Newcastle University

Joanna's professional experience runs from her law degree in 1985 and encompasses not only law but also science, creativity and technology. These interests are underpinned by significant and long term exposure to new developments in media, marketing and advertising.

Joanna's research and commercial interests are centred around the personal and professional opportunities and challenges created by technological developments across science, business and the creative industries (in particular music). Her PhD research covered analysis of changing value frameworks and business models across the music industry. A natural result of this conflation of interests is a particular curiosity about social media and the impact of these upon traditional media as well as upon educational and commercial experiences and activities.

Joanna teaches Strategic Marketing to EMBA students  and UG social media marketing and is Senior Tutor for BA Marketing and Management. She is a Fellow and Chartered Marketer of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Vice Chair of the North East Regional Board of the CIM. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consultants. She is currently undertaking the Director of Engagement role in the Business School as part of the Executive Team, standing in for Dr Fiona Whitehurst who is away on long term sick leave.

Peter Carr is Chairman of NHS North East and has an involvement with the NHS organsiations dating back to the 1990’s.  He has chaired the previous SHA, the Newcastle Health Authority and the former Northern Regional Health Authority.  He chairs the Commission on Rural Health and is a member of Court of Newcastle University.

In the 1980’s he held a senior position for 5 years in the diplomatic service based in Washington DC, where he engaged in a range of key negotiations on behalf of the British Government.  He has held senior and national positions with the Department of Employment, was a founder Director of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and a Director of the Commission on Industrial Relations.  From 1993 to 1997, during a period of intense reform, he was Chairman of the Occupational Board.

He has a long standing interest in economic development and led the regional task force in the North East established by Central Government in the 1990’s.  He has maintained that interest by chairing an economic development board and has made a special international study of research parks.

Peter Carr began his working life as an apprentice cabinet maker.  After qualifying he moved to the construction industry and then into construction site management.  He left that occupation at 26 to spend four years completing his education.

Sharmishta Chatterjee-Banerjee, Head of International Relations, Newcastle University Business School

Sharmishta is Head of International Relations at Newcastle University Business School. With extensive experience in the UK higher education sector and e-business, travel, retail and advertising industries, in her current role, she is responsible for  working with the Directors of Internationalization and Engagement to  develop  and lead on a portfolio of strategic partnerships with high quality institutions, professional bodies, and commercial organisations.

Sharmishta joined Newcastle University Business School in 2006 as Marketing and Alumni Manager, following on from which she became International Business Development Manager in 2008 and Head of International Relations in 2010. Prior to joining Newcastle University Business School, she has worked in senior positions in a number of brand development and strategic marketing roles at Southampton Solent University, Cunard Line Limited, Global Email Company, Trikaya Grey and Jet Airways.

Sharmishta holds a BA (Hons) in Political Science and International Relations from Jadavpur University, India and a MA in Marketing Management from Nottingham Business School.  She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and an alumnus of the Association of Business School’s Development Programme for Senior Marketers. She is also a governor at Newcastle Preparatory School and Director of the Genesys Dance Circle.

Professor Song Chen, Deputy Dean, School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, China

 Professor Song CHEN is the Deputy Dean of School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai, China since December 2009, and Executive Dean of SIMBA, School of Economics and Management, Tongji University since June 2004.

He holds a PhD in management from School of Economics and Management of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, focusing on technological innovation management. He has been a full professor of technology economics and management at Tongji University since 2003 and the Director of Institute of Technological Economics and Management at Tongji University since 2005.
 
He has been leading a Sino-French joint MBA programme, SIMBA (Shanghai International MBA) since 2004 and it is among the top 50 by Financial Times EMBA ranking in the past three consecutive years.  

Dr. Chen is, among others, a Member of EPAS Committee of EFMD, a Standing Executive Board Member of Chinese Society of Technology Economics, a Regional Editor of Journal of Technology Management in China (Emerald), and an Editorial Member of Asian Journal of Technology Innovation.

He provided consulting services for Science and Technology Committee of Shanghai Municipality, Hyundai Motors (China), LG Chem (China), Shanghai Volkswagen and CMA-CGM on strategy, technology development, operation management and training in China.

He was a Visiting Professor of Munich School of Management at LMU, Germany in Feb. 2010 and a Visiting Research Fellow at Korea University in 1997.

