SQW staff bring extensive experience to their assignments, with backgrounds in academia, national and local government, industry, and development agencies. Short profiles of our Directors and Associate Directors are given below.
Chris Green – Chief Executive
Chris Green has been Chief Executive of SQW Group, the parent company of SQW and Oxford Innovation, since May 2006. Before that he was Managing Director of SQW Ltd for eight years, during which period the firm’s turnover and profitability increased very substantially, three new offices were opened, and the market profile and penetration improved greatly.
He led a management buy out of SQW in 2004, and negotiated the merger with Oxford Innovation in 2006, which brought OI into the SQW Group. Chris has over 30 years experience of economic development and planning work in public and private sectors, including 20 years in consulting and 10 years in local government in the UK and Australia. He has experience in virtually all aspects of the firm’s work, and has undertaken project work throughout the UK and in 31 other countries. He was responsible for setting up SQW’s office in Hong Kong and establishing SQW’s track record in East Asia. Chris is a long term member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Simon Pringle – Managing Director
Simon Pringle is SQW’s Managing Director, and brings eighteen years of economic development and management experience. He was appointed to his current position in 2005, having established and built the firm’s North of England Office, based in Stockport.
Simon specialises in the following areas:
• economic performance and competitiveness analysis and improvement, particularly in regional and sub-regional contexts
• strategy development and action planning, in both spatial and sectoral contexts
• programme/project design, appraisal and evaluation
• institutional capability and capacity development.
Prior to moving into these areas, Simon was a Management Development Trainee with the Department of Trade and Industry, where he achieved comprehensive exposure to the Department’s policy-making and programme delivery functions. He worked widely with Minsters and officials at a senior level, and has worked in both Whitehall and the English Regions.
Patricia Ambrose – Associate Director
Patricia Ambrose is head of SQW’s London office. She joined SQW in 2007 after 14 years’ experience of working in higher education policy at the national level, including roles with Universities UK and as chief executive of GuildHE, the representative organisation for smaller and specialist higher education institutions. She is a highly experienced policy adviser with an extensive understanding of the higher education sector and the wider learning and skills environment. Since joining SQW, Patricia has directed a wide range of HE evaluation and review projects. Her specific areas of expertise include: the overall shape and structure of the higher education (HE sector); HE leadership and governance; lifelong learning, skills and employability; widening participation and admissions to higher education; sustainable development in higher education; and the interface between HE and other education sectors.
Patricia is a Fellow of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and of the Royal Society of Arts. She is also a governor at Norwich University College of the Arts.
Andris Bankovskis – Associate Director
Andris joined SQW as an Associate Director in September 2008 having previously been Head of Renewables for the Association of Electricity Producers (UK). He has over 24 years experience in the energy sector that is difficult to parallel in scope; spanning real world analysis, management, innovation, business development, technology and market design. He holds an MBA as well as degrees in Physics and Law. He also holds UK Securities and Investment Institute certificates in Market Regulation and Financial Derivatives and is a member of the Association of MBAs and a member of Mensa
Andris’ previous roles involved structuring renewable energy trading contracts and managing carbon emissions compliance, as well as exploring trading opportunities on the Island of Ireland. His innovative approach has placed him at the centre of most British Energy long-term strategic deals and in 2008 he was awarded the Excellence Award for Leadership and Performance. He has recently been advising corporate entities regarding their energy portfolio management and acting for Private Equity in providing detailed analytical, regulatory and negotiation support as well as discrete liaison with third parties in relation to energy asset acquisitions.
Alan Brazewell – Associate Director
Alan Brazewell specialises in economic impact analysis, including evaluation, appraisal and performance measurement. This covers a wide range of public sector interventions especially in relation to the promotion of business growth, area regeneration and social/economic inclusion. Alan’s previous experience was with Scottish Enterprise, an earlier spell of eight years with SQW and six years running his own successful business. He rejoined his former colleagues in SQW in 2007. He brings logical thinking to assignments as well as the capacity for clear and thoughtful expression of conclusions.
Robin Brighton – Director
Robin Brighton specialises in science and technology policy and higher education. He has extensive experience in programme evaluation and feasibility studies and has undertaken organisational and strategy reviews for public bodies and research and higher education institutes. UK clients include government departments, higher education funding and research councils, individual higher education institutions and the regional development agencies. Robin has also worked in continental Europe and South East Asia for international agencies and national bodies. He is an economist by training and his initial career was as a university lecturer
Stewart Brown – Associate Director
Stewart Brown specialises in knowledge exchange involving universities; technology commercialisation; innovation and support for new and high growth businesses. With a background in scientific research, R&D management and technology transfer, Stewart brings extensive experience of working the interfaces between the research-base, the public sector and business in the UK and internationally. He has developed particular knowledge of regional innovation systems and sector/cluster development: this has come from diverse assignments associated with sectors such as energy; health and social care; food; ceramics and life sciences. He also has substantial experience of assignments associated with science parks. His assignments have been in both city and rural settings. Stewart has a keen interest in systems thinking and deploys well-developed critical thinking and communication skills to strategy development, intervention design and action planning, impact appraisal and evaluation.
