SHROPSHIRE CHAMBER - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors

Carl is an award-winning journalist, editor, broadcaster and event host who has worked in Shropshire for more than 30 years. He spent nearly a decade as Business Editor of the Shropshire Star, and also regularly sat in the newspaper's editor's chair. Since 2016 he has been the editor and director of Shropshire Business, the independent glossy business magazine which has been crowned Midlands Magazine of the Year. Carl was also one of the founders of what has now become the Shropshire Chamber Business Awards, and has been involved in hosting the event every year since 2001. He is a producer and presenter of monthly streaming show Shropshire Business Live TV, and has also been part of the presenting team at BBC Radio Shropshire for more than 20 years. Carl has delivered media training and PR consultancy to many big-name organisations in fields such as manufacturing, education, finance, local government and more, and has hosted conferences, events, awards and theatre shows all over the UK. "Spreading word of all the good work being done by the amazing businesses we have here in Shropshire is what I have always taken great joy in doing - and that aligns perfectly with the Chamber's aims and objectives," he said.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors
• Board Member / Bespoke Computing Ltd

Chris has worked in globally renowned tech companies for more than 25 years, most of those leading his own award-winning technology services provider (Bespoke Computing Ltd) to help businesses achieve more through adoption of good technology strategy. He regularly speaks with the local business community on the business end of IT; enabling businesses to learn about technology, and how the application of tech in real-world scenarios can add value to every business. With a common desire to support the local community, Chris joined the Shropshire Chamber board in 2019 to help support and strengthen its position of supporting local businesses in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors
• Board Member / J & PR Ltd

Kirsty moved from the world of journalism to the world of PR after many years in the courtroom as Shropshire's crime correspondent where she covered national and international cases including HRH Princess Diana's inquest in the High Courts. As a co-founder of award-winning PR and content creation agency J&PR, Kirsty experienced her first networking and training events when she joined Shropshire Chamber of Commerce ten years ago and hasn't stopped networking and representing businesses across the county since. Kirsty, who joined the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce board in 2022 and is also Chair of Governors at a Telford primary school, is passionate about shouting about the success of Shropshire businesses where the majority of her clients are based including manufacturing, professional services, education and healthcare sectors. Kirsty and her team members at J&PR are affiliated trainers for Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, helping others to learn the skills needed to promote their business. "People often ask what the key to success has been for J&PR and I have always attributed our growth and success to the networking and learning opportunities which have been made available to us through support organisations including Shropshire Chamber of Commerce - along with hard work and a fantastic team of course! "We journey with our clients at various stages from start ups to established businesses and it is important for them all to be supported. Shropshire has a very unique business community and it is one our team at J&PR is very proud to be involved with," Kirsty said.

Job Titles:

• Business Owner
• Member of the Board
• Member of the Board of Directors
• Board Member / MO Management Consultancy Ltd

Maisy has owned MO Management Consultancy Ltd for the last 7 years specialising in supporting medium, small and micro businesses in the Shropshire area. Previously Maisy had been an Operations Director and gained many skills on how to run a successful business, from the knowledge she had gained for several years she decided to set up on her own and support other companies get sustainable growth. When she first set her company up the first membership, she signed was to the Shropshire Chamber, as she had previously worked with the Chamber, she already knew how powerful it could be when breaking into new markets or launching a new business, this has proven to be the correct choice. As a business owner Maisy wanted to make a difference and got involved with the local networking community which the Chamber supported with their training & events. Over the coming years Maisy has built a reputation for supporting business owners but wanted to take it to the next level. Maisy became a Board member in 2019 with a focus of representing the small & medium size business owners within Shropshire making sure they too had a voice within the Chamber Board.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors

Matthew is the Commercial and Finance Director for Shropshire-based Aico, the European leader in home life safety equipment. He joined Aico in 1999 as an apprentice and has held numerous roles within the company during the past two decades within the organisation's operations, commercial and finance teams. Matthew plays an important role in Aico's commitment to supporting businesses, charities and educational programmes throughout Shropshire. This includes being a Business Ambassador for the Midlands Air Ambulance, where he works collaboratively with the charity to extend its reach, influence and impact.

Job Titles:

• President of the Board of Directors
• President / Jesmonite Limited

I first joined the chamber eight years ago, as an independent Trainer and Business Coach. The reason for joining then was to grow me and my small business through attending networking, training and events. The opportunities that my membership has given me to meet like-minded people, to work with aspirational businesses and to have fun doing it, has been fantastic. The Chamber plays a vital part of the business I am involved with now, Jesmonite Limited, and it has been great seeing members of my team starting to take advantage of all the benefits that membership offer, from First Aid training, exporting advice and developing new markets. Becoming part of the non-executive team has been an absolute privilege, working alongside key Shropshire professionals is very rewarding, as is helping the Shropshire business community take advantage of all the challenges we currently face.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Directors
• Chairman of UK Metals Council

Simon has an MBA from Warwick Business School and a bachelor's degree in Modern Languages from Leeds University. With a background in metals manufacturing, he has worked for Bridgnorth Aluminium for almost 25 years, as Managing Director since 2004. Bridgnorth Aluminium is an aluminium rolling mill with 2021 turnover of £277 million, more than 400 people, and exports the majority of its business to key markets in Europe, the Americas and India. Simon previously worked for British Steel for over 10 years. As former President of the Aluminium Federation and Chair of UK Metals Council, Simon has extensive experience of manufacturing and international markets.