Professor Ian Clarke, Director, Newcastle University Business School
Ian is Director of the Newcastle University Business School and Chair in Strategic Management and Marketing. His is former Chair and President of the British Academy of Management (BAM); a member of Executive team of the Association of Business Schools (ABS); a Senior Fellow of the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM); a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing; and in 2011 was conferred as an Academician of Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS).

Prior to taking up the position of Director of the Business School in November 2008, Ian worked for 7 years as Chair in Marketing and Strategic Management at Lancaster. He has held Chairs in Marketing at a number of other universities, including Durham and Sheffield. Prior to working in academe he spent several years in commerce as a strategic marketing advisor and analyst to the main board of a major UK company (Tesco PLC).

Ian has a PhD in Human Geography from The Australian National University and BA (Hons) Class 1 in Geography from the University of Wales. 

Mary Coyle MBE, Chair, North Tyneside Primary Care Trust
Mary Coyle is Chair of North Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT).  In that role, she is also Chair of Newcastle and North Tyneside Community Health Board, an executive member of North Tyneside Strategic Partnership, and Chair of Health and Wellbeing Partnership.

Mary also has a freelance portfolio. Her clients include Common Purpose, Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Northumbrian Water, NStar Finance, Northumberland Tourism Partnership, Tyne & Wear City Region, Institute of Water Officers (IWO), Co Durham & Darlington Community Foundation. She also provides business support to a number of entrepreneurs, all of whom are in the early stages of building their businesses.

Mary was Regional Director for Common Purpose (a leadership development organisation) in the North East and the Humber from 1996 until December 2006. She then spent a year as Chief Executive of Aspire. Mary is vice-chair of two local charities, Helix Arts and Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service. She is a trustee of Newcastle University staff pension plan. She is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county of Tyne and Wear,  and was awarded an MBE for services to community leadership in the 2011 Queens birthday honors list.

Fiona Cruickshank OBE, Co Owner and Director, SCM Pharma
Fiona has enjoyed an extensive career in the pharmaceutical industry, spanning over 20 years since graduating from the London University School of Pharmacy in the late 80’s.  Before setting up The Specials Laboratory in 1999 and later SCM Pharma in 2004, she worked around the UK in community pharmacies, hospitals and industry.  She is a registered pharmacist and has expert knowledge in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing.  

A successful entrepreneur, Fiona is a leading business figure and is a former North East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Committed to supporting North East England’s local knowledge economy Fiona is a business mentor at Durham University, an ambassador for the international One NorthEast campaign and recently completed an academic year as David Goldman Visiting Professor of Business Innovation, at Newcastle University Business School. 

In November, Fiona along with her business partner Brian Dougherty sold The Specials Laboratory in a £20.1m deal to United Drug Plc.  Fiona is now solely concentrating on the global expansion of SCM Pharma, focusing on strategic aspects such as the long term vision for the business and breaking into new markets.

In 2010 Fiona was awarded an OBE for services to business is the North East.

Nigel Dawn, Managing Director, Global Co-Head Private Funds Group, UBS, New York, USA
Nigel Dawn heads up the Secondary Market Advisory team within the Private Funds Group. Nigel established the Secondary Market Advisory team in 2004 and has advised on over $16   billion of secondary transactions. Clients have included leading US public investors, university endowments, banks, insurance companies, hedge funds and leading private equity general partners. He joined the firm in 1997 within the fixed income area before taking responsibility for making direct equity investments to support the strategic aims of UBS Investment Bank business areas as part of the e-commerce function.

Most recently, he was head of UBS Investment Bank’s Third-Party Private Equity Funds Team. As part of this role, Nigel structured and executed a $1.3 billion joint venture between UBS and HarbourVest Partners, Tresser, L.P., and reduced private equity exposure by selling third-party funds. Prior to joining UBS, Nigel worked in the Financial Services Practice at Booz, Allen & Hamilton in New York and prior to that was based in Asia with Standard Chartered Bank.

Nigel graduated from Newcastle University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in East Asian Politics and earned his MBA at Columbia Business School.

Mark Dixon, CEO, Promanex
Mark is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer by profession, starting his career with Babcock Construction as a graduate trainee. Mark has spent his whole career in the supply chains that service the UK Power Industry. He has held positions with both Darchem Contracting and Rolls-Royce International Combustion and Balcke Düerr.

