Meet the team
The group of experts who represent our employment & skills policy members
Neil Carberry, director for employment and skills
Neil was appointed director for employment affairs in February 2011. Neil is responsible for setting out a framework of employment policy that supports the CBI's ambition of making the UK the best place to invest and create jobs. His team campaigns on behalf of CBI members on labour market issues including employment law, employee relations, equality and diversity, pay, pensions, health and safety and human rights. Before becoming director, Neil spent four years as head of employment and pensions policy and he has previously worked in the CBI's public services team as head of public procurement. Neil joined the CBI in 2004, after completing a postgraduate degree at the LSE in Industrial Relations. Before this, he worked as an HR consultant for a number of major financial institutions. He was educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
Jim Bligh, head of labour market policy
Jim leads the labour market and pensions policy team. The team lobbies for more effective labour markets, covering policy issues including labour market, unemployment, pensions, skills, welfare reform, business responsibility, human rights and anti-bribery. Jim leads the CBI's 'Getting the UK working' and ‘Infrastructure investment’ projects. Jim joined the CBI in 2007, having worked for a parliamentary candidate since graduating with an MPhil in Renaissance Literature from Cambridge. Jim has a first class degree in English from Durham, where he was president of the union.
Guy Bailey, head of employment and employee relations
Guy leads the employment and employee relations team which works on issues including employment regulation, European developments, dispute resolution, equality and diversity, employee relations and engagement, and health & safety. Prior to joining the CBI, Guy worked on a management scheme in industry, and has masters’ degrees from the University of York and Birkbeck.
James Fothergill, head of education and skills
James leads the CBI's policy and lobbying activity on education and skills issues. His remit covers primary and secondary education, further education and higher education, and workforce skills development. James has previously had responsibility for CBI policy on public service reform, in particular CBI policy on healthcare and local government delivery. He was formerly a policy adviser in the CBI's employment policy directorate, where he focused on companies' employee engagement practice, trade union legislation and legislation to prevent employee discrimination.
Mario Lopez-Areu, senior policy adviser
Mario has particular responsibility for the team's work on pensions policy both at a UK and EU level. He is also a member of the CBI project on infrastructure funding. Prior to joining the CBI, Mario worked as an adviser to the Chairman of the Transport Committee in the European Parliament. Mario has a masters degree in political communication from the London School of Economics.
Maxine Cahal, senior policy adviser
Maxine is currently focusing full time on the CBI’s ‘Raising attainment in education’ and ‘diversity in leadership’ projects. Prior to joining the CBI Maxine spent two years working on policy evaluation, economic impact studies and strategy development for consultancy firm SQW. Maxine holds an MA in Post-Conflict Development and a BA in Politics from the University of York.
Patrick Newton, senior policy adviser
Patrick is CBI’s policy lead on equality and diversity issues. This includes diversity at boardroom level, parental leave and social policy more broadly at EU level. In the past, Patrick has worked on infrastructure planning and localism here at CBI. In his spare time, Patrick is studying towards a Masters in Law in International Economic Law, Justice and Development.
Pippa Morgan, policy adviser
Pippa is responsible for policy work relating to industrial relations, European Social Policy and health and safety. Prior to joining the CBI Pippa worked for over two years as a parliamentary researcher in the House of Commons, having completed a history degree at the University of Cambridge.
Matthew Percival, policy adviser
Matthew is responsible for employment tribunal reform, individual employment law, the European Agency Workers and Working Time Directives. He is currently working on projects focussing on the relationship between British business and the EU and developing a narrative on regulation. He has previously been responsible for European social affairs and the CBI’s biannual Employment Trends Surveys. Before joining the CBI he worked for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and studied International Politics at Aberystwyth University.
Sinead Lawrence, policy adviser
Sinead leads on pay, work permits, Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Rights. Prior to joining the CBI Sinead worked in the fiscal policy directorate at HM Treasury. Sinead studied Economics and Politics at the University of Exeter, followed by an MSc in Public Policy at UCL.
Lena Tochtermann, senior policy adviser / labour market economist
Lena leads on unemployment and labour market policy. She is working on the next stages of Getting the UK Working campaign and also works across the wider CBI policy cluster, supporting colleagues through economic and data analysis on issues such as aviation and spatial rebalancing. Prior to joining the CBI Lena worked for three and a half years at urban policy think tank Centre for Cities, where she lead research on city economies, how to link people more effectively to jobs and transport policy. Lena studied Economic Geography, Economics and Business Studies at Munich University, Germany, before transferring to the London School of Economics to complete a Masters in Local Economic Development.
Jenny House, directorate administrator
Jenny has worked at the CBI since 2008 in the membership development directorate and joined the employment affairs team in April 2011. Jenny is responsible for co-ordinating directorate and team projects.
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