Decisions at 18 2010 - Flexibility for careers of the future20 April 2010 - 22 April 2010

Speakers

Biographies

Lord David Puttnam

David Puttnam spent thirty years as an independent film producer. His many award-winning films include The Mission, The Killing Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express and Bugsy Malone.

He retired from film production in 1998 and now devotes his time to education and the environment. He is Chancellor of the Open University, founder and Chair of Trustees of the National Teaching Awards, and was the first Chair of the General Teaching Council (2000-2002). He was founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), and for ten years chaired the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, as well as serving as a Trustee of both the Tate Gallery and the Science Museum. He was Vice President and Chair of Trustees at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) from 1994 to 2004, and was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 2006.

He was appointed President of UNICEF UK in July 2002, and has played a key role in promoting UNICEF's advocacy, awareness and fundraising objectives. In February 2006, he became Deputy Chairman of Channel Four, and in April 2006 Chairman of Futurelab. In 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Climate Change Bill Scrutiny Committee. He was awarded a CBE in 1982, a Knighthood in 1995 and appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. In France he has been honoured as a Chevalier (1985), Officer (1992) and Commander of Arts and Letters (2006). 

Sir Alan Jones

Chair, SEMTA

Alan joined Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited at its inception in 1990 as Manufacturing Director and became Toyota's first local Managing Director in April 2001.

In June 2003, Alan was named the first overseas Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation Japan, Executive Vice-President Manufacturing Group at Toyota Motor Europe and Chairman of Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited.

Currently he is Senior Executive advisor to Toyota Motor Europe and Chairman Emeritus of Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited.

Previously, he was a founding Director and then Chairman of the SMMT/SBAC Industry Forum, a company focused on Business efficiency improvement and sustainability

In April 2006 he took responsibility for the Chairmanship of Semta (Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Technologies Alliance).   Alan is an Apprenticeship Ambassador.

Alan believes UK industry and its total supply base can improve their worldwide competitiveness from a platform of shop floor excellence and technical development, based on progressive education and training with a strong science engineering focus.

Professor Rob Kemp

Acting Principal, Royal Holloway, University of London

Rob Kemp is the Acting Principal of Royal Holloway, University of London. He joined the Geography Department at Royal Holloway in 1989, was promoted to Professor of Physical Geography in 1999 and was Head of the 5* RAE- rated department from 2001-2004. He became Vice-Principal (Academic Affairs) on 1st August 2006 and Acting Principal on 1st August 2009.

Active in research, Professor Kemp has been concerned with a range of soil-related issues spanning agriculture, sports pitch management and Quaternary Science. Recent Leverhulme and NERC funded projects have focussed on the role of soils in providing information on landscape development, climatic change and pre-Hispanic human activity in South America.

Professor Kemp has been a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Quaternary Research Center at the University of Washington and is closely involved with the Centre for Quaternary Research at RHUL. He currently serves on the Radiocarbon Steering Committee of the Natural Environment Research Council.

Professor Tony Watts

Founding Fellow, NICEC

Professor Tony Watts is a NICEC Founding Fellow. He was a co-founder of CRAC, and was Director of NICEC from 1975 to 2001. His work covers theory, policy and practice in all sectors of career education and guidance, including schools, further and higher education, and adult guidance. In recent years his main interests have been in evaluations of innovative practice and in policy-related studies both nationally and internationally. He has been consultant to a number of international organisations, and worked for OECD from 2001 to 2002. His recent and current work includes a review for the European Training Foundation on career guidance in the Middle East (with Professor Ronald Sultana), a survey of new arrangements for Connexions/careers services for young people in England (with Allister McGowan), and a review of Careers Services in New Zealand.

Doug Richard

Having appeared in the first and second series of Dragons' Den, Doug is the Founder of School for Startups (http://www.schoolforstartups.co.uk/ ), Chairman and CEO of Trutap (http://www.trutap.net/), Founder and Member of the Cambridge Angels, Chairman of the Conservative Party Small Business Task Force and non-executive director of AlertMe (http://www.alertme.com/), VizWoz (http://www.vizwoz.com/), and BeatsDigital (www.beatsdigital.com)

Doug is a successful entrepreneur with 20 years' experience in the development and leadership of technology and software ventures, both in the US and in the UK. Between 1996 and 2000 he was President and CEO of Micrografx, a US publicly quoted software company. Prior to that he also founded and subsequently sold two other companies: Visual Software and ITAL Computers. Doug holds a BA in Psychology from University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctor at the School of Law, University of California at Los Angeles. In 2006 Doug was an Honorary Recipient of The Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion. In 2007, Doug became a fellow of the RSA.