Sue Addis
Owner, Donatello
@donatello__
www.donatello.co.uk
Donatello, the leading Italian restaurant, opened in The Lanes in 1991. Since then, it has grown from 100-seater restaurant to one that can accommodate up to 400 people. Ms Addis, the mangaing director, is active in the community and has supported local arts and charities for many years. Donatello is a former shirt sponsor of Brighton and Hove Albion.
Ruth and Amy Anslow
Founders, hiSbe
@RuthAnslow | @theanslow
www.hisbe.co.uk
The hiSbe store in Brighton was opened in December 2013 by sisters Ruth and Amy Anslow. It is a social enterprise that “exists to do the right thing, as well as make money”. The first store is intended to be the pilot for an independent supermarket chain that puts people first and is founded on responsible trading practices and ethical sourcing policies.
Nik Askaroff
Founder and chief executive, EMC Managment Consultants
www.emcltd.co.uk
Nik Askaroff was named Dealmaker of the Year at the Insider South East Dealmakers’ Awards 2015. Highlight deals of EMC Management Consultants have included: the sale of Ilex Press, the Lewes-based illustrated publisher to the Octopus Publishing Group; the acquisition of Aspect Health Management by Posturite; the sale of Springs Smoked Salmon; and the sale of Essex-based PaySuite Ltd to Intuit Inc, the $3 billion American corporation.
Paul Barber
Chief executive, Brighton and Hove Albion FC
@OfficialBHFC
vwww.seagulls.co.uk
Appointed as chief executive of Brighton and Hove Albion in May 2012, Paul Barber replaced Martin Perry. Mr Barber had previously worked for the Football Association, Tottenham Hostspur, and Vancouver Whitecaps. An experienced football administrator, he was named CEO of the Year at the Football Business Awards in 2013. Before his career in football administration, he was a senior executive and director in several big British companies.
Gresham Blake
Bespoke designer-tailor
@greshamblake
www.greshamblake.com
Gresham Blake and his wife, Fal, launched the Gresham Blake brand in Brighton at the height of “Cool Britannia” in 2000. Since then, Mr Blake has been responsible for eye-catching creations for high-profile clients such as Ray Winstone, Steve Coogan, Jimmy Page, Plan B, and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim). After initially considering a career as a sculptor, he studied fashion at Brighton University.
Michael Blencowe
Director, Baron Homes Corporation
@BaronEstates
www.baron-estates.com
The Baron Homes Corporation was established in 1994, although members of the Blencowe family had been been dealing in property for some time previously. Baron Homes encompasses development as well as residential letting. The company now has a mix of more than 150 residential units – as well as owning office, retail, and restaurant premises. It aims at expanding its residential base to satisfy the increasing demand for rental.
Paul Bonett
Owner, Bonett’s Estate Agents
@bonettpa
www.bonetts.co.uk
Whether he is raising money for charity, trying to improve standards in his profession, or teaching the martial art of aikido, Paul Bonett could never be called complacent. The Kemptown letting and estate agent has given evidence to a council inquiry aimed at improving conditions for private sector tenants. Mr Bonett has also spent several months in Libya helping to restore civic life after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.
Lucy Bunyan
Senior Human Resources Business Partner, Domestic & General
@DandGjobs
www.domgen.com
Credit for the success of one of Brighton’s biggest private-sector employers goes in part to Lucy Bunyan (currently on maternity leave). She has had a key role in creating and nurturing a culture that challenges perceptions of call-centre work. The results have benefited not only Domestic & General, but also her staff and the local economy – as well as the numerous charities and good causes that her workforce has supported.
Andy Cheesman
Business-owner, City Cabs; Brighton Visitor; Ben Shaw’s Brighton; Buddies
@Andrewcheesman2
www.205205.com
Andy Cheesman is a popular business figure in the city, with several diverse interests. He is well-known as managing director of Southern Taxis, trading as City Cabs (01273 205205) – as well as managing director of Ben Shaw’s Brighton. More recently, he has become owner of the Brighton Vistior magazine. He can also be seen in Buddies – the south coast’s only 24-hour restaurant, “a safe haven for vulnerable people at night” – which he also owns.
Rachel Clark
Chief executive, West Pier Trust
@WestPierTrust
www.westpier.co.uk
Long-serving Rachel Clark has been the driving force behind the campaign to restore the West Pier, then to build the Brighton i360. Years of hard work and stamina looked like paying off, with funding lined up, when the derelict pier was set alight by an arsonist. She showed enterprise, patience, and sheer determination to start again from scratch. The Brighton i360 is a monument to her efforts.
