Board Profiles

Matthew Lawson (Chairman)

Business: Escape Yachting & Thatched Cottage Hotel
Sector: Marine & Tourism
Matthew's top-rated and award winning yacht charter business operates from Lymington with day trips on the Solent and worldwide sailing holidays. He also owns the Thatched Cottage Hotel, Tea Room & Gin Bar in Brockenhurst.

Rob Dewing (Vice Chairman)

Business: Northerwood Systems Ltd.
Organisation: Federation of Small Businesses
Sector: Web and IT
Area: Lyndhurst
Rob runs a business in Lyndhurst building and maintaining websites for local businesses. He is active in business lobbying as the local Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, representing over 800 FSB members in the New Forest.

Peter Armstrong

Business: Bespoke Funeral Ceremonies  
Area: Waterside
Peter runs Bespoke Funeral Ceremonies which offers personalised and meaningful funeral ceremonies. He has been involved in the management of cemeteries in local government. He has experience of public speaking in the UK and abroad and has served on various charities. Representing the Waterside, Peter connects local businesses to the opportunities available through NFBP.

Matt Callaghan

Organisation: New Forest District Council
As Economic Development Manager, Matt is responsible for creating conditions for local businesses to grow, providing support for start-up enterprises and encouraging new investment into the district where appropriate. He works alongside a variety of business support organisations including Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, Enterprise First and Job Centre Plus. Matt and his team are developing a range of projects which encourage the growth of the local economy and provide a skills base appropriate to the needs of local employers in the New Forest.

Anthony Climpson OBE

Organisation: Go New Forest
Sector: Tourism
Trained as an artist and designer, working in recycling, sales and publishing before being seduced by tourism, Anthony was Destination Manager at NFDC for nearly 30 years, before setting up Go New Forest to continue the legacy of inclusion and sustainability in forest first tourism development and promotion.

Keith Lightning

Organisation: Lightning Group
Sector: Energy & Renewables
Owner of Lightning and of KLIA Group of companies and associated businesses, main SME activities being electrical and instrumentation installations and specialist personnel provision, quality partnership and team practices and arrangements. RoSPA and British Safety Council Health & Safety National Award winners.  Services include Oil & Gas, Hazardous Areas, Energy From Waste, Nuclear, Power & General. Keith is a member of IOD, Management Board & General Council Member of Engineering Construction Industrial Association, Industrial Relations Committee and Engineering Productivity Improvement Committee.

Hannah Avoth

Organisation: Totton College
Sector: Education & Apprenticeships
Hannah is the Vice Principal and Campus Lead at Totton College, a technical/vocational centre offering programmes for 14-16 and adults across a wide spectrum of courses and apprenticeships.

Adie Callaghan

Organisation: Appetite For Adventure
Sector: Food & Drink
Adie runs specialist event and private catering company, Appetite for Adventure, and the New Forest Hamper Company. Adie worked in high level corporate marketing and communications for many years, with links to hospitality and retail and champions local producers and suppliers. Adie is fiercely passionate about “supporting local” and strives to raise the profile of the New Forest and all it has to offer across the Food and Drink sector. 

Paul Sherry

Organisation: 49
Sector: Innovation
Prior to running his own businesses and holding blue-chip corporate sales and marketing roles, Paul gathered extensive experience as a trader on the Futures Exchange in the City of London. Since moving to the New Forest, Paul has become more involved in the third sector and founded 49, the business-led open innovation centre. He has created and delivered a pilot programme for children “at risk” of exclusion in the New Forest and is on the Board of Go New Forest.

Cllr Mel Kendal

Organisation: New Forest National Park Authority

Bob Jackson

Organisation: New Forest District Council
Bob is Chief Executive of New Forest District Council and, along with his Executive Management Team, is responsible for delivering the Council’s Corporate Plan. Priorities within this include ‘Helping local business grow’.

Suna King

Organisation: New Milton Town Council
Suna’s broad expertise and knowledge in marketing and communications comes from wide-ranging roles in marketing agencies as well as organisations including Samsung Electronics and the Wilton Carpet Factory. She is Town Development Manager at New Milton Town Council, co-ordinating the Neighbourhood Plan, with a focus on the regeneration of the town centre and enabling a digital economy.

