Our Board

Mark Bretton is Chair of Hertfordshire LEP and the LEP Network, the national body that brings all 38 LEPs together. He is an independent consultant with 36 years of wide-ranging business experience, including in several high profile Government programmes. Until recently Mark was a Managing Director (Partner) in the leadership team of the professional services firm Accenture. He sits on the Business Leaders’ Council of the charity Teach First.

Mark has an MBA in Export Management and International Business from City, University of London Business School and a BSc Econ (Hons) in Management Studies. He was a Royal Signals Reserve Officer (Major) and holds a Territorial Decoration. Mark joined the LEP Board as Business Representative and Chair Designate in January 2016, took over as Chair of the LEP Board in June 2016 and became Chair of the LEP Network in September 2019. Mark is a member of the Secretary of State for BEIS’ Levelling Up Taskforce, of the Minister for Local Government’s Economic Recovery Working Group and the Business Action Council, all focused on helping the country grow out of the COVID-19 crisis.

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Neil Rutledge is Head of Advisory and Business Development at Amberside Advisors Ltd. 

Neil is Deputy Chair of the Hertfordshire LEP Board and Chair of the Programme Management Committee (PMC) which monitors financial spend. 

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Tina Barnard is Chief Executive of Watford Community Housing, a community based housing organisation delivering homes and services to people in South West Hertfordshire. She is a qualified accountant, and has worked in housing for over 26 years. Tina was previously Deputy Chief Executive/Resources Director at CHP, Resources Director at Worthing Homes and Finance Director at New Era Housing Association. Tina is working to ensure that Watford Community Housing achieves its growth aspirations to deliver 1,000 new homes across Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Tina also chairs Hertfordshire LEP's Strategic Infrastructure Programme Board. 

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David Conway is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer at ITN. He plays a key strategic role in the evolution of ITN as an international news and content producer, whose current clients include ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, BBC, Sky, Netflix, Discovery and CBS. He previously held leadership positions at the BBC Studioworks Ltd, BBC, Bacardi and PwC.

David joined the LEP Board in March 2018 as a business representative.  

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Nitin Dahad is an entrepreneur, journalist and tech evangelist, with 35 years’ experience in the global technology industry. He is also a business mentor and advisor to start-ups and high-growth firms.

Nitin started his career in the electronics industry, which included several years at Marconi Instruments in St. Albans. His entrepreneurial journey began with a microprocessor start-up which he helped launch and grow in the USA and subsequently list on the London Stock Exchange at a billion-dollar valuation. He has since helped grow multiple start-ups and launched several media ventures of his own focused on technology, entrepreneurship and innovation, to economic development, including The Chilli, The Next Silicon Valley and Technology Leaders TV.

Nitin has been a Hertfordshire LEP Board member since March 2018 and is Chair of the LEP’s Enterprise & Innovation Board as well as being the LEP’s SME champion. He previously also served on the boards of University of Hertfordshire, University of Essex, and the East of England Development Agency, and spent five years as a tech specialist advisor with UK Trade and Investment.

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Kit is CEO of Hart Learning Group and Principal of North Hertfordshire College, an occupationally-focused further education college with campuses in Stevenage, Hitchin and Letchworth.

Kit has a degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics at King’s College London. He is a member of the Public Sector Chief Executive Group and sits on the SEND Executive Board and Hertfordshire Schools Forum. Kit joined the LEP board in April 2019 and also sits on the Skills and Employment Board and Programme Management Committee.

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Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE is the CEO of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst; the UK's first open innovation biomedical catalyst providing fast growing biotech, pharma and medtech businesses with access to world-leading academic support, networks and scientific facilities. 

Sally Ann has a wealth of experience establishing and developing leading science parks, having previously served as CEO for Norwich Research Park and Director of both Harwell in Oxfordshire and Colworth Science Park in Bedfordshire. She joined the LEP Board on 21 June 2018. 

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Cllr Haysey has been the Leader of East Herts District Council since 2015. She is a member of the Transport East Forum, which reviews the region’s infrastructure requirements, and the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Board, which is developing a new garden town area to meet local housing and economic needs. Cllr Haysey also sits on the Programme Management Committee which oversees the delivery of the LEP funding programmes.