David and Leo Day
Owners, Golden Lion Group
www.goldenliongroup
David Day founded the Golden Lion chain of pubs in the 1980s, beginning with The Long Man of Wilmington in Patcham. The chain has grown steadily and now comprises eight pubs and bars, including The Cricketers, The Colonnade, and The Ladies Mile. Mr Day’s son, Leo, is a director of the Golden Lion Group, which last year launched the Hove-based Crafty Chooks rotisserie and bar, specialising in free-range chicken and craft beers.
Councillor Tom Druitt
Founder, The Big Lemon
@tomdruitt
www.thebiglemon.com
Elected this month as a councillor, Tom Druitt is better known for starting The Big Lemon bus company. The company recycles food oil and is one of the most recognisable sustainable businesses in the area – by smell as well as by sight. Cllr Druitt also chairs the Brighton and Hove Green Party and, with his wife and fellow councillor Alex Phillips, represents Regency ward on the city council.
Bob and Eric Dugard
Oners, C Dugard
@dugardcom
www.dugard.com
Dugard have been providing machine tools since 1939, when C Dugard was established by the late Charles Dugard. The Dugard brand – still under the control of brothers Bob and Eric Dugard – is represented worldwide at the company’s offices and showrooms in Poland, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates – as well as through our extensive dealer network all over Europe. The Dugard is also known as the driving force of Eastbourne Speedway, since its inception.
Gavin George
Owner and chief executive, InnBrighton
Who owns your local? For many people in Brighton and Hove, the answer is Gavin George. He oversaw the merger of two pub and club chains and has kept on quietly expanding ever since – almost totally within the city. He has allowed each venue to retain its own identity and has often encouraged energetic young managers to prove themselves, while providing discreet corporate support.
Andrew Goodall
Director, Brunswick Developments
Andrew Goodall came to Brighton in 1981 to study for a degree in finance and accountancy. After graduating, he joined KPMG and became a chartered accountant. His first audit was the original Brighton Marina Company. In 1996, he bought the marina through Brunswick Developments, the company he founded in the 1980s. Mr Goodall is also chair of the Fonthill Foundation, an educational trust helping disadvantaged children.
Eleanor Harris
Chief executive, Brighton i360
@Eleanor_Harris
www.brightoni360.co.uk
The chief executive of the Brighton i360 has more than 20 years’ experience in the leisure and tourism sector. Eleanor Harris was the London Eye’s commercial director for six years, responsible for generating the company’s multi-million-pound revenue and strategic business development. Previously, she held various marketing and customer-focused management roles at British Airways.
Martin Harris
Managing director, Brighton & Hove Bus Company
@citybusnews
www.citybusnews.co.uk
It was a hard act to follow. Martin Harris took over as managing director from Roger French, who retired, in April 2013. Mr Harris has shown he is more than up to the job. He began his career in Brighton as a senior management trainee for Southdown in 1980; subsequently, he was part of the management team that formed Brighton and Hove Bus Company.
Dr Glynn Jones
Chair, West Pier Trust
www.westpier.co.uk
Elder statesmen Glynn Jones has held key positions for more than 20 years. As Brighton Council’s chief executive, he oversaw the merger with Hove. He chaired the NHS trust that runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital. He has served on the Brighton Festival Board, Sussex University’s council, and as a deputy lord lieutenant. He chairs the West Pier Trust and the Friends of Brighton and Hove Hospitals.
Sascha Koehler
General manager, Hilton Brighton Metropole
@SaschaKoehler
www.hilton.com/brightonmet
Having worked for the Hilton Worldwide company for more than 15 years, Sascha Koehler started work at the Hilton Brighton Metropole in February. Previously, he managed Hilton London Syon Park and Hilton Gatwick Airport. Mr Koehler has worked in countries such as Switzerland, Turkey, and Hungary. He is currently overseeing a £3.75 million renovation of 185 rooms at the HIlton Brighton Metropole hotel.
Simon Maguire
General manager, Hotel du Vin
@HdV_Brighton
www.hotelduvin.com
Before taking over as general manager of Hotel du Vin Brighton in 2013, Simon Maguire had a track record of success in management roles at Hotel du Vin Tunbridge Wells, The Atlantic Hotel in St Brelade, Jersey, and at the five-star Covent Garden Hotel. Mr Maguire has helped raise £7,000 for charity by holding events and running the Brighton Half-marathon. He is also a patron of the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival.
Anne Martin
General manager, Brighton Pier
@BrightonPier
www.brightonpier.co.uk
As general manager of Brighton Pier – formerly known as Palace Pier – Anne Martin manages the largest free-entry tourist attraction in the country. She has held the position since Janaury 2004, before which she was operations director for Bourne Leisure, managing a group of holiday parks and responsible for all park entertainments programmes and for all retail shops on 57 parks.
