The Directors

Philip Warr

Chairman

Philip became Chairman of Business Solent in March 2011. P H Warr plc is a leading provider of Property & Construction Surveying services. They are a dynamic and diverse organisation and have grown strongly since being established in 1992.

P H Warr plc tailors Project Management, Quantity Surveying, Building Surveying and Construction Health and Safety services to meet the needs of their clients.

Philip Warr originally established the practice and has pioneered its development during the past 19 years. He is responsible for business strategy and overseeing the continued development of the company which to date has included the acquisition and integration of Trinick and Hamilton H Turner & Son within the plc.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at the age of 32 under the Institution’s exceptional achievement criteria. At the heart of the company's success is Philip's guiding principle of focusing absolutely on delivering client requirements.

Sally Lynskey

Chief Executive Officer

Sally Lynskey has been Chief Executive of Business Solent and Business Southampton since it launched in 2006. She has established the Champion Programme uniting over 170 businesses and business leaders from the region to influence public policy and drive forward positive change. Sally has also been instrumental in uniting a number of business-led Action Groups and projects for the benefit of all who work, invest, study, live and enjoy in the Solent region.

Sally is recognised as a leading female entrepreneur and she was awarded Wessex Business Woman of the Year in 2002. Her 15 years in sales and marketing includes regional sales and national account management for FTSE 100 firms throughout the Solent region. She was responsible for increasing the company turnover from £140,000 to £1.3m in three years and secured all year round production with Sunseeker (Boats) Ltd. Her understanding of lean manufacturing attracted a number of business awards as well as being nominated as a UK case study by the Manufacturing Advisory Service. Sally previously represented the South East as an Ambassador for industry. In 2003, she had the initial vision for, then set up and coordinated the Cowes Marine Cluster - a supply chain group of close to 100 marine related firms who remain active in collaborating on various initiatives to compete efficiently in a global market. Sally was involved in the maritime / engineering strategy for the City Growth project in Portsmouth and also in initiating the development of a composites cluster for the Solent region. 

Chris Cundy

Finance Director

Originally from Cornwall, Chris gained a degree in Economics and Accounting at Bristol University before training as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.

Working with KPMG in their Bristol and Brussels offices, he moved to their Southampton office in 1989. For the last 13 years he was an Executive Main Board Director of VT Group plc before the acquisition by Babcock International. He was Group Finance Director for 11 years and latterly had a role of Group Commercial and Corporate Development Director. Over the period VT Group grew from a predominantly shipbuilding focused company to an international support services group with a turnover in excess of £1.2billion.

Chris is a Trustee and Treasurer for Action for ME and the Roseroad Association.

David Bailey

Highways Partnership Director, Balfour Beatty

David is Highways Partnership Director for Balfour Beatty Living Places and is responsible for the delivery of the £100m, 10 year Highways Services Partnership contract with Southampton City Council.

David manages a team of 140 staff and operatives delivering a range of services from Routine Highways Maintenance, including Emergency Response, Gully Cleansing and Winter Maintenance to major Highways Improvement Schemes across the city.

Balfour Beatty plc are a World Class Infrastructure Services Business with a leading position in markets across the globe. Balfour Beatty Living Places provides managed services to local authorities and associated public sector bodies. The company exists to provide focus to the challenge of supporting local public sector organisations in continuing to serve their local customers. This challenge has become more significant during a time of new policy initiatives from the coalition government, coupled with the increasing impact of CSR 2010 over the coming years.

Prior to joining Balfour Beatty Living Places David has enjoyed a varied carrier predominantly in main stream, heavy Civil Engineering across the South of England. Projects he has managed include the Remodelling of Trafalgar Square and the underpinning of the Round Tower at Windsor Castle.

David Lees

Managing Director, Southampton Airport

Dave has worked at Southampton Airport since 2007, first as Planning & Development Director, and more recently as Operations Director.  Key achievements during this time have included the development of the Southampton Airport Master Plan which gives details of future growth plans up to 2030.  Dave also instigated the £7 million capital investment programme to improve airport facilities. This has taken place at the same time as Southampton Airport has been voted the top in Europe for customer service.

Dave is looking forward to further strengthening the airport's links across Europe, and continuing to provide an easy, fast and friendly service which is so important for business travellers and encouraging inward investment.

Denise Dorley-Brown

Manager, Pertemps - Representing South Solent region

Denise Dorley-Brown grew up in the West Midlands,  moving to the Isle of Wight in 1976.  Working first for the Isle of Wight County Council, then the Department of Work and Pensions, she then  joined Spinlock in Cowes, where for more than 10 years she ran the sales office, developing a love of sailing and the Isle of Wight in general.  Leaving to build her own retail business she then took a few years out to be a mum to her daughter before joining  Pertemps Recruitment Partnership, the largest privately owned recruitment company in the UK, in 2001 .   Here began a passion for recruitment .    Becoming a member of the Recruitment Employment Confederation in 2003 she went on, through studying the diploma,  to become a fellow of the Institute of Recruitment professionals in 2008.

Having developed  the commercial desk in a branch known for Industrial and driving recruitment, mainly through  building  relationships with many Island companies, she became manager in 2007 and went on to be voted Pertemps  Manager of the Year in  2008.  Over the last 4 years she has been very involved with many Island Institutions such as  the Isle of Wight Young Chamber, Young Enterprise and Newport’s Vectis Sunrise Rotary Club.  Relocating the business to it’s current address, in Carisbrooke Mall in 2008, Pertemps have just come through  two very difficult  years of recession looking stronger than ever.

