The Chamber has a Board of Directors who are elected by the Membership at an Annual General Meeting. A President and Chairman are elected by the Board of Directors as is the Chief Executive. The Board of Directors is responsible for the strategic direction of the company and authority is delegated down to the Chief Executive and the staff of the organisation.
Directors
Christopher Page, President & Company Secretary
Christopher Page is President and Company Secretary.
Daniel Ghinn, Chairman
Daniel Ghinn has established several successful businesses in Kent, and is currently Managing Director of Creation Interactive Limited, the Digital Strategy Consultancy and a non-executive director of The Wonderful Creative Agency Limited based in Maidstone.
Daniel’s professional experience is as a digital strategist, advising clients primarily in the healthcare and professional services industries on using digital media to achieve business goals. Daniel plays a proactive role in the business and education communities and represents the Chamber on Maidstone’s Local Strategic Partnership. He lives in Maidstone with his wife, Joanna and their three children.
Henry Nydam, Vice Chairman
Jo James, Chief Executive
Jo James is a Director and Chief Executive of the Chamber.
Prior to taking up the position of Chief Executive in July 2008, Jo had worked for the Chamber in various positions since 1989 and has played a key role in the Chamber’s development over this period. On behalf of the Chamber, she also holds Directorships of the Ashford Town Centre Partnership and the South East England Chamber of Commerce.
"I have lived in Ashford since 1974 and have seen first had the positive changes that have taken place in our County over this period and in my new role, I welcome the opportunity to play an active part in future developments."’
Jo is married and lives in Ashford, as do her two grown up children.
Carole Barron
Carole is Director of Innovation & Enterprise at the University of Kent. She a Member of the Chartered Management Institute and studied for her Postgraduate qualification at the University of Kent and has just registered for a Doctorate in Professional Studies researching into the long-term success, benefits and obstacles in creating and maintaining an innovative organisation. Carole joined Kent Innovation & Enterprise in 2001 and has extensive experience of working in partnership with the business community. Kent Innovation & Enterprise is the gateway through which businesses, in the public, private and third sector, access the University’s unique expertise and resources. Prior to joining Kent Innovation & Enterprise she was Manager of one of only nine DTI Centres funded to promote electronics design expertise to businesses.
Carole has an interest in student innovation and enterprise, particularly focusing on barriers affecting women entrepreneurs. She was born, educated and has worked in Kent all her life and is committed to supporting the diverse range of businesses across the County. She believes that by investing in staff and encouraging innovation and creativity in the workplace businesses can help to drive the economic growth of the region. Her keen interest in assisting and working with SMEs came about as a result of her Father running their family owned sports shop in Canterbury.
Colin Carmichael
Colin Carmichael is Chief Executive of Canterbury City Council. Colin Carmichael became the Chief Executive of Canterbury City Council in 1996 and lives in Canterbury with his wife and two children. He sits on the Governing Bodies of the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, and is Chair of the Corporation of Canterbury College. Beyond his professional commitments, Colin has a keen interest in gardening, the environment, and cycling through East Kent’s beautiful countryside. He also sings with the Canterbury Choral Society.
Graham Galpin
Graham Galpin is Managing Director of GHg Consultancy Ltd, a Regeneration & Economic Development Consultancy based in Ashford, which was set up by Graham and his wife Helena in 1998. He represents the Chamber on the Kent Partnership and Kent Economic Board.
Having spent his formative years in and around the countryside at Lenham, Graham is at heart a “country boy”. He has lived and worked in both rural and urban locations throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East. He has lived in Ashford for nearly 25 years and is proud to be a Man of Kent.
Since 1965 he has had a varied and interesting working life; his experience has included analytical and research chemistry and general management in key manufacturing industries. Achieving an MSc as a mature student has made him an enthusiastic advocate of the power of education and training to transform lives.
He is keenly aware of the pleasures and pain of running a small business. Graham is proud to be part of the Board where the breadth and depth of his experience and knowledge can contribute to the success and sustainability of the Kent Invicta Chamber Area.
In his leisure time Graham swaps a suit for lycra to participate in his sport, cycling. He enjoys the challenges of 100 mile Time Trials and tackling the tough European Sportifs. As Chairman of Active Ashford, the community sports network for the Borough, he hopes to play an active part in promoting the benefits of sport locally in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.
Other interests include walking and bird watching in the wonderful Kent countryside, visiting his parents who have retired to Spain and his daughter who lives in Barcelona.
Peter Hawkes
Peter Hawkes is Senior Partner and Head of Dispute Resolution at Furley Page Solicitors.
Chairman of the Economic Development Board for Canterbury
Peter Hawkes specialises in commercial disputes resolution including contracts, competition, construction, intellectual property and employment. Regularly appears as an advocate in tribunals and arbitrations.
