Meet the team behind Surrey Hills Enterprises

Simon Whalley

Chairman

Simon Whalley is the Chairman of the Birtley House Group Ltd which provides full nursing care and supported living at Birtley House in Surrey. The Nursing Home (Eyhurst Court Ltd) was registered in 1932 by Simon’s grandparents making it probably the oldest private care home, still managed by the founding family, in Britain.

Birtley House was a designated Showcase for Surrey County Council’s energy event in 2011 for its extensive environmental activities including biomass heating for the care home and it hosts the Surrey Hills Wood Fair and a major sculpture exhibition amongst many other events attracting over 10,000 visitors each year.

Simon helped set up Surrey Hills Enterprises CIC, which he now chairs, to build a brand for the Surrey Hills, promote local produce and help conserve its environment. He also chairs the Surrey Countryside & Rural Enterprise Forum which is building a programme of collaborative working to help fund projects in the countryside in the county.

Sue Sturgeon

Vice Chair

Sue is an accountant by background.  In 2017 she retired after a long career in the public sector- her last role was the Managing Director of Guildford Borough Council.  Sue has lived in Guildford for many years and is passionate about protecting the Surrey Hills as well as promoting and growing the rural economy.

Sue is also a governor of Activate Learning who run many colleges and Schools in the South. She is also a member of the board of Guildford Philanthropy and a trustee of the Guildford Book Festival.

Michael Coughlin

Director

An Experienced CEO/Group Managing Director with a background in the public and private sectors.

Skilled in Leadership, Performance Improvement, Government, Culture Change, and Executive Coaching.

Post graduate qualifications in management, marketing and leisure management.

Rob Fairbanks

Director

Rob Fairbanks leads on the policy and strategy for the Surrey Hills and manages the AONB Unit. He was appointed as the first AONB Officer for Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1999. Previously Rob worked as a Senior Countryside Officer in the Countryside Commission’s South East Regional Office where his responsibilities included National Trails, Land Management Initiatives, Community Forestry and initiating the Health Walks programme with the British Heart Foundation.

His academic credentials include a degree in Geography and Sociology and a Masters Degree in Environmental Management.

Peter Martin

Director

Peter Martin graduated with an Honours Degree in Geography from the University of Durham and is a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants Association.

He served with Voluntary Service Overseas in Khartoum, Sudan for 2 years before working for over 30 years in the international IT industry holding senior positions in Finance and Marketing in London, New York and Paris.

Peter was first elected as a Councillor in 1991. He has for the last 15 years served on Surrey County, Waverley Borough and Godalming Town Councils.  He is a past Deputy Leader and Chairman of Surrey County Council and has served as the Mayor of Godalming. He is Chairman of the Surrey Civilian-Military Partnership Board and Vice Chairman of the Godalming Performing Arts Festival. He served as Chairman of Governors of St Catherine’s School, Bramley, for some 14 years before stepping down in 2021.

Peter joined the Surrey Hills Enterprises Board of Directors in 2019.

Ian Mcculloch

Director

After a 27 year career in media as Commercial Director of ITV Ian started thinking of what he might do next. As a Surrey Hills resident who has been captivated by the scenery and romance of this piece of special countryside he wondered whether it was possible to capture it in a gin, much as the Scots do with whisky; that was in early 2013. Fast forward to Autumn 2014 and Silent Pool Distillers produced it’s first spirits with Silent Pool Gin following in March 2015. The multi award winning business has grown quickly and now exports to over 30 countries worldwide as well as across the UK. Ian’s background is in sales and marketing but now includes almost everything else onsite!

Tim Metson

Director

Tim is a chartered surveyor and farmer and has lived in the Surrey Hills his whole life. He splits his time between running and developing the family farm in the heart of the hills alongside his property consultancy and agency business. Enterprises on the farm include growing the pedigree Hereford beef herd, development and promotion of the ornamental gardens, marketing of high quality accommodation and the expansion of a high end mobile Airstream style catering business. From a professional real estate perspective, Tim advises on all sectors of the market ranging from rural country houses, farms and estates through to acting as lead property adviser to a leading UK commercial property regeneration specialist.

David Wright OBE

Director & Chairman of Membership Group

An Economics Degree at Birmingham University and voluntary service in Chad preceded a 50 year career in the Diplomatic Service specialising in the Middle East which concluded as HM Ambassador, Doha. David was awarded an OBE for service in South Africa.

