Our mission is to promote and develop your business successfully for YOU - OUR BUSINESS PARTNER

David W Mitchell FCA

David left Malvern College and went straight into the accountancy profession qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1974, he joined Ove Arup (leading international Engineering and Design Company) and went to West Africa as Financial Controller and Partnership Secretary based in Lagos, Nigeria where his overriding brief was to indigenise the firm over the coming five years. Having achieved this he was head hunted by Foster Wheeler in 1980 to assist in the building of two Paper Mills in Nigeria. He then managed an ODA project on behalf of Foster Wheeler to provide a metro railway system in Jakarta Indonesia when once again he was head hunted by a Racal-Chubb subsidiary, 1986, as Operations Director responsible for the project management and installation of integrated security systems internationally, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

He joined BAE Systems in 1989 as Director Special Projects - Offsets worldwide which again took him principally to the Middle East - GCC countries where Offset is an important discriminator concerning the successful supply of defence equipment. His success in this field led to him being seconded for two years to the UK MOD to establish and manage an offset advisory service for the UK Defence Industry through DESO. This secondment included bilateral inter-Governmental advisory work particularly with regard to inward investment incentives within specific countries.

Following his return to BAE Systems he was appointed Business Development Director Far East within the Head Quarters Marketing Department utilising his offset knowledge and skills to create strategic partnerships and relationships in a number of countries to support and leverage the successful sale of Defence Equipment.

He left in 1997 and founded D Management Consultancy Ltd in Bangkok, Thailand but reaching throughout the ASEAN region where he has built a successful marketing and business development practice, with access to decision makers at the highest level both in Government and Commerce, representing the commercial interests of a number of companies in the ASEAN region.

Miles Faulkner

Some 18 years initial experience in commercial, investment and merchant banking, including employment with Lloyds Bank plc, James Capel, Kleinwort Benson, and J Henry Schroder Wagg.

Over 10 years core project finance experience with Trafalgar House plc in charge of their core project finance expertise in the UK and overseas, for a diverse group of construction, engineering and mining companies. Substantial up-front marketing exposure with clients and foreign governments and with privatisation and privatised projects. Established contacts with all relevant British Government departments and multi-lateral agencies such as the World Bank. Created innovative financing combinations and techniques for a variety of project finance situations. (1980 - 1990)

International Finance Adviser, Defence Export Services Organisation (Ministry of Defence). Assisting British defence exporters to obtain the export credit and project finance required for major defence sales. Acted as an adviser on commercial insurance, counter-trade and offset, and as a liaison point between MoD and all other British Government departments on financial support for defence export sales efforts. (1992 - 1998)

Trusted Adviser to QinetiQ plc between 2002 and 2010 formerly MoD’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency prior to privatisation.

Advisory roles to commerce include project finance and marketing portfolios for: High-Point Rendel plc, a leading firm of British International consultants on major projects. CDR International Ltd, an organisation providing a discreet international service in the fields of fraud prevention and investigation, intellectual property rights protection, fiscal government, criminal and fiscal intelligence and specialist training. COLEBRAND Ltd, a high-technology niche company in the defence, security and civil engineering sectors.

Currently consulting for a number of environmentally driven organisations and aerospace clients.

Has published a number of articles on banking, construction and defence. Member of Committees of The Export Group for the Construction Industries (1982-1991). Member of the Major Projects Association, Templeton College, Oxford. UK Organising Committee Member for the NATO Advances Studies Institute on Defence Conversion Strategies. Lectures include to the Defence Manufacturers Association and the London Chamber of Commerce.

• Economics graduate of London School of Economics Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance
• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce

Giles Anslow-Wilson

An executive with over two decades experience of providing enterprise and commercial operation solutions within the fields of real estate, corporate services and project management. He counts the development of award winning real estate projects, resolution of multi-million dollar contract disputes and successful turnaround of a utilities business delivering post restructuring shareholder value exceeding US$200 million amongst his various achievements.

