Monday March 24 2025
Swindon & Wiltshire News
The Institute of Directors has boosted its South West team with the appointment of a quartet of experienced business leaders.
Katherine Piper joins as sustainability ambassador while Peter Doyle has joined as education and skills ambassador.
Alex Chikhani is the region’s new inclusivity and diversity ambassador, and John Rotherford becomes international ambassador.
IoD ambassadors ensure that everything the IoD does places the member first. They enable greater connectivity, create influence and drive professional development opportunities while giving a local voice to the Institute.
Katherine Piper is head of partnerships and sustainability at Future Leap, which helps organisations to accelerate their sustainability journey and progress towards carbon neutrality. She sits on the One City Environment Board and has recently co-published a paper on corporate carbon management.
Peter Doyle is a business digital consultant and has been an IoD member for more than 10 years. He has vast experience of working within business, academia and business support agencies. Peter is a qualified workshop facilitator, business coach and mentor to non-executive directors and trustees, and works alongside higher education establishments on under-graduate and post-graduate initiatives.
Alex Chikhani is an experienced SME director, a trustee of two charities, a chartered fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and an entrepreneur with a military background. He has a Cranfield MBA and enjoys scaling and enabling younger organisations to grow, especially those with a strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) purpose.
International ambassador John Rotherford has 45 years’ experience in international B2B sales and marketing, with a strong network of global business contacts. He is an accomplished director in multinational companies, an engineering graduate and an IoD Fellow.
The quartet will work closely with existing IoD South West Ambassadors: Carrie Stephenson, Luke Menzies, Craig Fearn, Robert Varley, Russell Toms, James Savage, Karen White and Darren Colley.
The appointments follow the arrival of Steve Hill as IoD South West chair in October 2021. The team is supported by senior manager Kerri-Anne Mruk and branch manager Jayne Miller.
Steve Hill said: “Our Ambassadors play a vital, highly valued role in connecting, developing and influencing across the South West. I am delighted to welcome Katherine, Peter, Alex and John to the team. Together we strengthen local connectivity with members and give a local voice and presence in the region – helping each other to grow and succeed.”
The IoD South West team is embarking on a regional tour of universities, hubs and businesses in the New Year.
IoD South West is based at the University of the West of England in Bristol. The region’s branch structure aligns with its world-class universities to ensure it fulfils its commitment to deliver ‘Tomorrow’s Director’.
Pictured: Clockwise from left, Institute of Directors ambassadors Katherine Piper, Peter Doyle, Alex Chikhani, and John Rotherford