Scott Dickinson – Associate Director
Scott Dickinson is the Business Development Manager for the North of England. He is an economist by training and has substantial experience in the development, delivery and evaluation of public policy. His particular strengths are in local government and regeneration. As a Senior Fellow at the Office for Public Management, he undertook organisational reviews for major public sector clients. At the Audit Commission he led research on Sustainable Communities and Neighbourhood Renewal. Prior to joining the Commission he was Head of European Funding at Birmingham City Council and Head of Local Economic Development and Partnerships for West London Training & Enterprise Council.
Christine Doel – Director
Christine Doel is SQW’s Head of Markets. Her own work focuses on all aspects of spatial development – from evidence and analysis (including through the lens of functional economic geographies), through spatial and economic strategy to investment planning, governance and evaluation. Across this field, she has worked for clients in central government, Regional Development Agencies, regional assemblies, local government, sub-regional partnerships and the private sector. Before joining SQW in 1995, Christine completed a PhD in economic geography at the University of Cambridge.
Michael Frearson – Associate Director
Michael Frearson leads the development of SQW’s national work on children, young people and employment and skills, and he is the editor of the SQW Viewpoint series. He has more than 15 years’ experience in research and development in further and higher education and work-based learning. Michael directs projects for national, regional and sub-regional clients on topics ranging from high-profile national evaluations of large-scale public policy interventions to sector-based assessments of skills needs and training supply, feasibility studies and options appraisals, and local skills strategies and action plans. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Chris Fry – Associate Director
Chris is a highly experienced researcher and advisor and has spent several years in senior management roles. His work focuses on helping organisations to seize the opportunities from a low carbon economy. He has led projects with customers in the energy, construction, transport, financial services and telecommunications sectors as well as for UK central government, regional bodies, local authorities and international organisations. His recent work includes assessment of renewable energy capacity, developing pathways for decoupling carbon emissions from economic growth and a pan-European investigation to harness the enabling role of ICT to achieve energy efficiency. Chris has considerable experience of programme design and delivery. For example he directed the UK’s Safe and Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) programmes and has set up a carbon reduction advisory service. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the “Sustainability for Engineering and Energy Systems” industrial doctorate at the University of Surrey.
Chris Hasluck – Associate Director
Chris Hasluck is a labour economist and social researcher with particular expertise in labour market and employment issues, employers’ recruitment practices, unemployment and training policy and programme evaluation. Chris has a broad range of experience, having worked in industry, in higher education and as research professional and joined SQW in 2009 after 20 years at the Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick. At SQW he is developing further research in the areas of worklessness, employment services, ‘welfare to work’ and employment initiatives. He has previously worked on the evaluations of many national initiatives including New Deals, Employment Zones and City Strategies. Chris has undertaken research on behalf of a wide range of organisations including the European Commission, UK Government Departments, Jobcentre Plus, The Social Exclusion Unit, Learning and Skills Council, the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network and the Equality and Human Rights Commission and is a Governor of the Bupa Foundation (a charity funding medical and health related research).
Richard Hindle – Director
Richard Hindle heads SQW’s Leeds office. He has wide-ranging and in-depth expertise in economic development, as a practitioner, designer and evaluator. This includes market feasibility studies, project appraisals and plans, programme evaluations and associated organisational reviews. He has worked on business development/innovation, urban and rural policy planning and area regeneration for regional development agencies, local authorities and partnerships, government and non-governmental organisations.
Gareth Jones – Director
Gareth has recently joined SQW having worked in economic development for 14 years. Prior to joining, he was a director of an economic development and strategy team at DTZ for seven years. His years as a Director of DTZ have given him a good understanding of land, property and the spatial development aspects of economic development. His experience covers a range of areas. He has undertaken many project evaluations to inform future policy-making (particularly in the areas of business support, incubation, public funding of economic development and inward investment). He has undertaken research and project appraisals to inform investment decisions (particularly in property, business incubators, infrastructure, major urban developments, employment sites and mixed-use developments). He has undertaken research to inform strategy and public policy development (including LDF, urban extensions, employment land, economic development strategy and sector strategy). He has led a number of sector studies (in sectors including ICT, biotechnology, tourism, creative industries, renewable energy and marine sciences). Most recently he has directed projects in the areas of sustainability and renewable energy, focusing on their role in economic development. His clients include private developers, Regional Development Agencies, local authorities, central government departments, public-public and public-private partnership.
Stephen Lucas – Director
Stephen Lucas is a an economist with experience of advising public and private sector clients on large, complex and multi-disciplinary economic development and regeneration studies. He is particularly interested in helping urban authorities understand what they need to do to improve their competitive position in the international marketplace for investment and talent. In addition to work for RDAs and English Partnerships he regularly provides property developers with advice and expert witness evidence for major urban regeneration schemes including: the Croydon Gateway scheme in 2007 for Schroders and Stanhope plc; the Royal Clarence Yard scheme at Gosport for Berkeley Homes; and Winslow Urban Extension for Gladman Developments.
