New Board members join Brighton Chamber
At Brighton Chamber’s AGM last week, four new Board members were elected by the members.
Thy were Sam Knowles from Insight Agents, Andrew Thomas from REBORN, Jo Crease from Brighton & Hove Impetus and Sara Bassett from Shoreham Port
Introducing:
Sam Knowles, Insight Agents
A communicator in his 30th year of practice, Sam Knowles is the Founder & MD of Lewes-based storytelling consultancy Insight Agents. Sam specialises in using numbers, data, and statistics as the foundation stones of powerful, purposeful, and above all impactful stories. Originally a Classicist, he holds a doctorate in experimental psychology from Sussex, the source of his understanding of human motivation and behaviour and his love of working with data.
Sam’s purpose is to help businesses sound like people and talk in that rarest and most refined of corporate dialects: Human. In 2018, Routledge published his first book for business: Narrative by Numbers to critical acclaim. It will be followed in 2020 by the sequel How To Be Insightful, also from Routledge. Sam is a sought-after trainer, keynote speaker, facilitator, and podcaster. He is co-founder and co-host of the Small Data Forum podcast.
Brighton Chamber has shattered Sam’s lifelong skepticism about chambers of commerce. A member since 2017, Sam has run Bite-size Learning sessions for the Chamber and was one of the curators of the Brighton Summit in 2018. There he ran a 120-strong workshop on telling stories with data. Sam joined the board in January 2019 and is a passionate supporter of the Chamber, talking it up to everyone who’ll listen.
Andrew Thomas, REBORN
Andrew has a lifelong passion for design and how it can improve people’s lives. He is a founder and Creative Director of Brighton based creative agency REBORN. The company formed in 2016 and has a sister agency based in Sydney, Australia.
Prior to this he worked for 10 years in various creative agencies in Bristol, London and Sydney. He also has experience in working in-house for global companies helping them build design teams of their own.
Outside of work he enjoys staying active and preforms stand up comedy. He’s already very involved in the Chamber having worked on projects such as Ride the Wave and The Summit 2018. Also REBORN are currently developing a new brand for the Chamber which is set to launch later on this year.
Andrew told us: “Being part of the Chamber has helped introduce me to Brighton and many business owners that work here. I’m looking forward to being on the board and offering assistance and insight where I can.”
Jo Crease, Brighton & Hove Impetus
Jo has been CEO of Brighton & Hove Impetus since 2012, an award-winning loneliness and isolation charity that creates connections that change lives through befriending, social prescribing and volunteering services in Brighton, Hove and beyond, and by sharing ideas and expertise nationally. Prior to that she worked in charities and Government in both the UK and Australia.
Jo sees the charity as a social business, investing in its people and the raw ingredients to do their job, but creating change rather than a product or a service. As a business, Impetus faces many of the same challenges as commercial businesses, and she has had the happy experience of working with many brilliant Brighton & Hove businesses to share knowledge about meeting those challenges.
Outside of work she is experiencing the joys and woes of being a first time allotment holder this year, loves sewing and making, exploring wild outdoor places and can often be seen running or cycling along the seafront (the only way to commute).
Jo said: “We’ve been a member of the Chamber for 5 years, and I always find the connections and inspiration I need. I’m looking forward to joining the Board and helping lead the Chamber in the future.”
Sara Bassett, Shoreham Port
Sara is Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive at Shoreham Port. Prior to joining the Port she gained over 12 years’ experience working within financial services and commercial accountancy for companies such as LloydsTSB, American Express, Cytyc UK Limited and Independent Growth Finance.
As Finance Director, Sara is responsible for setting the financial strategy of the Port, managing the Port’s finance team and working with the Senior Leadership Team to ensure the Port’s assets are fully utilized and maximizing revenue streams.
Sara is also Company Secretary to Sussex Port Forwarding Limited, The Port of Shoreham Trustee Company Limited and Shoreham Port Developments and Investments Limited. Sara is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and a Chamber Ambassador too.
Sara commented: “Sitting on the Board of Shoreham Port Authority has given me a wealth of experience, which I look forward to sharing with the Chamber Board. The Chamber is an exciting organisation and I look forward to working with the other Board Members in driving the Chamber forward.”
The Chamber’s CEO Sarah Springford explains that ‘The members of the Board are critical to the success of the Chamber. They generously give their time, skills and contacts. They are busy people running their own businesses which makes what they do for their business community even more impressive’.
Standing down and thanked were Andy Winter from Brighton Housing Trust, Chris Ford form Brighton & Hove Bus Co and Frances Duncan from the Clock Tower Sanctuary.
To find out more about Brighton Chamber, the Board and what’s coming up in the year ahead, see their website here