CHELTENHAM CHAMBER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Member Retention Executive
Anna founded her business, Anna's Parties - Singles Events and Anna Freeman One-to-One Introductions in 1997. Being single herself, she is well-placed in understanding her clientele and their hopes of finding a life-partner. She is a qualified counsellor and a member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy. This training supports her work and gives her a special insight into helping her clients. She organises parties and speed-dating events, along with personal one-to-one introductions, and as a result she is adept at bringing people together.
Anna was born in Cheltenham and brought up in London. To quote her "I have been travelling up and down the A40 all my life visiting grandparents as a child/young adult and now visiting relatives in the south-east". She has worked in London, Cheltenham and the Middle-East - Muscat, Oman. Now settled in Cheltenham with her daughter, she is here to stay for the foreseeable future. She enjoys working for the Chamber as Membership-Executive which gives her the opportunity to use her considerable networking skills to raise membership numbers; once more, to quote her "They are all such pleasant people to spend time with!".
Job Titles:
- Events and Hospitality Executive
Job Titles:
- CSR, Member & Ambassador Executive
Passionate about Cheltenham, Claire loves working with the Chamber, and continues to raise awareness about the need to collaborate and work together. If we can shine a light on the town, and encourage people to shop here, eat here and stay here, the local economy improves, which is good for everyone in the community!
Her other passion is social responsibility and she works closely with Michael Ratcliffe via the Association of Gloucestershire Chambers to support not only Cheltenham but other towns across Gloucestershire
Having lived and worked in Cornwall for 17 years, and working as a freelance consultant with Visit Cornwall and Cornwall Chamber she has learnt a lot and is desperate to share…
When she is not working, she has a hectic social life, writes for Cotswold Style magazine and still finds time to entertain! Nothing better than cooking and share a meal and a bottle (or two) of fizz
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive of Cheltenham Business Improvement District
- Retail Executive
Heath is Chief Executive of Cheltenham Business Improvement District (BID) and joined the Chamber in December 2021.
Heath is responsible for leading the work of the BID, championing the town centre and its businesses, which will see £2.8 million invested in Cheltenham between 2021 and 2026.
He has a background in commercial management, particularly within the independent school and events sectors.
Outside of work Heath enjoys watching sport (any kind!), reading books or listening to podcasts whilst on a dog walk.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Recruitment Adviser
- Member of Sarah Cook 's Team at HR People Support
Helen has been a member of Sarah Cook's team at HR People Support since 2021 and before that with Charlton HR. With a true mix of in-house recruitment experience across various industry sectors, Helen joined us in October 2022 to support the Chamber with our recruitment needs.
Passionate about the positive impact Digital Marketing and Social Media has on businesses of all sizes, Keeley volunteers her time to help the Chamber grow its digital presence.
Having worked in Digital Marketing for over 10 years she uses her skills to help grow the chamber in terms of its presence and member benefits and growth.
As well as working in these busy fields, she also has her own business Six Waves Digital, where she helps support others with their digital marketing presence.
When not working, Keeley can be found with her head in a book, or a pencil in her hand, creating a piece of artwork.
Lindsey moved to Cheltenham in 2017 and has owned and run Cleeve Hill Hotel for three years. Additionally, she's an active member of TURF Cheltenham.
Hospitality is not only Lindsey's career but also her passion. Her career has spanned a variety of management and director roles both in central London and countryside resorts. Always working for independents, she has a keen entrepreneurial spirit and loves the strong independent flair that Cheltenham has.
Away from work, Lindsey spends most of her time with her godchildren and niece when she's not supporting Gloucester at Kingsholm!
Job Titles:
- Chamber Development Executive
Michael spent over 35 years in advertising and marketing. He worked on over 150 brands from AXA to Zanussi. He helped create brands and advertising campaigns. He likes to think most of them were successful. A few became famous and one or two infamous. He also spent 4 years as Head of Brand and Insight at Prudential UK & Europe.He joined the Chamber Executive in Autumn 2020.
If you're looking for the man with the most passion about ensuring that the business community of Cheltenham continues to thrive and grow, look no further. Michael is the owner and manager of M R Ratcliffe Consultants Ltd, insurance brokers specialising in the transport industry, which was established in 1976. Based in Cheltenham with 50 staff, M R Ratcliffe places business and underwrites insurance cover on behalf of several major insurance companies in the UK.
Michael has been involved with the Chamber since 2000, and has played an instrumental part in setting up the Executive Board in 2004, when he became the Chief Executive. Michael says that his one wish for Cheltenham would be that all sectors of local society take a more holistic approach towards their environment.
Job Titles:
- Life Vice President of Cheltenham Cricket Club and a Supporter of Gloucester Rugby
- Planning Executive
Rob's experience spans over 30 years of working in the commercial property market in Gloucestershire and the West Midlands, and for Government Departments across the Country.
Cheltenham has complex land and commercial space challenges and Rob brings a wealth of inside knowledge in this area, consulting for a number of companies in the town.
A keen sportsman, Rob is a life Vice President of Cheltenham Cricket Club and a supporter of Gloucester Rugby club.
Job Titles:
- President & Honorary HR Adviser
Sarah joined the Executive Board in June 2022 as the Honorary HR Adviser. As the Founder and Managing Director of HR People Support, a Cheltenham based HR consultancy firm, Sarah is passionate about helping others grow their business by looking after their people, and is an important asset to the Chamber team.
Providing HR support from recruitment and retention, to employee engagement and culture, Sarah and her team also provide advice on HR policies and procedures, GDPR compliance and organisational structure and change management. With the years of experience the team hold, there's not much they haven't worked on before!
Always approachable and with a listening ear, Sarah is tenacious and fun, and outside of work you'll often find her at live music gigs across the country or sampling the cuisine at one of Cheltenham's finest restaurants.
Steven has an innate skill for resolving contentious issues as a commercial litigator at Harrison Clark Rickerbys. He is astutely aware of the demands and pressures facing business and how a dispute can distract from focusing on making a profit. Therefore, whenever he advises businesses, from multinational corporations to innovative start-ups, he balances the risks of litigation with the commercial or personal demands, to achieve a satisfactory solution in a cost efficient manner.
Steven is experienced in a wide range of contentious issues including: product liability, breaches of restrictive covenants, professional negligence, and contractual disputes. However, his specialism is in Intellectual Property issues such as copyright and trade mark infringements and domain name disputes.
Outside of work Steven's focus is his family. He also enjoys sampling the offerings of the wonderful restaurants and ale houses in and around Cheltenham. When time permits, he skittles in the local league and practices Kendo.