David Lawrence

Sector: Legal
Business: Eric Robinson Solicitors
As Senior Partner, David manages Eric Robinson's office in Lymington, a town he knows well having grown up and lived there for over 45 years. David specialises in litigation (civil, criminal, and family), residential conveyancing and property work, and wills and the administration of estates. As well as acting as the firm's Compliance Officer for Legal Practice, and shouldering responsibility for other areas of compliance, David has played a significant role as an advocate in the firm’s Criminal Department, and has advised widely in relation to anti-money laundering and bribery practices. In Lymington, David has reverted to advising clients in the preparation of Wills and Estate Administration. In addition to this work, David remains a Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Court Criminal Proceedings), a member of the Criminal Litigation Scheme and is a Police Station and Court Duty Solicitor.

Cllr Keith Mans

Organisation: Hampshire County Council
Keith is a former RAF pilot who spent 10 years working for the John Lewis Partnership after leaving the RAF. He was elected MP for Wyre in Lancashire in 1987 and was PPS to the Secretary of State for Health as well as being a member of both the Defence and the Environment Select Committees. After leaving Parliament in 1997, Keith was CEO of the Royal Aeronautical Society until his retirement in 2009. Keith is County Councillor for Brockenhurst, Leader of Hampshire County Council and on the Board of Enterprise M3 and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Andrea McCallum

Organisation: Hampshire County Council
Andrea is Manager for Enterprise & SME Growth at Hampshire County Council. Previously, she worked in economic development roles for a number of organisations and with multiple partnerships across the South East. Andrea’s current role involves supporting local businesses experiencing growth or planning to grow in the area as well as business looking to locate in Hampshire and working with both the Solent and Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnerships to establish their Business Support and Growth Hubs to provide services to SMEs.

Jane Porter

Business: Bartley Marketing & Lymington.com
Area: Lymington
Following a London based corporate marketing and advertising career, including running her own direct marketing agency,  Jane came home to the New Forest. Bartley Marketing, which owns Lymington.com, provides marketing and promotion for local businesses and community based organisations. Jane is Deputy Chair of networking group Forest Entrepreneurs and a member of Lymington Chamber. 

Cllr Barry Rickman

Organisation: New Forest District Council
Barry is Leader of New Forest District Council. Representing the Boldre and Sway Ward, Barry has run a photography business in the New Forest for 35 years and has been involved in local government for over 30 years.

Di Roberts CBE

Organisation: Brockenhurst College
Sector: Education & Apprenticeships
Di has been Principal and Chief Executive of Brockenhurst College since 2006. With a staff of 700, the College provides education and training to 2,500 full-time 16-18 year olds studying A-levels and vocational qualifications; 700 apprentices and 7,500 mainly part-time adults. With sites across the New Forest, the College works with over 300 local businesses. Di has significant experience in education, training and business, including as an Ofsted Inspector.

Sophy Robinson

Organisation: Forest Forge
Sector: Environment & Rural Economy
Sophy has a varied business career, including coaching leaders of a wide range of businesses, entrepreneurs, global corporations and in the public sector. She works in a voluntary capacity as a mentor for Dormen and for Forest Forge Theatre Company. She lives near Fordingbridge on a small grassland farm and is very interested in managing the land, forestry and historic farm buildings in a sustainable way, while also balancing the books. 

Sandeep Sesodia

Business: MGPS Commercial
Sector: Financial Services
Before starting his own business, Sandeep was a member of the Future Williams & Glyn Team at the Royal Bank of Scotland, covering the New Forest. His key focus is to assist businesses to develop and grow and to achieve their goals. Sandeep's knowledge extends over 30 years in the banking and finance profession. Sandeep is Chairman of the Southampton Business Board at Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and a Director of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce.

David Simpson

Business: Simpson Hilder Associates
Sector: Housing, Planning & Development
Based in Lyndhurst and Lymington, Simpson Hilder Associates are a multi-disciplinary architectural and surveying practice. David and his team are involved in a number of projects and schemes in around the New Forest including the Ampress Park development, Gordleton Industrial Estate, as well as the marine and housing sectors. The practice also works nationally in the healthcare and educational sectors.

Paul Walton

Organisation: New Forest National Park Authority
Sector: Environment & Rural Economy
Paul’s role is to lead the National Park Authority’s work in conserving the landscapes and habitats of the National Park and foster a healthy local economy that can sustain the Park’s special qualities. Paul has considerable experience of working in protected landscapes. He came to the New Forest having previously worked in Cornwall, as a General Manager for the National Trust for five years and prior to that as the first partnership manager of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Paul has a Master's degree in Town and Country Planning.

If you would like to become involved with the NFBP Board then please contact Matthew Lawson, Chairman of NFBP, by email.