Peter joined the Whitehall & Industry Group as Chief Executive in April 2015.

Peter was Director General, Policy Delivery, at DEFRA until March 2015. Peter joined DEFRA in February 2007, having previously been Director General for Corporate Delivery in the Department for Communities and Local Government. Peter first joined the Civil Service as a statistician and held posts in the Inland Revenue, Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence before joining the Department of Environment in 1983. He transferred to policy work and held various posts in local government, finance and urban policy before working on the environment and climate change, leading the official delegation to the 1997 Kyoto Conference. He was the Deputy Prime Minister’s Private Secretary from 1998 to 2001.

Peter read Maths at Cambridge. He is married with three children and lives in Chislehurst. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, watching sport (supporting Liverpool), hill walking, Italy, food and wine.

Fiona is Deputy Chief Executive of WIG, so gets involved in all sorts of things to do with helping to run WIG. She also specifically leads on new business development ensuring that WIG has a well-balanced membership comprising top FTSE companies, government bodies and, more recently, charities including universities.

Her private sector background was marketing and management in the FMCG and leisure industries (bacon products and toys to be precise!). A career change sparked off by working in Romania, took her into the world of international relief and development, first with VSO and then as Executive Director of the UK charitable affiliate of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Fiona stays connected with both those worlds through a couple of board roles - one in manufacturing (Brandauer) and one in international humanitarian relief (Medair UK).

An ever expanding family of step-grandchildren and great nieces and nephews, plus a love of mountains, movies and meals with friends keep her smiling! 

Samira manages WIG’s relationship with the Charity Sector and is the Director of Charity Next. Charity Next, established by The Prince's Charities Foundation, is an initiative to improve understanding between the sectors through Secondments. The scheme, managed by WIG, gives leaders and future leaders in the private and public sectors the opportunity to contribute their skills and enthusiasm to key posts in the voluntary sector, in order to facilitate an exchange of expertise, build greater mutual understanding and encourage closer working. Samira also manages WIG’s wider secondments offer across all sectors. 

Prior to joining WIG in 2015, Samira was working on the Tower of London Remembers Poppy Project as Project Manager. She lead the installation of all 888,246 ceramic poppies in November 2014 by recruiting 33,000 volunteers to assist with the installation. Samira stems from a background within the Cultural and Heritage sector and has previously held roles within the Royal Household, The Museum of London Group and Historic Royal Palace Enterprises Ltd.

She graduated from City University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology. She is a freelance professional makeup artist and dedicates her time outside of WIG on editorial makeup shoots.

Barney joined WIG in November 2013 as Company Secretary and Financial Controller. He is responsible for ensuring compliance with all regulatory matters, overseeing the finance department and producing financial accounts for the Board. He also keeps the Trustees up to date with changes in regulations and guidance from the Charity Commission.

In addition to his role with WIG one day a week, Barney also holds a number of board positions with other companies, in the roles of CEO, Finance Director and Chairman. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Chartered Director, Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and spending a number of years in practice, Barney moved into commerce, and was Group Finance Director for Telehouse International Corporation of Europe Limited for 17 years, assisting in the growth of their international data centre business.

Outside work, Barney is treasurer for a number of small charitable organisations and enjoys sailing and golf.

Hannah is Leadership Programmes Executive and manages the Alumni and Graduate Networks. She would be happy to discuss any of our leadership programmes with you and help you get the best from what's on offer. 

Before joining us, Hannah worked at OneVoice, a two state solution grassroot movement, and the Israeli embassy in London.

Outside of WIG, she volunteers with the Irish Pensioners Project visiting Betty once a week.

Loic is Head of Events and oversees the planning and content of WIG’s extensive events calendar. Loic manages WIG’s Health, Digital & Technology, and Financial Services networks. 

He joined WIG in September 2015 and has over 14 years’ events experience, across exhibitions, professional development and conferences. Loic recently returned from Australia where, over 11 years, he led events for Informa Australia, the Australasian Railway Association, the Financial Services Institute of Australia (FINSIA) and the Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising (ADMA). 

