Dr Julian Huppert – Member of Parliament, Cambridge
A native of Cambridge, Julian went to both school and university in the city before becoming a research scientist. His career in science saw him involved in discovering new insights in how cancer works and also serve as a CEO for a small biotech company. His political career began with serving as a County Councillor for 8 years before being elected to the House of Commons in 2010 as the representative for Cambridge.
As a MP Julian has advocated the need for expertise and understanding of science in the House of Commons. He feels this is especially important given Cambridge’s reputation as a city of technology and innovation. Julian is also a member of the recently established all-party parliamentary group on youth unemployment.
Mark Cooper – Skills and Business Growth Lead, Local Enterprise Partnership
Mark is the Skills and Business Growth Lead with the Local Enterprise Partnership. He is responsible for creating a Skills Strategy tailored towards the requirements of local businesses (and shaped by the Skills Strategy Group), the delivery of a Skills Funding Agency project to map and help deliver the skills required for Alconbury Enterprise Zone, and for developing a strategy for the future of business growth and support in our LEP area.
Mark has a wealth of experience in the commercial arena, both in running commercially focused teams and in setting up his own successful business. This range of experience provides him with an excellent insight into the business community.
Hanadi Jabado – Director of Accelerate Cambridge, Cambridge Judge Business School
Hanadi is Director of Accelerate Cambridge,the Cambridge Judge Business School’s new in-house accelerator. She brings to this role a wealth of entrepreneurial insight having herself founded and built businesses in several sectors including education, online retail and property. Drawing on her multicultural background and experience with new technologies, Hanadi co-founded Ecamb, a business accelerator aimed at helping entrepreneurs to succeed globally. Her passion for entrepreneurship is exemplified by her close involvement with over 100 start-ups over the past 3 years.
Anne Bailey – Employer Links Coordinator, Cambridge Area Partnership
Harvard educated Anne is a communications professional with twenty years of experience in the design, delivery and management of strategies and programmes in the corporate, public and social enterprise sectors.
Anne’s particular interest is linking corporates with their communities to make a positive social impact, focusing on education and social justice. She is responsible for the CAP’s Employer Engagement Project that brings schools and employers together with the aim of developing employability skills for young people in the Cambridge area.
Howard Cordingley – Business Development Advisor, Cambridge Regional College
Howard is a Senior Business Development Advisor with Cambridge Regional College. Howard has 20 years experience of working with both employers and jobseekers. More recently being involved with Schools and Colleges – engaging with young people offering IAG for employability skills. “I feel that employability skills must be embedded in to the national curriculum in Schools and employers need to engage more with Schools and Colleges if we are to address the gap in employability skills”
Miriam Keshani – Chief Happiness Officer, Sparrho