Rob Sykes, OBE (Chair)
Rob Sykes is Senior Fellow in Leadership at the University of Worcester. His career was primarily in Local Government. He held various posts in Social Services including Director, and for ten years, Chief Executive of Worcestershire County Council which under his leadership became a four star Authority with top marks in value for money.
Throughout his career Rob has undertaken work at a National and Regional level. For example latterly he was appointed by the Government as Chair of the Taskforce in Efficiency in Local Government and he was the Secretary of the West Midlands Regional Assembly.
Rob now works at the University, as a non Executive Director (for the Crown Prosecution Service and FCA) as a Consultant and Executive Coach. In this capacity he has coached Senior Civil Servants and Chief Executives in the public and private sectors.
Colin Beardwood, OBE
Colin has lived in Droitwich for 30 years and is a governor of Worcester College of Technology and Trinity High School in Redditch. He is a trustee of Redditch Citizens Advice Bureau and the Margaret Westwood Trust for young people. He is a non executive Director of a property company and Chairman of a venture capital/consultancy business. Colin was formerly a member of Worcestershire County Council for 12 years, Vice Chairman of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Chairman of Birmingham International Airport and was awarded the OBE in 2003 for services to the environment for his work as a national board member of the Environment Agency.
Professor Michael Clarke, CBE, Deputy Lieutenant
Michael is Vice-Principal at the University of Birmingham. He lives in Worcester. He chairs the Board of the Central Technology Belt, the Worcestershire Strategic Partnership, and VisitWorcester. He is a Lay Canon and member of the Chapter of Worcester Cathedral and a member of the Governing Bodies of the University of Worcester and Kings' School Worcester. He is also President of Community First (the Rural Community Council for Herefordshire and Worcestershire) and the Worcester Civic Society. Michael is a member of the Worcestershire Ambassadors.
Andrew Grant FRICS, Deputy Lieutenant
Andrew lives in Worcestershire and is a very well known person in the County, a chartered surveyor, auctioneer, land owner, and proprietor of Worcestershire’s largest estate agency. He is a patron of St Richards Hospice and trustee of several local charities. Andrew was High Sheriff of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 2005/2006, a past president of the Worcestershire branch of the Country Landowners Association, and is a member of the Worcestershire Ambassadors
Louise Hewett
Louise has lived in Worcestershire for 30 years and is Managing Director of Hewett Recruitment which she founded in 1980. She is a Patron of St. Richard’s Hospice and a Patron of the H&W Chamber of Commerce. Louise also sits on the Management Group of the Worcestershire Ambassadors and the board of the Worcester Alliance. Business Woman of the Year in 2000, Louise has also been Strategic Board Chair for Herefordshire & Worcestershire Young Enterprise and Non-Executive Director of Wyvern FM.