Laura is an experienced planning communications and public affairs specialist having worked in the built environment industry for over 15 years’. Leading our team across the South, Laura has experience across numerous sectors including infrastructure, retail, retirement and property working with clients such as McDonald’s, Southampton Airport, AGS Group, McCarthy & Stone and Lovell.

Brian is the Chair of Solent Freeport.

He has recently retired from BAE Systems Maritime, where he was Business Development Director.

He brings a wealth of private sector experience to his role, with over 30 years’ in the Marine and Maritime sector at organisations such as Thales, Marconi and the aforementioned BAE Systems. Brian is on the Board of the Society of Maritime Industries and Maritime UK and previously chair of the Solent LEP

Sarah is a member of the corporate team at Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council and leads on the investment and sustainable growth agenda for the borough, oversees a large commercial investment portfolio and is responsible for the delivery of major projects.

Experienced in place making and regeneration underpinned by a solid foundation of land and property skills gained over 25+ years of working in a Local Authority environment, Sarah’s work focuses on enabling delivery, working closely with public and private sector partners. Sarah is experienced in setting up and operating joint ventures and commercial trading entities.

Sarah remains committed to raising the profile, maximising opportunities and driving forward the Council’s ambition for regeneration across the borough.

Chris is Chief Executive of Kingsbridge, a privately owned property company developing exceptional spaces for work, life and leisure across the South.

The experienced, award-winning team collaborates with like-minded partners to create outstanding schemes with a focus on responsibility, sustainability and community.

Chris has almost 30 years’ experience in commercial property. He has been leading Kingsbridge for the last 8 years, prior to which he was a fund manager at LaSalle Investment Management, responsible for over £3bn of assets across sectors and throughout the UK.

Gavin has worked at Savills since 2003, moving across from Southampton City Council, where he had worked in the Regeneration and Design team after graduating from Cardiff University in 1999.  At Southampton City Council, Gavin worked in an inward investment team assisting deliver regeneration schemes for the city.

Gavin specialises in complex mixed-use regeneration across the country, especially waterfront and infrastructure projects for both public and private sector clients and is driven to enable deliverable and viable consents that add value to the built environment and to people’s own surroundings.

As well as his roles at Savills, Gavin was elected to Chair of the Planning and Transport Committee of the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in summer 2022, is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Business South and chairs their Regenerate South Action Group and sits on the Southampton Renaissance Board.

Gavin was elected a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2002, has been an RTPI APC Assessor and is the outgoing national RTPI Graduate Pathway Leader for Savills overseeing recruitment and  career progression for Savills planning graduates across the country.

Jeremy Greaves has been at Airbus for more than 20 years in a number of diverse international and UK leadership roles including: Vice President, UK and International Communications & PR; Vice President, UK Corporate Affairs & Strategy and currently as Head of Strategic Engagement & Heritage for Airbus Defence and Space UK. He is also the Airbus UK Key Account Manager for NATO, EU and AUKUS.

In Q4 of 2025 Jeremy was appointed UK Deputy Head of Delegation to the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG). The NIAG is composed of senior industry representatives who provide defence industrial expertise and strategic insights to NATO. It serves as the voice of UK industry into NATO, helping form positions on industrial policy, technology, and capabilities while fostering collaboration.

He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS 2018) and has recently stepped down as an Honorary Captain, Royal Naval Reserve, after 13 years. In the distant past Jeremy completed a short career commission in the Royal Navy and then spent a further 15 years in the Royal Naval Reserve before being made one of the few Honorary naval officers.

Cllr Paul Harvey has been Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council since May 2023, leading a collective of councillors.

His specific Cabinet responsibilities, as portfolio holder, include economic development and inward investment. He has had a long-term interest in economic development during his two decades at the council. He believes that the small business community is the bedrock of the borough’s economy and large companies are a critical part of its success but that its future also rests on incubating, innovating and unlocking entrepreneurial talent.

The Cabinet is focusing on a thriving economy for the borough and it being a place that has jobs, skills, opportunities, infrastructure and services that its communities need, and Paul is keen to bring a university to the borough.

Paul previously served as Leader for the 2005 to 2006 council year, before that as a Cabinet member, responsible for economic development, between September 2002 and 2005.

Regional and national bodies that Paul sits on include the executive of the District Councils’ Network, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Government Association and the Executive of South East England Councils

Paul is deeply involved in his local community being a school governor and trustee of a community centre, both roles he has held for over decade.

Born and bred in Portsmouth, Cllr Steve Pitt was first elected as a councillor in 2016 and is the Leader of Portsmouth City Council with cabinet responsibilities for Culture, Regeneration and Economic Development in addition to Portsmouth International Port.

Steve has been involved in organising cultural events across the city for over 20 years as well as working in theatre and the music industry. He is a champion of culture’s ability to drive regeneration and positively change lives.

He is on the regional council for Arts Council South-West and is a trustee of Portsmouth Historic Quarter Trust. Steve is a Board Member of the Solent Freeport and is Chair of the Solent Growth Partnership (run in conjunction with IOW and Southampton), the successor to the Solent LEP. He is one of the council leaders involved in the setting up of a combined authority for Hampshire and The Solent.

Leigh-Sara Timberlake is the dynamic Group CEO at Business South. She has been a key player in the organisation since 2008 and took the helm in 2020.

Leigh is passionate about advocating for the Central South region on a national and global stage. Her energy and conviction have seen the organisation grow to the one we see today and she proudly leads a small but perfectly formed team that shares her vision for the Central South.

Business South is an independent and influential organisation operating in Central South UK as a non-partisan business engagement organisation. It connects leading employers to promote the area and champion the economy in the region.

Business South’s vision is for the region to be recognised nationally and internationally, as a preferred location of choice, able to attract and retain talent, driving increased opportunities for investment, good growth and business.

Jane leads Portsmouth Economic Development work for Portsmouth City Council, covering a range of business focused solutions including inward investment, direct business support, provision of enterprise centres, Place and Markets, supported employment programmes and skills.  Her portfolio includes project based funded work, including the Solent Growth Hub and Bootcamps providing a regional business support service.

Following a career in business support, consultancy, education and training Jane moved into local government in 2019, bringing extensive partnership and quality assurance experience to the growth challenges of the area.  This experience ensures she is passionate about vocational learning and apprenticeships and their role in business growth to ensure regional prosperity.

Jane is Co Chair of CEDOS (Chief Economic Development Officers) a membership organisation for senior public sector professionals focused on local economic development, strategy, and policy, and a non Executive Director for Shaping Portsmouth ( a partnership-driven organisation dedicated to making the city a premier, vibrant waterfront location to live, work, learn, and invest)