Interviews with business people in the North East

Newcastle University
Business School

Dean Benson, MD, Visualsoft UK Jun 08 2010

DEAN Benson loves life in the fast lane, but he’ll have to get a move-on to meet his next big challenge.Read

Ian Clarke, Director, Newcastle University Business School Jun 07 2010

AS pressure grows on undergraduates looking for jobs, John Hill meets the man steering Newcastle University Business School into a new chapter in its history.Read

Carl Ennis, Divisional Managing Director, Siemens Energy Services May 24 2010

CARL Ennis may have a passion for sports cars and motorbikes, but he may also soon be heading work on one of the region’s biggest green energy schemes. John Hill met the boss of Siemens in the North East.Read

David Ward, Regional Director, PPDG May 18 2010

DAVID Ward knows what it's like to be on the employment scrap heap. But signing on was the best thing he ever did. Jez Davison found out why.Read

Gill Southern, Director, Wessington Cryogenics May 17 2010

GILL Southern Southern and her family brought their business back from the brink to award-winning growth. The champion of North East manufacturing tells John Hill how they did it.Read

Rebecca Howard, Managing Director, Cynergy May 11 2010

Rebecca Howard has missed out on a small fortune by turning her back on the private sector. Jez Davison finds out why...Read

Jonathan Short, Founder and MD of AWS Eco Plastics Ltd May 10 2010

JONATHAN Short managed to raise £14m during the height of the credit crunch and then held his nerve as trade fell off a cliff and a £15m fire gutted his Tyneside factory.Read

Doug Scott, Chief Executive, TEDCO May 04 2010

THE region's economy has altered dramatically in the last two decades but Doug Scott's drive to make the North East a more enterprising place hasn’t. Karen Dent meets the man who has just won the lifetime achievement Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion.Read

Stewart Smith, Executive Chairman, Ramsdens Financial May 04 2010

MIDDLESBROUGH-BASED Ramsdens Financial is a company that’s going for growth. Chris Hole met the firm’s executive chairman Stewart Smith.Read

Full speed ahead for award-winning driver and Virgin May 03 2010

IN A flurry of red and black, Virgin Racing’s lead driver Timo Glock hurled himself around the Bahrain track in qualifying, shaving home in a little under two minutesRead

Chris Hilton, chairman, Newcastle Building Society Apr 29 2010

CHAIRMAN Chris Hilton recently helped steer the Newcastle Building Society through meltdown of the global financial system and is now stepping down after 30 years on the board.Read

Roy Myers, Landlord, Teesside Apr 27 2010

THE pub industry has been battered by a hurricane recession, the smoking ban, cheap supermarket booze and the controversial beer tie. So why has Roy Myers added another pub to his portfolio? Jez Davison asks the question.Read

Alan Brown, founder of advertising agency Robson Brown Apr 26 2010

LEADING North East agency Robson Brown was sold last month to Californian firm Round2, ending Alan Brown and Stuart Robson's 26-year association with the business they founded. But this doesn't mean that Alan Brown will be disappearing into retirement on his Northumberland farm.Read

Mike Matthews, Managing Director, Nifco UK Apr 20 2010

A PROACTIVE approach to business has seen Stockton car parts maker Nifco UK power through the recessional roadblocks and come out the other side. Kelley Price met the man at the wheel.Read

Andrew Hodgson, Chief Executive, SMD Apr 19 2010

AFTER helping run a global aerospace company Andrew Hodgson wanted a business he could "put his arms around". Now he has one, he wonders how long it will last?Read

Heidi Mottram, Chief Executive Officer, Northumbrian Water Apr 12 2010

AFTER a career spent in the railways, Heidi Mottram has changed tracks to take up the top job at Northumbrian Water. Andrew Hebden went to meet her.Read

Geoff Ford, Regional Councillor, EEF North East Apr 06 2010

MANUFACTURING group Ford is celebrating its centenary year, having survived two world wars and two fires. CHRISTOPHER KNOX meets Geoff Ford, third-generation chairman and the man known as Mr South Tyneside.Read

Graham Hillier, Director of Strategy and Futures, CPI Apr 06 2010

GRAHAM Hillier's forte is making connections that nobody else has spotted. His next challenge is to bridge an innovation divide that could make millions for research-intensive Teesside firms. Read

Judith Holder, TV producer and writer Mar 29 2010

THOUGH most people will have heard of the Grumpy Old Women television series, they may not have realised it was produced in the North East. Chris Knox catches up with its creator Judith Holder and finds out about her years in television and her new venture in this region.Read

Bill Lynn, Chief executive, storeys:ssp Mar 22 2010

PROPERTY agents storeys:ssp has been based in the same Newcastle location for almost 120 years. After rejecting four recent merger approaches, the well-known company’s chief executive Bill Lynn tells Peter McCusker that the business is staying put for many more years to come.Read

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