Meet the Team
Team members
The I-Construct team
Our team are here to help you understand what I-Construct offers, and how it can help you achieve your business goals.
Fred Thomas
View profileFred Thomas
Team members
Fred joined the Haven Gateway team in August 2018, he previously spent 3 years as a Growth Hub Navigator, advising businesses across Kent and East Sussex. This included providing access to support networks, sharing specialist knowledge, together with financial and grant application expertise.
Fred also established and ran a multimillion-pound turnover company for 15 years. His key strength is in sales and marketing, with experience running physical retail outlets, and well as e-commerce platforms, managing a UK-wide sales force. His digital skills include the use of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and analytics, with a keen interest in Big Data, Cyber Security and The Internet of Things. He has used this experience to deliver events, webinars as well as providing one to one mentoring in improving digital marketing.
Role on I-Construct
As one of our Client Relationship Managers, Fred works directly with the businesses who join the I-Construct network, carrying out a diagnostic with each business to understand their current capabilities, and what gaps there are.
Sian Dowell
View profileSian Dowell
Team members
Sian joined the Haven Gateway Partnership in July 2018. Her career began as a designer in business development, marketing and communications. She then trained as a Business Analyst, gaining her accreditation as a Green Belt in Lean Six Sigma as well as being trained in Change Management and Agile. Sian has used this knowledge to deliver events, webinars as well as providing one to one mentoring in improving operations and processes.
Role on I-Construct
As one of our Client Relationship Managers, Sian works directly with the businesses who join the I-Construct network, carrying out a diagnostic with each business to understand their current capabilities, and what gaps there are.
Patrick Maynard
View profilePatrick Maynard
Team members
Patrick joined the TALE team in July 2018 and now works on both the TALE and I-Construct projects. Previously, Patrick spent over 3 years at the Essex Chambers of Commerce as the Client Relationship Manager working with all sectors of business across the County. There he gained extensive experience organising exhibitions and networking events.
Prior to that, Patrick worked in a range of roles in professional services across Essex and Suffolk, including the print industry, event management and recruitment.
Role on I-Construct
As one of our Client Relationship Managers, Patrick works directly with the businesses who join the I-Construct network, carrying out a diagnostic with each business to understand their current capabilities, and what gaps there are.
Robert Edge
View profileRobert Edge
Team members
After university Robert spent 10 years working for a Colchester freight forwarding company, in various roles but particularly in project shipping and logistics.
He then worked for 8 years for the regional inward investment agency East of England International where he focussed on the engineering, professional services and logistics sectors, and geographically on the Chinese market.
After a period of 5 years working across Europe to support inward investment into Bahrain and a period of self-employed consultancy, he worked as an Inward Investment Manager for Invest Essex, the inward investment agency for Essex.
Role on I-Construct
As Business Development Manager Robert is leading on developing the network membership for the I-Construct project, identifying opportunities to develop local supply chains.
Anita Thornberry
View profileAnita Thornberry
Team members
A history graduate with experience of the City of London, Anita has worked in the field of economic regeneration for 20 years. She started her career at English Heritage, arguing the economic benefits of heritage assets to secure funding.
From there, Anita joined Regional Development Agencies working on projects such as the Olympics bid and writing the Tourism Legacy Plans for the bid. In 2007 Anita joined Southend Borough Council as the Head of Enterprise, Tourism and Regeneration where she delivered a £25m regeneration programme for the town centre, increased tourism revenue to £350m per annum whilst reducing visitor numbers and helped create a thriving business community.
Before joining Haven Gateway Partnership, Anita was MedTech Campus Director for Anglia Ruskin University. Anita leads the senior management group and leads the strategic direction of the partnership, under the guidance of the Board.
Role on I-Construct
As Executive Director, Anita has overall strategic responsibility for the I-Construct project today and moving forwards. She also represents I-Construct at high level meetings including the Steering Board, the Haven Gateway Partnership Board and at SME Business Support Events.
Lisa Brazier
View profileLisa Brazier
Team members
Lisa joined the Haven Gateway Partnership in July 2008 to manage the office and provide executive support to the team. Her many roles at the Haven Gateway have included event organisation, supporting the cruise initiative including co-ordinating and attending exhibitions, website administration and supporting our advocacy and business intelligence work.
Lisa was the project manager for the Low Carbon Freight Dividend project, which was funded through ERDF and supported SMEs to consider using rail or coastal shipping to move container freight, as a low carbon alternative to the road.
She is now the Programme Director for the Partnership, leading on delivery of our projects and activity and ensuring compliance with the regulations. She oversees programme delivery for TALE (Transport and Logistical Efficiencies).