Whilst with Rolls-Royce, Mark undertook a sponsored MBA at Newcastle University Business School and developed a business plan for Promanex. Promanex was launched by Mark back in 1996 and has experienced tremendous growth under his leadership.

Robert Douglas CBE
Rob is a business consultant with wide experience in both the public and private sectors.

Prior to his consultancy, Rob was a senior executive with Royal Dutch Shell where he held a number of senior general management positions, including Area Co-ordinator, China and East Asia; Chief Executive, Shell Belgium; Chief Executive, Shell Italy; and Vice President for Mergers and Acquisitions in the Global Exploration and Development Business. Rob had initially joined Shell from the Inland Revenue and had held a number of senior tax posts, including Shell UK Tax Manager, and Head of International Taxation, based in the Hague.

Rob has combined his consultancy activities with a number of non-executive roles in both the public and private sectors. He was Chair of the Surrey Learning and Skills Council from 2000 to 2007 and a member of the LSC South East Regional Council until 2010. From 2004- 2010 he was on various advisory boards at BIS and its predecessor bodies, DTI and BERR. He was a non-executive Director of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) from 2001 to 2007, and a Deputy Chair from 2003. He was appointed as Chair of SEEDA in November 2009

Rob comes from Newcastle upon Tyne and was educated at Churchill College, Cambridge. He is married to Hilary and they have two adult sons. He is a Fellow of the RSA and was made a CBE in the 2005 Birthday Honours. He is High Sheriff of Surrey for 2010-11. He has been a Board Member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) since 2008.

Sandip Ghose, Regional Director Delhi and North India, Reserve Bank of India
Prior to taking over as Regional Director of the Reserve Bank of India [RBI], Delhi and North India, Sandip Ghose, a central banker by profession, served as Chief General Manager and Principal of the College of Agricultural Banking, Pune. He has also served as Chief of Staff and Advisor to three successive RBI Governors.

He was instrumental in the establishment of the Human Resources Department in RBI in 1995, and went on to head the department where he oversaw recruitment, training and development, performance and talent management, as also compensation, welfare and industrial relations. During this time, he was also the Principal, Bankers’ Training College, Mumbai [now known as the Centre for Advanced Financial Learning] where he was responsible for the grooming and capacity building of the top management of the public sector commercial banks in India. Sandip was also responsible for the formulation and monitoring of the Strategic Action Plan [SAP] for the RBI. He holds a postgraduate degree in History, and has had exposure to executive education at the top business schools in India and abroad. He continues to serve as Director/Member on the boards of national-level training institutions and banks.

Sarah Green, Regional Director, CBI
Sarah Green joined the CBI in November 2005 as Regional Director, North East. The CBI is the UK's leading business membership organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce.  Sarah's role is to act as the voice of North East business lobbying to ensure regional companies are heard in Westminster and beyond and to influence regional policy to encourage a thriving business community.

Having graduated in law in 1995 from Sheffield University, Sarah was admitted as a solicitor in 1999. Sarah trained and qualified with Clifford Chance working in Hong Kong, Shanghai and London as a commercial and project finance lawyer.
Sarah joined Arthur Anderson Business Consulting in 1999 and worked on a series of knowledge management, change management and communications roles including developing the internal communications strategy during the Enron crisis and a secondment to Chicago to develop international web standards.

Sarah returned to her native North East in 2003 where she joined the Communications Directorate for One North East.  In this role, Sarah’s achievements in implementing internal communications strategy led to her winning the Institute of Public Relations 2004 PRIDE award for Best Internal Communications campaign. In her spare time she completed an MSc in Urban Regeneration Policy. Sarah is currently also a Board Member of Four Housing Group and a committee member of the Women’s Fund.

Deborah Jenkins MBE, South Tees Hospitals Foundation Trust (and CE The Derwent Initiative)
Deborah is Chairman of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton with a turnover of £450m and 7000 staff.  She is also Chief Executive of TDI, a national charity based in Newcastle promoting partnership solutions to sexual offending, Chair of the Barnard Castle Vision, a market town regeneration project initiated by ONE, and Visiting Professor to Newcastle University Business School. 

