Archives: Ambassadors

Professor Hari Mann has over two decades of experience in academia and business. His main interests are in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship. His research looks at how businesses develop the culture, environment, and infrastructure to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. Hari started his career at Goldman Sachs where he worked in the technology, media and telecommunications practice.  He then went to London School of Economics to undertake a variety of roles in consulting, research, teaching and the development of initiatives such as LSE-elab of which he was director. He is also the winner of the LSE Teaching prize.

He went on to become Director of Tomorrow’s Investor at the RSA where he published work around how to improve the UK’s financial system through new innovations to the pensions system. Alongside David Pitt-Watson, he has co-authored over five publications setting out how the pensions industry should look at adopting Collective DC solutions and greater cost transparency.  Since 2016, they have worked on the Purpose of Finance project which has brought together support from a wide range of institutions across the City and government.

In addition to his academic experience, Hari has been on the founding teams of a variety of start-ups involved in technology and renewable energy. He has sat on the executive boards of various national charities including the Citizenship foundation, Chance to Shine, St Olave’s and St Saviours foundation and Charity Trustee Networks.

Hari holds an MSc (with distinction) and a PhD from the London School of Economics where he was an EPSRC scholar.

Kevin Albertson BSc MCom PhD FRSA is Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics, Policy and International Business at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is a political economist with a background in public policy analysis, quantitative economics and the evaluation of criminal justice policy and social innovation. His recent past work has, amongst other things, considered the development of the social innovation market in the EU.

Kevin is widely published in the areas of marketisation and financialisation of public services particularly insofar as they relate to Outcomes Based Commissioning and Social Impact Bonds. His current research considers the impact on finance and the economy more widely of a period of zero-growth. For more information on Kevin’s research interests, and a list of publications, please go to https://www.mmu.ac.uk/business-school/about-us/our-staff/profile/index.php?id=882

Iain G. Mitchell KC is a member of both the Scottish and English Bars, having been called to the Scottish Bar in 1976 and having taken silk in 1992. He was called to the English Bar in 2012. He has a wide and extensive practice in both Scotland and England, which ranges across all areas of civil law.

He is ranked in the Chambers Directory for IT Law and IP Law, and is ranked in the Legal 500 for Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Media IT and IP Law.

He has a strong interest in Financial Services regulation, having frequently acted in both Scotland and England in banking cases, which include Grant v RBS and Glare v Clydesdale Bank plc in Scotland and Wellburn Care Homes v Clydesdale Bank plc in England. He also gave evidence on the regulation of Complex Financial Instruments to the Parliamentary Commission on Banking standards.

(See https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt201314/jtselect/jtpcbs/27/27v_we17.htm )

He also has an interest in IT law, and represents the Faculty of Advocates on the UK delegation to the CCBE, served as the Chair of the CCBE Working Party on Surveillance and UK expert on the CCBE IT Committee of the CCBE. He is a member of the IT Panel of the Bar Council of England & Wales and is Chairman of the Scottish Society for Computers and Law, as well as being a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

He is an honorary lecturer at the Institut für Informations- Telekommunikations- und Medienrecht at the Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Westphalia. He frequently gives lectures  and speaks at Conferences. He is Joint Editor of the Journal of Open Law, Technology and Society (formerly the International Free and Open Source Law Review). His publications include contributions to Electronic Evidence (Butterworths), The Open Source Law Book (Open Source Press), Free and Open Source Software: Policy, Law and Practice (Oxford University Press) and Innovation and Future of the Legal Profession in Europe (Bruylant, Brussels), as well as frequent contributions to professional journals and general journalism.

He also has a particular interest in property law (having appeared as Senior Counsel in Moncrieff v Jamieson 2018 SC(HL)1), and Human Rights Law, including especially Legal Professional Privilege and the Rule of Law. He has lectured on Judicial Reform in former Soviet countries including Georgia and Kazakhstan and, on behalf of the CCBE frequently meets with and lobbies international bodies on this matter, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Interpol, The Council of Europe, the EU Institutions and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, amongst others. He recently served on a Working party on Electronic evidence convened by the Centre for European Policy Studies.

Robin created The O’Grady Says Consultancy in 2018 to work with like minded individuals. He also assists IFA businesses with acquisitions and exit strategies through his introductory relationship with Phase 2 Consulting (More than just a Broker).

A highly experienced sales & marketing professional, he was actively involved in the IFA sector for 39 years. As Head of Business Development, he was a champion of DFM and managed sales teams at Christows/Williams de Broë, Saltus and Hawksmoor during his successful Sales career.

Robin began his career in financial services in 1975 when he joined Schroder Life’s Head Office in Portsmouth. 4 years in and too exciting to be an accountant, he was offered a sales role as Broker Consultant in their successful Broker Division and never looked back. An excellent man-manager, with strong inter-personal skills, he recruited & developed highly successful individuals & sales teams on a number of occasions.

Qualified at Diploma 4 Level, Robin also acted as an Examiner for the Chartered Insurance Institute’s Financial Planning examinations.

Professional appointments included; Chairman of the Life Insurance Association (LIA) Hants & Dorset Region in 2003 & 2004, Member Director of the Personal Finance Society (PFS) 2006/08 and Vice-President of the PFS 2007/08.

Robin is a keen sportsman, with a love for football, cricket & golf. He is a Pompey season ticket holder, Acting Chairman & Treasurer of Burridge Cricket Club and an Ambassador for the Lashings World Cricket XI. When Covid allows, he enjoys travelling to sunny places, real ales, wine, socialising & achieving the best in life.