Bruce Macdonald – Associate Director
Bruce Macdonald manages SQW’s Edinburgh office. Bruce is an economist with a wide range of experience in evaluation, appraisal and economic impact analysis built up since joining the firm in 1994. He has led projects for the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Regional Development Agencies and UK Trade and Investment. His experience includes impact assessments of major events such as Glasgow’s successful bid to host the Commonwealth Games, the Edinburgh Festivals and work to quantify the economic benefits of Cycling, which helped secure Government funding for Cycling England. He has led evaluations of a number of important initiatives supporting technology, international trade, skills and regeneration and managed a number of projects that focus on the economic benefits of tourism and culture.
David Mack-Smith – Associate Director
David Mack-Smith has extensive experience in strategy development, business planning and evaluation. Having previously worked for Analysys Consulting and BT, he leads SQW’s activity in the area of Information and Communications Technology, and is Head of Knowledge Management for the firm. David has led numerous high profile assignments, including our assistance to the Scottish Government in accelerating broadband roll-out in Scotland, and our evaluation of the Home Access Programme in England. His particular interests include digital inclusion, ‘next generation’ broadband, the economic impact of ICT, and public policy towards e-business.
Marian Morris – Associate Director
Marian Morris joined SQW in May 2010, after working at the National Foundation for Educational Research for more than 20 years. Her portfolio of research interests includes careers education and guidance, widening participation and environmental education, and she has conducted research for government departments, regional and local authority organisations, funding councils, charitable foundations, and a range of environmental organisations. Particular areas of expertise are in the evaluation of national, regional and local education policy and practice, and in devising systematic and replicable data collection and analysis frameworks. A regular keynote speaker at national, regional and local conferences on topics as diverse as widening participation, careers education and guidance (and IAG), teaching and learning, environmental education and intelligent uses of data, Marian has also presented research and expert witness papers at a number of international conferences and seminars (including BERA, AERA and ECER). She has been a member of a number of national advisory bodies, including the Nuffield 14-19 review, and is part of the Royal Society Advisory Group for the State of the Nation Reports.
Kathrin Peters – Associate Director
Kathrin joined SQW in 1985 and focuses on the design and evaluation of local and regional economic development strategies and instruments. She has worked in the United Kingdom, elsewhere in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Kathrin has particular expertise in feasibility studies of science and technology parks, innovation centres and similar schemes. She is also working extensively on projects concerned with using the potential of culture and the creative sectors for local, regional and national economic development success.
Graham Thom – Associate Director
Graham Thom is an expert in the area of skills and employment. He first joined SQW in Edinburgh and worked there for five years before moving to be office manager in London for three years. For much of this time he led the firm’s work in skills and employment. He then become Director of Ekos/Gen Consulting in Glasgow for almost four years, where his work continued to focus on the skills area, with a number of high profile assignments for the Scottish Government, SSDA, the Scottish Funding Council, HEFCE, Scottish Enterprise and a number of Regional Development Agencies. Graham re-joined SQW in January 2008.
Tim Thorlby – Associate Director
Tim Thorlby is Head of Operations for SQW. Tim has wide experience of neighbourhood renewal, community engagement, partnership and strategy development and evaluation, working at national, regional and neighbourhood levels. He regularly works for local government as well as central government. He wrote the 2020 Sustainable Community Strategy for the City of Nottingham, working with a wide range of partners in the city. He project managed the long-term National Evaluation of the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme 2002-2008, and has also worked on numerous assignments for other Government departments, the Big Lottery Fund, regional development agencies, local government, housing associations and local regeneration partnerships. Tim is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Jean Welstead – Associate Director
Jean joined SQW in 2008 as Associate Director. She has worked in the environmental field for over twenty five years in both voluntary and private sector organisations whose primary purpose is to develop and implement or to advise on sustainable environmental strategies. The combination of her practical operational knowledge, research and partnership working provides a wealth of applicable experience.
Jean’s current work falls into three main categories: carbon assessment and management at a regional and organisational scale; policy work to remove barriers to the delivery of sustainability targets (resource efficiency and renewables) often including stakeholder consultation to inform the evidence base, planning and EIA process wind, solar and hydro applications; and awareness raising and facilitated learning through communications, information provision and training (including toolkits, best practice guides, and training resources).
Geoff White – Director
Geoff White is responsible for our work with UK central government clients such as DTI, DfES, ODPM and Defra. He specialises in performance management and evaluation, but works across a very wide range of policy areas such as neighbourhood renewal, public service delivery, regional and local development in urban and rural areas, business support and regulation. Geoff was previously with PACEC and Coopers & Lybrand and, prior to that, was a Senior Economic Adviser at HM Treasury and the DTI.