Peter Hawkes qualified in 1981 and has practised exclusively in commercial work, principally dispute resolution. Peter was elected Senior Partner in 2001 and in addition to his partnership role, he heads a separate team specialising in dispute resolution.
Peter Hawkes is a highly experienced arbitrator and litigator and practices across a wide range of commercial subjects, including intellectual property and competition law. Peter’s portfolio of clients range from national and international companies to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. Peter acts for a number of educational institutions in the schools, colleges and higher education sectors. He also regularly advises professional partnerships (lawyers, accountants, architects, doctors) agricultural and commercial partnerships (including transition to LLP status and succession issues). Peter appears in courts at various levels, in arbitrations and in the Employment Tribunal, as well as regularly presenting seminars.
Peter Hawkes is recommended for commercial litigation work by The Legal 500. Peter is also recognised by Chambers and Partners for his work in dispute resolution.
Nick Hawley
David Hill
David Hill is Chief Executive of Ashford Borough Council.
"I have lived in Ashford for thirty years, so I approach my present job from the perspective of being a resident rather than an administrator. But for 25 of those years I was a Civil Servant, either commuting to work in Whitehall each day or flying out to Belfast on a Sunday evening for the week. I spent most of my Civil Service career in the Northern Ireland Office, dealing with ‘overseas interest’ in NI, security policy, constitutional issues and (finally) the ‘talks process’, which I saw through from its inception in January 1990 to the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998. In between I had spent a year at the London Business School, a year working (as an information systems consultant) in the private sector and a couple of years working on the Pensions Act (!) – aiming to restore confidence in occupational pensions after the Maxwell affair. I left the NIO in 1999 to be Secretary of the Royal Commission on the Reform of the House of Lords and then went to work on secondment as Director of Organisational Development at Suffolk County. Then in 2002 I saw an advert for the Chief Executive job in Ashford……."
Richard Lavendar
A Director and Board member of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of the Ashford Economic Development Group.
"I was born and educated in Kent, joined the Royal Air Force as an Aircraft Engineer. I served 25 years before leaving to join the family Building & Construction Company. In 1993 I joined Eurotunnel in the Train Crew Department and enjoyed many positions, eventually retiring as Property Service Director for UK & France. Since retiring I have been involved in many projects as a Property & Facilities Consultant.
"My interests have included: serving the Chamber, including Young Chamber, and school business mentoring which is very satisfying. My hobbies include: golf, caravanning, travel, walking and enjoying retirement when I am not to busy with other things".
Susy Mcrae
David Petford
David Petford is Chief Executive of Maidstone Borough Council.
Malcombe Pollett
Malcombe Pollett is a Board Director of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and deputy Chairman of the Canterbury Economic Development Group.
Malcombe is based in Canterbury and has worked in advertising for over 30 years, 17 of them running his own business before merging it with an agency called england. He is now Business Director of the 50-strong full service advertising and marketing agency that also has an office in Leeds. Malcombe’s role, along with his co-directors, is to look after the agency’s southern arm. This includes dealing with clients, many of them Kent’s most well known organisations, developing new business for the agency and the general running and administration of the Canterbury office.
As well as sitting on the Canterbury Economic Development Group, Malcombe is playing an active role within the Chamber in improving communications to its members and raising its profile to the outside world.
Malcombe lives in Whitstable and, being a keen cyclist, can be found most weekends touring the country roads of east Kent. He is married to Maree and has two sons .
Ben Sharp
Ben Sharp is Senior Commercial Manager at HSBC Bank covering Ashford and West Kent. Ben has spent his whole career, now spanning 40 years, in Banking with Midland / HSBC. Following his first appointment at Sloane Square in 1979 and three further management roles in the London area, Ben returned to Kent in 1989 as Branch Manager at Ashford. He took up his present position as a Senior Commercial Manager covering Ashford & West Kent four years ago. In 1993 Ben was President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, East Kent Centre and he subsequently served on the London Council for 6 years.
Ben has many interests outside of the Bank and he sits on a number of other committees although still finds time to play tennis twice a week. Ben lives in Smeeth with his wife Sylvia where they enjoy walking their dog, a black and white border collie. They regularly visit their married daughter who now lives in Holland.
John Taylor
John is a Chartered Surveyor and a Director of Page & Wells, based in Maidstone. He specialises in Development work and advice to Charities and Trusts, and acts as an expert witness on matters of valuation. John holds a degree in Economics and is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. He is a Trustee and Main Board Director of St John Ambulance, and a Trustee of Maidstone Sea Cadets.
As a Director of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, John is Chairman of the Maidstone Economic Development Group. His interests outside work include veteran and vintage automobiles, and blue water sailing.
