Industrial Cadets Awards 2018 - Judges

Matt Pullen

UK & Ireland Managing Director, Decorative Paints, AkzoNobel 

Matt Pullen joined AkzoNobel in October 2010 and is now Managing Director for AkzoNobel’s UK & Ireland decorative paints business and UK Country Director, responsible for all of the company’s corporate communications and public affairs in the UK.

Under Matt’s leadership, the UK & Ireland business has strengthened its brands and market leading position whilst managing the business through significant internal change and a fast changing competitive and customer landscape. During his time as Managing Director he has been leading a strategic business transformation from a traditional product to a Customer Experience service led business. Key to this has been the creation and development of a high calibre and empowered leadership team. Matt is passionate about inspiring engaged teams, growing talent and ensuring there is strong succession.

Matt joined AkzoNobel from Bernard Matthews Ltd, a family owned business. This proved to be a formative career experience following a series of corporate and brand reputational crisis, including most critically the discovery of H5N1 avian flu on one its Norfolk farms. Matt was instrumental in the business turnaround. In his early career Matt developed a strong pedigree in the FMCG environment in a variety of Sales, Category and Marketing roles with; RHM (now Premier Foods, Kraft Foods and Johnson & Johnson healthcare. A year in the Army with the Royal Artillery between school and university instilled a rich discipline and results focus. Matt graduated from the University of Southampton in 1991 with a BSc degree in Geography.

Matt was appointed Non-Executive Director for the National Governing Body England Squash in 2016 and is an Ambassador for Industrial Cadets.

Paul Broadhead

Head of Community Investment & Education Outreach, Rolls-Royce 

Now in my 31st year at Rolls-Royce currently head up Community Investment & Education Outreach for the group.  Have held a variety of roles including the design of turbine discs, developing global supply chains, implementing ERP systems, leading operational teams in some of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world and, building & launching the first ever Trent engine assembly & test facility in Asia (where I was fortunate enough to live and work out of Singapore).  I began my working career at 16 with an apprenticeship and was then first in his family to attend university gaining a BSc (Hons) Engineering and subsequently a MSc in Manufacturing Systems Engineering at Warwick University sponsored by Rolls-Royce. 

I now lead Roll-Royce’s efforts around the world to engage our employees passion and capability in their communities and to excite and inspire future talent to pursue STEM careers.  It’s my job to ensure Rolls-Royce reach 6 million people through their STEM education programmes & activities by 2020 and to reflect Rolls-Royce’s commitment to STEM education, wider diversity and inclusion. That is why we are absolutely committed to the Industrial Cadet programme. 

Tim Smith 

Chief Operating Officer, GFG Foundation

Tim is currently establishing a new charity called the GFG Foundation which is funded by the industrialist and entrepreneur Sanjeev Gupta. The Foundation will focus on the development of STEM skills among young people and the unemployed to help them reach their potential and provide them with a pathway into employment. The work of the Foundation will be delivered through partner organisations that have mutual interests in the development of sustainable employment, industries and communities. The Foundation will concentrate in its first few years on the closing of skills gaps within the engineering, metals and renewable energy sectors in the UK. The first partner of the Foundation is the Engineering Development Trust with which it is now delivering the Industrial Cadets programme to approximately 1300 young people. 

Tim’s previous role was with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, firstly within the UK where he managed national partnerships including the secure estate, and then internationally as global Head of Operations.  Prior to this, Tim had a 20 year Army career and remains in the Army Reserve. 

Wanda Preston 

HR Director, Unipart Manufacturing Group 

Following graduating, Wanda worked for fourteen years for an Oil and Gas Manufacturing Company, where she progressed to the position of HR Manager – Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Wanda joined Unipart in 2011 and in her current role is responsible for the HR strategy and HR activities for Unipart Manufacturing Group (UMG). Part of the role is to develop and implement UMG’s CSR strategy to encourage young people into ‘STEM’ activities with a particular focus on the automotive industry.

UMG have been a strong supporter of a number of manufacturing and engineering schemes including; Apprenticeship Schemes, Engineering Education Scheme, Work Experience placements, Year in Industry placements, F1 Student experience and Nuffield Bursary. Wanda was also part of the project team that set up a partnership with Coventry University to establish a faculty of engineering on the Unipart site, which links academia with UMG and the wider Unipart Group.