He is an adaptable, performance-oriented professional whose dependability and integrity is above reproach. He is renowned for his strong moral compass, his capacity to influence and build trust with stakeholders and his tenacious commitment to achieving results for stakeholders.

Thorough and capable at solving strategic and day-to-day commercial operational problems as well as sourcing opportunities, design, cost programing, tendering, construction management and quality control so as to ensure the solution accounts for the ‘big picture’. He is highly motivated in the achievement of goals and meeting of deadlines as well as being a rational individual who schedules his projects in logical steps with a keen eye on budgets and communicates successfully in complex and sensitive environments.

He has a critical eye for detail, is acutely aware of the need to prioritize and execute tasks in a “time is of the essence manner” and takes a hands-on lead position in providing full support and guidance to develop his team. His cross-functional management skills, diversified background, ability to interpret and explain plans and contractual terms to the team and level headed approach to critical issues amalgamate to provide him with an exceptional level of dexterity and ability in all challenges undertaken.

Some of his particular achievements include the following:

Led the project management team through the development and directed all commercial activities of Beach Republic Koh Samui, “Winner Best Shared

Ownership Development” Thailand Property Awards 2010 & 2011, “Silver Award for Excellence” Overseas Property Professional Awards 2011.

Managed, motivated and coordinated with contractors and professional consultants the redevelopment of Penang and KL shop house’s into a series of boutique hotels.

Managed and scheduled the turnaround and completion of a 30,000 square meter (USD 20 Million contract value) new build mixed-use scheme in Kuala Lumpur.

Directed master planning and financial feasibility study for the development of a Country Club Resort GDV US$500M in Vichy. (650 luxury villas and apartments, a Boutique 4 Star hotel. 72 Par 18 hole golf course and associated facilities).

A Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Member of the British Institute of Facilities Management.

John Rogers

Qualified as a Batchelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1970 and joined British Aerospace, now BAE Systems, working as a Rapier Systems Engineer in Iran. He then worked in Germany as BAe's resident representative with the RAF and BAOR. In 1983 he was transferred to BAe's Canada office as marketing manager and established Federal and Provisional Government contacts as well as researching business opportunities and co-ordinating BAe's marketing activities between the divisions. It was a natural progression to become Director, Weapons, at BAe's Washington office in 1986 with responsibility for developing and representing BAe's Dynamics interests. This led to co-ordinating and leading BAe's interface with Boeing in its pursuit of business as a result of the offset opportunities on AWACS and also interfacing with US partner companies on NATO collaborative programmes such as APGM. He became Head of Business development at BAe Dynamics in particular negotiating a future joint venture with Thomson CSF and then Sales Director for the Division in 1991. Here he implemented a customer focused approach more appropriate to the increasingly competitive international environment. This led to his being Vice President Marketing, Middle East for BAe until 1996, when he was seconded to the DTI to advise upon export promotion to North America for small and medium UK companies in the Aerospace and Healthcare sectors.

Now acts as an independent consultant advising upon strategic marketing to the defence and aerospace sectors.

Ken Thorkildsen

Ken has worked predominately in the Financial Services industry, starting off at Standard Life in Edinburgh before moving into a Financial Consultancy role, firstly with Albany Life in Edinburgh where he was awarded Top New UK Financial Consultant in 1996 and then forming his own Independent Financial Services company which he ran successfully or 10 years.

in 2003, Ken relocated to Europe, first to Portugal and then to Spain where he was involved in Real Estate sales. In 2006, Ken moved back into Financial Services as an Independent Financial Adviser working in Portugal and then looking after offices in Bulgaria, Italy and Romania. After a couple of highly successful years, Ken was headhunted by an International Property Company to establish and front their International Financial Services arm.

in 2009, Ken relocated to Asia and established an online English Language Learning company and an online marketing company - the latter which had been quoted twice in the top 100 online marketing companies worldwide.