Medway Business and Skills Showcase

Tudor Price is the Chief Executive at Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce which is the official Chamber for Kent and Medway and part of the British Chambers of Commerce network,

Tudor has worked for the Chamber of Commerce since 2011 having joined from a national role as Chief Operations Director within the recruitment and logistics sectors. He has also set up and sold several small businesses and continues to have commercial interests outside of the Chamber. He took over as CEO in January this year and has been instrumental in the delivery of business support and economic development on behalf of the Chamber.

Adam joined Medway Council in August 2023, becoming the Director of Place, having been the Chief Executive at the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, overseeing significant regeneration projects across the region.

Adam has previous experience working in regional development and in Local Government, having held a number of roles at Essex County Council, including the Head of Place Partnership Integration.

Adam studied a degree in German at University of Nottingham, has a Masters in Management from the Nottingham Business School and is a committed Nottingham Forest fan. Adam also enjoys cricket and exploring the UK on family holidays with their dog.

As Director of Place, Adam Bryan has responsibility for Frontline Services, Culture and Community and Regeneration. Adam is also a Board Member for Locate in Kent, Visit Kent, Kent Chamber of Commerce and Medway Place Board.

Zoe's an international speaker on social media, teaching businesses how to increase their online presence, leads and profits. She's all about getting the strategy right - a step many miss initially. Her guidance benefits both big brands and smaller ventures, ensuring their online campaigns shine. Zoe's passionate about showing companies the power of social media, and she's spoken in over 14 countries, from Poland to Malaysia, to share her insights.

She's even shared her expertise on TV, like ITV's This Morning and BBC World News. Starting ZC Social Media 14 years ago, Zoe offers tailored social media management and training, drawing from her initial dive into social media while working in the mortgage industry.

Kulbinder spent 30 years delivering IT systems to some of the largest multinational organisations in the City of London before retraining as a computer science teacher. In 2023 he returned to the world of IT as co-founder and CEO of generative AI startup bionicGPT. bionicGPT are at the forefront of delivering  systems that allow companies to make the most of generative AI while ensuring security and data governance are central to any solution.

John Yarham has been Deputy CEO at The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) since April 2019, including a year-long stint as interim CEO. He has a 25-year background in careers, education, skills and economic growth, having spent his early career in schools and colleges and been CEO at the Futures Group prior to starting at the CEC. John is also chair of the Skills Committee at the University of Derby and has been a trustee / non-executive at primary and secondary schools, an awarding body and Careers England. 

Daniel has been championing skills work for more than 10 years. Since 2018 he has led all skills and employment related work for Medway Council, including wide ranging projects such as, apprenticeship grants, supported employment, careers hub and support for care leavers.

Since 2020, Daniel has also been responsible for Medway Adult Education, and all related adult learning, including schemes such as Multiply and the development of a new learning and skills hub. In 2023, Medway Adult Education received a 'Good' Ofsted grading, with apprenticeships deemed 'Outstanding'. 

As Head of Forward2Employment, Elizabeth has work tirelessly to support young adults with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across Medway and Kent into employment. She firmly believes that by raising aspirations and giving young people the helping hand they need, they have many rich and diverse skills to bring to the workplace.

Elizabeth is always seeking ways to improve the provision for the interns, either by working with the job coaches and the support they give to the young people or searching out new and innovative employers who are eager to partner with Forward2Employment to offer opportunities to the interns. 

Tarnya is the Post 16 Programme Lead for Medway Council, in post since November 2023.

Tarnya was a formal senior leader for a youth charity, who has roots in careers information, advice and guidance.  Tarnya understands the significance in empowering young people to improve their life chances. Tarnya is dedicated to informing and developing post 16 options in Medway and firmly believes in the power of collaboration and shared goals, to create an inclusive and progressive workforce in Medway.

Matt is the Operational Hub Lead for the Kent & Medway Careers Hub which supports careers leaders in over 160 secondary schools, special schools and colleges across the county to help every young person find their best next step.

Before joining the Careers Hub, Matt worked for HSBC for over 20 years in a range of finance, strategy and risk roles in the UK and the Middle East. Matt has also trained as a personal development and wellbeing coach, and currently serves as a governor at New Line Learning Academy in Maidstone.

Jonathan is the Strategic Director for Kent Further Education (KFE) which comprises of the 3 Kent Further Education colleges: EKC Group, MidKent, and North Kent. Jonathan was previously Chief Executive of the think tank ‘Policy Connect’.

Jonathan's variable career has included being a farm worker, care assistant and social worker before being elected to Parliament as MP for Chatham and Aylesford between 1997 to 2010. During his time as an MP, he served as a Government Whip, Minister at DEFRA, DWP and also as Regional Minister for South-East England. Jonathan established and runs the Medway Leadership Programme and is Chair of the Blackthorn Trust, a mental health and well-being charity in Maidstone.

Mark is the Employer Engagement Lead at Bemix, a specialist post-16 education provider with charitable status delivering supported internships with businesses and organisations across Kent and Medway. He passionately promotes the value that these young people provide as a sustainable employment solution, by accessing a largely untapped market of people who are dedicated and loyal and importantly, really want to work. 

With a rich background within various industry sectors, Mark is keen to engage with businesses that have the ‘vision to see value in everyone’ and to understand their specific employment needs.  Providing great outcomes by job-matching and supporting the right person and business for the role throughout the year.

Lynne Parker founded Funny Women in 2002 in response to a comedy promoter who told her that 'women aren't funny'. She created the Funny Women Awards and the organisation is now an acclaimed not for profit community for women to build self-confidence and develop their own distinctive voice. Lynne describes it as her ‘life’s work’ providing a safe, diverse, creative platform that empowers women to perform, write and use humour in business and everyday life. 

Lynne is also a renowned performance coach encouraging people in business and public life to 'Stand Up to Stand Out'. Borrowing techniques from the world of stand-up comedy, Lynne has developed workshops and runs events under ‘sister’ brand HERlarious.