Meet The Team

Contact Details:

Russam GMS, 48 High Street North, Dunstable, Beds, LU6 1LA. Telephone: 0845 658 1717 Fax: 01582 471757 E-mail: hq@russam-gms.co.uk Get map and directions here

Our Staff

Click on the team member below to expand biographies and reveal contact details.

Jason joined Russam GMS in 2005. After a degree in accounting Jason became a fashion buyer for the Neiman Marcus Group based in Dallas, Texas. He then returned to the UK and completed an MBA from the University of Oxford and embarked on a career in the Financial Services Sector. Through this period he spent ten years working for various insurance and banking institutions at director level including the Pearl Group, Interactive Investor and AMP; also completing several interim management assignments. He then commenced his third career with Russam GMS. His expertise covers Financial Services, Media & Telecoms, Marketing & Communications, and Board/General Management level placements. Jason is the Chairman of the Interim Management Association (IMA), a founding member of the Financial Promotions Action Group, and is involved in a number of other industry bodies and associations. Away from work he stays fit by teaching his three young boys how to hit a cricket ball and is actively involved in several charities including the MS Society and SportsAid.

You can email Jason Atkinson at jason.Atkinson@russam-gms.co.uk

Melissa has over 10 years senior level recruitment and consultancy experience. Before joining Russam GMS, she was an Associate Director within a private sector recruitment business recruiting to permanent and interim positions. Prior to this, she was a Founding Director of an executive search firm working on high profile executive and non-executive roles in the not for profit and public sector. Melissa has a wide range of experience recruiting to and advising boards across all sectors and she has a particular skill in identifying talent and working with individuals and organisations to ensure that the most successful appointments are made. She is considered to be one of the best headhunters in the industry and she has led searches which have resulted in the successful appointments of Chairs, Chief Executives and Directors within the not for profit and private sector. Her earlier career was within the private sector where Melissa operated at a senior level in the UK and internationally. Outside of work Melissa has an interest in sport, she is a keen runner and cyclist and has participated in various events, she also enjoys cooking and often trials her new recipes on her friends and family.

You can email Melissa Baxter at melissa.baxter@russam-gms.co.uk

Graham is a 23 year veteran of the hospitality and technology sectors. His career started in hotel operations, sales and marketing with international hotel chains including Protea Hotels in SA and Holiday Inn/InterContinental Hotels and Forte Hotels in the UK.

During the early years of the Dot.Com boom Graham recognised the growing importance of technology in the hospitality and travel space and he joined a former colleague in 1998 to form a start-up e-commerce business (Mirror Image Communications/MIC Ltd) that tackled the challenges hotels experienced in processing the manually intensive and error prone wholesale leisure travel business. This was the start of his career in the technology sector where he continued to hold senior sales & marketing roles supplying software solutions to the hospitality & travel industry primarily in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Graham later joined Pegasus Solutions Inc, the world’s largest processor of electronic hotel reservations, who acquired MIC. Graham continued his career with leading international IT solutions companies including Cendant Travel Distribution Services, Travelport and Trust International.

In February 2010 Graham set up on his own as a consultant and has enjoyed varying roles including long term retained contracts with a fast growing Indian technology company called RateGain (providing market intelligence and distribution software solutions to the global hospitality, airline and travel industry) and Searles Leisure Group (one of Norfolk’s largest independently owned coastal holiday resorts and owner of the Heacham Manor Hotel, a luxury 46 bedroom country house hotel with spa, 18 hole golf course and investment property portfolio).

Graham is South African and has been living in the UK since 1992. After school Graham completed 2 years compulsory National Service in the SA Defence Force and then graduated in Hotel Management from the University of Johannesburg. Graham also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has recently completed a Professional Digital Marketing Diploma from the Digital Marketing Institute.

Graham has a work-hard-play-hard approach to life and has always enjoyed many sports and outdoor activities.

Stephen Brooker is Chairman of the Russam GMS Not for Profit and Health Practices. Stephen has been working in the Charity and Not for Profit sectors since 1990 when he was recruited to the British Red Cross Society as Director of Finance, having previously been a partner in Ernst and Young. From the Red Cross, Stephen went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge as Bursar and Fellow. In his current work he has a wide range of clients and interests, including mentoring, for which he was trained on a University of Lancaster course sponsored by the NHS. He was a non-executive director of East and North Herts NHS Trust for some 11 years, was the first external Chair of the Audit Committee of the Law Society and Stephen was also an external member of the Audit Committee of the University of Cambridge for 13 years. He is a Trustee of several national charities and a founding Trustee of the Honorary Treasurers' Forum. Stephen is currently serving as an external, independent member of the Audit Committee of the House of Commons.

