About the BCC

Martha is an entrepreneur and internet activist. Martha became a crossbench peer in the UK House of Lords in March 2013. In March 2014, she was appointed Chancellor of the Open University. Martha is a director of Twitter and chairperson of WeTransfer where she helped them reach B-Corp Status. She is also a non-executive director of Chanel.

Martha co- founded and chairs LuckyVoice, revolutionising the karaoke industry. Martha is a Patron of AbilityNet, Reprieve, Camfed and Just for Kids Law. From 2009 to 2013 Martha was Digital Champion for the UK and helped to create the Government Digital Service – this team launched gov.uk transforming government service delivery. In 2013 Martha was awarded a CBE.

In 1998 Martha co-founded Europe’s largest travel and leisure website, lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman. They took it public in 2000 and sold it in 2005.

Sarah has a long history in the Chamber Movement and is a great advocate for the power of business for good. Sarah became Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce in 2019, is a Past President of Suffolk Chamber and sits on the board of the London Chamber. In challenging times for business, she has supported the BCC and international network's growth and is working with her teams to ensure they support the growth and prosperity of our members.

She has a particular interest in skills development and bringing more diversity into the Boardroom and is currently working closely with Neurodiverity in Business. She was awarded the MBE in 2015 for her work on skills development for young people.

With a background in management consultancy, Sarah has worked for high profile organisations including JP Morgan and KPMG. She chairs Codikoat, a rapidly expanding British Biotech startup which is taking their unique antiviral, antibacterial technology to domestic and international markets.

She is also the Chair of Abbeycroft Leisure, a large not for profit Leisure Trust and is a Governor at West Suffolk College and a Member of Suffolk Academy Trust.

Christopher (Chris) currently serves as Vice Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce and given his international experience he brings a strong focus on the integration of the Global Network. He is also a member of the Nominations and Remuneration Committees.

Chris spent a decade as a member of the Governing Council of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, including a 4-year mandate as President, having previously lived in Portugal, France and his native United Kingdom.His executive role is at Hays Recruiting experts worldwide, where Chris has been Managing Director for Spain since 2008.

An alumnus of Aston University and ESSCA where he studied International Business & Modern Languages, Chris has also completed executive education at Ashridge Business School and IMD. Chris was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours list for his services to British business in Spain and is a Non Executive Director on the board of the British Embassy in Spain.

John is Chief Executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Shipping, one of 53 accredited Chambers, part of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) accredited network.

John has been involved in business development and support throughout his career.

Through John and the team, Suffolk Chamber places huge priority on meeting its members’ needs, continuing to lobby hard and successfully for the business community across the county and in Westminster, playing a leading role on issues affecting economic and business growth; from infrastructure to skills, tackling trade barriers to net zero.

Year on year, Suffolk Chamber has grown both financially and in reputation amongst the local business community and key stakeholders. Membership numbers have increased and the balance sheet strengthened, seeing Suffolk Chamber continue to climb the BCC benchmark rankings.

Suffolk Chamber employs over 50 team members across 3 offices and looks after a Chamber membership, which combined, employees well over 100,000 people in the County

Working closely with the members and Chambers governance, John places great onus on ensuring that there are strong working and delivery relationships across Suffolk’s private, public, voluntary and governmental organisations, that, together, ensure that the Chamber champions the voice of Suffolk business through active lobbying and representation at a county, regional and national level.

Implementing these strategic partnership with key stakeholders, sees Suffolk Chamber as the deliverer of a number of initiatives to support the local economy, such as the business support front door for Norfolk and Suffolk via the Suffolk Chamber managed Growth Hub; the roll out and management of the Chamber/Local Authority partnership - Suffolk Business Ambassadors network, to the management and delivery of Suffolk Trade for Suffolk’s Local Authority colleagues, through to representing the business community on such things as the Suffolk Health & Wellbeing board.

John is a Fellow of the Institute of Marketing, Fellow of the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs, Visiting Fellow at the University of Suffolk and member of the BCC Accreditation Board.

