Meet the Team
Leigh-Sara Timberlake
Group CEO
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2008
Best bit about my job: Very excited about the Central South – Global Gateway agenda, after many years we have a chance to push aside personal agendas and really promote all that is great about the Central South collaboratively.
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Everyone stands to benefit from us having a joined up message for central gov, the rest of the UK and indeed the world!
What you don’t know: I have twin daughters of 21. We are a horse mad family competing most weekends all over the South of England.
Rosemary French OBE
Chair
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2017.
Best bit about my job: The way that Business South brings all the issues together. You cannot talk about growth without talking about talent, you cannot talk about talent without talking about mental health and so on.
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Business South is THE organisation led by businesses to bring all of these together, to discuss, debate and identity solutions.
What you don’t know: I love cycle touring! After cycling 50 miles down the volcano in the morning, we quickly changed and got married at the last sunset of the Millennium!
Andy Swift
Champion Director – Surrey
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2016.
Best bit about my job: Helping businesses make connections to supply chains and supporting innovation.
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Best Business South event: Our Director’s Dinners are fantastic opportunities for our Champions to meet future customers and collaborators.
What you don’t know: I love the theatre, walking my two dogs and supporting Reading FC.
Claire Bayly
Group Operations & Marketing Manager
Time working with Business South: Joined in January 2020.
Kate Proh
Business Support Executive
Time working with Business South: Joined in April 2019.
Best bit about my job: Retaining talent in the Central South region is my favourite agenda at the moment as this core theme naturally crosses over with a lot more of what Business South is trying to collectively achieve with its action groups.
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You can’t retain talent in the South if you don’t have the infrastructure (connectivity/housing/education) or employment in place to begin with.
What you don’t know: I love travelling. I love food, I love adventure. I do my best to give most things a try as ‘Life is not a Rehearsal!’.
Natalie Hunt
Events Executive
Time working with Business South: Joined in June 2015.
Best bit about my job: My favourite agenda is Workforce South, as within the HR header we are able to tackle so many different topics that can resonate to all levels of employees in the workplace.
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What you don’t know: I have an A-Level in Photography and before Business South I spent 10 years in the hospitality industry, and within that time, 8 years as a Deputy Manager of a Hotel.
Shirley Wynne Jones
Event Logistics
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2010.
Best bit about my job: Cruise & Port South action group, there’s sense of pride in working alongside great organisations like Carnival, Cunard, Red Funnel & Southampton Hoteliers.
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Previous actions of this group have included improved signage to the various cruise terminal for visitors, better links with Southampton airport for passengers and new tourism initiatives and approaches to keep cruise passengers in the city for longer, especially for calling cruise visits by Aida.
What you don’t know: I am a keen traveller especially to the snow for ski holidays! Love a bit of pebble painting! Am the “go to” organiser within my group of friends for all events.
Andy Pringle
Business Development Manager
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2014.
Best bit about my job: Working with our small friendly team and equally friendly local business owners. It is great to be part of such a worthwhile cause. Having lived in the south for most of my life, I can wholeheartedly support the view that it is the perfect place to live, work, or run your own business.
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What you don’t know: I am a football fan and have written a series of books entitled ‘Where are they now?’
Julie Easterbrook
Business Adviser
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2014.
Best bit about my job: The diversity of businesses that I am able to work with in the area. I particularly like solving financial challenges. Sometimes that is guiding clients through an application for the Government start-up loan to successful results.
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At other times I help unravel their cashflow problems and help them to find systems or services that alleviate the issue. Watching those businesses grow as a result is particularly exciting and satisfying.
What you don’t know: I have a passion for helping the less fortunate, whether that’s people or animals. I foster rescue dogs, fundraise for various charities, donate monthly a proportion of my income to good causes and provide mentoring for disadvantaged teenagers. At weekends I am often found doing Canicross events (trail running with my dogs).
Sue Davitt
Business Adviser
Best bit about my job: How lucky am I to work with so many owners of wildly varied businesses? Some of the business ideas have been truly extraordinary! I really love being a small part of their business’ progression. As a Business Adviser I am often ‘in’ at the very start but have had the pleasure of seeing so many of our clients go on to really flourish!
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What you don’t know: As a teenager I used to do ‘sponsored swims’ in aid of the British Legion. In the second year some friends and family capped their donations and refused to sponsor me by the length as I did 100 in my first year and some had quite a lot to pay up! But such a good cause.
Steve Jennings
Enterprise Centre Manager
Time working with Business South: Joined in 2014.
Best bit about my job: Working with great teams at our Business Centres providing excellent support and space for our local Small Businesses liaising with with our advisory team when required.
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What you don’t know: I have two daughters and I am a grandad to a two year old grandaughter with another on the way. My wife and I have just bought a property in Spain where we and the family hope to have many holidays enjoying the sun and seaside.
Business South
Ocean Village Innovation Centre
Ocean Village
Southampton
SO14 3JZ
Enterprise South
Suite 2G, Westmead House
Farnborough
GU14 7LP
Telephone / email
Tel: 0844 225 3130
Email: info@businesssouth.org
Events Office: 02382 021280
Enterprise South
Tel: 01252 759124
Email: info@enterprisesouth.co.uk