Previously a Lecturer and Visiting Research Fellow at King’s College London,  Helen is fascinated by how we understand age and identity, especially relating to the career.

Helen is an experienced Executive Coach with a particular interest in professional identity, the lifecycle and change.   She is currently completing the Ashridge Business School programme Coaching for Organization Consultants.

Prior to joining WIG as Head of Talent in 2015, Helen ran the Public Sector and Education practice at an international headhunting company. She advised on many high profile appointments including Heads of Oxford Colleges, Council Members of Russell Group Universities, and various public and private sector Non-Executive Directorships. Her recruiting and advisory experience goes back to 2000.

Previously she lectured in History at King’s College London, where she undertook her doctoral and post-doctoral studies. She has degrees from Cambridge University, The Courtauld Institute, and King’s College London. Her charitable activities are in education and mentoring.

Helen is delighted to hear from any of our WIG Members about how we can help nurture the talent in your organisation, and from individuals looking for career advice and direction.

Lorna is the dedicated support for the Talent Team, helping to co-ordinate the Charity Next programme as well as our Recruitment and Mentoring services.  

She is the Lead for Talent Insights: a scheme that allows 3-5 days to be spent in another sector, shadowing a peer or learning how another organisation tackles particular challenges.  As such she identifies the ideal host for candidates seeking a short insight into another sector.  

Lorna is passionate about Inclusion and Diversity, and is advising on the WIG D&I Network programme of events this year.  

She graduated in 2016 from the University of Greenwich, having read History and Politics.  

Sarah is PA to the Chief Executive. Her main role is to run his day-to-day diary and ensure he is fully prepared for meetings.

She has been an experienced PA for nearly 20 years and before she joined WIG, Sarah worked for various private sector organisations.

Outside of WIG, she is a member of a running club, and also does voluntary work at her local cricket club. Other passions include cooking, spending time with friends and her cat.

Frederic is WIG’s Events Assistant supporting the planning and delivery of WIG events.

Frederic has a real interest in international affairs having undertaken a BA at Reading University and MSc at the University of Surrey in International Relations. Upon graduating, Frederic spent six months in Melbourne, Australia working for an NGO. He then went on to work for a London-based think tank focusing on Middle Eastern politics.

In his free time, he enjoys skiing, tennis and travelling.

Roy manages our Future Leaders Programme, which is designed to boost early leadership potential. He also runs WIG’s one day ‘Organisational Raids’ programme, providing him with invaluable expertise in structuring programmes and teams to make the most of cross-sector learning opportunities.

Before joining us Roy worked for IBM as a technical specialist, managed Industrial Trainees and recruited for IBM’s graduate development programme.

He volunteers for Cyber Champions and supports its mission to help school children stay safe online.

Catherine (Spudd) looks after the day-to-day running of the WIG office and its resources including accounts, payroll and the HR administration. 

Prior to joining WIG she worked for a major construction company and spent several years before that working with several film related organisations.

Originally from New Zealand, she has travelled extensively. 

Lorraine manages our executive development portfolio, which includes our WIG leadership programmes, development seminars, in-house programmes, organisational raids and coaching.  She is passionate about leadership development and creating challenging and innovative development interventions which stimulate, stretch and nurture participants in unlocking their leadership potential.  She is a champion of cross sector learning, and believes to be truly effective, leaders at all levels benefit hugely from seeking out different perspectives and building relationships beyond ones primary industry.

Lorraine has worked in the public, private and third sectors, predominantly within health and social care in senior management and leadership development roles.  She currently holds a part time senior lecturer position with the University of Birmingham facilitating the NHS Leadership Academy Elizabeth Garrett Anderson leadership programme.

Francesca is WIG’s Event Producer, managing content for our networks including Technology & Media, Health & Social, Energy & Climate Change and Transport & Infrastructure events, as well as our technical visits and conferences offerings.