In January 2011, in an attempt  to increase  opportunities for Island jobseekers and businesses, Denise began splitting her week between the  Southampton Pertemps branch and the Island branch and, as a result of this, Pertemps became a champion of Business Southampton in March 2011, encompassing Denise’s love of Networking . Impressed by the achievements of Business Southampton, she has now thrown herself into the launch of Business Solent, which will bring many opportunities for Island Companies in the wider Solent region.

Gary Coulson

Director, Terence O'Rourke - Representing West Solent region

Gary is a director of Terence O’Rourke Ltd, a property and development practice specializing in town planning, design and environmental consultancy.  Working closely as an integrated team using a blend of professional disciplines Terence O’Rourke is a nationally recognised consultancy working throughout Britain, principally within the private sector. The company employs over 90 people and in recent years has attracted an increasing number of multi-national clients in fields as diverse as renewable energy and the film industry.

Gary began his career in London working for an international design company where he became a director at the age of 32. Working in the Far East, Northern and Southern Europe and throughout the UK, he led high calibre design teams winning a series of prestigious national and international competitions and commissions including Euro Disney. Locally Gary led Terence O’Rourke to win the original competition for the crossing of Poole Harbour.

Gary became Chairman of Terence O’Rourke between 2007-09 to oversee a MBO. He has contributed to a number of professional publications and continues as director responsible for the development of the design ethos of the practice.

Hazel Warwick

Asset Management Director & Deputy Chief Executive, First Wessex

Hazel Warwick is the Asset Management Director and Deputy Chief Executive and the lead Director in Eastleigh, for First Wessex.  Hazel came to First Wessex as Development Director for Portsmouth Housing Association in 2001, having previously worked in a number of roles with various housing associations in the South East and Local Government since 1976.

Hazel oversees the strategy and delivery of our development and sales programme for new homes and estate regeneration. A major part of her role is establishing and nurturing strong links with local authorities and central government so we can access capital funding to build those homes.

James Cretney

Chief Executive, Marwell Wildlife

James Cretney is the Chief Executive of Marwell Wildlife, a charitable organisation committed to the conservation of the earth’s biodiversity and natural resources. As a result James believes there is much to do in showcasing Marwell’s charitable work with the wider needs of society, business and the local community.

As well as being a much loved regional attraction, Marwell also undertakes a portfolio of overseas work, primarily in Africa, in furtherance of its scientific and conservation objectives. Closer to home, Marwell has exciting plans for the future – developing this and ensuring it comes to fruition is a challenge which James is deeply committed to, as is his desire for encouraging inward investment in support of the public engagement of science, most notably in the conservation of water and the development of renewable energy.

Mike Smith

Commercial Director, Cofely District Energy - Representing South Solent region

Director of Southampton Geothermal Heating Company, and Birmingham District Energy Company.

Mike recently joined Utilicom in 2006 having been Executive Director of Southampton City Council for 19 years and previously Director of Finance for the Southampton City Council.

Mike is a Chartered Public Service Accountant, and a Chartered Manager. He is has just concluded a 3 year term of office as Vice President of the Combined Heat and Power Association, he is also  the Local Government Champion for the Combined Heat and Power Club, and  a member of the Ofgem Working Group on Decentralised Energy.

Mike brings a wealth of experience in terms of meeting Public Sector Sustainability aspirations including the successful delivery of the UK’s largest commercially viable district energy scheme – the Southampton District Energy Scheme in partnership with Utilicom. He is currently engaged in developing large low carbon/high efficiency district energy schemes across the UK.

He is a Board Member of the Mayflower Theatre Trust and a member of the Advisory Panel to the Veolia Environmental Trust.

Paul Tate

Finance Director, Lawton Communications Group 

Professor Adam Wheeler

Provost & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton

Adam Wheeler is currently Provost & Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton.  In this role he acts as the direct deputy of the Vice-Chancellor and has responsibility for the academic progress of the University.  In this role he works closely with the Deans of Faculties and oversees the estate and infra-structure of the University.

He is active in the economic development of the City of Southampton and is a Director of Business Southampton and a founder member of the Southampton India Business Network.

Walter Cha

Managing Partner, Blake Lapthorn - Representing East Solent region

Walter is the current Managing Partner of Blake Lapthorn, Solicitors having been elected into office by his partners in 2000.  Prior to that he was head of the firm's Corporate and Commercial Department.

During his time as Managing Partner, the firm has grown substantially having undertaken four significant mergers in 2001, in 2003 and two in 2006.

Blake Lapthorn employs approximately 600 people and provides legal and business advice to multi nationals, major corporates as well as SMEs and private clients in the region and beyond.  It has offices in London, Southampton, Oxford and Portsmouth.

The firm's turnover has grown significantly from circa £16m in 2000 to a turnover of circa £45m.

In addition to his position at Blake Lapthorn Walter:

• holds a number of non Executive appointments in particular an insurance company on the Isle of Man
• is a director of Law South Group, an association of nine law firms with a combined income in excess of £150m
• is a governor of Portsmouth Grammar School
• is a council member of the South East Regional Council of the CBI
• is chair of the business leaders group for Shaping the Future of Portsmouth