Meet the Team
Please note: business advisers and account managers are assigned by geographical location
Abigail Phillips
Adviser Manager
Abi leads a team of business advisers across the East Midlands. With a strong financial background and over a decade of entrepreneurial experience, Abigail's journey from running her own business to business assistance reflects her adaptability and practical skills.
In addition, having worked as a high-growth business coach in ERDF projects and holding an ILM Level 7 in leadership and management, Abigail specialises in supporting business growth and innovation within the retail and e-commerce sectors under the UKSPF programme. Her expertise is valuable in facilitating the development of businesses in the East Midlands.
Andrew Bunn
Business Adviser
With a background in local authority business support and Chambers of Commerce, Andy has over 15 years’ experience working with and advising businesses.
Initially specialising in supporting start up and early stage businesses, Andy has helped hundreds of individuals to follow their dream and successfully start and grow their own business. Now working with all sizes of business and across all sectors, Andy is on hand acting as a critical friend and sounding board, providing advice, guidance and a long list of useful contacts.
With an impartial view, Andy will examine your business to identify...read more.
Cat Walls
Business Adviser
Cat joined East Midlands Chamber in 2024 following a role at University of Derby, where she spent 4 years in the Business Services team, advising local businesses on European and Government funded support. With further experience working with SME businesses in the Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire Visitor Economy, and as an Account Manager with an independent retail and exhibition design firm, she is now able to advise on key marketing tools, the benefits of working in partnership and signpost to a wide range of support available.
Qualified with an ILM Level 5 in organisational coaching and mentoring she combines her...read more.
David Smith
Business Adviser
David has worked in the business support arena for over 20 years, spanning roles as Business Adviser, coach and mentor. During this time David has also managed multiple publicly funded grant programmes, helping 300+ businesses access over £10m in grant funding. David has also run his own consultancy business, delivering Access to Finance seminars and providing specialist innovation support on a one-to-one basis.
A Level 5 qualified coach and mentor, David combines his role as a Business Adviser within the Chamber’s Enterprise team with external business coaching roles.
Emily Gascoyne
Events and Engagement Officer
Emily started at the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce as a Business Administration Apprentice, completing her Business Administration Level 2 and 3 and after 7 years with the Chamber she have been in varied ERDF funded roles and supported different projects, including the D2N2 Growth Hub.
Emma Straw
Digital Marketing Specialist
With over 9 years experience in copywriting, proofreading, digital marketing and SEO, Emma is able to understand and implement successful campaigns and marketing for events both online and in person.
Supporting and creating marketing campaigns for the Growth Hub, this enables businesses, local authorities and partnerships to get involved with local events, as well as publicising local partner events within the D2N2 network.
In Emma's spare time, she regularly volunteers with Re-engage a charity which aims to bring together lonely...read more.
Hannah Kerridge-Smith
Events Manager
Hannah has been involved with events across various sectors over the last 10 years.
Starting at the East Midlands Chamber in 2019 as Event and Engagement Officer, she is now Events Manager and leads on the development and delivery of a range of publicly funded events, workshops, conferences and forums across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Working closely with local authorities in the area and our contracts team to ensure the needs of our businesses are met.
Helen Carter
Frontline Growth Hub Adviser Manager
Helen has worked within organisations providing information to businesses for over 30 years.
During this time, Helen has built up a working knowledge of business development support services and funding schemes locally and nationally. She has used this knowledge to help all types and sizes of business, from pre-starts to multinational companies, to access the support they need quickly and effectively.
Insan Farooqi
Business Adviser
Insan has worked in business support and consultancy for 15 years. In that time, he's worked with start-ups and large companies, across many industry sectors. His business support career started with Business Link and continued with other support organisations.
After University, Insan’s IT career began when he started as a Programmer, progressing to Director of Technical Services. He worked with several businesses in the UK, Europe and had a 3-year stint in the USA.
With his experience of setting up two businesses and managing a family business, Insan’s well placed...read more.
Kalpna Mistry
Marketing Manager
Kalpna brings over 25 years of marketing and communications experience from her career in business support organisations. Since 2017, she's contributed to publicly funded projects at East Midlands Chamber, including a marketing strategy for the Collaborate project, boosting economic growth in Leicestershire.
As Marketing Executive for the Leicestershire Business Gateway Growth Hub since 2019, she was part of a partnership project which supported 4,000 businesses, distributed £2.06m in grant funding and delivered over 500 workshops/ webinars.
Kalpna is currently responsible for the marketing to promote the Chamber’s funded business support contracts...read more.
Kam Atker
Events and Engagement Officer
Kam has been with the East Midlands Chamber since 1999, working on funded projects including the Digital Growth Programme and the Digital Upscaler Project.
