Alastair co-founded Optix Solutions, when he was just 19 at Exeter University. In the last 25 years that company has become one of the leading agencies in the country, employing around 25 people and in 2023 they won Campaign’s best boutique agency to work for, demonstrating their commitment to creating an amazing culture in the business. 

Alastair keynotes at digital and marketing conferences across Europe. From topics as broad as ‘Digital Trends’, to more niche areas such as ‘Generative AI within Marketing’, he’s a regular on the speaking circuit. 
He also runs his own consultancy firm with his wife Lizz where he works with organisations all over the world in the area of “Personal Branding”.

He has a regular guest lecture slot at the Entrepreneurship Summer School, part of London Business School’s MBA program.  Alastair also runs a membership community for Marketing Leaders where he keeps the group up to date with the latest trends and tools in the digital space. 

He lives in Exeter with his wife Lizz, two young children Oscar and Alexa, his dog Freddie and cat Wilbur. He's a fanatical skier and supports West Ham as well as The Exeter Chiefs. You can find Alastair on almost every social media site and he’s always ready to lend a hand or give some advice so make sure you reach out and connect.

Andy has over 15 years experience in hospitality, firstly as owner of a country house hotel, restaurant and wedding venue in North Wales, then downsizing to a bed and breakfast in Torquay nine years ago.   The 25 Boutique B&B won countless awards, including twice being ranked “Best B&B in the World” with TripAdvisor, and named Visit England’s “B&B of the Year”. 

He sites world-class customer service as one of the secrets to delivering a guest experience which ensures excellence each and every time resulting in high numbers of repeat guests.  Andy also now runs a training and consultancy business.

Thomas is the head of the Intellectual Property, Data Protection and Technology team at Stephens Scown. Acting for a wide range of hospitality businesses from boutique hotels to multinational agencies, Thomas and his team have seen the adoption and deployment of disruptive technologies change the way the public interact with businesses from bookings to complaints, pricing to marketing.

Thomas is a regular public speaker and has delivered guest lectures at the Universities of Exeter, Falmouth and Bournemouth.

Outside of work, Thomas is a non-executive director of Food Drink Devon, a not-for-profit organisation set up to help quality food and drink producers based in Devon.

Kate is the Joint Chief Executive of Cosmic, one of the leading social enterprises in the South West and recognised across the UK for its achievements and ongoing development. Kate is a girl geek having spent 20 years in the IT industry, many of which running a wholly female owned IT software business.

Kate specialises in Digital Futures and the strategic use of Digital to transform business processes. She works with many public sector organisations such as FE Colleges, Local Authorities & the NHS and is passionate about ensuring organisations use digital technology to improve productivity and thrive, particularly in the rural economy.
Kate regularly delivers lectures across the UK and internationally on Digital Transformation.

Kate is a steering group member of the South West Infrastructure Panel, Tech South West. She is a Governor and Board Member at Marjon University and South Devon College. Her previous career in Civil Engineering enabled her to work extensively in both the UK and overseas.

Kate has been shortlisted for the national Women in IT awards, IT Advocate of the Year, and received awards from Tech4Good, Social Enterprise UK and Venus awards. She has been listed on the WISE 100 2022 Index as Social Leader of the Year.

Mark is a leading hospitality digital marketing expert specialising in Search Engine Optimisation and paid channels. He has experience working across numerous hospitality businesses, helping them to achieve excellent rankings in Google. As marketing manager for Clockwork Marketing, he is responsible for communicating the benefits of marketing for hospitality organisations and has insight into the leading trends and marketing practices for businesses of the future.

Mark leads regular online learning group calls and community discussions to give hospitality business owners and managers confidence and knowledge to do the right marketing at the right time.

Alistair Handyside owns Higher Wiscombe Holiday Cottages with his wife Lorna. The business is rated at Five Star Gold and has won numerous Green awards. Higher Wiscombe is one of a small handful of tourism businesses to have won two Visit England National Gold Awards, for best Holiday Cottages and best Dog Friendly Business. Prior to establishing Higher Wiscombe in 2005, Alistair was a senior executive in IT for twenty-five years.

In 2017 Alistair set up PASC UK (Professional Association of Self-Caterers UK), which focusses on a fairer regulation and taxation regime for the sector. This is now the largest Membership Association representing the sector in England and Wales and leads the sector in the drive for all paid accommodation to be safe and legal. PASC UK has secured reductions in business rates for the sector, supported the self-catering sector through the changes to Fire Regs and successfully led action groups against insurers in Covid, whilst gaining a voice for the sector in Government.

Alistair is also active in lobbying for support for the wider tourism sector, he is a Director at the national Tourism Alliance, a Director of the Wales Tourism Alliance, is Chair of the SW Tourism Alliance, Chair of the East Devon National Landscape and held previous roles as Chair of Premier Cottages and Chair of the South West Coast Path. He was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to tourism in 2018.

