Ian Wright CBE
Ian Wright is a business and management adviser. He specialises in risk and reputation, building on two decades of experience senior management positions in FTSE Top 20 companies. Ian chairs the newly established UK Food & Drink Export Council and advises a number of major food and drink companies. As Global Corporate Relations Director of Diageo plc, Ian sat on the executive committee and held a series of leadership roles at The Boots Company. Deputy Chair at Hume Brophy, Ian sits on the Business Advisory Council of the Foreign, Commonwealth and International Development Office. Previously Chief Executive of the UK Food & Drink Sector Federation, and Chair of the industry’s Sector Council, Ian was also a member of the UK Trade & Agriculture Commission. He has led Cabinet Office external reviews of HM Defence Equipment & Support, Porton Down Research Establishment and the Government Communications Service. He is a frequent broadcaster on television and radio, is a regular witness for Parliamentary select committees and has a regular column in The Grocer magazine. He was awarded a CBE for political and public service in 2015.
Neil Sherlock CBE
Neil Sherlock holds over 25 years’ experience as a corporate affairs and a political adviser, including as a partner at KMPG and PwC. He is a non-executive Chair of Echo Research, which runs Britain’s Most Admired Companies survey and advises on reputation management, and continues as a special adviser to KPMG. A Special Adviser during the Coalition Government, he offered counsel on business to the Deputy Prime Minister. Neil acted as the Co-Chair of the French Chamber of Commerce Brexit Forum and a Board Member London First. In other public roles, he sat on the Centre for Justice Commission, was a member of the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Board and served as member of reviews into social mobility and Big Society Capital. He is a Trustee of the National Literary Trust and on the Advisory Board of New Philanthropy Capital. Previously, he chaired Working Families, was a Trustee of Demos, and on the Board Member of the Institute for Government. Neil graduated with a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University where was elected President of the Oxford Union defeating Boris Johnson. He was awarded a CBE for political and public service in 2015.
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Dr Tim Hames
Tim Hames has had an extensive career, working in journalism, politics and finance, including roles as Director General of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital (BVCA) and Assistant Editor of The Times newspaper. He is a senior adviser to private equity and venture capital companies. He also specialises in advising start-up companies. As an Assistant Editor, chief leader writer and a weekly columnist at The Times, Tim edited a major daily newspaper making decisions over coverage such as September 11 attacks and the global financial crisis. As Director General of the BVCA, he represented over 700 companies in the private equity and venture capital sectors and led the industry’s response to policy changes, including a renegotiation of taxation terms in the UK. Tim has lectured in Politics at Oxford University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism, an industry with which he is also very familiar. Tim is the co-author (with Dame Kate Bingham) ‘The Long Shot: The Inside Story of the Race to Vaccinate Britain’, which has been listed for the Financial Times business Book of the Year.
Eileen McGowan
Eileen McGowan is a public policy and not-for-profit adviser. With nearly twenty years of experience, she specialises in delivering transformational change. As Director of Glendarvon Consulting, Eileen assists clients in growth strategies and finding funds to support their activities. She also advises corporate clients on relationships with not-for-profits and public policy. As Assistant Director of one of Europe’s largest think tanks, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Eileen led the organisation’s relationships with external actors and oversaw its multi-million-pound income streams. As Editor of Public Policy Review, Eileen produced a public policy journal and delivered platforms for Prime Ministers and senior politicians from around the world. She also acted as an adviser on Sir Michael Lyons review into the form, function and funding of local government. Eileen has worked as a senior adviser to politicians in Westminster as well as those in European institutions.
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