Roslyn Beattie - Acting Chair

Ros is the founder of Company Solutions and a qualified accountant who did her initial training with KPMG. She has held company secretarial and financial positions on both a permanent and interim basis and, in recent years, she has specialised in management consultancy. She has developed a specialism in corporate governance and how this can be applied to a greater or lesser degree in companies of all sizes, in such a way that it adds value to the organisation.

Stephen Waud - Fund Director

Having launched the fund with colleagues back in November 2004 with £360k to lend in the Bradford district Steve has managed the growth of BEF to being one of the largest CDFIs in the country both in terms of value and the area it covers.  Steve is legally qualified and an engineer who has worked in the SME sector for all his career, most of that period within the board room.

He is a non-exec director of the CDFA and is a keen advocate for the Community Development Finance Sector and has championed a number of initiatives that have benefited the sector greatly.

Sandy Needham - Director

Sandy is the Chief Executive of the Bradford Chamber, the leading business organisation for the Bradford District, offering lobbying and a large range of business services. In the last eight years the Chamber has created BEF, built managed offices and industrial units for growing businesses and created networks for specific sectors and areas of work e.g. the Bradford & Airedale Manufacturing Alliance and the Keighley Business Network.

Earlier roles include working as a Company Secretary in a family owned wholesaling company, Regional Manager with TV-am and Yorkshire Television, North East Regional Manager with the national charity NCH/Action for Children and Regional Director of Common Purpose.

She is a member of the Bradford District Partnership, Deputy Chair of the local Regeneration and Prosperity Partnership, a member of the Bradford Employment and Skills Board, a lay member of the Council of the University of Bradford, a member of the Common Purpose Advisory Group for West and North Yorkshire and a member of the regional women’s 2 per cent club.  She is also a Trustee of the John Speak Foreign Languages Foundation, providing bursaries to those studying languages overseas with the intention of working in international trade.

Paul Mackie- Director

Chairman of Rex Procter & Partners, responsible for managing and running the Bradford office, dictating business strategy and policy, creating new business contacts and new income streams.

Throughout his career, he has provided quantity surveying services on major projects in the commercial sector and mixed use developments as well as international schemes across the Middle East and Europe

Susan Clark - Director (Non Executive)

Susan joined Last Cawthra Feather in 1997 as Partner and Head of Company and Commercial Department. She has over 20 years experience in the field of Corporate Law. Susan is also Head of the firms Business Law Team and is based at the Bradford office.

Stephen Wright – Director (Non Executive)

Stephen Wright (51) is Managing Director of Thorite, the UK’s leading value-added engineering supplies business majoring in compressed air and pneumatic products. It operates 10 Sales and Service Centres across the North of England & Midlands and employs over 100 staff.

As a proud Bradfordian, Stephen is currently President of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, as such he is a member of Board of Directors and of its subsidiary company Business Enterprise Fund.

Stephen has a keen eye for detail and has been known to be a rigorous inquisitor of the challenges facing manufacturers. He is involved in how his industry develops on a daily basis and sits on the Distributor Committee of the British Compressed Air Society (BCAS). He is also Chair of the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Advisory Board of the Engineering Employers Federation.

A dedicated supporter of local manufacturing, Stephen has been appointed Chair of Steering Committee of the Bradford and Airedale Manufacturing Alliance, which was created in January 2011 to promote manufacturing in the district and to build stronger links between manufacturers.

John Moulding – Director (Non Executive)

John is head of corporate affairs at Provident Finance one of the UKs largest personal finance providers.

Julie Snook - Company Secretary