Meet the Team

Jerry is a senior executive with a career that spans the retail, wholesale and hospitality industries. He is currently Group Managing Director of AF Blakemore & Son, running one of the UK’s top 50 privately held businesses with sales of £1.2billion.

He is delighted to lead the Board of Trustees of Designability, building on his experience as a trustee of Crisis, the charity for homeless people and as Chair of the local scout group which keeps him active in village life with his wife and son.

Paul’s career began as a corporate lawyer with international firm Simmons & Simmons. He moved into the commercial sector, spending most of his career with InterContinental Hotels Group then drinks giant Diageo, focussed on capital investment and partnerships in emerging markets. He then spent four years with the UK charity Jubilee Sailing Trust.

Having sustained a life-changing injury in 2011, Paul is passionate about disability-related causes. He is a trustee, mentor and ambassador for spinal cord injury charity Back Up Trust. He is also a Non-Executive Director of Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

Ben is an Assistant Professor at the University of Bath and a co-founder of the Centre for Biosensors, Bioelectronics, and Biodevices – the largest research centre of its type in England.

In 2019, he was appointed a Director of Studies and was made a Trustee of the Institute for Physics and Engineering in Medicine. His research interests are in the areas of neural interfaces, neural computing, and signal processing.

Catherine currently works as Deputy Director of Student Support and Safeguarding at the University of Bath. Prior to this role Catherine has managed and worked in the disability service at the University and has also worked as a freelance Needs Assessor for Access West of England at UWE-Bristol, ensuring that disabled students from across the region had the equipment, support and funding needed to succeed in their degree studies.

Martin is the Engineering Manager for the R&D team for Herman Miller International, a world-leading global furniture manufacturer. Martin is also the Europe Middle East and Africa lead for his organisation’s charitable giving arm, Herman Miller Cares. As well as financial and product donations the role involves creating links with charities located in the communities around all Herman Miller locations, encouraging employees to give their time to support and share their skills and expertise wherever possible.

Anna is an Associate Profession in Engineering Design at the University of Bath. She holds a PhD in Production Engineering and Engineering Management coupled with a background in Intellectual Property.

Her expertise lies in areas of socio-technical data-rich systems, design cognition, empathy and privacy, while also addressing complex societal challenges especially in the realm of diversity and inclusion. Her commitment to inclusivity is underscored by her lived experience of disability, providing a unique perspective that enriches her work and advocacy.

Martin is Chair & Non-Executive Director of Crossness Engines Trust, and commercially provides independent market research for valve actuation manufacturers within the global hydrocarbons and energy sectors.

He has wide international business experience gained with valve actuation leaders Rotork, Festo, Emerson & Crane. He has held positions of Global QA manager, UK Service and Retrofit manager, Managing Director and Sales Director for brand/business units.

Emma is Director of Adult Care Operations; Access and Reablement at Wiltshire Council. She currently supports the delivery of a wide range of adult care services which focus on maximising independence and choice and control for the most vulnerable people in our society.

Andrew is the Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Bristol, leading a team of 70 who work to build connections with the University’s 190,000 alumni living in 198 different countries. He leads the team to work with a range of philanthropists, foundations and companies raising around £25m a year.

Andrew is passionate about enabling independence, having suffered personally with a spinal infection which affected his mobility. Although now fully recovered, he understands the transformational impact that a greater sense of independence can bring with the help of adapted equipment.

Lis is the Services Director at Help for Heroes, a charity that enables military veterans and families to manage the varied consequences of injury and long-term conditions, to recover the sort of life they want to lead. Whilst at Help for Heroes, Lis has led the transition to community and digitally delivered services and increased the focus on evidence-based practice across the full range of support, including physical and mental health.

Sam is a qualified accountant with 15 years’ experience advising on government and third sector projects and programmes, prior to which he held a range of commercial finance roles in and around the IT and telecommunications sector.  He brings experience of business and commercial strategy development, and more latterly experience in governance and compliance.