Board Members

Charles Lewis was Managing Partner of Ernst and Young in Hull until his retirement in 2002. He is Chair of Hull Citycare Ltd and of the Humber Economic Partnership Ltd and a non-executive director of Hull Forward Ltd, Hull Open Public Local Access Network Ltd and Hanson Transport Group Ltd; he is also a Trustee of Yorkshire Laser Centre Medical Research), Humberside Youth Association and Chairman of its subsidiary, H.Y.A Training Ltd. Charles is also the Company Secretary and a Trustee of Cat Zero Ltd.

Charles was admitted as a partner in Ernst and Young in 1975 and was involved with publicly quoted and owner managed businesses as client service leader involving the co-ordination of all Ernst and Young services.

Over the years, Charles had client service responsibility with Ernst and Young services to a number of high profile companies, including Northern Foods, Hanson, Kingston Communications, Dixon Motors and ARCO.

Paul Sewell is the Managing Director of Sewell Group plc who has taken former Hull builder of repute to an award winning ”New Age Developer” providing holistic estates solutions for the public sector and blue chip companies.

He was the founder member of the Hull Local Purchasing Initiative and champions the regeneration of Hull by using the Local Economy through the Chamber of Commerce, of which he is a past President, and is also on the Board of Hulls Urban Regeneration Company, City Build.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby has been an elected member since May 1979, and is the longest serving council leader in the Yorkshire and Humber Region.

As Leader he represents East Riding of Yorkshire Council on a variety of outside bodies locally, sub-regionally, regionally, and nationally.

These include membership of Local Strategic Partnership/Local Area Agreements Board, Unitary Leaders’ Group, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Assembly & Executive Board, Local Government Yorkshire and Humber & Regional Executive Board, Local Government Association Regeneration & Transport Board, County Councils Network Council & Executive Committee.

Professor Calie Pistorius took up the position of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hull on 1 September 2009. He was previously Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria, South Africa from 2001 until 2009. Professor Pistorius obtained a BSc in electronic engineering from the University of Pretoria in 1979 and a BEng (Hons) in electronic engineering from the same university in 1981. He obtained a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Ohio State University in 1984, a PhD in electrical engineering from the same university in 1986, and a Masters degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. He became Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and IT at Pretoria, before becoming Vice-Chancellor and Principal. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and a former chairman of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) in South Africa. Professor Pistorius is a Fellow of a number of societies including the Royal Society of South Africa and the South African Academy of Engineering. He has also served as a consultant to industry and government in South Africa on issues relating to strategy, management of technology, technological innovation, competitiveness and national technological policy. Professor Pistorius has published widely both nationally and internationally, and has more than 100 academic publications to his name.

Maureen Foers OBE is Managing Director of Durban Ltd., a company with over thirty five years experience in the business support market, and which focuses on total business support and development.

In addition to being a Director of HEP Maureen is the project manager for the Women’s Enterprise in the Humber, which is dedicated to empowering businesswomen in the area, and is part of the Yorkshire's Women Entrepreneurs group. Previously Maureen was chair of the Business Link Humber Strategic Management Group, which ran until April 2008 when the new, regional business support arrangements came into place.

Geoff is the elected ward member for Park Ward and also the Portfolio Holder and Chairman of the Regeneration and Housing Committee.

As Portfolio holder for Regeneration he represents North East Lincolnshire Council on a variety of outside bodies locally, sub-regionally, regionally, and nationally. These include membership of: Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Housing Forum, Local Government Association - Urban Commission, Local Government Association – Assembly, Humber Housing Partnership, Economic Development and Enterprise Partnership (EDE), Humberside Airport Consultative Committee, Local Government Association - Rural Commission, Grimsby and Cleethorpes Area Enterprise Agency Ltd. Board of Directors, North East Lincolnshire Food Group, Humber Housing Forum

Mark has lived in North Lincolnshire all his life and represents Crosby Park Ward in the town of Scunthorpe. He has served in local government since May 1991 (which was previously Scunthorpe Borough Council) and following the reorganisation in 1996 on North Lincolnshire Council when it evolved.

Mark has held various positions throughout and is now the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Markets and Finance.

He has held a number of chaired positions over the years. For the past year he has Chaired the Regional Transport Board for the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and has recently been appointed to sit on the Yorkshire Forward Board.

Carl moved to Hull in 1994 to study Politics and Regional Studies. Following graduation Carl worked for various IT training companies in London. Carl was elected as ward member for Kings Park Ward in 2002 and shortly after became Portfolio Holder for Life Long Learning. Carl was elected as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in 2005, and as Leader of Hull City Council following the local elections in May 2006.

Tom is the Life President and non executive Director ARCO, JP ( Supplemental List on Hull Bench) and also Vice Lord Lieutenant East Riding of Yorkshire.

Richard Brough is the managing director of Jenkins Shipping Port Services, a professional port service provider that has grown to 100 staff in just two years. He is a non-executive Director of the Humber Economic Partnership. Richard is actively involved in the local economy being the immediate past Chair of Hull's "Earning"; Local Strategic Delivery Board. He chairs the sub-regional Employment, Enterprise and Skills board and represents the Humber at the Yorkshire Regional board. He has also been appointed chair of the newly formed Logistics Academy Yorkshire and Humber which is based at the University of Hull's Logistics Institute. 

Stephen is a Director of the Wykeland Group Ltd a locally based property development and investment company. The company specialises in regeneration projects and industrial and commercial developments in the sub region.

The Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping acts as the ‘voice of business’ for its 1500 members across the region. It is one of 57 Accredited Chambers of Commerce across the UK and is in turn part of a global network of Chambers around the world.

Carol Thomsett was elected as President of the Chamber in February 2008 and chairs its Board. Carol, who has a background in media and tourism, lives in Epworth on the south bank of the Humber and is actively involved in the local economy there, sitting on the LSP Board for North Lincolnshire and on the Joint Tourism Board for Northern Lincolnshire as well as sitting on the Chamber’s Area Council in Scunthorpe.

Associated British Ports is the largest ports group in UK accounting for approximately 25% of all traffic transiting UK ports. John, 45, has been an ABP operational board member since September 2004. He has been employed by ABP since 1997, initially serving as the Sales & Marketing Manager for Grimsby & Immingham, before being promoted to Deputy Port Manager in 2002. He was then Port Director, Short-Sea Ports, before becoming Port Director, South Wales, in October 2005, and then Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham, the UK’s largest port in February 2008.

John was instrumental in the business development of both phases of Humber International Terminal at the Port of Immingham. As Port Director, Short-Sea Ports, he was responsible for consolidating the management and administration of those 11 ports and condensing them into four separate business units.

Alan is responsible for the supply chain from receipt of materials through to manufacture and then dispatch to Reckitt Benckiser distribution centers in the UK and around the world. There are three factories in the UK; Hull and Nottingham (Global Healthcare manufacturing units) and Derby (European Household Liquids and Aerosols).

Alan has a degree in Chemistry and MSC in Analytical Science and is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a past member of the Board for City Venture.