Craig has a wealth of experience working across both private and public sectors, with a career spanning more than 30 years.
His role as Leader of Rugby Borough Council was extended in 2010 when he became the first Executive Leader in the country. Praised for his strong and progressive leadership by the Prime Minister and Secretary of State, Craig is now at the forefront of the growth agenda within Coventry and Warwickshire.
Recognising the need for businesses to have a single point of contact for support, he instigated the nationally recognised model of account management alongside robust data to assist decision making across the sub-region.
Out of hours, Craig raises funds for The Motor Neurone Disease Association and likes nothing more than spending a few hours trying to manoeuvre a golf ball around Lutterworth Golf Club in as few shots as possible.
Phil spent more than 20 years in senior IT and sales and marketing roles delivering projects for manufacturing giants such as Rolls Royce, Rover Group, Jaguar, British Shipbuilders, GEC and GKN, and their supply chains.
In 2000, he moved into business ownership, taking three of his own businesses through the complete business lifecycle, from start-up, through growth and acquisition, to sale and exit.
Now Deputy CEO of CW Growth Hub, Phil has a great deal of real-world business experience to offer SMEs.
Phil’s spare time is spent with his family including two grandchildren, tinkering around with classic cars and following sports including Formula 1, and supporting Birmingham City Football Club.
Adam is a qualified accountant with more than 30 years' financial management experience, working his way up from trainee to the CEO of Rugby Borough Council, working as a Strategic Finance Manager at Northamptonshire County Council along the way.
Adam has been responsible for leading a whole host of major transformational projects and has cultivated successful relationships across the public, private and voluntary sectors throughout his career.
Outside of work, Adam enjoys socialising, is a keen quizzer and loves a wide variety of sports, especially football, rugby, cricket and golf.
Gary joined the Growth Hub from a key player within the Health & Wellness sector where he was responsible for the implementation of key elements of company strategy along with the operational management of call centre and customer service functions.
With roots in the automotive sector Gary has a mechanical background and has since accrued diverse and extensive experience across customer service and team environments within Financial, Health and Training industries.
Out of work Gary enjoys spending time with family and friends as well as following motorsports, especially Formula One.
Cathy joined the Growth Hub in March 2018 as a business administrator and PA to the CEO. Her role is to provide organisational support to the Growth Hub team and act as the customer interface.
Prior to joining the Growth Hub, Cathy worked in the public sector for 13 years supporting the leadership team and she has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this area.
In her spare time, Cathy enjoys walking, especially caddying for her son on the golf course. She also likes to cook and spend time socialising with friends and family.
Justine has 30+ years consultative business development experience, working with both the private and public sector. Justine understands the challenges of starting a business after creating a software company with a US royalty partner in the 90’s. Her experience includes consulting with businesses to develop learning solutions, working for professional bodies, commercial companies, recruitment agencies, awarding organisations, certification bodies, training providers and learning & tech. providers. Justine has supported SME’s and blue-chip organisations to develop their online proposition to deliver training to global teams, achieve accreditation, professional status, and certification. Highlights include being part of award-winning journeys for companies such as Ernst & Young, Cap Gemini, Nokia, Apple, and Microsoft.
Out of work she enjoys spending time with family and friends, open water swimming, pilates, yoga and travelling to new destinations.
Adam has years' of experience in many fields including recruitment, project management and internal process improvement.
Since graduating in 2014 with a degree in Business and Enterprise Management, Adam has gained experience working in multiple industries including automotive, healthcare, wholesale and construction. During this time he also gained experience setting up and running his own consultancy business. Recently Adam has completed additional study on Project Management and Change Management courses.
Outside of work Adam enjoys socialising with friends, going to the gym and playing a number of sports including rugby, squash and golf.
Nina began her career in the early years childcare sector and quickly rose to management level.
After years of management experience, Nina made the decision to start her own business.
Nina quickly became versed in all aspects of starting and running her fine art printing business and her hands on approach and attention to detail undoubtedly contributed to the success of her business over the span of 14 years.
Joining the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub team in 2023 marked a new chapter in Nina’s career, where she brings her wealth of experience to support businesses in the region.
Outside of work Nina enjoys throwing clay and spending time with her sons.
Ellie joined the Growth hub in July 2022 following the completion of 3 years' at Warwickshire College studying Public Service, culminating in distinction.