Role on I-Construct
Lisa oversees the programme delivery for I-Construct, leading the team to support SMEs to benefit from grants and support. Lisa also oversees the administration functions of the partnership, including websites and IT.
Dr Janice Pittis
View profileDr Janice Pittis
Team members
Janice joined the Haven Gateway Partnership in September 2016 to support the development of funding bids and the delivery of commissioned projects.
Janice brings extensive experience of the Higher Education and private sectors. She was the Director of the Research & Enterprise Office at the University of Essex with responsibility for research funding, research commercialisation and partnerships with business.
Janice also has over 10 years' experience of research and development in the private sector in the field of Crop Production and Protection where she worked on a number of international projects.
Role on I-Construct
Janice will lead on I-Construct’s entrepreneurship support and innovation competitions, working with universities, colleges, and industry to engage students and potential entrepreneurs to consider construction as a marketplace or career path. She will also advise on the overall research and evaluation framework for the project.
Jenny Ryan
View profileJenny Ryan
Team members
Jenny currently works across the TALE and I-Construct projects, ensuring that all due diligence is carried out on all applicants to the project and oversees the compliance and finance administration of each project. Jenny also manages the CRM.
She has a background in Financial Services, having worked in the City for a retail bank for over 25 years. Her role included visiting sites in Europe and India, reviewing and improving on compliance and business process.
Role on I-Construct
Jenny will ensure that due diligence is carried out on all applicants to the I-Construct network. She will oversee the link between the network and the CRM, ensuring that access is given to all relevant parties. She will ensure that the database is updated and maintained during the contract.
Charlotte Porter
View profileCharlotte Porter
Team members
Joining the team in November 2020, Charlotte supports the TALE and I-Construct projects. Previously she was the Marketing Manager for a group of UK furniture brands, specialising in smart locker technology; Prior to that she worked in various marketing roles at the local university and several London-based financial businesses.
Passionate about life-long learning, Charlotte has a MSc in Marketing. In her Master's dissertation she examined the role of branding in Higher Education. More recently she completed her ILM Level 3 Certificate in Principles of Leadership and Management.
Role on I-Construct
Charlotte is responsible for implementing the I-Construct marketing and communications strategy. She leads on the development of I-Construct network portal and website, creating valuable content and supporting the delivery of events and webinars
Jane Attreed
View profileJane Attreed
Team members
Jane joined Haven Gateway in November 2020 and is responsible for the effective delivery of the I-Construct events programme. She also provides routine and complex administrative support to the I-Construct ERDF project team. Once the I-Construct Hub opens in 2021, Jane will be overseeing the use of the I-Construct Hub, which includes project offices, a tech suite and conference facilities.
Jane has extensive experience in the field of events, having worked for the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) for over 17 years where she oversaw all events and training for its members within the legal profession.
Mentors
Business Development Support
Ask us how you can receive business mentoring and advice from our Industry Experts.
Mark Curle
View profileMark Curle
Mentors
Mark is a dynamic, confident, experienced UK Director/Managing Director with a proven track record of success in delivery within private residential property development sector. Providing high-level strategic planning, commercial and operational management control skills to deliver and optimise high-end development projects with GDVs of up to £1,800m.
He is experienced in sourcing new development opportunities, assessing viability, negotiating land purchase, agreeing terms, planning and optimising each project to enhance development profit, obtaining planning permissions, monitoring progress, construction quality/timescales, sales initiatives along with control/strategy and P&L with overall control to ensure each project is delivered, on time, to budget and projected values achieved.
Mark is also the Chair of the Essex Developers and Vice Chair of the SELEP Housing Board, board member of ASLEA delivery board and Opportunity South Essex.
Areas of expertise:
- Housing Development
- Affordable Housing markets
- Land Acquisition and Values
- Supply Chain Development
- Procurement and contracts
- Joint Ventures and Collaboration
- Claim Consultant
Sian Dowell
View profileSian Dowell
Mentors
Sian will spend a day at your business completing a ‘time-in-motion’ piece to help you identify your opportunities for improvements and innovation. Sian will talk to specific staff about their tasks and bottlenecks in their processes. She will also look at the physical space your team work in. By reviewing how they work and interact with each other, she will be able to suggest how you can improve or innovate in this area. Together you will create a clear list of actions that will enable you to implement an innovation project.
Robert Edge
View profileRobert Edge
Mentors
Robert is able to make introductions to a number of major project owners and Tier 1 contractors across the SELEP and adjacent regions. He has connections to low-carbon experts and can also advise on funding sources for private sector R&D-related projects. Robert is also an expert on international supply chain management.
