Northern Society of Chartered Accountants

Mauricio Armellini, Agent North East, Bank of England

Mauricio has been a member of the Government Economic Service since 2008, when he joined the Department for Work and Pensions to lead teams of analysts in areas of key Ministerial attention such as skills and pensions.

In 2013 he went on secondment to the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, where he worked as Chief Economist until his appointment as Bank of England’s Agent for the North East in September 2014.

Mauricio came to the North East in 2005 to undertake his PhD studies in economics at Durham University, following his MA in Development Economics at Williams College (USA). He also taught economics at undergraduate and postgraduate level at Durham University.

Before leaving his native Uruguay in 2004, he worked as a professional economist in the financial and non-for-profit sectors.  Twitter: @bankofengland

John Ashcroft, The Saturday Economist

John specialises in Economics, Strategy and Financial Markets, working with Professional Firms, Large Corporates and SMEs. In financial markets, John works with eToro and IG TV. His flagship product “The Saturday Economist”, provides a weekly update on the UK and World Economy.

John works with companies as Chair, NED, or advisor, developing strategies for success in an age of rapid change. In November 2019, he was in Moscow as a guest of Gazprom, presenting at their annual strategy conference on “Meeting the Challenge of Digital Disruption”. His publications include case studies on Apple, Lego, Twitter and Yahoo.

John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Companion of The British Institute of Management and a member of the Society of Business Economists and has a PhD in economics.

John has extensive executive & non executive director experience of SME and large businesses in the UK and internationally. John has worked in family owned, institutionally owned, public and private companies. He has worked in corporate finance and corporate development, creating models and profiles for acquisition targets.

John has led on over 50 corporate finance transactions and has worked with First Boston, Bain & Co, Samuel Montagu, Goldman Sachs and many more.

He has experience of public and private sectors and has served on the Board of Marketing Manchester, the AGMA Business Leadership Council, the Council of Manchester Business School, the Board of Inward, the President’s Council of Business in the Community and the President’s Council of the CBI.

He was founding Chairman of the North West Business Leadership Team, a Granada Telethon Trustee and a School Governor. John was Chief Economist GM Chamber of Commerce 2013 – 2015.  Twitter: @jkaonline

Yvonne Gale, Chief Executive of NEL Fund Managers and Non-Executive Director for Finance & Procurement, Office of the Small Business Commissioner

Yvonne joined NEL Fund Managers in 2002. She is responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of all teams within the organisation.

Her role also involves sourcing funds for management, fund design, achieving maximised returns and impact for investors, and investor relations.

Yvonne is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an Associate Member of the Institute of Economic Development. She holds a DBA, MBA, IOD Diploma in Company Direction. Dr Gale’s area of research is investment decision making. She is also a member of the Advisory and Decision Committee for the UAE Ministry of Finance-backed, Mohammed bin Rashid AED 2 billion Innovation Fund.

Prior to joining NEL, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant with a national accountancy firm and has held senior management positions in several high growth businesses. She brings a wealth of experience to the team of investing in high growth businesses.  Twitter: @YvonneGale_NEL

Iain Wright, Managing Director, Reputation and Influence, ICAEW

Iain joined ICAEW in 2018. He trained as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and worked for the firm between 1996 and 2003, before moving to the regional development agency in the North East of England, One North East.

In 2004 Iain became Labour Member of Parliament for Hartlepool, having succeeded Peter Mandelson in a by-election. During his time in Parliament Iain was a Minister in Gordon Brown’s Government, fist as Minister for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government between 2007 and 2009 and then as Minister for Schools and Apprenticeships in the Department for Children, Schools and Families from 2009 to 2010.

In opposition Iain was Shadow Minister for Industry between 2011 and 2016. Following the General Election of 2015, he was elected by the House of Commons to Chair the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, where he led high profile inquiries into the sale of BHS and working practices at Sports Direct.

After deciding to stand down at the 2017 General Election, Iain became Chief Executive of NEIPC, a trade body in the chemicals and processing industries in the North East of England. Iain is a Governor of Middlesbrough College and a trustee of Kings College London’s Industrial Strategy Advisory Board. He also chairs the policy form of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.  Twitter: @iain_Wright

Andrew McPhillips, Chief Economist, The Northern Powerhouse Partnership

His role drives the NPP’s research output, ensuring that the best evidence and economic thinking informs policy proposals. Andrew worked in a similar role at Yorkshire Building Society, creating economic scenarios to determine the organisation’s business planning and advising the board on the economic outlook. He has also worked in the Department for Education, as Strategy Advisor, the Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Transport. Andrew is also President of Leeds Credit Union, and studied Economics at Leeds Beckett University.  Twitter: @NP_Partnership