Island Influencers

Welcome to today's episode of Island Influencers, Sharon's guest this week is John Shakespeare . John is a 'man of many hats', and if he isn't doing something, he is asleep!  He is Managing Director of property & facilities management consultancy, Gatehouse Management Limited. An enthusiastic and engaging manager and tour guide at Visit Mann Tours (qualified Blue Badge driver) and most recently th...

Welcome to the latest episode of Island Influencers. My guest this week is Gail Yeowell , the Owner and Managing Director of Smart HR Solutions Limited (SmartHR).  Since setting up SmartHR in 2010, she has developed a reputation for being an award-winning, leading provider of multi sector HR consultancy, outsourcing and Training Solutions. Gail is a highly experienced HR professional with 25 years...

This week's Island Influencers conversation is with Conor Cummins aka Conrod, motorcycle road racer of TT fame, barista and entrepreneur. Conor talks frankly (over a delicious cup of coffee) about life on two wheels, learning at a very young age the value of money and how a strong determination has kept him going.  Conor has applied many lessons learnt from his professional motorbike racing to bec...

Welcome to today's episode of Island Influencers, my guest this week is Howard Parkin , astronomer, teacher and director of the Manx Retirement Association. Howard has been an astronomer most of his life, inspired by the "Space race" back in the 60s, he has been an avid astronomer and space enthusiast ever since. For many years Howard has been giving talks and lectures on the subject in the Isle o...

Welcome to the latest episode of Island Influencers, my guest this week is Richard Reid , a highly-qualified psychologist, coach and author. Richard has more than two decades of high-level experience in the corporate world. He works as a trusted advisor to leading public figures and blue-chip organisations around the globe, delivering coaching, workshops and talks. Gifted at communicating complex...

This week's Island Influencer is Janna Horsthuis , Managing Director of Robinson's.  Robinson's, established in 1886 as a small market stall has evolved over five generations into one of the Isle of Man's best-known companies. Having taken over from her father, Janna is excited to be taking the family business into the future. Janna has worked in the business since 2002 and has been involved in al...

Sharon's guest on the Island Influencers podcast this week is Jackie Bridson. Chief Executive of an independent Manx charity, Live at Home. Passionate about providing lots of ways for their members to live happily at home for as long as they can.  They talk openly about growing up in Liverpool, the impact of lockdown and how a girl's weekend on the Isle of Man changed her life and how exercise and...

Welcome to the latest new episode of Island Influencers, where Sharon's guest this week is Rachel Glover an experienced molecular and computational biologist.  Rachel's expertise is in molecular ecology, biosurveillance, bioinformatics and genomics. Rachel is the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Taxa Genomics, an environmental and veterinary genomics company. Rachel has been instrumental in...

This week's Island Influencers guest is Gill Marples . After realising her beauty therapy aspiration wasn't the path for her, Gill ultimately started her career in financial services working for a large Insurance Group in the UK. She has worked in the Isle of Man insurance sectors for well over 20 years managing compliance and operation departments. She's now a director and head of IntegraLife Int...

My guests this week need little introduction. They are husband and wife team Pippa and Miles Pettit of Noa Bakehouse . Noa Bakehouse is the sourdough baking, pastry shaping, doughnut filling, flat white slinging, coffee roasting, pizza stretching, local living, community loving bakers based in an old furniture warehouse in the centre of Douglas. I hope you enjoy listening to how they've come to se...

My guest this week is Chris Callow . Chris is a former Isle of Man advocate, but a change of tack to include the running of a French ski chalet and volunteering for Manx National Heritage and the Leonard Cheshire Disability Centre are just some of the things he's done on his journey towards his pathway to running and owning Island Heritage Tours . Chris is a qualified Blue-Badge Tourist Guide with...

Welcome to Island Influencers, where my guest this week is Dawn Jones . Dawn has been one of the most high-profile lawyers on the island, involved in many headline-making cases over her 30-year career as an Isle of Man advocate. I hope you enjoy hearing her story, including what she is up to now and her hopes for the future. Here's my conversation with Dawn Jones in episode 22 of Island Influencer...