On retirement, he represented the Tillingbourne Ward on Guildford Borough Council for 16 years, serving on the Executive and as Deputy Leader. David served 16 years on the Surrey Hills AONB Board and as Vice Chair and then Chairman helped oversee the creation of the Surrey Hills Family – Society, Enterprises CIC and Trust Fund.

David was Founder Chairman of SurreySave Credit Union and currently chairs the merged Surrey and West Sussex Credit Union trading as Boom Credit Union. David also serves on the Friends of the Hurtwood and Oakleaf Enterprises Boards. His home has been at Newlands Corner for 42 years. David has been a Board Member of Surrey Hills Enterprises since 2014 and is Chairman of the Membership Working Group overseeing the Trade Mark Surrey Hills Awards.

Robin Sharpe

Advisor to the Board.

An experienced Managing and Sales Director in the private sector. For the past decade enjoying the variety that being a Management Consultant allows. Robin was a founding trustee of the Community Foundation of Surrey, before becoming the Chair of their ambassador group. He also enjoys supporting the Surrey Hills board. Robin and his family have lived in Surrey for well over 20 years.

Chris White

Ambassador and CEO Denbies Wine Estate

Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking is one of England’s largest single estate vineyards. With 265 acres currently under vine, it has a production capacity of 1 million bottles. The first vines were planted on the estate in 1986.

For the last 20 years, Christopher White, CEO, has owned and operated the estate.  Under his leadership, Denbies Wine Estate has become one of the largest and most successful wineries in England.

Mark Lebus

Ambassador and Chief Executive, LC Energy

Mark Lebus is the Co-founder of LC Energy, specializing in biomass wood fuel solutions including wood fuel supply from sustainable, accredited UK resources, heat contracts (ESCos) and commercial biomass system design, installation, repair and maintenance. Mark has Board, Executive and Strategic responsibility for the company. His passion is to inspire every heat energy user to adopt a low-carbon and long-term renewable alternative to fossil fuel energy.

Mark established the company in 2007 with Company Directors James Maclean and Richard Melhuish to develop renewable energy from biomass.  Over ten years later, based in Shere, and with thousands of domestic and corporate customers from major airports to zoos, LC Energy continues to fulfil this vision.

Rosemary French, OBE

Ambassador and Mentor

A former MD and CEO, with significant strategic and organisational leadership expertise after a long and uninterrupted career in private and not for profit business. A passionate advocate and lobbyist for improved gender, equality and ethnic diversity in business at all levels. Awarded OBE in 2014 for services to women in business.

Semi retired really, not looking for further directorships/ trusteeships/ chairmanships. Too busy enjoying voluntary work promoting, lobbying for and raising funding for my wonderful adopted village of Cranleigh, Surrey, England

Maggie Howell

Chief Executive Officer

Maggie Howell brings over two decades of entrepreneurial expertise and executive leadership to her role. With a background spanning senior positions in event management and entrepreneurship, Maggie has demonstrated a knack for driving growth, fostering strategic partnerships, and delivering impactful results.

Throughout her career, Maggie has excelled in strategic planning, business development, and team leadership. Her entrepreneurial journey includes founding and directing two award-winning businesses, where she achieved significant growth and impact. Notable accomplishments include managing a franchise with 130+ practitioners, launching 30+ products globally, and securing partnerships with industry giants like Ocado, Holland & Barrett, and Amazon.

Maggie’s dynamic leadership style, exceptional communication skills, and unwavering energy make her a formidable force in promoting SHE’s mission of fostering a thriving sustainable rural economy. With a proven track record of driving positive change and fostering collaborative partnerships, she is poised to lead SHE to new heights of success.

Patrick Haveron

Events Manager

Patrick has a long-standing history of event management in Surrey,  He is also very involved with the Surrey Hills singer song writers and is a real champion for his local community in Godalming.

Patricks main role is to organise the large customer facing evens run by Surrey Hills Enterprises including the Surrey Hills Wood Fair, the Surrey Hills Spring Festival and the Artisan markets and events held at different locations accross the Surrey Hills

Grant Pearman

Events site manager

Grant’s tireless and enthusiastic involvement with the Surrey Hills Wood Fair as a volunteer for many years, led him join the team as our large events site manager.

Grant is often the first on site and the last to leave.  He is responsible for the logistics, safety and general smooth running of the large Surrey Hills events.

Katherine Daire

Membership Manager

Karen Goodman

Finance Manager