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David Edwards is chief executive of Lowestoft-based offshore engineering group SLP.
SLP has for many years been a leader in the oil and gas business, but is now moving into the renewables sector. The company has built up a forward order book worth more than £350m. The privately owned company, which employs about 200 full-time staff and dozens more contract personnel for specific projects, saw turnover more than double to £99m in the year to the end of June last year, with pre-tax profits coming at £3.2m. SLP is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of offshore oil and gas platforms in the Southern North Sea. It has also been growing its overseas activities, winning contracts to supply platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, in the Middle East, and Central and South America. SLP’s four operating divisions comprise its offshore platforms business, a renewable energy division, a team of consulting engineers, and a pre-cast division. SLP announced last October that it had landed a multi-million pound contract from Maersk Oil Qatar to help construct six offshore oil platforms.
David Callear is chairman of office supplies specialist Office2Office.
The Norwich-based company, formerly part of HMSO, made pre-tax profits of £10.3m on turnover of £165.9m in 2006. The business employs almost 900 people nationwide, with clients including Barclays, McDonald’s and the Ministry of Defence. The company was formed in 2000 with a management buy-in, buy-out of Banner Business Supplies from The Stationery Office (TSO).
Banner was formerly the office supplies division of TSO, itself created by the privatisation of HMSO in 1996. Office2Office floated in 2004, and in 2006 bought West Sussex-based Alpha Office for £2.35m.
Mr Callear, a chartered accountant, joined Office2Office as chairman in February, 2001. During the 1990s he had previously been chief executive of vehicle rental specialist TIP Europe, and of Thetford-based household products manufacturer Jeyes Group. Following the departure of Office2Office chief executive Ray Peck in February this year, Mr Callear took on the role of executive chairman pending the arrival of Simon Moate as chief executive.
Jayne-Anne Gadhia is one of the best-known figures in Norwich’s thriving financial services sector.
She made a surprise return to her roots in March, 2007 when she was appointed chief executive of Norwich-based Virgin Money, less than three months after standing down as managing director of Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgages.
Ms Gadhia helped set up Virgin Direct in 1994 after being inspired by Richard Branson’s vision for a jargon-free, consumer-friendly financial services industry. In 1997 she launched the revolutionary One Account, which broke new ground in the UK by bringing current, savings and mortgage accounts under a single umbrella. The One Account was originally a joint venture between Virgin Direct, Australia’s AMP, and Royal Bank of Scotland. However, Virgin and AMP sold their stakes to RBS in a £165m deal in 2002.
Ms Gadhia left Virgin and joined RBS, where she continued to lead the One account. She was later based in Edinburgh as managing director of Royal Bank of Scotland Mortgages, and was closely involved in its launch of First Active mortgages in 2004.
Mark Alexander is managing director and co-founder of the Money Centre, which has mushroomed into the UK’s biggest buy-to-let mortgage specialist.
Mr Alexander bought a three-bedroom bungalow in Catton, Norwich, for £73,000 in 1990, but by June, 1992 its value had fallen to £42,000. He couldn’t afford to live in the property, but couldn’t sell due to negative equity. Eventually he moved out, let the property, and rented somewhere smaller. The bungalow is now part of a personal portfolio comprising more than 40 properties and worth more than £10m. He has shared his expertise with clients of the Money Centre, helping thousands of landlords build portfolios of buy-to-let properties. The business employs 260 people nationwide, including about 100 at its head office on Norwich International Business Park.
Mr Alexander was a key figure in the 1992 launch of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers. His main interest outside work is speedway; the Money Centre sponsors the King’s Lynn Stars team.
Bill Macmillan is vice-chancellor of UEA, rated as one of the UK’s top 20 universities.
Dr Macmillan took over in September last year as successor to Prof David Eastwood. He is responsible for running a university of 14,000 students and 3,000 full-time and part-time staff. UEA opened in 1963, and now offers 3,000 courses through 23 schools of study. It is a leading member of the Norwich Research Park, and has strong links with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust and other health providers in all aspects of bio-medical research.
Dr Macmillan was previously a pro-vice-chancellor at the University of Oxford from 2002. He was principal author of Oxford’s academic strategy and corporate plan, and his responsibilities later covered the university’s budget, and academic services including the Bodleian Library.
Dr Macmillan graduated with a first-class honours degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Bristol, and returned to take his PhD in Economic Geography. He lectured at Kent and subsequently at Oxford, where he was elected as a proctor in 1995. His interests include the theatre, painting and sailing.