Wendy is the CEO and co-founder of Anytime Booking, an online booking management software supporting the outdoor holiday market. Founded in 2011, Anytime now supports hundreds of campsites, holiday parks, glamping sites, motorhome hire businesses and holiday let agencies all around the UK. Its multi-accommodation focus is one of Anytime’s key differentiators in this market, along with a high reputation for having fast and quality support.

Before her life in booking software, Wendy worked for the NHS as a lab technician. She is also an ongoing member of the board for South Kerrier Alliance CIC, concentrating on business and tourism

Aaron is the Business Sales Manager for Wildanet, who are a South West multi award-winning internet service and business connectivity provider, and one of the region’s fastest growing businesses. Aaron has 12 years’ experience in hospitality, working with renowned chefs such as Michael Caines MBE as well as the management of cocktail bars and restaurants, before transferring his skillset over to supporting businesses across a wide range of sectors where he has seen continued success for the past 14 years.

Aaron now manages the Business Team at Wildanet, providing digital connectivity solutions for businesses predominantly in the tourism industry, among others. Aaron and his team specialise in providing cost effective, robust and reliable WiFi and connectivity solutions for holiday parks, caravan sites, campsites, holiday cottages and everything in between, as well as working with businesses to provide solutions to enhance guest experiences and adding value to the business.

Amanda is Chief Executive of Destination Plymouth. She has a wealth of experience in tourism from leading UK national attractions such as Chester Zoo and Leeds Castle, to regional tourism partnerships Visit Essex, Visit Kent and most recently Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City where she was involved in the Mayflower 400 programme for over 9 years.

As well as being the voice of the city’s visitor economy, she leads on the city’s brand strategy, Visitor Plan, marketing and digital strategy, events, major development projects, public space and place making.

Amanda is Past President, a Director and a Fellow of the Tourism Management Institute, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and Co-Chair of the Great South West Tourism Partnership.

Andy is the CEO and co-founder of Touch Stay, creators of digital guidebooks. Designed to help accommodation operators communicate more efficiently with their guests, Touch Stay reduces guest questions, saves time and creates economies of scale for businesses of all sizes. Prior to Touch Stay, Andy held C-level positions at brands including Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Victoria Beckham. 

Mica has over a decade of experience in the tourism and hospitality industries in the USA and UK, and is the Business Development Manager for The Burnt Chef Project.  Launched in May 2019, The Burnt Chef Project was setup with the sole intention of eradicating mental health stigma within hospitality.  Now a globally recognised, not-for-profit social enterprise, the project has delivered training and vital resources to thousands of hospitality professsionals in over 78 countries.  By providing these services, the project is continuing to challenge the stigma of mental health whilst beginning to create a culture of care and compassion with employee wellbeing at the forefront.

Laura is a Partner in our Employment team who specialises in Employment Law and HR. She advises in matters of restructures, business sale and acquisition, and settlement agreements. Laura is also an honorary solicitor to the Exeter & Heart of Devon Hotels Association.

Steve is a Partner in our Commercial Dispute Resolution team. With over 20 years’ experience in regulatory enforcement and compliance, his expertise covers all aspects of health and safety, environmental, food safety, fire safety, and consumer protection law. Steve advises clients in connection with investigations and prosecutions by the main UK regulators including the Health and Safety Executive, Local Authorities, Environment Agency, Care Quality Commission, and DEFRA, as well as on risk management and corporate governance.

Between Hannah and Eloise, they have over 20 years of insurance experience, mainly spent within the commercial sector with a focus on financial Lines including D&O and Cyber Liability insurance. Their experience working with businesses small and large on the risks that the present climate of litigation can bring is incredibly varied and helping to explain the nuances of technical threats to a wide range of sectors and how to help keep their businesses protected.

Rosie began working in the hotel at the age of 14 and after gaining experience in the USA over the course of 6 years, she assumed the role as a Director of The Marsham Court in 2002 aged just 26.  Now, as Managing Director, she runs the hotel with the help of her 2 Brothers and together they have focused heavily on improving accessibility and inclusivity for both guests and employees.

Over the last 3 years, the family have embarked on several ambitious accessibility projects and to date they are the first hotel in the UK to install a Changing Places Toilet and Shower.  Other improvements include a Sensory Room, 5 accessible rooms with profiling beds and removeable ceiling hoists and wet rooms, an i-swim pool hoist, accessible lift,  a guest laundry and improvements to level outside spaces for wheelchair users.

Rosie is passionate about raising the bar for Accessible Tourism in the UK.

