NCBC Council

Terry Ellis

President / h2o digital

Terry Ellis is the founder of h2o digital, a web design and digital marketing agency based in Nottingham.

Founded in 2010, h2o digital is collaborative team of digital experts who feel passionate about increasing clients brand awareness, creating leads and growing business.

For h2o, delivering a working website is not enough. They aim to develop an online platform that not only looks great, but can be proven to increase online visibility. Everything they design adheres to industry best practice standards. h2o clients love working with them and their goal is to continue thier relationships beyond delivery and support their clients long term as their businesses grow.

Terry has worked at a senior level in both manufacturing and logistics, so knows ‘how business works’. Real world experience, technical know-how and a history of high levels of customer support ensures h2o delivers to your needs.

Robert Day

Vice President / Blueprint Interiors Limited

Robert founded Blueprint Interiors, an award-winning, people-focused office design and fit out business.

Robert has a particular interest in Business and Education partnerships. Blueprint Interiors regularly sponsor a variety of projects to help develop sustainable long-term relationships between schools and the business community to ensure every student has the best possible access to career advice and work experience. Robert also volunteers as an Enterprise Advisor for LLEP to enhance the success of this objective.

Robert’s 40 years of experience in the Midlands business community allowed him to gain a very broad range of network contacts.

Alice Taylor​​​​

Council Member / Your IT Department

Alice is the Sales and Marketing Coordinator for Your IT Department, an IT support company in Nottingham. She began her career there in 2022 as an apprentice in Business Development before moving into her current role.

After graduating from Nottingham Trent University, Alice made a permanent move to Nottingham. She joined the NCBC business club to build connections, explore strategic partnerships, become part of the city’s business community, and learn from the best. She has now completed her apprenticeship and grown her connections in Nottingham exponentially and stepped into the position of council member.

Alice is passionate about mental health awareness, believing in the importance of highlighting this issue for both newcomers and established professionals in the business world, as well as in her personal life. She was recognised by Nottingham Trent University course leaders with an award for Positive Change in the mental health industry with her final project.

Joe Burns

Council Member / Reformed IT

Joe Burns is the CEO and co-founder of Reformed IT, a high-growth Managed IT Services business focused on protecting companies in the East Midlands from the increasing threat of cyber-crime.

As a Certified Ethical Hacker, Joe and his team of experts use their skills and experience to implement various layers of risk mitigation which has prevented any of their clients from suffering a single data breach since the business was founded in 2019.

Alongside Reformed IT, Joe also has a consultancy business which helps organisations to implement technology and automation to increase efficiency.

No stranger to the world of business and networking, Joe established his first company back in 2005, aged just 21. This business was acquired in a 7-figure deal in 2016 with Joe becoming the group Managing Director to the new parent company for a further 3 years where he oversaw a group-wide turnover growth of more than 60% during this time.

When not working on growing his businesses, Joe will be found walking his cockerpoo, Bramble, or shaking up a cocktail in his home bar as an enthusiastic mixologist.

Craig Pearson

Council Member / Your IT Department

Craig Pearson is the Head of Sales & Marketing at Your IT Department, an award-winning IT support business based in Eastwood, Nottingham.

Appointed Chief Executive at the age of 23 at his first company, Craig has held senior management positions with several businesses and not-for-profits delivering funded projects in training, employability and business support. He has also worked as a business advisor and marketing consultant before joining Your IT seven years ago.

Outside of work, Craig is an avid walker and completed the 16-mile Leicestershire 3 Peaks Challenge in 2023. His rescue Greyhound, Rick, accompanies him on rather shorter walks and he also enjoys traveling, reading, and collecting single malt whiskey – although most of the bottles in his ‘collection’ appear to be less than full!!

Jordan Phillips

Council Member / TecInteractive

Jordan is a Business Development Manager with TecInteractive, an A/V Company focused on Workplace Technology Solutions. Jordan is an ambassador for hybrid working and helps businesses collaborate better, increase productivity, and improve wellness.

