Deborah Lange
Deborah has had a lengthy career in international business and tax, working with Arthur Andersen in London, Hong Kong and the United States.
She also worked for almost 20 years with Oracle Corporation in California as their Senior Vice President of Tax where she was responsible for site selection, corporate governance and risk assessment in addition to the company’s global taxes.
She has also had experience as a board member with two small software companies, and as Chair of the Silicon Valley Tax Directors Group and member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Executive Institute. Deborah is also a member of the board at the Belfast Harbour Commission (remunerated at £12,300 per annum).
Mark Nodder OBE
Mark most recently held the combined role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wrights Group, the Ballymena based manufacturers of public transport vehicles, retiring in March 2019 after 21 years with the company.
A trained lawyer, Mark began his career with the the National Audit Office in England and subsequently moved to Riyadh, working as Contracts Manager for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence and Aviation. Relocating to Northern Ireland in 1986, Mark worked for Shorts/Bombardier as Sales and Marketing Director of the Defence Systems Division and went on to hold a similar position with Survitec.
Mark is a past President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and is also a member of the Economic Advisory Group, an independent group of senior industrial figures. He was awarded an OBE for services to the Northern Ireland economy in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Dr Mark Sweeney OBE
Mark has a background in the industrial, commercial and manufacturing sectors within Northern Ireland and globally. He is a former Vice President of Caterpillar from 2012 to 2015 and prior to that Global Operations Director for Caterpillar's Electric Power Division and Managing Director of FG Wilson Eng. Ltd. Prior to joining Caterpillar, Mark worked for eight years in the US for a marine engine company, Mercury Marine.
He graduated from Queens University, Belfast with a 1st class honours degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce from 2006-2008. In 2007 he was awarded an OBE for services to business and in 2011, an Honorary D.Sc. Degree from Queen's University.
He is currently a Non-Executive Director of NI Transport Holding Company (remunerated at £12,205 per annum).
Padraig Canavan OBE
Padraig founded, ran and sold the international software house Singularity. He owns Devine Software (t/a Scattr), Canavan Software and is chair and a shareholder of Hunter Apparel Solutions (Derry), independent software vendors Flowforma (Dublin), and LitheIT (Glasgow).
In additional non remunerated capacities he chairs lobby group U4D seeking significant expansion of Ulster University's Magee Campus, and sits on the boards of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce (past president), St Mary's College (Derry), the North West Regional College (for which he receives no remuneration), the Verbal Arts Centre and Derry & Strabane District Council’s Education and Skills Delivery Partnership and Learning City Region subgroup. He is an active seed investor.
Brian Baird
Brian is currently Chairman of a Northern Ireland based content product company and non-executive director at two other technology product companies.
He has had experience of being a Board member for a number of local technology companies as well as having established his own successful content product company in 2001 which he subsequently sold. This was after having an extensive career with ICL in a number of senior positions. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster. He does not hold any other public appointments.
Judith Totten MBE
Judith Totten is the founder and Managing Director of ‘Upstream,’ an independent provider of working capital funding, trade and supply chain funding and credit management support to businesses across Northern Ireland.
She had a lengthy career in business banking, principally with Danske Bank (Northern Bank Ltd) before setting up her own business in 2011. A passionate advocate for business across NI, Judith is actively involved in funding, mentoring and advising business owners across a wide range of industry sectors.
Judith is very well networked and aside from her own business is committed to supporting the key business bodies such as the CBI, IOD and Chamber of Commerce as well as sitting on the Princes Trust Council and acting as Non-Executive Chair of local PR and Media company, Serious PR. Judith was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2018 for services to Economic Development in Northern Ireland. She does not hold any other public appointments.