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Chris Hulatt is the co-founder of Octopus Group. Launched in 2000, the company’s fund-management division is a major investor in key sectors including renewable energy, venture capital and healthcare property, while its energy arm founded in 2015 is a leading challenger energy supplier.

Named EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year 2017, Chris is passionate about British entrepreneurialism and advocates to Government and business leaders for policy ideas to drive business growth. He is an advisor to The Entrepreneurs Network and a member of the Advisory Council of Regenerate - a think-tank that works to make it easier start, grow and lead purpose-driven businesses. 

Chris is also Chairman of Online Giving, known as Enthuse – a digital fundraising solutions provider to the charities sector; and non-executive director of Clearly So, Europe’s leading impact focused investment bank specialising in fundraising for purposeful businesses and funds. 

Chris joined the LEP Board in December 2020 as business representative.

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Ceri Humprey is Finance Director at engineering and construction firm VolkerFitzpatrick, based in Hoddesdon. Ceri is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with Ernst & Young. She joined the Anglian Water Group in 2001 supporting the post-acquisition integration of Morrison Construction, then joined Willmott Dixon in 2004. On joining VolkerWessels UK in 2009 as Group Financial Controller, Ceri set up their UK finance shared service centre, and then took up a role as Finance Director of VolkerFitzpatrick in 2013. Since then she has also led the start of a new real estate business for the group, and is involved in a number of strategic business change initiatives including acquisitions, learning & development, and major systems implementations.

Ceri joined the LEP Board in June 2020 as a business representative.

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Dianne is Founder and Director of regulatory consultancy DLRC Ltd. Dianne started off her career in research where she gained a life sciences degree, and moved into the field of medicines regulation in 1987. Dianne set up DLRC Ltd in 2005, based in Letchworth Garden City, which she manages with her husband. The company now employs about 60 staff and support medicines research companies globally.

Earlier this year, DLRC acquired a small consulting company in Germany where Dianne is Managing Director. Outside the business Dianne recently became the Enterprise Advisor for Knights Templar School with a particular focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

Dianne joined the LEP Board in July 2020 as SME representative.

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Julie is Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire. She joined the University’s Business School in 1996 as a Senior Lecturer in Business Strategy, and held various posts before being appointed Head of the Business School in 2006. 

Julie’s academic career began at the London Institute in 1993, after achieving management success in the hotel and restaurant sector. This included running a chain of high street cafés for Martin The Newsagent, and subsequent strategic marketing and merchandising positions with Guinness when it acquired the business.

Julie joined the Hertfordshire LEP Board as Higher Education representative in December 2019, and has been a member of the LEP's Skills & Employment Board since 2015. 

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Peter Taylor is the Mayor of Watford and was elected to the role in May 2018. As Mayor, Peter has made improving the town’s transport infrastructure a big priority, having introduced a new Bike Hire Scheme and On Demand Bus Service.

Peter was raised in Sheffield and attended Notre Dame High School. He then attended the University of Edinburgh before moving to Watford to work as a teacher. He continued to work in the education sector as Assistant Director to the Catholic Education Service, representing over 2000 Catholic schools in England and Wales.

Peter joined the LEP Board in September 2019 as a Local Authority representative.

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Cllr Sharon Taylor is leader of Stevenage Borough Council, a position she has held since 2006. She is Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association and is Deputy Leader of the Local Government Association Labour Group (since 2008). Cllr Taylor is District Council Representative for the A1(M) Growth Area on the LEP Board.

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Richard Whitehead is Managing Director, Buildings and Places, at AECOM, a multinational engineering firm that provides design, consulting, construction, and management services across 150 countries. Richard is also a Director of Perfect Circle, a joint venture company formed by Pick Everard, Gleeds and AECOM, which looks to make a significant and positive contribution towards shaping the built environment and to exert a positive influence on the issues affecting the public sector. Richard also chairs the Enterprise Zone Board.

Richard joined the LEP Board in March 2018 as a business representative and is the LEP's diversity champion. 

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Cllr David Williams was elected to Hertfordshire County Council in 2013 and elected Leader of the Council on 21 November 2017. David is the Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Education & Skills and sits on the Enterprise, Education & Skills Cabinet Panel (Chairman), and the Pensions Committee (Vice-Chairman).

David represents the County Council on the LEP Board and sits on the Programme Management Committee Board.

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