Jordan started his Business career by forming and managing a design-based clothing brand in 2012, following the social unrest that took place in big cities around the UK. Designs were politically themed, with the purpose of encouraging communities and individuals to empower themselves and become more politically engaged. The brand became a manufacturing business in its second year, diversified and was, was well known for collaborating with other local business. Jordan has enjoyed start up successes with his passions in design and the automotive world starting another business in 2016 focusing on detailing and specialist car care.

Jordans biggest career challenge was during a consultancy role with the National Testing Programme throughout the pandemic, Jordan’s team led the logistics piece that delivered over a billion test kits around the UK. A moment to look back on with pride and a significantly stressful point in time that changed his career path.

Jordan made a permanent move to Nottingham at the start of 2023 to join his fiancé, at the same time joined Tecinteractive. He started attending the club later that year with a view to build connections and explore strategic partnerships. Also to ingratiate myself into the city and business community, support local initiatives, and fundamentally, help the club encourage local enterprise.

Jordan brings a diversity of thought and ideas, has a strong commercial awareness. A keen F1 fan, when not working or watching the racing he can be found, beer in hand, cooking up a storm

Steve Edwards

Council Member / Steve Edwards Photography

Steve Edwards is a commercial photographer based in Nottingham, who set up in business in 2015.

Prior to that, Steve had been contributing to various specialist motoring publications and had 20 plus front covers and nearly 200 features published. Demand from the business sector meant that Steve had to give up his day job to concentrate on photography full time and has gone from strength to strength since, providing clients with headshots, images for e-commerce, photos from corporate events in addition to property and architectural images, brand photography and of course, automotive.

Steve always had an interest in photography from an early age and it was his hobby before he transitioned into the world of commercial photography. He’d worked previously in sales and various service industries which means he finds it very easy to chat to people and make them feel as relaxed as possible in front of his camera.

When he’s not working, Steve can be found out and about with his wife Cherie, and their dog Affie, short for Aphrodite, who they met whilst on holiday in Cyprus and subsequently adopted.

Deborah Labbate

NCBC Ambassador / Immediate Past President / Deborah Labbate Business Solutions

Deborah Labbate’s entrepreneurial journey began at just 17, marked by two significant business exits—one a strategic decision and the other a testament to her resilience and adaptability. Since 2006, she has focused on helping other business owners achieve rapid success, leveraging her extensive experience across various sectors, including startups, growth-stage companies, and exit strategies.

Deborah excels at dissecting complex business challenges, offering clarity, direction, and effective solutions grounded in real-world business acumen. Her straightforward, no-nonsense approach ensures that her clients focus on what matters most, delivering tangible results through practical and realistic strategies. She understands the importance of confidence in making everyday decisions as a leader, recognizing that it can be lonely at the top!

Deborah’s board-level experience further highlights her comprehensive leadership abilities and her personable and approachable nature, combined with strong emotional intelligence, makes her exceptional in crisis and project management.

Collaborating with carefully chosen partners Deborah offers a comprehensive range of services and expertise to help businesses go further, faster.

Nigel Rowlson

Former President / The Dairy

Nigel Rowlson is the founder and Managing Director of award winning Nottingham based marketing and design agency – The Dairy.

He has over 40 years experience in the communications world having worked in the Midlands and London across a wide range of businesses including Ford, British Gas, Cable and Wireless, Church’s Shoes, The National Trust, NHS and Bravissimo.

He maintains that he learnt more about business and marketing whilst selling bras and knickers on Arnold Market as a teenager in 1979 than he did at college!

The Dairy was established in 2002 and serves local and national clients with their marketing planning, design, brand development, digital, print, social media and PR requirements.

