SKILLS - BIOGRAPHIES

Chair: John Best, Chief Executive, EEEGR

John Best has led the development of EEEGR as its Chief Executive, since 1 st April 2001, moving from the Enterprise Partnership, which collaboratively represented Business Link, Chamber of Commerce, and Training Enterprise Council (TEC) with a specific focus on bringing wider recognition to the offshore industry. This work led to the formation of the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR).

John’s career path to date could be summed up with the phrase “challenge and change – delivered in a positive and enthusiastic way”. Leaving school in 1971 at 16 with ‘O’ levels, John trained as a navigator, traveling the world over the next eight years with Bibby Line, qualifying as a First Officer – Foreign Going. After a period of self employment in November 1980, John’s involvement with the offshore oil and gas industry began in supply chain as a chartering clerk with Wimpey Marine. Over the next six years he was promoted to Marine Manager, with responsibility for deck operations on the vessels.

In 1987, John returned to college and studied accountancy. He left college planning to complete his studies while working in a small professional practice in Norwich, but in the early 1990’s he joined Wimpey Waste – which became UK Waste. Over the next nine years he rose to become General Manager – UK for the Industrial Services Division. He joined the Enterprise Partnership, and among his tasks helped develop the East Anglian Business and Environment Club (EABEC), which was founded with the UEA in 1993; working with schools to help raise students’ ambition through mentoring, education business partnership and Young Enterprise. He also served locally for three years as a crew member with the RNLI.

Most recently he has taken on the role of Chairman with The Beach Radio, was appointed to represent the region on the Regional Group of the Sustainable Energy Policy Network, joined the Management Board of Cred (Carbon Reduction) and was nominated Energy Champion for i10, a network of the ten regional universities.

Dr Clive Hayter Joint Head of Energy & Climate Change Programme

Clive Hayter has a research background in materials chemistry gaining a PhD in soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy from the University of Southampton, UK and in collaboration with ICI Chemicals & Polymers. In 1996 he moved to take up a position as a principal research scientist for the UK, Ministry of Defence studying surfaces of major alloy systems.

In 1999 he joined the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 1 as an Associate Programme Manager and has been involved in the management of research for both the Materials and Basic Technology Research Programmes. In 2001 he took up post as Programme Manager, Materials and following a period as Head of Engineering Programme Operations in EPSRC, he returned to programme management as the Joint Head of Energy and Climate Programme in 2007.

Clive Hayter has represented EPSRC on the Foresight Panel in Materials and the National Strategy Advisory Group in Nanotechnology. He has been actively involved in the establishment of two Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations in Nanotechnology.

1 Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The EPSRC invests more than £700 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC also actively promotes public awareness of science and engineering. EPSRC works alongside the other six Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. 

Ray took up post as Principal and Chief Executive of Edinburgh’s Telford College in April 2002 having moved to the further education sector in 1995 after two decades in higher education. He held full-time posts at the University of Exeter, Sheffield City Polytechnic and, at the time of achieving their respective university titles, the Universities of Central Lancashire and Abertay Dundee

After undergraduate study in mathematics at Imperial College, he took a doctorate at Cambridge and during his time in higher education consulted and researched widely in medical statistics and quality assurance in the commercial and industrial sectors. He is a Chartered Statistician and formerly Professor of Applied Statistics.

He is just about to complete a period on the Board of Learning and Teaching Scotland, is Chair of the Scottish Executive’s Renewable Energy Skills Development Group and represents the Association of Scotland’s Colleges as a Director of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

In the summer of 2006 Edinburgh’s Telford College completed the construction a £70m state of the art Campus on the Waterfront Development in Edinburgh and re-located the work of four campuses.

Stephen Collier

Strategy Development Manager (Electricity) Electricity sector background – joining MANWEB as a Distribution Apprentice in 1984. Further studies have led to a Higher National Certificate, Electrical Engineering, a Certificate in Education and the completion of a Professional Educational Studies Honours Degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. Taking a break from Energy, Steve taught Management and Teacher Education full time at Burton College, before being enticed back into the sector to work for the Electricity Training Association. To date, Steve’s Career highlight has been in 2003 – undertaking an international benchmarking project involving Australian and New Zealand electricity competence frameworks.

Spare time is currently in short supply, but Tennis coaching in and around Cheshire helps provides welcome respite from developing strategy for Energy & Utility Skills.