She and her husband, Ivor Stolliday, have run their own consultancy, Kindling Ltd, since 1996 and are currently developing a new web-based service for the over 50s. A co-founder of the cross-sectoral city leadership programme Common Purpose, Deborah developed programmes throughout the North East and Scotland, in Germany and Sweden, prior to which her career included working for the Industrial Society, Tübingen University, and the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. 

She has many years experience of project development, facilitation, chairing, and public speaking.  Her past voluntary and public service appointments include Vice Chair of Newcastle City Health NHS Trust, Vice Chair of the Mental Health Act Commission, NED of NHS North East, Board member of Northern Arts, Chair of Newcastle Healthy City, Governor of Newcastle College, and Trustee of Aycliffe School.  Deborah was awarded the MBE for services to urban regeneration in 1995.

Antony Jones, CEO, The Logic Group
The Logic Group manages both information and transactions securely for large and medium sized businesses across its European home market. The company adds business value through specialisation in secure card transactions, loyalty programmes, insight and infrastructure consultancy for many of the world’s leading retailers - nine of the UK’s top ten retailers are customers. The company's software handles more than £100 billion (€ 145 billion) worth of transactions, across more than 250,000 points of sale.

The company is a long-established UK market leader and is aggressively extending its reach across the world with Europe as its home market. The Logic Group operates as a single, trusted supplier for all card transaction, infrastructure and management information needs. Many household names depend on the company for their payment systems, loyalty schemes, and IT infrastructure consultancy.

During his career, Antony Jones has held senior management positions in various IT organisations across Europe, including time spent at Fujitsu Siemens Computers as Executive Vice President where he had worldwide responsibility for all sales, marketing and services operations. Prior to his appointment as CEO he served as a non-executive director for the company.

Luis Juste, Director Santander Universities UK  & Portugal
An Economics graduate from San Pablo CEU University (Madrid), Luis Juste holds an MA in Economics from the University College in Dublin. His career at Santander began in 1999 and, since then, he has held various managerial positions within the banking group in areas such as trade finance, corporate banking and SME, working  in the UK, Spain and Portugal.

In the year 2000 he joined the Santander Universities Global Division and was initially responsible for the development of the activity in Latin America. In July 2007, he moved to the UK following his appointment as the Director of Santander Universities UK, the position which he has held ever since.

He is married and is the father of 5 children.

Neil Kirkbride, Managing Director, British Engines Ltd, UK
A graduate in mechanical engineering from Sheffield University, Neil has been in the oil industry for 30 years. The first 10 of these years being spent in the wellhead equipment manufacturing market and the following years with his current employer, British Engines Ltd. Within British Engines, Neil has progressed to Managing Director of BEL Valves Ltd whilst also being the Managing Director for the British Engines Group of companies.

Neil is an active member of a number of UK industry associations including being Chairman of NOF Energy, Vice Chairman of the British Valve and Actuators Association (BVAA) and on the Contractors Council of Oil & Gas UK.

Professor John Leopold, Deputy Director, Newcastle University Business School
Professor John Leopold is Deputy Director of Newcastle University Business School and Professor of Human Resource Management. He is Editor of Personnel Review and his research interests include HRM in Greenfield sites in the UK and New Zealand and control over working time in the UK, France and the Netherlands.  Previously employed at the Universities of Glasgow, Stirling and Nottingham Trent, his teaching interests include British and comparative industrial relations, employee involvement and consultation and human resource strategy.

John has almost 30 years experience in the field of Human Resource Management, both in the UK, Europe and further afield having spent time as a visiting professor at the Institut de Gestion de Rennes in France, the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of Otago in Canada. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a member of the CIPD’s Quality Assurance Panel.

Dr Philip McLaughlin, Director, BEM Management School, Bordeau
Philip McLaughlin has dual British and French nationality. After studying Romance Languages and a period as lecturer in New Zealand he began a career in management education in France. Whilst rising through the managerial ranks he also developed his interests in psychoanalysis, intercultural management, social psychology and business ethics/CSR.

He has worked in three French business schools and is currently dean of BEM Management School Bordeaux. BEM is a leading French Business School founded in 1874. The school is accredited by AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB.

