Sue Tilley Associates

Testimonials

[Pictures Copyrighted to Beth Walsh]<br />
Celebrating Success- Business Gateway Growth Hub

“Throughout the years, I’ve had the honour of collaborating with remarkable business leaders, whose generous testimonials reflect the impact of our work together.”

Dr Nik Kotecha, OBE DL
Chair, Entrepreneur & Influencer

I’m delighted to learn that Sue Tilley has taken the step into consultancy, and that the vast knowledge of our region that she’s gained over many years will be able to continue to benefit organisations looking to grow and develop.

Sue has unique and extensive expertise as a strategic business development advisor, alongside a deep understanding of practical and strategic aspects of economic development, innovation and organisational governance. With first-hand experience, she understands the pivotal contributions that can be made by a strong Board and is well placed to help guide and enable organisations looking to grow and strengthen their own Boards, as they accelerate their businesses or perhaps make step changes into new markets or service offers. I have first-hand experience of Sue’s support in this way, on Boards I have led, and her guidance is invaluable.

Sue has also worked at the sharp end of inward investment over many years and understands the linked relationships between successfully securing investment for the region, entrepreneurship and innovation to support business growth and wider economic impact. She’s been the catalyst for many major projects and business initiatives – often taking the role of trusted counsel, contributing as a partner in long-term relationships with academia, local government and industry across many sectors. I’ll watch with interest as Sue grows her own business, and uses her wealth of skills and extensive networks to support others to achieve their strategic business goals.

Photo of 1284 George Oliver at the Leicester Innovation Hub

George Oliver, 1284 Communications
MD | Chair | NED | EiR | Journalist

Sue knows everything and everyone when it comes to SMEs and innovation in Leicester and Leicestershire.

As well as being networked and genuinely interested, Sue has experienced it all herself through leadership roles in both the private and public sectors.

If you’re growing a business then Sue will know what, where, and how to support you in reaching your goal.

Anne Ford, MD
PGM Reball Ltd – Manufacturer of ballscrews for Aerospace, Defence and Space

Sue’s breadth and depth of knowledge of many business sectors and of the East Midlands in particular is impressive.

She has been real advocate for the East Midlands region and has championed a number of initiatives including innovation and women in business.

Experienced at speaking to government departments and gathering support to lobby on behalf of the region she is great at making connections and supporting and nurturing talent.

All my interactions with Sue have been extremely professional and enjoyable.

[Pictures copyrighted to Beth Walsh Photography- www.bethwalsh.co.uk] Sue Tilley Photoshoot August 2024

Dr George Gillespie OBE, President, Horiba Energy & Environment

I have known Sue for 15 years and we worked closely together as the joint chairs of the LLEP Business Board. What differentiates Sue is her unbridled passion for helping businesses, especially SMEs, allied to her deep knowledge of the Midlands’ business ecosystem and her personal career experience. This enables her to quickly spot the opportunities for collaboration, or external funding or business growth.

Her personal career experience ranges from being an entrepreneur owner manager of an SME, to successfully exiting that business as well as working for large corporations. Sue understands the different challenges facing these businesses. She brings a pragmatic and outcome-oriented mindset that is focused on getting to the result as efficiently as possible.

Becky Lodge, Director, Little Kanga

TechRound’s Woman in Tech to Watch | Computer Weekly Top 100 UK | Founder of StartUp Disruptors – the largest B2B data & research driven online entrepreneurship education community.

Sue was an inspiration to me early on in my career. Showing with her own entrepreneurial journey as a female founder in the very competitive ‘rag trade’ in Leicester that breaking the glass ceiling was possible.

As a Leicester born and Leicestershire bred woman that grew up and later attended The Manchester Metropolitan University to gain my degree; Sue and I are living proof that social mobility is possible and that women helping women is the most important gift that we can give to each other ❤️🙌🏻

My job at Sue’s company was B2B account management of major key accounts and I was trusted with a multi million pound portfolio of corporate accounts to manage and she helped stretch my learning and skills above a small factory in the heart of the manufacturing quarter in the centre of Leicester. We worked with Toyota Motor Corporation to provide their workwear and uniforms and later on we would onboard names such at JCB and FIRSTGROUP LIMITED and expand the manufacturing capabilities to Turkey; China and beyond.