Andrew Mosley
General manager, Grand Hotel Brighton
@gmandrewmosley
www.grandbrighton.co.uk
With a hotel management career spanning more than 20 years, Andrew Mosley, 49, became general manager of The Grand Brighton in May 2010. Previous jobs included director of operations at The Belfry. He has a degree in hotel and catering management. Mr Mosley has overseen a full refurbishment of The Grand, including the new GB1 restaurant and The Sp@ The Grand, as well as all the hotel bedrooms and meeting rooms.
Dean Orgill
Chair, Mayo Wynne Baxter
@DeanOrgill
www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk
Dean Orgill is a partner within the litigation department. He has been with Mayo Wynne Baxter for more thanr 20 years and acts on behalf of a range of clients involved in commercial disputes, working with them to find the best possible resolution. Before joining the firm, Mr Orgill qualified as a solicitor in 1987. He is chair of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership and a co-opted member of the Greater Brighton Economic Board.
Gary Peters
Founder and chief executive, LoveLocalJobs.com
@garypetersICP
www.lovelocaljobs.com
Gary Peters is widely regarded as an energetic entrepreneur who translates ideas into actions without any fuss. He uses his energy and experience of the recruitment industry to help strengthen communities and economies at a grassroots level – increasing employment opportunities, enhancing education, and raising aspirations for local residents and businesses alike. A former chair of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, he is a trustee of Albion in the Community.
Ian Poysden
Managing director, IEP Financial
@poysden
www.iepfinancial.co.uk
For Ian Poysden, the financial services business is not fundamentally about money. It’s about people – and relationships. Based in Hove, IEP Financial has worked for 25 years doing what it does now. After significant recent expansion, the company now employs 24 people, with a total of 250 years of experience. Mr Poysden’s passion is cricket; his company is in its 17th year of sponsoring Sussex County Cricket Club.
Robbie Raggio
Entrepreneur
@Hovecarwash
The phrase most commonly associated with Robbie Raggio is self-made millionaire. Often, though, he is also known as Mr Car Wash, because of his ownership of the popular hand car wash outside Hove Station; his involvement in other businesses less well-known. He is a serial entrepreneur – having started his first venture at the age of 11 on Moulsecoomb estate, employing eight other children to chop down trees in Wild Park for firewood. For which he received a police caution.
Katrina Roberts
Vice-president, Global Network and International Consumer Services Technologies EMEA, American Express
@AmexUK
www.americanexpress.com/uk
The full job title of Katrina Roberts is vice-president, global network and international consumer services technologies. In short, she is a highly-skilled senior technologist working at a strategic level in one of the region’s main employers. Last year, Ms Roberts’s success was recognised by her peers when she was named Leader of the Year at the prestigious FDM Everywoman in Technology Awards.
Richard Skerritt
Managing director, Skerritt Consultants
www.skerritts.co.uk
Skerritt Consultants, the Brighton-based firm of chartered financial planners, is in its 25th year. It employs more than 40 people in the city, with a turnover of about £6 million; it manages funds in excess of £600 million. For each of the last five years, the company has won the New Model Adviser award for the southeast. Mr Skerritt is an ambassador of Rockinghorse, the children’s charity.
Sarah Springford
Director, Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce
@sarahspringford
www.businessinbrighton.org.uk
The Chamber of Commerce has flourished with Sarah Springford at the helm. She has quietly yet effectively grown its membership, attracted interesting speakers, held an impressive range of networking events and helped bring together key players for important debates. The Living Wage campaign showed leadership. Helping business have a stronger voice in the political sphere is the next challenge that she is tackling with relish.
Gavin Stewart
Executive director, Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership
www.brightonbusiness.co.uk
Taking over from the highly-regarded Tony Mernagh, Gavin Stewart was appointed only last month. But he is no stranger to the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, having been employed as its coordinator when the partnership was established 14 years ago. After stints as town-centre manager in Hove and in Woolwich, Mr Stewart returned to work in the city as the Business Improvement District manager in 2011, a role he will continue to occupy.
Mark Woolley
Owner and creative director, Electric
www.electric-hair.com
As owner and creative director of Electric, the leading hairdressing brand, Mark Woolley is one of London’s leading celebrity stylists, with clients who include Paloma Faith, Olivia Palermo, and Luke Evans. Electric has six award-winning salons, in Brighton, London, Reading, Oxford, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. Electric professional hair products are sold in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Mr Woolley and his wife, Fran, have four children.
The post People 100 – Business: The people who make Brighton and Hove what it is appeared first on Brighton & Hove Independent.