Tom Ross’s first role in the industry was working for Robin Hutson at the Winchester Hotel du Vin. From there he moved to the US to work at the 5-star Fearrington House in North Carolina before moving to the world-renowned French Laundry Restaurant, Napa Valley.  In 2004 Tom returned to the UK and Hotel du Vin Brighton before becoming GM of Hotel du Vin Tunbridge Wells. In 2007 Tom opened Hotel du Vin Cheltenham and in 2010 he became Operations Director of The Old Bank Hotel and the Old Parsonage Hotel, both in Oxford.  2013 saw Tom return to work for Robin Hutson as Hotel Director of THE PIG-near Bath and come 2023 Tom was appointed CEO of THE PIGs.  Tom is an Ambassador and Board Member for Hospitality Action. 

As one of our B Corp™ Champions, Verity is knowledgeable and passionate about helping other businesses build their own purpose and positive impact.

Stephens Scown are leading on positive change within the legal industry, as the first B Corp™ law firm in the South West. Gaining the Certification underlines our long-term commitment to meeting high standards of social and environmental impact and to balancing people, planet, purpose, and profit as part of the B Corp™ Community.

As a Partner in our Employment team, Verity has experience working with businesses across all sectors to proactively improve their HR practices, with a particular emphasis on ethical people management – to create happy and engaged workforces.

As the head of marketing at Clockwork Marketing, Pete’s responsibilities span all Clockwork’s unique clients. This includes overseeing their successes and ensuring every client receives exceptional service, the best marketing tools and creative thinking across all departments and projects.

Pete’s experience covers a variety of marketing roles within various service industries, spanning more than 20 years in both client-sided and agency positions. This includes high-end banks, government agencies, local authorities up and down the country, and numerous 4 and 5 star boutique and resort hotels. He regularly shares his insight with the industry at high-profile events.

Richard Toomer is the Executive Director of The Tourism Alliance, the umbrella trade association for the whole tourism sector. The Alliance has more than 70 member associations which are all trade bodies, membership organisations or Destination Management Organisations. The Alliance’s main roles are to provide a unified voice for the tourism industry to government and parliament, to provide insight and coordination on policy matters to member organisations, and provide a forum for debate and discussion on important policy topics through its events programme.

Richard has been with the Tourism Alliance since 2022. He has previously had roles in communications, public affairs, policy, campaigning, and external relations with the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA). He previously worked as a parliamentary assistant for a Member of Parliament for five years.

Richard has a bachelor’s degree in politics from Durham University and a master’s degree in management from the Durham Business School. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR).

Richard represents the tourism sector on a number of national boards and committees, including the Tourism Industry Council.

Lyndsey Turner Swift, Deputy VisitEngland Director, leads England visitor economy strategy and oversees priority programmes to enable development and growth.  This includes implementing the outcomes of the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Review. The Government established a clear leadership role for VisitEngland in the roll out and support of a new tourism delivery structure which Lyndsey drives forward through the Local Visitor Economy Partnership Programme and the Government funded regional Destination Development Partnership pilots. She also ensures a strong voice for VisitEngland across the regions, and with industry and SMEs, through targeted business and industry support.

Helping tourism to have a positive impact has been the focus of Neil’s career in tourism, focussing on sustainability and accessibility.

He works for Living Options, a disability charity with a strong track record for enabling tourism businesses to become more accessible, managing Countryside Mobility – a Gold winning initiative in the South West Tourism awards – and part of the team delivering their consultancy work taking in training, auditing and the development of accessible visitor resources – a legacy of the Heritage Ability project, which won the National Lottery Awards for its work with over 20 of the region’s leading attractions.

CEO (and Queen of Hugs) Made for Life Organics and Founder of the Made for Life Foundation (charity 1138846)

From the heart of Cornwall, Amanda has pioneered B Corp accredited Made for Life Organics ethical skincare and promoted accessible wellness for all for 20 years.  A former Hotelier and senior tourism Operator with over 40 years’ experience, Amanda and her team have trained over 3000 therapists in spas across the UK to confidently open their doors to people with mental health issues and those going through cancer.  Amanda is a published author, speaker, therapist, Reiki Master, with qualifications in Mindfulness and Shinrin Yoku. She was awarded an Outstanding Achievement by the UKSA for introducing inclusive Cancer Touch Therapy™ across the UK. 

Mark Worden is a digital marketing expert within the tourism industry, having worked with more than 150 award winning accommodation providers, visitor attractions and hospitality businesses from across the UK. He is also trusted by some of the region’s most popular destinations, supporting the likes of Visit Cornwall, Visit Truro, Discover Dartmouth, Visit Exmouth and Visit Exmoor across a broad range of online areas.

Mark set up MiHi Digital on the Devon and Cornwall border a little under 10 years ago, after working for two of the South West’s best known organisations. Since then, the business has generated close to £5 million in enquiries and attracted more than 500 clients.

Mark’s focus within the tourism industry is on increasing bookings, footfall and interest for those within the sector, regularly speaking at events on Google trends, tourism trends, social media and marketing in general.