Business collaboration 

Dean of Essex Business School

Claudia is Dean of Essex Business School and Director of the Essex Finance Centre (EFiC). She is currently on the editorial board of several journals including the Journal of Financial Economic Policy and The European Journal of Finance. Her current research areas are on banking sector performance and stability, bank corporate governance, the industrial structure of banking and access to finance.

Head of Operations and Strategic Planning

Reader in Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management

Dr Danielle Tucker's research interests focus on evaluating complex change management initiatives for public sector organisations (including Police, Local Authority, Local Government, NHS Trusts and health and social care providers). She has published research on the interpretation of communication during organisational change, the use of organisational change agents and middle managers to facilitate change. She is particularly interested in the flow of information and ideas across boundaries, partnership working and collaboration arrangements (e.g. integrated care). Danielle is an Academic Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Oliver has worked extensively in the automotive and aerospace industry for Marshall where he was Global Director of Communications, he then joined Adnams PLC as Communications Director and now is responsible for communications at the East of England Co-op.  Oliver has an MBA and MSt in Sustainable leadership from Cambridge University, is a Freeman of the City of London and its on our Advisory Board and share his knowledge through the Director’s workshops.    

Investment Fund Specialist

Essex alumna Kevin is an Alternative Asset Specialist, guiding the delivery of global, commercial business strategies for the Financial Services sector. He built a NED/Independent Director/Advisory portfolio leveraging 25+ years' experience across all verticals of the hedge fund sector including asset management, fund admin, legal and prime brokerage.  

Risk Management Specialist

Alessandra Mongiardino is a Non-Executive Director at Triodos Bank UK and a risk management specialist. Alessandra has more than 25 years of international Risk Management experience developed in Banking, Asset Management and Rating Agencies. Her expertise include enterprise-wide risk management, oversight of climate, financial and strategic risk, and credit portfolio analysis and modelling. She has extensive experience of working in multi-cultural environments, having studied and worked in five different countries across three continents. Alessandra holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Warwick and an M.Sc. in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Southampton.

Leila Thomas is the CEO and Founder of Urban Synergy, an award winning, accredited Mentoring Charity, founded in 2007. Leila has over twenty years in the tech industry building IT networks, Leila is currently seconded from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), to lead the charity’s expansion and development of programmes, in London and ethnic diverse cities in the UK. Leila pivoted the charity’s strategy and developed online e-Mentoring, e-Seminars, online work experience externships and parent support programmes. Urban Synergy Inspire, Guide and Ignite the ambitions of young people and to date have helped over 27,000 young people, with their bank of more than 1,000 relatable role models. 

Karen is an experienced and qualified economic development and marketing practitioner, with experience in five industries across the private and public sectors in both business to business and consumer markets. She has many years' experience in partnership working, placemaking and place marketing (particularly around developing Colchester as a visitor destination). She is often called upon to provide an economic perspective for Planning colleagues, external consultants and business support agencies. Her analytical skills are drawn upon to develop economic strategy and policy development, which she then works in partnership with stakeholders to implement and monitor. Her overall aim is to make a real difference to the quality of life for people in Colchester's communities and to make Colchester an attractive proposition for investors.

Managing Director

With over 30 years experience in the legal services profession, Trevor specialises in estate planning bringing the expertise needed to protect clients and their families, after creating the business as a 23 year old.