It’s so important that women have role models. If you can’t see it; you can’t be it.

So Sue; thank you for all that you did for me throughout my early career and all that you have done to support me since. The help and advocacy that you continue to give to Leicester and the whole business community lives on within your legacy at the LEP and beyond.

Dr Chris Owen, Managing Director, Owen & Partners Ltd

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with Sue for over twelve years, especially in her role as Head of Business, Innovation, and Partnerships at the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

Sue has unparalleled experience of working with and understanding small businesses. Her extensive network, access to support and contacts across the business environment in Leicestershire will be hugely valuable to any business looking to grow.

Sue has a passion for innovation and a proven track record in marketing, sales and relationship development across a broad range of industries and stakeholders.

I have no hesitation in recommending Sue to any business seeking external support and I know she’ll strive to do the very best she can for her clients.

Stuart Hetherington, CEO, Holovis

Working with Sue at the LLEP, and more recently as founder members of the LLEP Innovation Board, has been an absolute pleasure and I cannot recommend her more highly to those looking for an experienced and dedicated individual that can help support their business growth.

While Sue has an impressive and proven track record in supporting a diverse range of businesses, she also brings a genuine and personal approach to her engagement that is both refreshing and essential in ensuring she can work effectively at all levels within a business, while imparting her experience and guidance for strategic growth.

Photo of Stuart Hetherington - CEO Holovis

Julian Bowrey - former photo of Regional Manager, South East and East Midlands at Innovate UK

Julian Bowery, Former Innovate UK Regional Manager

Sue is a great colleague. She has expert knowledge of the regional economic development landscape in the East Midlands: its businesses, its institutions: public sector and private, and its investment opportunities. This comes from many years of experience, her extensive network of contacts, but most importantly from her passion for the region, its businesses and people. She combines that experience and passion with a curiosity for new ideas and perspectives, a collaborative approach and a desire to make things happen.

We first worked together to develop the successful Leicestershire Innovation Festival, where Sue was a key part of the regional team which moulded an Innovate UK national programme into a regional flagship – which other regions seek to emulate. In a similar vein she saw the potential of the MIT REAP programme, successfully secured Government funding and led the local delivery team. Typically this was both success as defined by the funder but also in using REAP to secure senior buy-in from the LLEP board to produce a local innovation strategy overseen by a new Innovation Board. This has helped ensure continuity during a time of institutional change and been a focal point for businesses, support agencies and universities in Leicestershire with a commitment to support innovation. It has also been cited as good practice nationally. She had a grasp of the project requirements, the personalities involved, a strategic perspective and the agility to combine these insights to deliver a successful outcome.

For the seven years I was Innovate UK Regional Manager, Sue was central to my work in Leicestershire and the wider region – as a sounding board, as a source of new ideas and as someone who I knew would deliver. And she always did this in a collaborative and friendly way. I was delighted when her achievements were recognised by an award at the 2024 Leicestershire Innovation Awards.

Ian Borley, DL FCA, Borley Consulting Limited

I first worked with Sue about 30 years ago, when she was running her own business in Leicester. Since then, she became a senior member of the Leicester & Leicestershire Economic Partnership and, whilst I was Chair of Leicestershire Business Voice, we had the opportunity to collaborate on many initiatives around local economic development.

I have always found Sue to be extremely well connected throughout the Leicestershire business community, with her own entrepreneurial roots obviously enabling her to empathise with local businesses, large and small. She brings to those relationships a wealth of first-hand business experience and an unrivalled knowledge of the geography of the corridors of power at both Local and Central Government level. Combined with her very obvious passion for all things Leicestershire, this has made Sue a very strong voice for good as far as the local economy is concerned.

Alongside business and Government, Sue’s contacts within Further and Higher Education and across all the local business representative groups are second-to-none and will, I’m sure, prove extremely useful to her client base.

A thoroughly “good egg”, whom it’s been a real pleasure to know and work with.

Ready to experience the same level of excellence?

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