You can email Stephen Brooker at stephen.brooker@russam-gms.co.uk

Peter Dunkerley is now one of Russam GMS's most experienced and successful Managing Consultants having placed hundreds of interim managers across a diverse range of clients in both the private and public sectors. This experience gained since joining Russam GMS early in 2001, together with his strong commercial background, means that he has become a real expert in understanding and matching the skills of interim managers with the fullest understanding of the needs of his clients. An economics graduate from Keele and the LSE, his early career began with Cadbury Schweppes, where from Foods Division Marketing Manager he became Managing Director of Aerosols International. He then became Group Managing Director of Thomas Jourdan plc and later Chairman of Brays UK plc before becoming an Interim Manager himself. He was between assignments when he joined the Russam team and has been placing executives ever since. Peter lives in North East Hampshire, near Fleet.

You can email Peter Dunkerley at peter.dunkerley@russam-gms.co.uk

Olga spent 10 years in strategic HR in the commercial sector before setting up one of the first specialist recruitment agencies offering services to the charity sector and ran this for 20 years - becoming one of the most prolific head-hunters in the sector. She specialised in board level roles and she set up one of the first salary surveys in the sector and the Top 20 Salary Club that worked in partnership with 20 charities with annual turnover in excess of £50 million. In 1995, together with the HR Directors of the NSPCC and MENCAP, she started the HR Forum which developed into a membership organisation with more than 70 charities and is now managed by the NCVO. Olga was a trustee of Sightsavers from 2001-2009 and a trustee of The Institute of Fundraising from 2003-2009. She chaired the Nominations Committee for Scope from 2007until December 2011, working closely with the Chair and CEO to undertake skills audits of the board and recruit new trustees. Olga is currently a Trustee of two INGOs HealthProm and SPANA.

Prior to joining Russam GMS Ltd, Ian Joseph was a senior consultant for one of the UK’s leading executive search firms where he worked on high profile executive and non executive roles in the not for profit and public sector. Prior to this, Ian spent over six years as Chief Executive of a medium-sized charity which specialised in working in the fields of homelessness, addiction, mentoring and international development.

During this time he also managed the creation and development of subsidiary organisations in Afghanistan and Pakistan both pre and post September 11th. In four years, Ian doubled the size of the charity and established it as an accredited provider holding Supporting People contracts, Approved Provider Status with the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation and gaining Investor in People status. Also, during this time the charity became the first non-governmental organisation in the world to win a management consultancy role with the Asian Development Bank.

Ian’s policy experience includes contributing to the Conservative Party’s Social Justice Policy Group and to consultations on ending homelessness, led by the umbrella body Homeless Link. As a successful fundraiser, Ian has been responsible for raising circa £¾ million a year and personally raising funds from organisations such as the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Coutts Charitable Trust and The Rayne Foundation.

Ian’s earlier corporate sector experience was as a recruitment specialist in the City of London, sourcing financial experts and at British Gas PLC as a systems analyst.

Ian holds a masters degree in Voluntary Sector Management from Cass Business School. He is a founding board member and Director of Trustees Unlimited and is a member of the Institute of Fundraising. He sits on the Chief Executive Remuneration Committee of the RSPCA and on the advisory board of Future Foundations, a youth development organisation.  

You can email Ian Joseph at ian.joseph@russam-gms.co.uk

Emma joined Russam GMS in 2008 originally as Head of the company's Resource Management Team, having previously worked as a Vetting Manager and Resourcer within the utilities recruitment sector. Becoming increasingly interested and involved in the fast growing NFP Practice she is now the Practice Manager, helping to deliver interim assignments and in delivering the Trustees Unlimited services, as well as acting as Executive Assistant to the rest of the NfP team. Emma also sits on the development panel of InterimWomen and the company's HR and Marketing Committees. Outside of work Emma is interested in the Art Deco period, particularly jewellery, and in Salvador Dali artwork and is a loyal house-servant to three cats!

You can email Emma at emma.patmore@russam-gms.co.uk

Gary Lawton joins the Russam GMS executive team to direct and drive forward the company’s Public Sector Practice –  now an approved Buying Solutions provider (the Government's leading procurement services organisation for the UK).

Gary has an enviable track record of success with over ten years experience of supplying senior executives into the public sector. His expertise covers both Central and Civil Government and Local Government including Criminal Justice, Education, Health, Defence, Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, Universities and Police Constabularies. Gary’s unrivalled reputation within the public sector has been developed through his detailed understanding of the government’s agenda and its challenges and requirements.