She has integrated seamlessly into the team as a trainee administrator and particularly enjoys helping both individuals and supporting businesses. A talented athlete, Ellie was ranked 5th in the UK for high jump in 2015.
In her spare time, she enjoys exploring new places, spending time with her family and admits to being a petrol head!
Kerry has worked in both the travel and banking industry for many years delivering on excellent customer service. She loves meeting new people and Kerry excels in her role as a business navigator helping companies grow to their full potential.
Outside of work Kerry is involved in her son’s football and swimming teams. Fantastically, she has recently qualified as a swimming judge for Swim England. She also enjoys spending time with her family.
Kayleigh has worked both in the travel and fleet management industry for many years delivering excellent customer service.
Kayleigh loves meeting new people and hearing their stories and she is looking forward to putting these skills into her new role as a Business Navigator.
Outside of work she enjoys visiting new places, spending time with family and friends and walking her dog Poppy.
Sarah is the Head of Projects at C&W Business Solutions, a role she has held since 2018. With a strong academic background, she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs focussing in Law and Public Policy before completing a Master’s in Legal and Constitutional Studies prior to joining the organisation. In her current role, Sarah leads the delivery of a wide range of projects and strategic initiatives for the company.
One of her key responsibilities includes overseeing the Made Smarter West Midlands programme (2021 to present), which C&W Business Solutions leads on behalf of the West Midlands Combined Authority and Business Growth West Midlands. Under Sarah’s guidance, this programme collaborates with strategic partners such as the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and Coventry University. The initiative aims to enable businesses to transform their processes through the adoption of digital tools and automation, while providing access to cutting-edge expertise in digital manufacturing, leadership, and digital change training.
Additionally, Sarah project manages the Investment Readiness Programme for Coventry and previously led the project team for the Peer Networks programme, which ran from 2019 to 2021. In addition to these, she oversees key initiatives such as the current Supply Chain Transition programme across the West Midlands, focusing on the emerging sectors of Electric Light Vehicles and Very Light Rail. Sarah plays a pivotal role in shaping the organisation's commercial strategy for contract and project-based work, ensuring its long-term sustainability and growth.
Helen is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Institute of Marketing, with an extensive background in digital marketing strategy. She is the Growth Hub Group's go-to marketing expert and leads the marketing activities across the business, including the business support programmes delivered through C&W Business Solutions. Helen also leads on our supply chain platform FinditinCW, on behalf of C&W Business Solutions, and is the Data Protection Officer for CW Growth Hub, C&W Business Solutions, and C&W Champions.
Helen has been a senior marketer for over 15 years and has worked in both B2B and B2C marketing roles for the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. In her spare time Helen enjoys reading, gardening and has a passion for writing.
Jeremy brings over 40 years of expertise in the commercial sector, primarily in sales and marketing. He's adept at crafting innovative sales strategies and carving out unique market routes. While his focus is on business finance, he's also left his mark in golf and advertising. He played a pivotal role in scaling a startup to a £15 million turnover in four years.
Beyond corporate ventures, he showcases his entrepreneurial spirit, having founded, owned, and sold a successful financial business. He's also a qualified business mentor.
Returning to the Growth Hub for a second term, his journey with the organization began at its inception in 2014 until 2019 as Account Manager, later becoming a Commercial Manager. He closely collaborated with the CEO, shaping CW Business Solutions, leading the CW Business Festival launch, and contributing to CWConnect (now FinditinCW) and Employment Solutions.
Outside work, Jeremy enjoys sports, particularly Rugby, Football, and golf, though now mostly as a spectator.
Following on from various successful project placements at the University of Warwick, including the Eutopia Alliance programme, the Teacher Researcher Network, and the Institutional Teaching and Learning Review, Sebastian joined the Growth Hub in August 2023. With both BA (Hons) and MA degrees in History and Film from the University of Southampton and Warwick respectively, he has balanced his Made Smarter project commitments with his own independent academic endeavours, including authoring various chapters for film-based journals and books and independently starting up his own screencast series on YouTube for audiences.
Along with being a passionate Newcastle United fan, Sebastian is an avid podcast listener, a lover of nature, and can be found making a lot of noise at his local gym.
Shilpa joined the team as a Data Executive in November 2023. She completed her graduation in Computer Science and Engineering and started her career as a Quality Analyst, accumulating around 2 years of expertise. Later, she completed an apprenticeship in Customer Service, achieving level 2 proficiency. Along with her apprenticeship, she worked as a Data Quality Apprentice for the NHS.