Keith was for 10 years a member of the Board and is a past-president of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. For over 35 years, he was a Partner of international law firm, Addleshaw Goddard until his retirement in 2017. He was a member of their Governance Board for many years and, latterly, Chairman of the firm’s Middle East practice. Keith's professional work as a Corporate and Corporate Finance specialist has involved him in a broad range of transactional, advisory and project work for quoted and international companies and also for owner-managed businesses. For eight years to 2004, Keith was (on a part-time basis) the Group Company Secretary of API Group plc – a UK-listed international packaging manufacturing group. He has also served on the Board of a number of UK private companies in a non-executive capacity. He was a founder Member of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership and served on that LEP for 6 years. He has also been serving on the BCC’s Audit and Risk Committee for several years.

Having graduated from the UK’s first PR degree and subsequently working in the Harrods and Poole Pottery press offices as well as a regional agency, I started Liz Lean PR from the back of a Sandbanks apartment twenty years ago. 

The business is now home to an expanding team of PR, marketing and digital talent and we continue to go from strength to strength.

I am 2019 President, Board and Council member of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I also recently became Chair of the British Chamber of Commerce driven South West Regional Assembly of county chambers with CEOs and Presidents from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Gloucestershire, and South Wales.

Personality traits which have enabled my business to be successful - alongside having an incredible team - include relationship building skills, high levels of emotional intelligence, interpersonal relationship and people engagement, and strong intuition. 

I have proven board level understanding of governance, using objective diplomacy and persuasiveness for the best interests of the organisation in question.

Career highlights;

• Liz Lean PR Ltd, MD and Founder, 1998 – present
• Poole Pottery Ltd, PR Manager
• Aylesworth Fleming Ltd, PR Executive
• Harrods Ltd, Press Officer

Richard Collier-Keywood is the Chair of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, the Chair of Fair4All Finance (the UK financial inclusion organisation funded by dormant assets), the Chair of Big Education and the Chair of New Forest Care (a company that provides bespoke care and education to children with complex needs). He is on the Board and chairs the finance committee of Women of the World Foundation, a UK charity focused on diversity and equality and St George’s House based in Windsor Castle. He is on the Board of CoGo, a social enterprise tech start-up based in New Zealand, Australia and the UK, focussed on empowering consumers in their climate choices. He recently joined the Board of The National Lottery Community Fund and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee.

Previously Richard was a senior adviser to DCMS (2017 to 2021) and Global Vice-Chairman of PwC from November 2011 to February 2017 and served as Managing Partner of PwC UK from 2008 to 2011. Richard is a barrister and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Sara took over as the Chief Executive of North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce in November 2011 and has since overseen the creation of the powerful Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce group. Her aim is to create a welcoming organisation every local business wants to join and make Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire a place full of prosperity and opportunity.

Previously she was Director of Enterprise at St Helens Chamber. Responsible for a team of talented people helping change the culture of enterprise in St Helens – from working with young people in schools through to helping businesses facing tough decisions.

Sara is a strong advocate for the private sector taking a lead in all aspects of economic development. She believes that Chambers of Commerce provide an excellent platform for engaging with and supporting businesses to grow and prosper. This comes from having run her own small arts consultancy business and coming from a family of entrepreneurs, some more successful than others.

Sara has a wealth of experience working with the private sector to develop services in response to their needs, as well as a proven track record of lobbying and representing businesses. Previously, Sara has worked in marketing and community development as well as in museums and galleries. She originally trained as a museum curator at Manchester University after a first degree in Medieval History at University College London.

Sara has been a Governor of Liverpool John Moores University and is currently on the Board of Governors of Staffordshire University and a non-Executive Director of the highly regarded New Vic Theatre based in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Sara served on the BCC Audit & Risk Management Committee for 9 years before standing down in July 2022.

Sara splits her time between Staffordshire and Liverpool and returns to her home town of Nottingham, where she went to school at Nottingham High School for Girls, on a regular basis. She has recently got married to her partner of 23 years and they have three grown up children between them. In her spare time, Sara enjoys gardening (her Liverpool garden is part of the National Garden Scheme), sewing (she has a passion for clothes), and salsa dancing.

Scott is Chief Executive at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) and lives near Matlock, Derbyshire.

Scott began his career at North Derbyshire Chamber in 1999, providing advice and support to businesses in regard to preparing for the impending 'millennium bug' and supporting businesses embrace at the time, emerging internet technologies.

Scott's earlier career was in the information and communications technology sector.