Nick Fenton
View profileNick Fenton
Mentors
Managing Director with over 43 years’ experience in the construction and development sector, 32 years at Director level within major development businesses including Barratt Homes and Wimpey Homes, providing a complete range of management skills including planning, design, land purchase, commercial, sales and marketing, production, customer services, health and safety and general Managing Director functions in a professional, efficient and practical manner, with integrity.
More recently re-established the Ward Homes brand throughout Kent and South London as one of the major homebuilders and in many cases the preferred developer in the area, building excellent relationships with County, Local Authorities and all major stakeholders.
Nick is the Chairman of the Kent Developers Group and a Board Member of Locate in Kent and currently Director of Nick Fenton Associated Limited. He also assisted the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation in the delivery of the required service provision.
Areas of expertise:
- Off-site construction methods
- Housing Development
- Affordable Housing markets
- Planning and Development control
- Land Acquisition and Values
- Supply Chain Development
- Joint Ventures and Collaboration
- Self Employment
- Development Finance
- Commercial Development, investment in jobs
- Infrastructure Development
- Problem solving
- Utilities
- Partnership
- SMEs
Derek Godfrey MCIOB
View profileDerek Godfrey MCIOB
Mentors
For over 30 years, Derek was a Managing Director/Owner of a regional SME Contractor with a turnover of £10m with ultimate responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business together with strategic business planning to successfully develop the company as a regional recognised brand and achieve significant business growth whilst riding out three recessions.
Derek successfully serviced a diverse client base including commercial, residential, health, retail, historic restoration, education, new build development and permitted development conversions. He achieved ISO9001 (Quality) and ISO14001 (Environmental) accreditation.
Derek also has considerable experience working with business and public sector groups having served on and chaired commissions and development boards including 5 years as Vice Chair of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
He currently provides a consultancy service for construction businesses, developers and clients delivering advice, guidance and mentoring.
Areas of expertise:
- Supply Chain Development
- Business Strategy and Development
- Procurement and contracts
- Development Finance
- Project Management
- Business Structure
- Marketing
- Entering new markets
- Modern Methods of Construction
- Tendering
- New build development and permitted development
- Public sector engagement
- Quality Control
- Recruitment and succession planning
Brian Horton
View profileBrian Horton
Mentors
Brian has over 30 years professional experience in the Housing and Development sector, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Prior to setting up Horton Strategic, Brian worked as Strategic Housing Advisor to Kent County Council, Chief Executive of Swale Housing Association and as Executive Director Kent for AmicusHorizon (now Optivo). He previously held positions at Thanet District Council, English Churches Housing Group (now Riverside), the Corporation of London and Wandsworth Borough Council.
Brian is increasingly working with colleagues in the Kent Developers Group, Developers East Sussex and Essex Developers Group to engage and advocate for the business needs of SME’s.
As Strategic Housing Advisor at SELEP Brian works with all the local authorities across Kent, Essex and East Sussex to promote delivery of housing and share best practice. In his SELEP role he works in partnership with central government and Homes England to accelerate housing delivery across the South East to facilitate significant economic growth.
Brian is a Board Member at West Kent Housing and Co-opted Member Kent Housing Group Executive Board. He also works through Horton Strategic with Institutional Investors, SME’s, Housing Associations, and larger developers in an advisory capacity.
Areas of Expertise
- Affordable Housing
- Housing Development
- Joint Ventures and Collaboration
- Public private sector partnerships
- Planning and Development Control
- Off-site construction
- Sustainability
- Self-Employment
- Development Finance
Peter Searle
View profilePeter Searle
Mentors
Peter was the Operations Director at Kier for 10 years. During the period, the office he was responsible for bid approximately £1,000m of work of which £398m was secured and delivered profitably. Responsibilities included: preparing the 3-year business plan for the profit centres; Safety Health & Environment; marketing & HR. He was responsible for operations – deciding which projects to bid, overseeing submissions of expressions of interest, tendering, construction and post contract.
In 2012 Peter was also appointed as the Chair person to Judge the over £100m Category of the Construction Manager of the Year Award (CMYA) by the Chartered Institute of Building, CIOB. It was the first time a category of this value had been staged. He is currently vice chair on the Professional Membership Review Panel for the CIOB.
After 34 years working for a main contractor, Peter set up a management consultancy business in 2015 to “give back” to the sector and to see SME businesses flourish. Since 2015 he has been supporting construction related businesses and develops bespoke programs for them, so they can see the impact in a short period.