Gary joined Russam GMS in early 2007 having initially worked for Parity's Government Division in the late nineties. He was headhunted by Elan to develop their Public Sector offering and from a standing start developed Elan Public Services to become an industry leader. He is now focused on assisting public sector organisations identify their executive and senior management requirements and in particular where they can utilise interim resource on an independent basis as opposed to consultancy and its associated overheads. Gary can provide the necessary independent expertise in key areas such as Procurement, Programme and Project Management, Change Management, Communications, Finance, HR and Board Level Appointments to name a few. Gary is committed to ensure Russam maintain and develop long term relationships and play their part in assisting their clients create a culture of excellence and achieve Gus’s vision, “a civil service that exudes pride, pace, passion and professionalism”.

You can email Gary Lawton at gary.lawton@russam-gms.co.uk

Glyn Lloyd began his business career in the Plastics industry as a Commercial Trainee working for Guinness. Later, after brief spells with BTR and Schlegel of America, he joined Legrand Electric the UK subsidiary of Legrand sa of France, the world’s largest producer of Electrical Fittings. Initially as Distribution Manager, later as Operations Manager and finally as Logistics Director, his responsibilities included Customer Service, Warehousing, Procurement, Quality, Site Services, Transport and Distribution. In 1997 he undertook a couple of interim assignments, both in the field of Logistics, before joining the team at Russam GMS as Business Manager. He is responsible for the day to day running of the company with specific responsibility for Finance, Admin, IT and Web Development. He is a member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport. His eldest son is a Presenter with BBC Radio and his youngest is a Teacher. His wife, Susan, is a Secondary School Librarian. He lives on the Beds/Bucks border. His interests include Politics, IT, Sport, Reading and Music.

You can email Glyn Lloyd at glyn.lloyd@russam-gms.co.uk

In the ten years before establishing Russam GMS in 1982, Charles Russam, FCA, gained senior management experience with The Burton Group – now Arcadia – and Whitbread in financial, business development and general management areas and was Business Development Director of Beefeater Steakhouses in their exciting and formative early years. Setting up his own management consultancy in the early 1980’s, he quickly noticed that there was virtually no mechanism for the provision of short term management support at senior levels - which is what Charles did - and whence we derive our claim to be "the longest established mainstream Interim Management Provider in the UK". Charles founded the IMA, the Industry Professional Association in 1987 which has now developed into a strong driving force behind the growth of this important sector. He was its Deputy Chairman for eight years and headed up its Marketing Committee. Charles has written and had published over the years well over 50 articles and innumerable quotes about flexible employment at senior levels and the changing ways in which businesses can be managed more effectively through people. He has given evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Employment, has spoken at national and international conferences, has been on radio and has appeared on television on two occasions. Charles lives in North Buckinghamshire and enjoys golf and collecting old watches.

You can email Charles Russam at charles.russam@russam-gms.co.uk

Mike Whitlam CBE, MPhil., CCMgtI, has worked at a senior management level, in the Voluntary sector for over 30 years, having been trained and worked as a Prison Governor beforehand. His original management training was gained from Manchester Business School and his M.Phil. was gained at Cranfield, on the subject of Voluntary Sector management.

He has worked as a CEO at local, National and International level, the largest being the British Red Cross with staff of 3000 paid people, 90,000 volunteers and a budget of £110,000,000. He was the founder of ACEVO, because he believes that CEOs in the sector need support and personal development.

One of the largest change management programmes in the sector with the restructuring of the British Red Cross, was led by Mike. It involved the dissolving of 100 registered charities into one. He has also had to manage two International ‘start-up’ NGOs, as their first CEO. This has also entailed working with UNDCP and WHO.

As a consultant Mike also runs personal development and support programmes for CEOs, which give practical and theoretical coaching. His theoretical and practical knowledge, gained at a senior level over a period when the Third Sector has been going through a period of professionalisation, is a good mix for such programmes.

In his role as consultant and volunteer Mike has worked with many organisations, assisting them with a range of challenges, not least the need to raise large sums of money.

Mike currently is a NED of a PCT within the NHS, working particularly on Public patient Engagement as well as trying to ensure that the Third Sector is used more to deliver services under contract for the NHS. He also Chairs the Ofcom Advisory Committee for Older and Disabled People.

Mike is involved with several International and National Charities including Watford FC Community Trust, where he is also a Season Ticket holder. When he has spare time he sculpts in Wood and also paints.

You can email Mike Whitlam at mike.whitlam@russam-gms.co.uk

John Wilson is our most experienced Principal with over 10 years at Russam GMS. He acts as Key Account Director. John brings 25 years of senior level PLC experience to the business. As a former Regional Director of divisions of TI Group and of Coats Viyella, he has extensive domestic and international experience. A graduate of the University of St Andrews and fluent in Spanish, his career developed through line management to board level positions encompassing operational, financial, commercial and strategic responsibilities. John lives in Cheshire.

You can email John Wilson at john.wilson@russam-gms.co.uk