Philip McLaughlin has managed a large portfolio of programmes ranging from undergraduate to graduate level. His managerial experience has covered all the 'value chain' of a university establishment (ranging from communication and marketing, International Relations, Company Relations and Fundraising to academic degree management). He has a strong international experience in the development of international cooperation involving probably more than 25 countries and over 120 establishments.

He is a member of the AMBA International Accreditation Advisory Board and the EFMD EQUIS Committee as well as President of the Bordeaux - Aquitaine Club of Business and Engineering Schools.  He is also a member of the Advisory Boards of Hull and Newcastle University Business Schools.

Helen Miller, School Manager, Newcastle University Business School
Helen has worked at Newcastle University since 1992 in a variety of roles following a period of time with Newcastle Health Authority. She joined Newcastle School of Management in 2000, and then became the School Administrator in the newly formed Business School in August 2002 prior to becoming School Manager in 2004.

The remit of the School manager is to provide a comprehensive professional service to the Director of the School and senior management team in order to meet the objectives of the School, Faculty and University. Helen has an MBA from Northumbria University and is a member of the Association of Business Schools Senior Managers' Network Steering Committee.

Gordon Ollivere MBE, Chief Executive, RTC North
Gordon developed RTC North from a small public project in 1987 into its present position as one of the most successful independent technology transfer companies in UK, employing 55 staff and earning approximately 6,000,000 euros per annum from a mixture of public projects and consultancy services. RTC North now has offices in Sunderland, Liverpool and Leeds.

Gordon has a strong personal interest in open innovation, industrial design and futures thinking. Between 1996 and 2006 he played a major part in constructing regional foresight programmes in several EU member states. He is currently involved in the development of a professional design network for North East England and an Open Innovation portal for UK-wide research and technology.

Peter Robinson, Company Director USA

Peter currently serves on the Board of Directors of two US publicly traded corporations:

First Niagara Financial Group a fast growing,acquisitive, northeast focused, regional Bank with $30BN in assets and 350 branches.

Lumber Liquidators the leading retailer of hardwood flooring  with over 300 stores in the USA and Canada.

Since graduating from Newcastle University with a BA in Economics, Peter has had a 40 year career in the consumer foods industry in the USA, Europe, the Middle East and Africa with leadership roles in Burger King, General Mills, Pillsbury, Pepsico, Kraft, General Mills and Procter & Gamble.  

Sharon Rowlands, CEO, Penton Media Inc., New York, USA
Prior to joining Penton Media, the largest independent business-to-business media company in the US, as CEO in 2008 Sharon served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Thomson Financial, a $2 billion revenue business, from 2005 - 2008. She joined Thomson Financial in 1996 and held a number of senior management positions including President and Chief Operating Officer. During her tenure at Thomson Financial, she was instrumental in guiding its transformation into an integrated global financial information and technology leader.

Previously she ran the North American operation of FT Information (now Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data), a leading provider of financial information and analytical software, and served as managing director of Extel Financial, an international stock database provider.

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from Newcastle University and postgraduate teaching degree from the University of London Goldsmith’s College. She serves on the Board of Directors of Automatic Data Processing Inc.

Greg Smith, Consultant and Chair, Newcastle University Business School International Advisory Board
As an alumnus of the University, Greg has supported Newcastle over a number of years through his membership of the Development and Alumni Relations Council and the Business School Advisory Board. He combines running his own market research and business advisory practice with a leading policy role in the MOD. Prior to this he was a Managing Director for both Ipsos MORI and Taylor Nelson Sofres, leading global marketing and public opinion research companies.

Greg is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a long-serving member of the UK Reserve Forces (Territorial Army) for which he was awarded the Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal in the 2009 Birthday Honours.

Dr Fiona Whitehurst, On leave
In her nine years with Newcastle University, through her research and teaching practice, Fiona has always been a strong advocate for closer links between industry and universities.

Much of Fiona’s research work has had a marine and offshore engineering focus. She represents Newcastle University on Subsea NE’s Executive Committee and was included in the Newcastle Journal’s 2008 Rising Stars and Future Leaders supplement in recognition of her work in developing the University’s relationship with the subsea sector.

Fiona’s teaching activities revolve around entrepreneurship, particularly through the Business School’s experiential modules where students use the Young Enterprise Graduate Scheme as a framework for establishing their own businesses, supported by local business people.