14 | Aycliffe Today Business
Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 15
Sarah Slaven
Business Development Director, Business Durham
Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in local government and partnership working in County Durham, having
started her career working in economic development at Durham County Council. Currently Business Development
Director at Business Durham, Sarah manages the team which leads on enterprise promotion and engaging with
businesses to help them develop and grow in County Durham. Prior to working for Business Durham, Sarah set
up and managed East Durham Business Service, a public-private partnership. Sarah is a Member of the Institute
of Economic Development, and holds a BA (hons) in Law and Economics, and an MBA from Durham University.
Lee Harris
Partner, Mitchell Gordon LLP Accountants
An ACCA-qualified accountant, Lee is a partner
at Mitchell Gordon LLP Accountants and
Statutory Auditors. Lee has experience in many
industries, such as manufacturing, construction,
charities and the financial sector and has acted
as a coach to Companies in the local area,
helping owners to grow their businesses.
ALL ABOARD!
As revealed in our last issue, the Aycliffe Business Park Community
(ABPC) has taken an exciting new development with the formation
of a strong board of directors.
The new limited company for ABPC has appointed an initial board made
up of 11 people from the local business community.
Here, Aycliffe Today Business brings you more details about each
of the board members...
Pictured (left to right) is the new Aycliffe
Business Park Community Ltd board,
Lee Harris (Mitchell Gordon), Martin
Walker (Mantis Media), Sarah Slaven
(Business Durham), Chris Hyde (JDP
Contracting), Rachel Townsend Green
(Thrive Marketing), Andrew McDonald
(Crafter’s Companion), Kerina Clark
(Xcel Centre), James Goodliffe (Formula
Plastics), Steve Robson (South Durham
Enterprise Agency), Emma Little (Gregg
Little Testing Centre), Pamela Petty
(BACOL/SWDT).
Kerina Clark
Managing Director, Xcel Centre
Kerina has lived and worked in the North-East for over 20 years.
Currently the managing director of Xcel Centre, her background also
covers banking and finance, business strategy and start-ups. She is
passionate about seeing businesses working together to create a
community that inspires and facilitates growth and success for all.
Rachel Townsend Green
Director, Thrive Marketing
Rachel is an accomplished marketing professional with over 20
years of experience in ‘front line’ operations and delivery as a
‘back room’ strategist. As marketing has evolved into the “Digital
Age”, so has her portfolio of skills and clients. Having embraced
advancements in the industry, including inbound marketing, she
used her MBA dissertation to research social media marketing,
its strategic intent and adoption. On top of social media, she
am also passionate about other aspects of online marketing i.e.
blogging, email marketing and “searchability”.
Chief Executive, South
Durham Enterprise Agency
With a background in commercial
marketing and small business
creation, Steven now manages
South Durham Enterprise Agency,
delivering business start-up,
business support and economic
development work across the
Newton Aycliffe area.
Non-executive director,
SWDT
Pamela left Ebac after heading
the project on appliances and
bringing washing machine
production back to Britain.
She’s currently a non-exec
director of SWDT and the
Entrepreneurs Forum, chair of
Bishop Auckland College board and a governor at Green
Lane Primary School, and runs a charity, the Olivia Mae
Foundation, raising funds to help families with children in
hospital spend time together. Pamela is also working with
a couple of SMEs to help them achieve their growth plans.
James Goodliffe
Andrew McDonald
Finance and operations manager
UK, Crafter’s Companion
Andrew left Durham University
2001 with a Bsc(Hons) in
Mathematics and completed
CIMA qualification in 2004 whilst
working as a trainee accountant for
South Tyneside Council. He started
working for South Tyneside Homes
in 2006 and quickly progressed
to finance manager-Housing. He
left in August 2015 to become UK
finance and operations manager for
Crafters Companion.
Emma Little
Steven Robson
Pamela Petty
Chris Hyde
Managing Director,
JDP Contracting
Chris trained as a Chartered
Surveyor before spending the
majority of his career working
for national construction
companies primarily as regional
director. He joined Newton
Aycliffe-based JDP Contracting
Services as managing director
three years ago. He is also chair
of Young Enterprise in the North
East and a member of the NECC
Durham Area Committee.
Business Development Manager
Gregg Little Testing Centre
Emma graduated from Teesside University with
a BA in Business Communication and went
to London to study Aromatherapy at St Mary
University College in Twickenham. She started
working for Lush Cosmetics in London, a small
family business manufacturing and selling
natural cosmetics, and worked her way up the
business and helped to launch new stores and training staff in UK. She
was then offered a position to manage Lush Australia and opened new
markets in New Zealand and Singapore before heading back to London.
She then had a spell as global trainer for the brand, travelling to over
40 counties, before heading home after 15 years to take up a position
with the family firm, where she has been developing and managing the
business for the last four years.
Managing Director,
Formula Plastics
After his apprenticeship,
James undertook a degree in
BSc Industrial Management.
Then after university he joined
Boots as a graduate buyer.
He left Boots to join Honda,
including 10 years working
in Belgium. After returning
to the UK, he worked within
ThyssenKrupp, before he was
appointed MD of Formula
Plastics.
Martin Walker
Managing Director,