Prior to joining WIG Francesca worked in international conference production, research, marketing and event management across a range of sectors including public policy, life sciences, and professional development for the legal sector. She has a degree in History from the University of Bristol.

Nevena joined WIG’s events team as Events & Marketing Manager in 2013, since she has moved to the role of Event Delivery Manager. She is responsible for ensuring events have hosts and are managed to the high standards our members expect. She particularly enjoys mangaing the coordinators and executives in the team, providing training and support.

Previously Nevena worked in both the charity and corporate sectors and has extensive experince organising conferences throughout the UK and Europe.

To date Nevena has lived in Belgrade, Glasgow and Vancouver and she has called London home for eight years. A common question she is asked is where her accent is from and the best description of it is transatlantic.

With a background in event organisation, administration and research, Ana will email you about events that may be of interest, as well as chase you for membership renewal! Ana is responsible for supporting the delivery of the events programme and managing the administrative side of the membership.

Her background is mainly in the charity sector, having previously worked in social mobility and in research for non-profits associated with the University of Essex.

As our Digital Marketing Executive, Tugce is managing WIG's digital channels including the website, emails and social media. She also supports and trains WIG staff on digital marketing and ensures our branding and purpose is clear across all marketing activities. 

Prior to joining WIG, Tugce spent 3 years living and working in Canada. She has built her well-rounded expertise in digital marketing, branding & event management in her previous roles with a commercial winery & brewery supplier, as well as the Hilton Group in Germany. 

Tugce holds a Degree in International Management. Outside of WIG she enjoys traveling and photography and writes a travel blog. 

Patrick manages the Non-Executive recruitment process for WIG. He supports our members and non-members to streamline their recruitment campaigns to ensure the right candidate is matched to their requirements specified. He also advises individuals on potential mentoring and secondment opportunities.

Prior to joining WIG, Patrick worked for an international headhunting company, where he led on senior appointments on behalf of Central Government, Educational Institutions, Housing Associations and Charities, in addition to a range of organisations in the Private Sector.

Patrick graduated from Oxford University with a BA Hons in History and Politics. Outside of WIG, Patrick is a founder and Club Secretary of a Sunday League Football team and is also a keen fan of Arsenal Football Club.

Walter is Head of Management Services, overseeing maintenance of the infrastructure that supports WIG’s services, and having responsibility for its management accounting and reporting.

A career banker with RBS for over 34 years, including senior roles in corporate and international banking as well as in marketing and regulatory roles,  Walter has been with WIG since 2003.

A former non-executive director in the housing association sector, Walter spends much of his spare time playing competitive tennis and travelling.

As Events Coordinator, Veronika is responsible for the planning, coordination and execution of our WIG events. 

Veronika, who is originally from Slovakia, discovered her interest in politics and current affairs while studying International Relations at the University of Westminster. Upon graduating, she interned at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in London. In her free time she enjoys skiing, travelling and studying foreign languages.

Catherine is Head of Member Value developing new offers to meet our members' needs such as our regional programme, various series in partnership with like minded organisations and a 'Meet the Author' series. Catherine also manages and chairs our HR  Directors Network, L & D Network, Diversity & Inclusion Network and leads our delivery team for the Commissioning Academy.

Before she joined WIG, Catherine spent a decade as a Civil Servant in the government's marketing agency following an international career in the private sector including Global Marketing Director for Durex and European Marketing Director for Yahoo!

Outside of WIG, she is an advocate for children with special needs and enjoys cooking (and of course the eating).

Tina Vifor is our Head of Marketing, overseeing WIG's brand and digital presence. She is also tasked with ensuring WIG's message and charitable purpose is clear in everything we do. 

Before WIG, she worked for educational not-for-profit AMBA, as well as agency-side with clients from a variety of sectors. She brings with her a wealth of international marketing, branding, content management and digital experience, as well as being well-versed in creative work and media planning & buying.

Tina is a graduate of Warwick University (MA in Design and Communication Management) and also holds an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Journalism & English. She is passionate about good and functional design and volunteers her marketing expertise in supporting a community choir (which she also performs with).