Outside of work, Shilpa likes to spend time with her friends and family. Being passionate in cooking, she treats her kitchen as a canvas where she unleashes her culinary creativity.
Andy joined the Growth Hub in October 2022, after two years at Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, as Strategy & Analytics Executive Officer.
Before joining CWLEP Andy held partnership roles at both the University of Warwick and Coventry University. Prior to these the bulk of his career was spent leading the research, insights, and analysis team at Warwickshire County Council, promoting the use of data, insights, and evidence within the council and across local partners in Coventry & Warwickshire.
He is also one of two independent members of the Warwickshire Police & Crime Panel, and is the Treasurer of LARIA, the Local Area Research & Intelligence Association.
Outside of work Andy enjoys cycling around south Warwickshire, running around a badminton court, cooking, and socialising with friends.
Kat joined the Growth Hub in September 2023 after working at a well-established PR company in Coventry, where she completed her level 2 and 3 in Business and Administration. In 2019, Kat won the Coventry and Warwickshire First, Young Professional Award for Apprentice of the Year in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Kat has been event coordinator for Coventry and Warwickshire Champions since September 2020 where she helped lead the events from online back to face-to-face meetings, following lockdowns and has helped the membership grow and reach a wider audience within the region.
Kat supports on marketing and events for CW Champions and C&W Business Solutions.
Outside the office, Kat enjoys playing video games, watching Japanese animation, spending time with her nieces and nephews and going for long walks with her husband.
Jana joined the CW Growth Hub in January 2024, after graduating from MA Global Journalism and Public Relations at Coventry University. Originally from the Czech Republic, she has arrived in Coventry in 2019 to study BA in English.
Jana has had a passion for art and design from an early age. She supports the design, production and distribution of marketing material. She also regularly updates the CW Growth Hub’s website and social media with new content.
In her free time, Jana likes to play games on her Nintendo Switch, visit local historical sites and museums, watch Netflix and do all kinds of arts and crafts.
Starting in May 2024, Connor is one of the Growth Hub Group, and quickly growing Marketing team, newest members. Connor is a recent graduate from Coventry University, where he studied Advertising and Marketing for three years after studying digital communication at college. Connor has decided to stay in the busy city after moving from Hertfordshire after starting University. He is keen to build experience, pursue his passion and learning in the marketing industry and get involved with all the events and projects that the C&W Growth Hub accommodate and attend.
In his free time, Connor enjoys all things sports, playing golf and watching Crystal Palace FC, Formula 1 and any other seasonal sports throughout the year. He is also an avid cook and has fun experimenting with ingredients and flavours and loves the pressure in the kitchen. To de-stress, Connor is a cat lover, so he visits his partners' Siamese and Tabby when he can.
Yunus joined the Growth Hub as a DTS on the Made Smarter Programme in April 2024. With over 9 years of experience in the automotive sector specialising in wiring harness production and supply for customers like JLR and INEOS, He has honed his skills as a key customer account manager. Additionally, has diverse experience in Travel & Tourism and the food industry, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of end-to-end business production and exceptional customer service.
Yunus graduated in 2011 with BEng in Motorsport Engineering from Coventry University and is dedicated to drive digital advancement in the Coventry and Warwickshire SME sector. Leveraging his extensive knowledge working with large OEMs, he is committed to contributing positively to the region's development. Outside of work he is passionate about playing football and cricket for his local community teams and relishes any opportunity spending quality time with his 2 young children, exploring local events and activities in Coventry.
Dimitrios joined the Growth Hub as a Supply Chain Specialist in May 2024 after working for the Energy Systems Catapult as a Digital & Data Consultant. With a decade of experience in developing digital products and services across the energy, nuclear, railway, automotive, and manufacturing sectors, he is passionate about supporting SMEs in their transformation journey. Dimitrios has successfully managed and delivered projects for clients including Rolls Royce, Renishaw, and Fiat-Chrysler.
Dimitrios holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Heriot-Watt University, awarded in 2020, and is dedicated to driving digital innovation in the manufacturing sector. His work has contributed to significant performance improvements, energy savings, and cost reductions for various organisations. Outside of work, Dimitrios enjoys spending quality time with his family, exploring local events and activities in Birmingham.
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