The Future of our Region: Employer Conference

Gareth Ireland is the General Manager of Doubletree by Hilton, Cadbury House Hotel. He joined the hotel in October 2023, bringing with him nearly two decades of experience gained in various roles with his previous employer.

Gareth’s primary focus is ensuring exceptional guest experiences by fostering a well-trained, motivated team and embracing feedback to continually improve. He emphasizes recruiting the right talent and creating a supportive, inclusive environment where everyone’s ideas are valued.

In addition to overseeing daily operations, Gareth prioritises strategic business development, working to drive sales, enhance profitability, and establish long-term growth plans.
Passionate about mentoring and development, Gareth strives to support his team as others have supported him, fostering both individual growth and collective success.

Emily Merrison is the Public Affairs Manager for Airbus, where she works to promote and protect the company’s interests, focusing on government engagement at regional and national levels. With over 20 years of experience at Airbus, Emily transitioned to Public Affairs in May 2023 after serving as Head of Early Careers, where she oversaw apprenticeship, graduate, and internship programmes at the Filton site.

In her current role, Emily represents Airbus with external stakeholders and collaborates with the supply chain to position the South West as a leading hub for aerospace and advanced manufacturing in the UK. She is dedicated to championing the aerospace sector by highlighting its contributions to economic growth, skills development, and innovation.

Emily’s extensive experience and passion for fostering industry growth make her a key advocate for the sector and its pivotal role in driving the regional and national economy.

Lisa Haines is the Founder and Director of Occuteach Ltd, a training organisation established in 2023 that empowers learners in health and social care, business administration, childcare, and mandatory training. With over a decade of experience in education, Lisa is dedicated to providing high-quality training and professional development programmes.

Lisa’s mission is to create pathways for all individuals to succeed, regardless of their background, and to positively impact the workforce and community by equipping people with the skills they need.

She is passionate about expanding access to education, supporting career growth, and empowering individuals and communities. Through Occuteach Ltd, Lisa aims to positively impact the workforce and foster lifelong learning and development.

Nick Venn is the Training Manager at The Bristol Port Company, where he has dedicated 30 years of his career. Starting as an apprentice, Nick has been part of the Safety & Training department for 17 years and now oversees all internal and external training for employees, as well as the Port’s apprenticeship schemes.

Nick’s mission is to ensure the Port’s training department delivers impactful programmes focused on safety, skill development, and operational excellence. His approach emphasizes six key objectives: teaching essential skills and safety knowledge, fostering future best practices, creating safe working environments, ensuring compliance with statutory duties, improving productivity and cost efficiency through training, and instilling confidence and competence in the workforce.

With his extensive experience and commitment to high training standards, Nick plays a pivotal role in shaping a safe, efficient, and skilled workforce at The Bristol Port Company.

Lesley Riney is the HR Manager and Recruitment Lead at North Somerset Council, where she has been instrumental in shaping the council’s recruitment efforts since December 2022.

Leading a newly established team, Lesley collaborates with managers to fill roles, designs recruitment campaigns, and works to enhance the council’s reputation as an employer. Her role spans a wide array of responsibilities, from addressing hard-to-fill positions in social work and engineering to supporting work experience, traineeship, and internship programmes alongside the Apprenticeship Co-ordinator and Economy Team.

With 25 years of experience in generalist HR roles, including two decades at Weston College where she advanced from HR Assistant to Acting Head of HR, Lesley brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Her focus on community engagement and innovative recruitment strategies underscores her commitment to attracting top talent and supporting the diverse work and projects across North Somerset Council.