity for all to education, life skills and, ultimately, work. She also believes in the benefits of adopting a growth mindset. 

Jo Dow

Jo Dow looks up at the camera, an office atrium behind her

Jo Dow

Chief Executive,
Business Stream

Scotland Leadership Board

Jo Dow was appointed Chief Executive of water provider Business Stream in October 2014.

Having started her career in private practice as a qualified accountant, Jo made a move into industry joining Scottish and Southern Energy in 1998.

She joined Scottish Water in 2002 and was heavily involved in the separation of retail and wholesale activities and in the preparation of the first business plan for its new retail subsidiary which went onto become Business Stream.

Subsequently, she was approached to take on the role of Financial Controller for Business Stream. Jo was part of the team who created the new company, establishing the funding and governance arrangements and creating the capability to compete in the world’s first retail water market.

Jo was promoted to Finance Director where she helped transform the business into a commercial, dynamic retail business with a passion for providing customer choice, savings and service. Since her appointment as Chief Executive in 2014, she has focused on two areas: delivering Business Stream’s vision of providing industry-leading customer service across the UK and preparing Business Stream for success in the English non-domestic water retail market, which included the acquisition of Southern Water’s non-household customer base in April 2017.

Jo is a member of the Customer Forum, an initiative designed to positively shape the future of water and sewerage services in Scotland.

Gary Gillespie

Gary Gillespie sits at a table with papers in front of him.

Gary Gillespie

Chief Economic Adviser,
The Scottish Government

Scotland Leadership Board

Gary was appointed Director and Scottish Government Chief Economist in 2011. He joined the civil service in 2000 from the Fraser of Allander Institute (University of Strathclyde) where his research interests included the Scottish economy, regional economic modelling and foreign direct investment.

His role in providing economic advice to the First Minister is one of the most visible within the public sector in Scotland. He publishes regular assessments of the State of the Economy and analysis of impacts on changes in the Scottish and UK economies. He is a regular participant in economic discussion across Scotland, UK and internationally.

Gary was made an Honorary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University in January 2011 and was appointed to the role of Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde in 2015. He was also appointed a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2017.

Stephen Pearson

Stephen Pearson in suit and tie smiles at the camera

Stephen Pearson

Senior Adviser, Chief Executive Officer Office,
Virgin Money

Scotland Leadership Board

Stephen joined Virgin Money in 2010 and has recently been appointed as Head of External Projects for the combined Virgin Money and CYBG group. He represents the group on a range of Public Affairs, Professional Standards and Social Enterprise projects.

He is a Trustee of the Virgin Money Foundation, a relatively new charity with an opening fund of £8m and is also a member of the Carnegie Trust Working Group on Affordable Credit. Stephen is also a non-executive Director of Virgin Start Up, with responsibility for Scotland.

Brian Pettigrew

Brian Pettigrew smiles broadly in a pin striped suit and red tie

Brian Pettigrew

Regional Managing Director,
ENGIE

Scotland Leadership Board

Brian was appointed as Regional Managing Director of the ENGIE (Scotland) places and communities division and has full accountability and responsibility for the overall successful delivery of all projects in Scotland.

Brian is supported by a senior management team of professionals with expertise in the pre-construction, construction and commercial activities of construction developments.

With more than 25 years of industry experience, Brian is a highly experienced construction professional with an outstanding track record in the delivery of large-scale award-winning regeneration projects within urban areas throughout Scotland.

He is an inspirational, focused leader who can motivate and mentor teams and individuals. His overall leadership style is strategic, proactive and to work collaboratively with highly effective operational teams, continually improving best practice.

Andy Francis

Andy Francis smiles in front of merchandise inside a Boots store.

Andy Francis

Head of Stores Wales, Merseyside and West Midlands,
Boots UK

Wales Leadership Board

Andy Francis currently leads the 300 Boots Pharmacies and stores across Wales, Merseyside and West Midlands for Boots UK having spent 28 years within the organisation working across the UK.

Andy is a pharmacist and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council and sits on the board of the Welsh Retail Consortium and Business in the Community’s (BITC) Wales Leadership Board.  Andy is originally from Carmarthenshire, a fluent Welsh speaker and lives in Cardiff with his family.  Sport is important to Andy and he finds following rugby at all levels hugely enjoyable including supporting the Scarlets and Wales.

He says: “I feel being part of the BITC leadership board is a huge privilege working with like-minded business leaders with the aim of using the power of business and its connectivity to make a meaningful difference to people across Wales.”

Edward Morgan

Edward Morgan in dark suit, shirt and jumper looks at the camera

Edward Morgan

Group CSR and Training Manager,
Castell Howell Foods

Wales Leadership Board

Edward is the Group CSR and Training manager for Castell Howell Foods, and has been employed by the company since 2001.

A business based in West Wales, Castell Howell have been Business in the Community (BITC) members since 2011. BITC have been instrumental in helping to guide the company on its journey to becoming a responsible business, with Edward adopting the corporate social responsibility position for the group of seven food manufacturing units and six distribution depots. 

It is important that the Wales Leadership Board reflects the profile of the Welsh BITC members, from national and multinational companies through to regional operators. As intermediaries and manufacturers in the food supply chain, Castell Howell has a broad overview and appreciates the challenges businesses face from farm to fork. These encompass employing an ageing workforce, wellbeing and mental health in the workplace, initiatives with the education sector, and implementing the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, all of which are aligned and natural fits with the goals of BITC.

Emma Watkins

Emma Watkins in a red jacket looking at the camera

Emma Watkins

Deputy Director Sectors and Business,
Welsh Government

Wales Leadership Board

Emma Watkins is Director of the CBI in Wales, a post she has held since January 2012.  In this role she is responsible for managing the CBI’s relationships with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders, acting as the figurehead for the CBI in Wales. She is responsible for member recruitment and retention, as well as the commercial events programme. She is also leading the CBI’s work on gender diversity across its membership, on which she works directly with the CBI Director General.

Emma has been with the CBI since 2003, during which time she has been Head of Public Services Policy, Principal Policy Adviser in the CBI’s Brussels office, and Head of Policy for the CBI in Wales.  Prior to the CBI, Emma worked as a political researcher for two different assembly members in the National Assembly for Wales, during its first four years. Originally from St Davids, Pembrokeshire, Emma holds an MSc Econ in the European policy process, and a BSc Econ degree in politics and modern history, both of which are from Cardiff University.