Board of Directors
Prof. Chris Mullard, CBE
Chairman/CEO
Since the 1960s, Chris's career has developed along three interconnected pathways — community and international ‘social’ politics, academia, and worldwide consultancy work. He has advised many UK and European governments and agencies (including Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Finland and Germany), as well as international organisations such as OECD, UNESCO, UNDP and WCC, on a wide range of issues. His role as Chair/CEO of Focus Consultancy Ltd has enabled him to utilise to the full his high-level experience of management strategy and policy conceptualisation; his extensive knowledge of how best to implement organisational change in big corporations; his academic and analytical skills of evaluation; and his sheer entrepreneurial and motivational flair. Formerly Professor of Education and Ethnic Studies at the University of Amsterdam as well as Visiting Professor at the University of London, Chris has also published extensively. He is also Chair of the Bernie Grant Trust, Independent Chair of London Notting Hill Carnival Ltd and a Fellow of the RSA.
Mike Madelaine Elmont
Executive Director (Corporate Resources)
Co-founder and Executive Board Director of Focus Consultancy, Mike is a highly experienced senior strategist, as well as a successful entrepreneur. She has extensive experience in conceptualising and implementing large-scale public and private sector projects in the areas of learning & development, social policy, change management and diversity. In 2002, Mike was awarded the European Award by the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners for her contribution to entrepreneurship amongst ethnic minority women, for which she was also commended by the Secretary of State for the Department of Trade & Industry.
Martin Bennett
Executive Director (Finance & Administration) and Company Secretary
Martin has been fully involved in the financial control of all Focus's major projects in the UK and abroad since 1995. He has over 25 years' professional experience dealing with a wide range of domestic and international banking products, including management of a varied portfolio of SME customers. While working for one of the world's largest international banking groups, he was responsible for treasury management, company financial reviews, business development planning, investments and credit control. Since joining Focus he has managed UK government contract budgets with values of £2m per annum and European Commission projects of over €3m.
Alan Murray
Non-Executive Director
Since 1988, Alan has established an extensive portfolio for Focus in the fields of education, health, and economic and social regeneration. A former senior civil servant with in-depth experience of the socio-economic context of Russia, Eastern Europe and the EU, Alan's main contribution to the Board lies in the field of strategic development work in Europe and beyond, with special reference to international agencies and the development of consortia-driven projects. He has managed the design and delivery of access programmes in education since 1978 and has also pioneered courses and change management programmes for education and public authorities. In 2003 he was appointed National Adviser in Further Education to the Church of England.
Lord Herman Ouseley
Non-Executive Director
Formerly Executive Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality (1993-2000), Herman is renowned for his championship of equality issues and his wide-ranging knowledge of the field. Before joining the CRE, he spent 30 years in local government, becoming Director of Education and Chief Executive of the Inner London Education Authority until its demise, and then in 1990 Chief Executive of the London Borough of Lambeth. Knighted in 1997 and ennobled in 2001 for services to the community, he has a superlative track-record as a trail-blazer and mould-breaker in the fields of diversity, equality and organisational change. He is involved with a wide range of charitable and voluntary organisations and has been Chairman of the Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity at Bradford University; Kick It Out Ltd (the campaign to kick racism out of football); PRESET Education and Training Trust; the Prince's Trust Ethnic Minorities Advisory Committee; and the Caribbean Advisory Group for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is currently also President of the Local Government Association.
