Board

Steve is the owner of Number 4 Consulting, a coaching & mentoring business, having previously enjoyed an extensive career at Lloyds Bank, where he was most recently, Regional Director Commercial Banking for East of England. Steve is a non-executive director with the Jockey Club, the chair of the Animal Health Trust charity raceday, a Newmarket BID board member, a committee member with the Newmarket Festival and in his spare time….a mad keen Spurs fan!

Born and bred in Mildenhall, I joined Whiting and Partners Chartered Accountants  in 1986 and have now completed 30 years' service. I am responsible for the management of the Mildenhall Office and was promoted on 1st April 2016 to an Associate of the Firm. I have a wealth of experience in dealing with sole trader, partnership and corporate businesses, encompassing personal tax and tax planning services.

I became a Committee member of the Chamber of Commerce in June 2013.

I have 5 children and I am a Trustee Director of a local Academy School.

Amanda Ankin has worked for Suffolk Chamber since 2010 and is our Operations Director.

As part of the senior management team, Amanda manages various departments of Suffolk Chamber including events, membership and customer care, communications, marketing, policy, supply chain, and international trade, and her team is based all across Suffolk.

CIPD qualified, Amanda is the lead on HR and change initiatives. Amanda also manages various Suffolk Chamber project teams including our business improvement district Lowestoft Vision and Suffolk Business Women, and sits on all our town Boards.

Tim has bought, sold and developed SME’s in different sectors for almost 20 years, he has been involved in mentoring during that time including voluntary positions in schools and colleges. Whilst believing it’s essential to have fun on the way he has a no-nonsense and pragmatic approach based on his experience of ‘working on the shop floor’. Tim is a Business Mentor, Coach and Advisor based in Newmarket and is passionate about helping businesses in the region to thrive.  

After a career in the City, Matthew has acted as consultant to a wide range of industries, start-ups and Community Interest Companies.  He also undertakes specialist journalism and other writing.

Kevin is Managing Director of Yutree Insurance. Yutree is based in Newmarket and is a commercial insurance broker and underwriting agency offering commercial solutions for clients and brokers.

Prior to Yutree, Kevin was responsible for the development of underwriting facilities and niche products across a major UK broking business following the sale of his previous insurance business to that firm.

Kevin is a former Director of the British Insurance Brokers Association and was chair of BIBA's General Insurance Brokers Committee before becoming the inaugural chair of the Smaller Brokers’ Advisory Board.

Late in 2018, the Chartered Insurance Institute formed the Society of Insurance Broking – the professional body dedicated to those working in the insurance broking sector. The core objective of the Society is to improve consumer confidence and trust in the profession. Kevin is the inaugural chair of the SoIB. He also chairs the national Broker Panel for Pool Re, the government-backed reinsurer for terrorism cover in the UK.

Heavily involved in the local business community, Kevin sits on the committee of the Newmarket Festival organising community based events raising funds for local good causes. He was the founder of the Newmarket Network and, more recently, the Anglia Business Club.

Kevin lives near Newmarket with his partner, Laura, with three children and a giant cat. He is a driver for and owner of Jemco Racing, a motor racing team competing in the UK and Europe. He is also into rugby, scuba diving and cricket.

I have over 20 years’ experience in the Recycling Sector and has held key commercial roles with some of the UK leading companies, including Cleanaway and Viridor - Part of the Pennon Group.

Currently I play a very active role in the local business community by sitting on the committee for the Chamber of Commerce, Ely Cathedral Business Group and advisory roles on a number of steering groups.

In 2011 I joined Managing Director to set up Ellgia Limited and we have grown from a three employees to one of the East of England`s largest Commercial Recycling and Waste company which now has a turnover of around £27 million with four operating sites based in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

We are producing fuel products including Residual Derived Fuel and Solid Recovered Fuel for the use in power generation in UK and Europe.

In 2018, Ellgia was named Independent Operator at the MRW national recycling awards and were named in as one of the Top 100 Businesses in Cambridge.

In my personal time I enjoy spending time with my wife Anya and young son Louis.  I also like to keep myself active and I am a keen supporter of Rugby including watching Cambridge University Rugby Club play as much as I can.

Between the age of 18-31  I was in the RAF and within 18 months use to manage the aircraft movements in a military ops room. At its best there could be 20+ fighter aircraft on channel along with a air to air radar and a couple of tankers to provide fuel for fighters between ‘caps’ or missions. We had the F15’s out of Suffolk along with our own and other European aircraft.  This all needed co-ordinating with civilian aircraft, and each other, to ensure they all went home for tea and sandwiches safely !! – In civilian life management and coordination skills were developed and helped me into the future among many skills learnt.

Life just wasn’t busy enough so I started importing new cars from Europe from 1997 to 2003 while still in the RAF, whilst currency trading as well, to provide sterling contract to the British people for purchase and I secured the currency equivalent as I wished to buy it. It got quite good in the end and made more money on the currency than the cars.  I left the RAF on 2001.

The Euro had its issues and soon killed that business so I needed a proper job and entered Financial Services in 2004 – I trained as a mortgage adviser, developed to a financial advise by 2009 and 3 years ago qualified as a Discretionary Investment Fund Manager and now sit in the top circa 3% of my industry. There are around 300 of 10,000 firms in the UK with Discretionary powers. Very proud….

I now also run a motorbike sales business, in its infancy and needing cash still to get it developed, but it should come round next Spring to profitability. (Hopefully?)

I’ve been on committees before and the last was for the Institute of Directors (IOD) in Cambridge. I left to move my business to the next level and this has been achieved now.