She has over 25 years of experience in organising events, workshops and conferences and delivering a range of projects. Kam also networks at events with businesses from all sectors and sizes, providing them with the support and help they need to grow their business.
Kam has a wealth of experience and knowledge in supporting businesses and understands the importance of providing a good customer care service to everyone she engages and...read more.
Lisa Baggott
Business Advisor
With over a decade of experience in the banking industry, Lisa has honed her expertise in financial management and customer relations. Transitioning from corporate banking, she successfully launched and ran her own business for ten years, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills.
More recently, Lisa has dedicated the past three years to the charity sector, where she played a pivotal role in operationalising a heritage charity. Her diverse background and commitment to excellence make her a valuable asset to the East Midlands Chamber team.
Lisa Byers
Frontline Growth Hub Adviser
Lisa has experience of setting up a new business as well as being a sole trader for 10 years. She also has over 12 years experience in retail management.
Having ran her own business, Lisa can relate to the day-to-day running and real-life challenges that business owners face. Combined with her passion for supporting others, business acumen and knowledge of trading in the East Midlands area, Lisa can provide relevant information to support businesses, from pre-starts to large businesses in an effective and timely manner.
Paul Stuart
Head of Business Support Services
Paul is the East Midlands Chamber’s Head of Enterprise, responsible for the delivery of its enterprise and business support products and services across the East Midlands.
Paul has worked in business support for over 20 years and is experienced in delivering ERDF contracts. He is responsible for the Chamber's publicly funded enterprise contracts, including ERDF and other funded contracts. This includes managing the ERDF funded D2N2 Growth Hub project, the LLEP Business Gateway project, and the Chamber’s LLEP Collaborate Project.
Peter Lawrence
Business Adviser
Peter has worked in the public sector, corporate and SME arena with a strong focus on employer engagement and business support for over 30 years.
During this time he has also ran two businesses, B2B and B2C, gaining direct experience of what it takes to launch, develop and grow a viable business proposition.
With a strong business development, sales and marketing background Pete has provided consultancy, coaching and mentoring support to businesses across a range of sectors in the UK and overseas.
Fully committed to the interdependency of education, industry and government...read more.
Richard Crowden
Business Adviser
Initially working in the Logistics sector as a consultant, Richard moved into Business support, working as a Business Adviser for Business Link Nottinghamshire, EMB Ltd, NBV Ltd and Pinnacle People. Delivering European and Council funded projects for over twenty years. Supporting both start-up and existing SMEs.
Richard is an experienced company Director and Business owner, with experience across various sectors including house building, food production and retail.
Richard Smallwood
Business Advisor
Richard is an experienced business advisor and consultant, having run his own advisory business and has been employed by the Erewash Partnership for a number of years which included delivering the D2N2 Growth Hub programme across Erewash during 2010 to 2013.
Richard has now recently transferred from the Erewash Partnership to the East Midlands Chamber. He has a particular interest in manufacturing and has been actively involved in the East Midlands Manufacturing Network. He likes to help and support the “not for profit” and CIC/ Charity sector and has been a Board Member of...read more.
Ryan Hodson
Events and Engagement Officer
With over 6 years of experience in stakeholder engagement in various sectors and 7 years delivering support in education, Ryan has a strong history of building successful relationships and leading on events across East Midlands.
Ryan joined the team as an Events and Engagement Officer in 2024 to deliver workshops and webinars as part of the Accelerator Project.
Serleeka Saini
Marketing and Communications Executive
Serleeka has been Marketing and Communications Executive at East Midlands Chamber since 2017 working on funded projects including the Digital Growth Programme and Digital Upscaler project.
Serleeka has over 18 years’ of marketing experience having worked in a number of marketing roles including the higher education sector. Prior to this, Serleeka also supported a research project; Supplier Diversity East Midlands funded by EMDA, which aimed to support EMBs.
Serleeka's current role is to raise awareness of the diverse range of business support available through the Chamber and D2N2 Growth Hub. This will be...read more.
Sonny Lakhani
Business Adviser
Sonny started his career in the field of supporting and engaging businesses within the sector of learning and development consultancies, as a business development manager and coach. To enable SME’s and charities with their challenges. Bringing context and growth to businesses and enabling individuals, and assist in alleviating challenges.
Having worked in the corporate and private sectors for 20+ years, Sonny changed his focus to charities and social enterprises, however, presently he works with all sectors, industries and business sizes.
Sonny works with businesses towards evolving, being...read more.
Steve Phillips
Business Adviser
Steve joined the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce in 2021, working as a Digital High Street Adviser for the Chesterfield Digital High Street program.
Steve helped both small and large businesses develop their online presence which was highlighted as an important area during and coming out of the the pandemic. Having successfully ran an online business for 10 years, Steve was able to transfer the skills that he acquired during that time to help businesses looking to engage with their clients and customers via online platforms and e-commerce websites.
