Speakers
Andrew Abaza - Modular qualifications introduction
Rayhan Abdulmughnee - E-technologies
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George Cowcher - Alternatives To Redundancy
Geoff Cox - Health & Saftey Management
Nigel Crouch - Inspirational Leadership
Andrew Gibbons - Round Table Discussion: Future
Workforces- Trends and Developments in ManufacturingMervyn Jones - Sustainability
Andy Spencer - Case Study Presentation
Andrew Abaza
Andrew Abaza is Proskills Head of Research and Development and Coatings Industry Lead.
Andrew leads the standards, qualifications and research teams at Proskills, and is also the lead for the coatings industry (Proskills has a lead manager for each of the 8 industries in its footprint). He has worked in the training and skills world for the past 25 years.
Prior to joining Proskills, Andrew was Training Manager at the Trade Association for the coatings industry, and worked in the training function of United Biscuits, where he also worked as line manager at a major distribution centre. He has been involved in the formation and running of a company that was engaged at the cutting edge of training design, which included pioneering competence-based training for the NHS and British Rail.
A theme throughout Andrew’s career has been the development of work-based training and qualifications, and he sees the new modular qualification system as a major step forward in helping raise skill and training levels in companies.
Andrew has a degree in politics from Essex University, and an MSc in Organisation Development from Sheffield Polytechnic.
Rayhan Abdulmughnee
Rayhan Abdulmughnee works with ambitious entrepreneurs to help them grow their companies by utilising technology strategically. To help them achieve their vision, he develops practical solutions that can deliver profitability, productivity and competitiveness.
Rayhan plans and implements effective online marketing strategies and e-commerce solutions as well as help companies improve their business processes by implementing customised management systems (including ERP and CRM) to build operational efficiencies.
Rayhan is an experienced business consultant, with a background in business and technology gained at venture funded start-ups, established SMEs and Fortune 500 companies across North America, Asia and Europe.
He has a Master of Science degree from the University of Nottingham (UK) in Entrepreneurship, Science & Technology and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the California State University, Sacramento (USA).
George Cowcher
George Cowcher is Chief Executive of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce which speaks on behalf of 10,000 companies in the two counties and the Derbyshire Enterprise Agency.
He sits on a number of Boards in both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. George, who is a Chartered Town Planner, was previously Chief Executive of the North East Chamber and has held business related posts with the South West Regional Development Agency and One NorthEast.
Geoff Cox
Geoff Cox has worked for HSE for almost 30 years, as an inspector, in policy work and in HQ roles. He is currently Head of HSE's Manufacturing Sector, responsible for HSE's national work with GB manufacturing organisations. Geoff is an ex-officio Director of Proskills.
Nigel Crouch
Nigel Crouch has held a number of senior marketing positions with Cadbury Schweppes, both in the UK and Internationally, and was on the Board of Reckitt and Colman as New Business Director of their Household Products Division. He moved into general management with Ciba and was then Managing Director of the Evo-Stik Adhesives and Sealants Business of Evode Group plc for almost nine years.
He was heavily involved in helping to set up the powerful Dti/Sunday Times "100 Best Companies to Work For" Programme and is now driving the Inspirational Leadership Programme forward through the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils. Nigel also runs his own
Investment Business.
Andrew Gibbons
The project leader – Andrew Gibbons is a Director of MRM Solutions Ltd and leads consultancy work in strategy and change management. He is an associate of the Henley Business School where he works with senior executives on Change Management. His focus is helping clients to understand what is happening in their business and market and then lead them to greater performance. For Proskills he has looked at the future of manufacturing and, through interviews with employers, set out some of the skills and business issues they must address to work through the
current recession.
Andrew runs research and strategy projects for employers and their representatives. He has a working knowledge of the nuclear, plastics and construction industry and facilitates between ten and twenty employer workshops per year.
Andrew has a BSc (Hons) and MSc in Electronics. He began his career as an electronics engineer designing precision metrology instruments. His first management job was to take over P&L responsibility for a business service which handled technical and marketing enquiries from 3,000 companies. After restoring customer confidence by introducing new people and procedures he joined a consultancy operation where he helped organisations with strategic marketing. Two years later he set up MRM Solutions Ltd which, for the last ten years, has offered advice and information to companies, trade bodies and government.
Mervyn Jones
Mervyn joined WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in 2004 and is Head of Manufacturing. The Manufacturing programmes cover resource efficiency in packaging (plastics, glass and card); Sustainable Products (including WEEE and increasing recycled content in products); and Commercial & Industrial waste (including joint working with the Environment Agency on developing
Quality Protocols).
Prior to working at WRAP, Mervyn worked for 16 years in a variety of public and private sector roles within energy and the environment in the construction industry. He has also worked closely in partnership with the major professional institutions and trade bodies.
Andy Spencer
Andy Spencer is Sustainability Director for CEMEX UK & Northern Europe. He is responsible for driving the company's sustainability strategy forward to help reduce its impact on society and the environment, while remaining competitive in today's marketplace across all UK operations. This includes legal compliance, permitting, environmental profiling and certification, emissions trading, lobbying, auditing, regulatory liaison, generation of management information and training along with associated communication and leadership.
Andy joined CEMEX as Environment Manager for Materials and Building Products in 2006, rising to Sustainability Director in 2008.
He came to CEMEX from Aggregate Industries, where he held positions across a number of different functions over an 11-year period, including production engineering, business improvement, operational management and environmental advisory roles.
Andrew has a BEng (Hons) in Civil & Environmental Engineering from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, is a Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying, and is a member of the Institute of Environmental Managers and Assessors. He is married with two children and enjoys building and running classic and kit cars, and walking in his
spare time.
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