Former North Norfolk MP David Prior is chairman of the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, which also runs Cromer Hospital.
He was reappointed to the post from April 1, having previously held it from November, 2002 to November, 2006. On being reappointed Mr Prior said he was “overwhelmed” at the support he had received from staff during a period which had “not been easy” for him.
Mr Prior was arrested last November as part of investigations into alleged financial irregularities at a psychiatric hospital in Cawston.
Mr Prior is a barrister, and has broad experience at senior level in the business world, having worked with Lehman Brothers, Lazards, and British Steel. The son of former cabinet minister Jim Prior, he was Conservative MP for North Norfolk from 1997 to 2001. He is also a former chief executive and vice-chairman of the Conservative Party.
John Woods is chief executive of Moneyfacts Group, a company that he has built from scratch.
During the course of the past 18 years he has been the leader and inspiration behind an expanding business that is now regarded as the authoritative source of personal finance data within the UK.
A solicitor by profession, prior to founding Moneyfacts in 1988, Mr Woods was senior partner of a Norfolk Broads firm of solicitors for nearly 20 years. Mr Woods was founder chairman of the Norwich and Norfolk Financial Industry Group and a member of Norwich City Council’s Strategic Partnership steering group.
He is chairman designate of the East of England Board of the Financial Services Skills Academy. Mr Woods is due to step back from the day-to-day running of the business later this year following the appointment of former Virgin Money chief executive Paul Pester as chief executive.
He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the University of East Anglia in 2005, in recognition of his success as an innovator, an entrepreneur, and a champion of jargon-free, accessible financial information.
Roys of Wroxham rejoices in its reputation as “the world’s biggest village store”, and it is hard to argue. After all, the family-owned retail chain has a turnover of £50m, and employs 800 staff across Norfolk and Suffolk. The only real debating point concerns its flagship store, which many argue is technically in Hoveton. There are further outlets in Norwich – where there are two stores – North Walsham, Dereham, Thetford and Sudbury.
Current board members include brothers Edward and Paul Roy, representing the third generation of the family to run the firm. Their father, Peter Roy, served as chairman before his death in January 2004, aged 78. Roys was founded in 1895 when brothers Alfred and Arnold Roy opened a general store at Coltishall. In 1899 a second store was opened at Wroxham to cater for holidaymakers visiting the Broads.
Following the deaths of Alfred and Arnold Roy in the early 1950s, the business passed on to Alfred’s four children. Fred Roy became chairman and managing director, and presided over continuing expansion before his death on Christmas Eve, 1994, aged 74. He was succeeded as chairman by his brother, Peter.
Yarmouth-based Gardline Shipping was established by George Darling in 1969 to provide marine support to the flourishing North Sea oil and gas industry. After running the company for many years, Mr Darling later became chairman, and was in his mid-70s when he died last August.
The business remains under the ownership of the Darling family – Gregory Darling (pictured) is now chairman. Gardline operates a group of companies with interests covering marine sciences, security services, shipbuilding, dry dock engineering, geographical information systems, digital mapping, satellite communications, and marine satellite TV.
It employs about 800 people worldwide, and enjoyed a record year for the 12 months to April 30, 2006, as pre-tax profits rocketed from £4m to £14.7m on turnover up from £64.9m to £87.8m. Its businesses include Gardline Marine Sciences, Applied Satellite Technology, G Comm, Gardwell Security, CA Design Services, and Richards Dry Dock and Engineering.
England’s premier baronet, Sir Nicholas Bacon, who runs the 5,500-acre Raveningham Estate, near Norwich, also has estates in Lincolnshire and commercial interests in London.
A friend of the Prince of Wales, he is Lord Warden of the Stannaries, one of four officers of the Duchy of Council, with responsibility for managing about 120,000 acres of agricultural land. His family’s Norfolk estate is a former regional winner of a national conservation award. Sir Nicholas pioneered a novel approach by bringing five tenants to take part in a large-scale environmental management scheme.
He lives at the 18th century Raveningham Hall. He and his wife, Lady (Susan) Bacon share an interest in continuing the restoration of the extensive gardens, which were renovated by his late mother, Lady Priscilla Bacon.
A barrister, Sir Nicholas, 54, was called to the bar in 1978. He is the current president of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association, and former vice-chairman. He has been a steward for 30 years. Sir Nicholas, who was High Sheriff of Norfolk in 2005, is president of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, chairman of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, chairman of the Norfolk Partnership against Crime Taskforce, and patron of the Assembly House. He led a successful £1.1m appeal for a major project for new facilities at Easton College, where he is chairman of governors.