Ian Roberts

Former President / Nottingham Physio

Ian Roberts was a founder director of SLR Consulting Limited set up in 1994. SLR is a global environmental consulting organisation with offices across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia Pacific. The company provides advisory services across sectors including oil and gas, mining and minerals, infrastructure, power, industry and the built environment. Following a recent investment by Charterhouse Ian has left SLR to pursue other business interest. These interests include property investments, a US based sports science business, a local manufacturing organisation and an e-commerce fashion business. Ian is also a business partner in sports injury and rehabilitation organisation called Nottingham Physio with an internationally recognised sports physiotherapist operating out of Roko gymnasium. The business has a private practice open to the public and a wide range of elite athletes from around the world. Expansion plans for the business are local, national and international

Ian has also served as an East Midlands Councillor for the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management. Ian is also an Associate Director of Notts County Football Club and a trustee of Notts County Football in the Community a UK leading charity.

Mark Deakin

Former President / Turner & Townsend

Mark has been working within the property sector for nearly 30 years as a chartered quantity surveyor and project manager. He has been a director of Turner & Townsend for almost twenty years where he now runs the Nottingham office as well as having a regional role across the Midlands.

Mark previously chaired the Property Forum for the Sheffield Region’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and takes an active role in leading on physical local development, regeneration and people development. Within the last few years he has been involved with large scale developments including the revitalisation of a former coking works in Derbyshire which was dubbed as one of the worst contaminated sites in Western Europe as well as some of the largest and most complicated infrastructure projects.

In recent years he has also taken up a post as a non-executive board member for the East Midland’s Chamber of Commerce.

He likes to keep fit with mountain biking and although he continually struggles with time, he does manage to fit in a game of golf most weekends. He is also kept busy by his wife and two young girls. Mark does like to challenge himself with 2014 seeing him do a 50 mile kayaking challenge around 3 of the largest lakes in the Lake District for a local charity supporting Dementia patients. Between 2015 and 2019 he has cycled thousands of miles for charity including London to Paris, a coast to coast, Newcastle to Edinburgh and in 2016 a 140 mile cycle ride with Snowdon and Kinder Scout thrown into the mix.

James Simmonds

Former President and Treasurer / UHY Hacker Young Chartered Accountants

James is a partner in the Nottingham office of UHY, an ambitious and growing Top 20 Group of UK Chartered Accountants.

James specialises in owner-managed businesses within the SME market, offering tailored services to clients across all business sectors whether complex or day-to-day, local, national or international.

James offers a partner-led approach to all of his clients, ensuring they receive the personal one-to-one service required. At UHY, our foundation of service, based on strong ties and long-standing loyalty from our clients, continues to be valued and fostered across the firm.

Whilst accountancy services remain the core services provided by the office we also offer personal and corporate finance, taxation and computer services together with added value services such as dispute resolution, financial planning advice and assisting in the selling and purchasing of businesses.

Veronica Pickering

Lord Lieutenant and Executive Coach

Veronica Moraa Pickering was the first Kenyan to be appointed by His Majesty the King as the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire (March 2023-March 2024), and on the 2nd March 2024 was the first woman to be appointed by the King as Lord Lieutenant for the county of Nottinghamshire.

A social entrepaneur, Veronica is a former UK Safeguarding Specialist and International Child Protection Consultant for the UN, working with many NGOs across Africa, supporting vulnerable people, their families and communities.

Veronica now works as an advisor to a number of public and private sector boards, and works as Executive Coach and partnership specialist with a number of companies and organisations across the UK.

Veronica is a also visiting Professor to Lincoln International Business School focusing on Resilence and Diversity and sits on the Advisor Board for Nottingham Univesity Business School.

A strong supporter of the arts and nature conservation charities, she has held a variety of executive and non executive posts. She is currently a Trustee of the RSPB, a UK Ambassador for The Woodland Trust and UK RAF Museums.

Veronica is the Patron of Royal British Legion Nottoingahmshire, Nottingham City Business Club and Sharewear

Veronica is the first woman of colour in the UK to be appointed Royal Air Force (RAF) Honorary Air Commodore (HAC) for 504 County of Nottingham Squadron.

In 2022 Veronica was awarded the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (M.B.S) for services to Kenya by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

She is married to the Nottinghamshire born artist Roy Pickering. They have two adult children and live near Nottingham.