Areas of Expertise
- Business Strategy and Development
- Organisation and structure
- Procurement and Contracts
- Supply Chain Development
Fred Thomas
View profileFred Thomas
Mentors
Fred's mentoring package is designed for businesses with little or no knowledge of search engine marketing or optimisation. Fred can help you to learn the basic techniques that will make a big difference to getting your business website found on Google. For our more experienced businesses Fred can offer a 3-hour package helping to audit your current website with suggestions for potential improvement of the SEO and your search engine result placements.
Paul Thomas
View profilePaul Thomas
Mentors
Paul has over 38 years of experience; from land identification through the procurement process and development phase to after sales care, Paul has worked to a multitude of contractual arrangements from both the client and developer contractor perspective. Also having worked on small- and large-scale projects, including regeneration and affordable housing, has provided Paul with the experience to support business acumen and commercial perception. Paul has acted in roles previously such as Land Buyer, Area Manager and Regional Land Director.
Having served on a regional board of a National Developer as Director for Land, Planning and Technical enabled Paul to take an active role in strategic direction, business planning and executive responsibilities, and see progress and growth from his area of business whilst maintaining productivity and morale of a team of 14.
Paul took an active role as a Business Board Champion for Housing and Development on the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and Kent and Medway Economic Partnership. He was also a Member of the Housing Infrastructure Steering Group. He continues to attend developer and housing group meetings, workshops and working groups, enabling him to keep an up to date knowledge of challenges, emerging policy as well as opportunities and funding for the sector.
Areas of expertise:
- Off-site construction methods
- Housing Development
- Affordable Housing Markets
- Planning and Development Control
- Land Acquisition and Values
- Supply Chain Development
- Business Strategy and Development
- Procurement and contracts
- Joint Ventures and Collaboration
Mark Waine
View profileMark Waine
Mentors
Mark is a highly experienced and passionate generalist HR Director with over 25 years of progressive experience formulating and delivering transformational strategic vision and cultural change within large and SME businesses.
Human Resources is a vast and complex field and navigating these complexities can be taxing and stressful for small businesses. Coming from a construction background Mark has a unique understanding and experience of leading in the construction sector and delivering people related business focused solutions.
Mark worked at Board level as a Group HR Director (and Civil Engineer) for 15 years, growing a number of construction businesses in Essex from £30m turnover to a listed plc turning over £150m. At the heart of this growth and success – a clear people strategy and the passion to deliver this alongside transformation programmes embedding continuous improvement into the culture of the business.
He works with a wide variety of people ranging from Board Directors, Operational and support teams, graduates and aspiring HR Directors leaving a legacy of process, coaching and understanding in every business he has supported.
Areas of expertise
- Business Strategy and Development - developing a people and culture strategy
- Leading change - business improvement and business restructures
- Getting the people foundations right – processes and policies
- Employee branding/attracting and retaining the right people
- Training plans and developing career paths
- Managing and measuring people performance
- Employment relations cases - HR & Employment Law
- Coaching/mentoring your HR support/leadership team
- Succession planning
- Health, Safety and wellbeing
Delivery Partners
Who we work with
I-Construct is led by the Haven Gateway Partnership and its delivery partners: Braintree District Council, BRE (Building Research Establishment), Colchester Institute, and Daedalus Environmental.
Braintree District Council
View profileBraintree District Council
Delivery Partners
Braintree District Council have responsibility for developing the Innovation Hub. The council will also use its involvement in major housing delivery and economic development to engage SMEs in understanding the development pipeline and to support the development of supply chains around major development opportunities for SELEP based SMEs.
BRE (The Buildings Research Institute)
View profileBRE (The Buildings Research Institute)
Delivery Partners
BRE (The Buildings Research Institute) is a global leading research and technology organisation in construction technology/techniques and the performance of buildings. BRE will provide strategic input and link I-Construct into national initiatives and their Innovation Park network.
Colchester Institute
View profileColchester Institute
Delivery Partners
Colchester Institute provide expertise in Construction and support for entrepreneurship activity involving students, employers and working with other FE providers in the SELEP area. Working from campuses in Colchester, Clacton and Braintree, Colchester Institute is a provider of high-quality vocational education from Introduction to Construction short courses via apprenticeships and Higher National Diplomas to BSc (Hons) degrees in Construction Site Management.
Daedalus Environmental Ltd
View profileDaedalus Environmental Ltd
Delivery Partners
Daedalus Environmental Ltd is located in Kent, a specialist consultancy with expertise in the application of renewable energy in construction and innovation. Daedalus will support our work to engage SMEs in business opportunities around new technologies, environmental performance and around major development sites.