Sam Stephens, Director – TBAT Innovation

CHAIR

After establishing TBAT Innovation in 2002 as a consultancy catering to the SME sector, Sam led the company’s evolution into the innovation-centric enterprise it is today. TBAT now specialises in supporting companies throughout the entire new product and process innovation cycle. Sam began his career as a graduate and manufacturing engineer at Rolls-Royce Aerospace before transitioning to Rolls Royce and Associates as a Development and Project Engineer. Currently, Sam heads up the Business Development and R&D Tax Credits side of the business.

Simon Bucknell, Co-owner and Managing Director – EMBS Talent

Talent & Recruitment Fitness 

As Co-owner of EMBS Group and Managing Director of EMBS Technology, Simon has an active role in not only running the Technology arm of EMBS, he is also heavily involved in creating and devising new solutions to ensure clients are the best version of themselves. 
Simon will coach, mentor and advise organisations on best practice within talent management and show you how to stay ahead of your competition. 

Steve Green, Head Of Medical – Oxford Product Design 

Fractional Senior Staff

Steve leads cross-functional teams in developing high-quality medical and IVD devices at OPD. Passionate about transforming medical experts’ ideas into innovative and impactful products, he has worked on diverse projects, including point-of-care diagnostics and surgical tools. He is also an expert in the regulatory and technical challenges of medical device development.

Tom Webster, Director – Rhodes Wealth Management 

Start with the end in mind

Having worked with business owners of different sizes for many years, Tom has great experience of ensuring his clients have the right plan in place for their business. He builds long term relationships with clients, helping their businesses grow, with a clear plan to exit in the future.

Rhys Wyborn, Partner – Shakespeare Martineau

Practicality of employment contracts & key employment obligations

Rhys works with clients from a range of sectors and is a trusted adviser to many longstanding clients. He is regularly instructed to deal with complex disciplinary and grievance issues, Tribunal litigation, redundancy and business reorganisations, TUPE transfers, together with drafting bespoke employment contracts and HR policies. 

Rhys also advises on employment disputes and severance agreements for senior executives and other employees. This includes the drafting of terms and negotiating matters to a conclusion. In addition, he provides training on HR issues via seminars and forums and bespoke training events for clients including Mock Tribunals and managing investigations. 

Becky Higgs, Director – Concise HR

HR Essentials: Making a Positive Difference

Becky has a 1st class BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies and 15 years experience in HR management roles within Blue Chip companies such as Rolls-Royce and JCB. She has a demonstrated track record of delivering key HR solutions and projects in addition to providing advice to businesses of all sizes and across multiple industries. Becky is a fully-qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD).

Gayle Hodges, Director – Concise HR

HR Essentials: Making a Positive Difference

Gayle is a fully-qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and has over 14 years’ HR experience working predominantly in global, unionised companies. Gayle is committed to providing a professional and down-to-earth approach, striving to provide excellent service and delivering pragmatic solutions.

Chris Hill, Equity Consultant – Vestd

Investment and Share Incentives 

Chris is an Equity Consultant and share scheme specialist and joined Vestd in August 2021. He works mainly with founders, financial directors and accountants to help them understand and identify the best share scheme solutions to meet their needs. Chris’ background is mainly in the manufacturing sector working with UK SMEs. He is familiar with the issues of recruitment, retention and incentivisation after several years running teams in a large US Global Company.