DEBASISH SEN

A Mechanical Engineering graduate from Imperial College, London (M Eng) and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School, where his specialist subjects were Marketing and Information technology.

He has worked for BICC plc and BT plc in various marketing posts including: product management, corporate intelligence, international business planning and global market research.

He set up his first marketing consultancy business in 1992 growing to a turnover of over £1.5 million employing over 30 people. He then built up a Call Centre consultancy practice, initially running his own centre, but latterly managing successful business development campaigns and surveys, using outsourced call centres.

He is now a founder Director of BIG SOLUTIONS Limited, which specialises in campaigns that interface with small business communities and the public sector in the UK and overseas.

He is a Vice-Chairman of FSB Kent & Medway Region; Public Sector Procurement Spokesperson for the FSB SE Policy Unit and Chairman of the North Kent branch. He engages with a number of local authorities on economic development and skills issues, including KCC, Medway Council, Swale, Canterbury and Gravesham.

ROGER HOUSE

A BA(Hons) Graduate in Design, in business for over 30 years, from architectural design, flooring sales, manufacturing, running a farm park, marketing, design and business consultancy. He works with companies both large and small and has played a role in building several successful multi-million pound companies in Kent, winning European awards on the way.

As Regional Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses in Kent and Policy Chairman for SE England, he rubs shoulders with many of the main movers and shakers in the region.

He sits on the Kent and Medway Economic Board, and The Kent Partnership amongst many. He is deeply involved with education with a passion for the future, sitting on the SE Regional Skills for Productivity Alliance, working with SEEDA and the LSC.

As a member of the Regional Assembly Executive Board, he works with major political figures as well as voluntary sector, environmental and faith representatives. Here his role also takes him to Brussels. He sits on the influential Business Southeast Group working with the senior business leaders from across the SE.

He is also a journalist delivering two monthly pages for Kent Business and a writer and presenter. Trained in public speaking and interview techniques he regularly meets with MPs and local government presenting the FSB’s major political initiatives in the SE.