Phil Friend – (Chair)
Phil Friend (OBE FRSA) himself a wheelchair user, is acknowledged as the UK’s foremost consultant on disability matters. A powerful and highly popular communicator, his company – Phil & Friends - provides consultancy to many of the country’s best-known companies. In addition to his professional activities, he is also a respected champion for equal opportunities and diversity in general, where his special blend of humour and direct speaking has won admirers from around the world.
He has made many board presentations and speeches and provided consultancy on a wide range of disability and diversity related topics in the UK. He has also worked on disability and diversity projects in Estonia, Romania, Poland, Germany, Canada and the USA. He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for services to equal opportunities and disabled people and made a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in February 2007.
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (Hon Dsc) in 2009 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to equality and diversity from the University of Hertfordshire. Phil has had a number of articles published and is a regular contributor on national/local television and radio, he has also appeared in several video productions commissioned by Sky, the Employer’s Forum on Disability, various Tourist Boards and Angel Productions.
His passionate commitment is to create a more equitable life for everyone by illustrating the practical and realistic steps that can be taken by both businesses and individuals to make a real difference.
Agnes Fletcher – (Vice-Chair)
Agnes Fletcher has campaigned on disability equality since 1992 and is now a pan-equality consultant and trainer. Agnes worked for the international project Disability Awareness in Action in the mid-1990s and at Radar in the late 1990s, before spending six and a half years at the Disability Rights Commission, where she led on communications. Agnes is also a trustee at Shape Arts and an external member of the cross-government Disability Equality Delivery Board.
Asif Iqbal
Asif is Deaf and uses British Sign Language (BSL). He has a wide experience of Deaf and disability issues and is Media/Project Manager for Deaf Parenting UK. Deaf Parenting UK is the first ever charity run by Deaf parents for Deaf parents since October 2007, representing the needs of deaf parents in the UK. He secured Deaf Parenting UK as Winner of TFPL’s first Social Impact Award 2008 voted by the world business leaders for charity/third sector on innovative use of knowledge and information management. He also secured Deaf Parenting UK as one of the 30 winners for the Talk Talk Innovation Award 2008 and as Runner up for the Guardian’s Public Services Award 2008 for Equality & Diversity category.
He has been a Board member of the Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) for the Department for Work and Pensions since 2006; and also on the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) for the Department of Transport since Jan 2009 and is the Public Appointment Ambassador for the Government Equalities Office and Cabinet Office.
His career is vast, ranging from a previous Project Manager for Parentline Plus which represents 25 million parents in the UK and a former Trustee for UK Council on Deafness in 2005. He had been involved with Local Authorities and the NHS at a senior level, representing the needs of deaf, disabled and BME communities as well as liaising, consulting with them and the organisations that work with them.
He is well known as an effective networker and team worker, having been involved in a range of local and community projects, ensuring deaf people have access to services without barriers.
Carolyn McLaughlin
Carolyn has a private sector background, training originally as a banker before migrating to human resources. She works independently as a management consultant in the field of equality, primarily in the field of disability. An active Rotarian and a speaker for RNLI, Carolyn is also a Panel Chair and Business Mentor for Prince’s Trust.
Chris Weller
Chris is an experienced Publisher who started his working life in the book trade with publishing houses such as Harper Collins, Egmont and Penguin. For twenty years up until his retirement he worked for BBC Worldwide and as Managing Director Home Entertainment he was responsible for Book, DVD and Audiobook publishing as well as Licensing and Children’s Products. Apart from his role of Non-Executive Chairman of RPL Ltd Chris is also Non-Executive Director of NMSI Ltd, the commercial arm of the National Museums for Science and Industry, and an Associate Director of CriticalEye the Network for Leaders.
Nick Goss
Nick studied International Law and Politics at Staffordshire University prior to becoming Associate Editor of Arberry Pink, a national careers magazine for disabled students.
Nick started his career at Radar where he was an Information Officer and then head of policy for education, training and employment.
Subsequent to Radar Nick worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group as a Human Resources specialist. During this period, Nick managed the Group’s work streams on diversity as well as inputting into its acquisitions and mergers strategy.
Nick now manages Goss Consultancy Ltd, a rapidly growing business which has trebled in size in the last three years and is now recognised and one of the UK’s leading providers of equality training and consultancy.
Nick is also a member of the East of England Development Agency’s Equality Advisory Group and a Magistrate.
Ron Alexander
Ron has been a disability activist for many years, working to improve the lives of those with disability and ill health and their carers. This began as an unpaid carer for his son who has learning difficulties and in the last 15 years as someone who himself has impairments. He has therefore been on “both sides of the fence”.
He now manages DIAL Southend, a large grassroots organisation in one of the most deprived areas in the country.
Trevan Hingston
Trevan Hingston has been a Director of RPL since 1995 and was formally a Trustee of Radar from 1990 until 2002 being Chair from 1997 until 2001. He was formerly Chair of the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre and Chair and Trustee of the British Retinitis Pigmentosis Society. His principle working experience was with Shell International Petroleum both in the UK and overseas.