 

Laura graduated from the University of Warwick in 2013 with a 2.1 Honours degree in German with French. During her time at Warwick she was awarded the Warwick Skills Portfolio Award, completed the Warwick Leadership Scheme and lived/worked in France and Germany. Whilst working as a teaching assistant at a German school, she set up a pen pal scheme with an English school and ran an English language club for German pupils.

After graduate jobs in Human Resources and general administration, Laura now specialises in Health & Safety Risk Management and has undertaken a variety of Health & Safety roles over the last 6 years. She is currently working as a Health & Safety Advisor for Bureau Veritas, a world leader in testing, inspections and certifications, and is a Technical Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) and an Associate Member of the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM).

Laura was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in January 2019 and linked up with the Transparency Task Force via the RSA, as she strongly believes in the proactive approach the TTF is taking towards changing the current system that lets down victims of pension scams, and the implementation of all-important safeguards that prevent scams from happening in the first place.

Roger is one of the founders of recently launched think tank www.TheBottomLine.scot which produces economic analysis related to the constitutional question in Scotland. He is also chair of the humanitarian organisation REVIVE Campaign CIC which campaigns on behalf of the victims of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and which provides support to two APPGs at Westminster.

Roger is a former member of parliament for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. During his period as an MP, Roger was a treasury spokesperson and led a range of parliamentary campaigns for greater transparency and ethics in the financial system.  He succeeded in moving the UK government to hold an inquiry and make some all too modest changes to Scottish Limited Partnerships which continue to be a vehicle for international criminality and money laundering. His parliamentary campaigning on SLPs is discussed in Oliver Bullough’s book “Butler To The World”. He continues the fight.

Roger has written on the need to tackle the culture of financial institutions including banks, addressing in particular failings in ethics.  He has written on such matters for the likes of International Banker , The Herald and The National.

Roger is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Stirling, where he has lectured on ethical finance as part of the university’s MSc in Strategic Sustainable Business.  He has also taught Applied Decision Theory and related ethical questions on a range of post graduate programmes. He is a former chair of the university’s joint departmental research ethics committee in which capacity he undertook ethical reviews of research proposals.

Roger is an experienced conference and after dinner speaker. He is happy to engage in discussion and can be contacted by email at roger.mullin2@email.com

Petra is Professor of Sustainable Management and Education for Sustainable Development at Nottingham Business School and Co-Chair of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) working group on climate change and environment.

She is a Fellow of the EAUC, Principal Fellow of HEA and a member of Business in the Community’s East Midlands Leadership Board. Business in the Community is the oldest and largest business-led membership organisation dedicated to responsible business in the UK.

Petra has led the Green Academy at Nottingham Trent University from 2013-2020, with the aim to include Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) related curricular and extra-curricular initiatives into the whole university, for example the internal online course offered to all 32.000 student at NTU: ‘Sustainability in Practice Certificate’ (Shortlisted Green Gown Award 2014, practical challenge day shortlisted in the Green Gown Awards 2017, now three topics on offer: Food, Energy and Clothing). She won the Sustainability Professional Award in the Green Gown Awards 2016 and ‘The Guardian University Award 2015 for Business Partnership’ (Greenhouse Gas Management Project) together with NetPositive Ltd.

Petra is the editor of ‘The Business Student’s Guide to Sustainable Management’ offering seminars and other teaching material in how to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals in accounting, marketing, HR and other subjects in management / business studies but also ideas on how to teach system thinking, corporate peace-making and the crowdsourcing of sustainable solutions. The second edition is part of the PRME book series and published by Routledge. Petra is also the Academic Lead for PRME in Nottingham Business School and was as NBS Sustainability Coordinator responsible for embedding sustainability and business ethics into the curriculum of the School.

Petra reconceptualised the Sustainable Development Assesment Tool (SDAT) of NHS England funded by, and accountable to, NHS England and Public Health England to work across the NHS, public health and social care system together with Dr Michael Hewitt from NBS and the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU). Recently, she undertook research with ‘Coronation Street’ – a popular soap in the UK – about their impactful carbon literacy training and has co-designed a Carbon Literacy Training for Business Schools based on this insight, which is currently rolled out as a PRME Champions Project.

Petra is keen to work with like-minded people in the Transparency Task Force to design a Carbon Literacy Training aimed at the Financial Sector and to develop other initiatives to address climate change mitigation.

Mr Gavin FL Palmer B.Eng (Mech.) Exon. is a former Director and London Regional Chairman of the UK Shareholders Association. In 2014 he won the Best Conference Paper at the House of Commons Corporate Governance Conference with a paper on Shareholder Nomination to the AGM Committees. He is Managing Director of four property and equity investment companies.

He graduated a year early from Exeter University with a 4 year general and Mechanical Engineering 2:1 Degree, inventing airline wingtips as a drag reduction device during his third year individual project in 1992.

He has been an angel investor in high end audio equipment. Active since 1991 for Corporate Governance reform, submitting a highly regarded Paper to a HM Government Corporate Governance review. He is a Founding signatory to the Shell Climate Change shareholder resolution working with Follow This Founder Mark van Baal for over 5 years, with the shareholder resolution going global and gaining the support of thousands of Pension Fund trustees worldwide.

For 8 years he created and taught Investment Principles Training, established in 1996 to teach business analysis and successful investing to hundreds of students mimicking the teachers of investment Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffett. He has been invited to join a General Election policy team in the UK and assists actions for good governance in the UK.