As well as heading up the Chamber's leadership team and representing the Chamber and its members at senior level with stakeholders and partner organisations, Scott manages various capital and revenue projects for the Chamber. 

Scott represents the Chamber, its members and the wider business community on a number of stakeholder groups including:

• D2N2 LEP Board
• LLEP Board / Executive and Business Boards
• Derbyshire Economic Partnership
• Destination Chesterfield
• Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire
• Metro Strategy Board
• Opportunity Area Review Board in Derby
• Derby Renaissance Board
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy amongst others

Stuart Patrick is Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, committed to increasing trading opportunities for Chamber members and delivering a strong business influence on the growth of the Glasgow city region.

Stuart joined the Chamber in 2009 and has worked with the Chamber’s team, Board and Governing Council to build the Chamber’s policy voice, evolve member services and support Glasgow in the delivery of an ambitious economic strategy.  International trade, transport investment, city centre growth, key industry strategies and youth employment are all important issues for the Chamber.   In June 2019 Stuart was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for this contribution to Glasgow business.

Stuart has spent over 25 years in urban economic development including 17 years at Scottish Enterprise where he focused on the economic transformation of Glasgow ultimately leading Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and becoming Senior Commercial Director for Scottish Enterprise itself. At the beginning of his career Stuart trained with Ernst & Young where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and he has an MBA from Strathclyde University.  He took his first degree at Glasgow University.

Stuart takes an active interest in Glasgow’s economy and is a member of the Glasgow Economic Leadership Board, the Sustainable Glasgow Board and the Glasgow City Centre Strategy Board. He co-chairs the Glasgow Employer Board. He is also chair of Glasgow City of Science. 

Stuart has a number of personal interests around Glasgow including the chairmanship of the Wise Group and directorships of Glasgow Science Centre, Scottish Opera, Clyde Gateway URC and the Cottier Project.  He is a board member of City of Glasgow College.

Sean is the founder and CEO of Ramsden International, the UK’s leading export wholesaler of grocery brands, supplying retailers and wholesalers in more than 130 countries worldwide. Ramsden International are twice winners of the Outstanding Business of the Year at the Chamber Awards; three times winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, and recipients of more than 80 other business awards.

A graduate of Cambridge University, Sean is also an alumni of Harvard Business School, and has personally visited more than 90 countries to conduct business in his 25 years with Ramsden International.

In addition to his roles at Ramsden International and BCC, Sean is also a Trustee-Director of the Institute of Export and International Trade, a Council-member of the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, and has sat on a number of boards of commercial businesses, charities, trade bodies and advisory groups, including the Government’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group (STAG). He is a regular commentator in national media on matters of export, entrepreneurship and trade policy, and is known for his passion for advancing the cause of exporting within the SME community.

Sean is three times Finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards; IOD International Director of the Year 2015, and the recipient of numerous personal awards for entrepreneurship and exporting. In 2019 he was honoured with an MBE for services to international trade.

Director General of BCC since April 2021, Shevaun was formerly Head of Business Engagement at Number 10 Downing Street and was at the heart of Government in the Cabinet Office as Head of the Inclusive Economy Partnership.

Shevaun started her career in consultancy in London and New York. She then moved to the Walt Disney Company in strategic planning before joining Disneyland Paris, opening the second theme park. Shevaun then joined the agency world, running global accounts for Millward Brown, Mindshare and WPP.

Following this, she became a partner in a start-up digital innovation agency and venture builder, Independents United, where she also became an Advisor for the Danson Foundation. Most recently, Shevaun was the New Ventures Director for Avado, building new businesses in Edtech and founding the Academy of Digital Business Leaders.

Shevaun has a passion for business as a force for good. A Trustee of Barefoot College International, Shevaun also sits on the Boards of BCC, the Women of the World Foundation (WoW) and the International Chambers of Commerce UK (ICC UK).

Jenny Hemsley joined British Chambers of Commerce as Finance Director in January 2020. Jenny leads on BCC’s finance and operations activities, and also holds the office of Company Secretary.

Prior to joining the BCC, Jenny worked for 15 years at Thomson Reuters as finance director in the European Tax & Accounting division, and as an audit director in the global Corporate Internal Audit function. She is an ACA, having qualified in 1999 with PricewaterhouseCoopers. She also holds long-standing voluntary roles with the NCT charity.