Executive Team

The Executive team carries out the day-to-day business of the PCG under the strategic direction of the Board of Directors.

The senior members of the Executive team, most of whom have been with the PCG since its creation, also act as advisors to the Board. The Executive team works out of two offices; one in Southampton and the other in central London.

The Executive team is:

Andy White (Public Affairs, Marketing, IT, Administration, Advisor)

Andy White founded the Professional Contractors Group in May 1999 after realising that a low key post-Budget press notice, called IR35, could spell the end for much of the entrepreneurial contracting community where he had started the development and growth of his own businesses some ten years earlier. After driving the PCG’s direction and agenda for its first 18 months as its founding Chairman, he then stepped down from the Board of Directors and handed over ownership of the organisation to its membership.

Andy remains a key advisor to the Board and a senior member of the Executive team. His brief is wide-ranging, including the implementation of the political agenda, which comprises liaison with the Inland Revenue, DTI and other Government departments; heading the public affairs team and co-ordinating their activities in accordance with the Board’s strategy and representing the PCG’s interest with other external bodies. He also manages the Executive team’s responsibilities for marketing, IT, website development, membership and administration.

Andy’s background: he trained as a Naval Architect, is a Chartered Engineer, Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects and Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Andy has founded and owns several companies including a US design consultancy; a UK engineering agency, Matchtech Engineering Ltd; and IT communication development company, Webtastic.

Contact: [email protected]

Susie Hughes (Media relations, Executive services, Advisor)

Susie joined PCG as its press officer in May 1999 with a brief to create a media profile for the newly-founded Group and to alert a wider audience to the dangers of IR35.

When the membership of the PCG voted to extend the organisation from a single issue campaign group to a representative trade association with a wider remit, Susie extended her role within PCG to encompass a wider brief including designing and overseeing the new Executive services. Susie retains responsibility for media relations, internal communications and provides additional political support.

Susie’s background: she has over 20 years experience in media relations including journalism, Government press officer (Home Office, DTI, Prime Minister’s Office), in-house corporate communications and consultancy.

Contact: [email protected]

Kevin Miller,MA FCA (Financial Advisor, Supplier liaison)

Kevin Miller is a key member of the Executive team with responsibility for Finance. He has been providing comprehensive guidance documents and regular technical FAQs for PCG members since the Group’s formation.

Kevin was one of the first accountants to recognise the dangers of IR35 and is recognised as one of the country’s leading experts in the field. He has been responsible for much of the financial and technical analysis supplied to the Government and contractors and is currently part of the PCG’s team in the discussions with the Revenue and on the PCG’s case law strategy.

He is a member of the Finance Committee and is PCG’s liaison point with external suppliers.

Kevin’s background: educated at Oxford, he qualified as a chartered accountant in 1971 and spent 27 years in practice including 14 years experience as a technical partner at a big practice. He is a member of various technical committees of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, including its Technical Advisory Committee.

Contact: [email protected]

Philip Ross (Public Affairs, Advisor)

Philip is part of the Executive team’s public affairs group, where he has particularly responsibility for advancing PCG’s position on a number of contractor-related issues with the Government, most recently claiming several successes on Fast Track Visas. He is a key advisor to the Board on politically sensitive issues and uses his experience as a working contractor and a former political candidate to bring considerable strength to the team.

Philip’s association with PCG began when he joined as a member Group in the early days, becoming its first Campaign Director in March 2000. He stood down to concentrate on fighting the General Election as Labour’s candidate in North-East Bedfordshire. He spoke as a delegate from the platform during the economic debate at a Labour Party Conference to explain the damage IR35 could do to the small business, entrepreneurial sector.

Philip’s background: he has his own business contracting his skills in Perl/CGI programming and has now extended his business activities to encompass a public affairs brief.

Contact: [email protected]

David Ramsden (Political, Advisor)

David was PCG’s original political advisor since the Group’s formation. He provides political intelligence and liaison, particularly with the Opposition Parties and Scottish aspect of the Group’s work. He was instrumental in co-ordinating the PCG’s campaign when the legislation was passing through Parliament, and continues to meet with top-level politicians to ensure that PCG’s concerns are heard in the ‘corridors of power’. He also advises members on the role they can play at a grass-roots level.

David’s background: He was worked for many years in retailing, including a high profile public affairs role with B&Q; and Kingfisher. He was one of the foremost lobbyists responsible for the change in Sunday trading laws.

Contact: David Ramsden

Simon Banton, (IT development, website and technical advisor)

Simon was originally an active member of the PCG before joining the Executive team in 2001. He is responsible for developing and improving systems to support the PCG website and its IT communications.

Simon’s background: he was a Physicist at Imperial College London in 1982, gaining his degree and Associateship of the Royal College of Science in 1985. In 1998, he set up his own consultancy business (UPLIFT Consultancy Services Ltd) and worked with IPC Magazines as technical consultant on Internet technologies as well as being a webmaster for a number of publications. He has been involved in the management and development of online communities for over 10 years.

Richard Powell: (Media relations and copywriter, Assistant to Susie Hughes)

Richard is the assistant press officer within the PCG, dealing with journalist enquiries and writing and distributing press notices. He is also a content writer and researcher for the PCG, providing articles and background information when required.

Richard’s background: he is a journalist graduate who has previously freelanced in the UK and abroad. Whilst he was studying Richard spent time in the Balkans for the Sunday Mirror and The Big Issue and has also previously supplied work to The Independent, The Economist and a variety of local papers and publications.

Alison Edwards (Marketing, Member Services)

Alison joined the Executive team in January 2002, to focus primarily on growing the membership and targeting the range of services the Group provides. She is responsible for all aspects of PCG marketing including dealing with current and potential members and liasing with interested parties including accountants, agents, clients and other representative bodies. Alison also co-ordinates the provision on member services for current and potential members, both Contractor and Associate, and makes sure members know how to get the most out of their PCG membership.

Alison’s background: since graduating in modern languages in 1993, she has worked on promoting a variety of organisations, from youth orchestras to electronic production equipment manufacturers, and often with a European aspect, using her French and German.

Contact: Alison Edwards

David Hopkins (website and administration)

David was the first person ‘recruited’ to support the PCG when it was formed in May 1999 to run the website, administration and support. His role within the Executive team now focuses on the development and support of the website. He also deals with specific membership queries and ad-hoc projects for the PCG.

David’s background: he graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Geology. He has worked for major Oil and Gas companies in the UK (BG plc and Enterprise Oil plc) as a Senior Data Manager before specialising in website design and HTML programming.

Contact: David Hopkins

Jo Hinton (administration and support manager)

Jo is responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the PCG, particularly relating to membership and enquiries. She co-ordinates the resources within the Executive team at the request of Directors and project manages specific tasks and events. She is the main point of call for administrative support.

Jo’s background: she graduated from Southampton Institute with an HND in Marketing and Advertising and was formerly a business manager at a software company.

Contact: [email protected]

Paul Turner (Support, Content and Administration)

Paul’s main task within the Executive team is to maintain the IT network within the PCG support offices and assist with the infrastructure of the PCG website.

Paul’s background: since graduating in June 1999 with an HND in Design Communication from Southampton Institute, Paul has worked on various projects, including producing online technical documentation for a range of hardware and software products. He has a strong background in many aspects of Internet development combined with broad technical writing skills and experience.

Contact: Paul Turner

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