Kate McEwen is our Programme Director, based in Truro. She’s been involved in many Cornwall enterprise, skills and employment projects, and in addition to her management and people skills, has a wide range of enterprise talents including marketing, events, communications, planning and budgeting. Some of Kate’s adventures include dune buggy racing in the Sahara, climbing a waterfall in Jamaica, and being fingerprinted by the FBI – but only because of a bomb threat on her plane!

Lucy Cox (currently on maternity leave) is the Outset Cornwall Marketing Manager. Lucy did her Business degree at Plymouth, and has the CIM Advance certificate too. She’s been marketing and events coordinator at Vinoceros, then Marketing Manager at Coastline Services and Coastline Housing. Lucy’s also worked as a Young Enterprise Business Mentor with 14-16 year olds. She has recently appeared on Britains Best Dish with one of her creations and sung on a song that got to number 2 in the charts!

Becky Palmer is the Outset Cornwall Marketing Manager. Becky completed her Business degree at Plymouth University and has developed a real passion for marketing. In previous roles at a local HR company and with well known ESF funded Empowering Smart Women programme, Becky has put her marketing and events management expertise to good use. Becky is an active member of the Cornish business community and was part of the 2011 Twestival Committee. In her spare time Becky likes to keep active enjoying running, cycling and snowboarding, although there isn’t much snow to be found in Cornwall! Becky’s claim to fame is that she once spoke to actor Martin Clunes on the telephone to advise him about his sick dog!

Claire Forster (currently on maternity leave) is our Senior Programme Administrator. Claire did her degree in Interior/Spatial Design at De Montfort, and has been a letting officer and event coordinator, as well as much experience in administration, credit control and general support.

Having worked in London for 8 years, she is now happily settled in St Austell with her husband whom she met on a blind date!

Stephanie Boardman (currently on maternity leave) is one of our Programme Administrators. She’s originally from Worcestershire and moved to Cornwall 2 years ago. Prior to moving, Steph worked as Logistics Administrator for Jet Logistics, then became a support worker when she moved to Cornwall.

Steph likes spending hours taking her dog for walks on the beach.

Ian Williams is one of our Programme Administrators. He is a qualified mortgage broker and was the Compliance Manager for one of the largest mortgage brokers and packagers in the South West where he successfully ran a team of independent advisors. He is a keen photographer, which he combines with his love of travel and cycles regularly to keep fit. In the past he has taught scuba diving in the West Indies and was a competent mono water skier.

Sarah Turnbull is one of our Programme Administrators. She is originally from Coventry and moved to Cornwall in 2010. She has previously worked for the Skills Funding Agency and Learning & Skills Council as a Contract Manager and as a Personnel Officer. Sarah enjoys reading crime and thriller books and enjoys traveling, particularly to the USA. She has been to New York, Florida, New Hampshire and Niagara Falls and hopes to visit some of the more westerly states in the future.

Jan Darby has extensive experience of supporting and advising clients, especially through 1:1 sessions to focus on overcoming individual barriers. She’s a whiz on presenting skills and managing budgets, and also has direct experience of running her own business. Living in Newquay, Jan’s a bit of an adrenalin junkie, and has kayaked down the Zambezi and was capsized by a hippo – thankfully surviving to tell the tale!

Mary Lunnen’s home is near Wadebridge and she has had a varied career including self-employment, life and business coaching, trainer and business adviser, and has helped a wide variety of people with all the challenges that life and business throws up. Mary brings substantial expertise in research, a particularly important area in pre-start planning, when you need to know about your prospects and competition.

Most of Pam Sekulas’s working life has been in Cornwall, and she’s now settled in Hayle. She brings a wealth of experience of advising and guiding clients on overcoming barriers to getting or giving themselves a job. Her first hand experience of running a business, and her skills in PR and marketing, ensure her training sessions are based on what works to raise awareness and reach customers. Pam loves to grow organic veg and loves the countryside, she’s also once got to massage Marti Pellow of Wet Wet Wet!

Based in St Agnes, Spencer Hassell’s career has been entirely in the business world, and he’s a highly skilled sales specialist, the most critical ingredient for business success. His real world know-how of how to reach, engage and convert prospects to customers will become your foresight. Spencer has played a round of golf with Greg Norman, and has been rescued by a Spanish Navy frigate after running out of fuel in his boss’ motorboat!

Richard Gunton set up his first business with help from the Princes Trust & EPL. Since then he has set up and managed three successful business operations, latterly a recruitment consultancy in New Zealand.

Having returned to Plymouth, He worked for Business Link as a business advisor for a short while and am now thrilled to be a part of the YTKO and Outset Cornwall team.

Chris Hassall is passionate about all forms of enterprise and has experience of working with social enterprises, with particular expertise in their legal structures. He is also a qualified funding advisor and has devised workshops across Cornwall to help people develop fledgling business ideas.

In his spare time Chris enjoys developing several engineering products and organised Swansea’s first student union beer festival. He has ventured to many places, including learning to scuba dive in Mozambique but in Cornwall he relaxes by rebuilding classic cars.

Heather Forster is the New Business Coach for Outset Cornwall. Since qualifying as an Environmental Scientist at Plymouth University Heather has spent 21 years in the private sector both in the corporate world and running 2 Body Shop stores and a restaurant in Cornwall. She has done a range of both national and international consultancy work and recently managed the Empowering Smart Women Project! She has worked with numerous small businesses and also runs 2 micro businesses herself! In her spare time (what there is of it….) she is married with twin sons, has two horses, two dogs and is a keen skier!

Josie Purcell is the women’s enterprise co-ordinator for Cornwall Enterprising Women, working with Outset Cornwall to deliver inspiring women-only business support. Former news and business journalist, and a professional photographer, Josie understands the importance of gaining effective assistance when starting or running a business. In her spare time Josie loves photography and is currently establishing a major photographic project, enjoys field archery, festivals, has a love of Morocco and bartering, and has even named a baby South African elephant.

Liz George is the Outset producer. She has over 20 years experience in traditional and new media, working with the BBC, Reuters and CNN as an International Correspondent. Her work has taken her to many news hot-spots and got her into various scrapes along the way – not least managing to loose a colleague in the Moscow healthcare system. She promises to be more careful with her Outset team members.

Chris Wasey is a writer/researcher/cameraman for Outset. A Film graduate of University College Falmouth, he has plied his trade as a freelance writer and film-maker for the last three years, currently acting as Community Publisher for online news site, truropeople.co.uk. He has worked as a Media Lecturer at Truro College, is completing a Masters in Education and recently became a company director for Community Music Cornwall, helping to develop their audio-visual session delivery. Dislikes: Truro parking charges, wet sand and unalphabetised DVD collections. Likes: video games, all kinds of cinema and being within walking distance of Starbucks coffee.

James Hartill is the new media / video specialist who joined the Outset team in June 2011. He studied at Leeds University and then completed an MA at University College Falmouth before working in motion graphics and design both in France and the UK. He likes surfing, skiing and reading books; he dislikes seagulls, mizzle (the combination of mist and drizzle) and writing in the third person.

Darren Shilson is our Web guru tasked with the day to day running of our website. He has amassed over 12 years experience in and around Internet technologies working for large Telecoms, B2B and Retail companies in the UK. Darren loves all things photography, a scar from a Squirrel bite proves that love.