Welcome to the latest episode of Island Influencers, where my guest today is Jane Prescott . Jane is a Chartered Landscape Architect and she's worked on various projects in the public and private sector over the years, including involvement with the Chelsea Flower Show Medal-Winning Gardens in 1984 and 1986. She's the first person I've ever heard of outside of Warner Bros Studios to have a herbolo...

Welcome to the new episode of Island Influencers, where my guest is Dr Breesha Maddrell , the Director of Culture Vannin . Breesha works closely with the IOM Government agencies and members of the public to develop strategies and policies for the advancement of Manx culture and heritage. Before Breesha joined Culture Vannin in 2008, she worked for six years as a lecturer at the University of Liver...

Welcome to episode 19 of Island Influencers, where my guest is David Roberts. David was born and raised in Guildford, Surrey.  The son of a policeman and school teacher, David started his career by working as part of the marketing team for BP and Shell. He progressed for 30 years where he was involved on the marketing side in a whole variety of different activities. When the price of electricity w...

Welcome to this week's episode of Island Influencers. My guests on the podcast today are Northern Irishmen Mark Noble and Chris Suitor , who between them after what started as a bit of a joke about their combined names and occupations, formed The Noble Suitor now based at Tynwald Mills in the Isle of Man. I hope you enjoy listening to their story. Mark, a university-educated biology teacher, havin...

Welcome to this week's episode of Island Influencers. My guest this week is an entrepreneur and multiple business owner professional and also a community leader. I refer to, of course, Dave McLean , who was one of the key people behind the Peel Centenary Centre's restoration and behind the successful Our Island: Our World festival held in 2019. But sadly not this year due to current circumstances,...

My guest this week on Island Influencers is a local osteopath and business owner Sarah Gartland of Follan Natural Health Centre. Sarah attended the British School of Osteopathy in London, and she was the first Manx woman ever to qualify, returning to the Isle of Man to open her first clinic in North Quay until 2006, before working from home with her two children. Through her encouragement, a secon...

This week on Island Influencers, my guest is Mike Boulton , who many Isle of Man born and bred Northerners like me will no doubt know and remember fondly from the time they spent at Albert Road School in Ramsey.  Mike started his career teaching at Albert Road School in 1968 and didn't retire until 1998.  During that time, he taught and influenced so many of us whether it was in the classroom lear...

My guest on the podcast today is Adam Owen , Curriculum and Training Director at NextGen Planners in the UK. Adam is currently President of the Personal Finance Society, the largest professional body for retail financial advisers in the UK with more than 40,000 members and the largest issuer of Statements of Professional Standing for financial advisers. Adam joined the profession in the mid-1990s,...

Welcome to Island Influencers, where we share stories of successful business owners, experienced professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders based or with influence in the Isle of Man. This podcast is brought to you by Thornton Chartered Financial Planners because great financial planning has the power to change your life. My guest on the podcast today is Leigh Morris . Leigh is the recentl...

My guest on the Island Influencers podcast this week is Andy Cooper . Andy is originally from the North East of England and moved to the Isle of Man having been a General Brand Manager for Whitbread. Sometime later, he found himself in the role as General Secretary of the Manx National Farmers' Union , which may seem a strange step. But do listen to his story to hear how this impassioned individua...

Welcome to this episode of Island Influencers, where my guest today is Martin Hall . Martin is one of the voices behind The M Word Podcast , the Manx Sports Podcast, offering listeners insights into the lives of the island's elite sportsmen and sportswomen. Having been an elite cyclist, Martin draws on his personal training experience to emphasis with his guests about their physical and mental wel...

Welcome to this episode of Island Influencers, where my guest today is Colin Partington . Colin is the owner and founder of Laxey Dental Surgery . Originally from Orpington in Kent, Colin and his family have made the Isle of Man their home since moving here in 1996. I hope you enjoy listening to Colin's powerful story, in which the words 'tenacity' and 'determination' come to mind as he pursues hi...

My guest today on Island Influencers is Jen Kneale . Jen is a highly experienced dinghy and keelboat racer, with a proven track record as a GBR Laser sailor and now as a Race Coach. She holds an honours degree in Maritime Leisure Management and has over 20 years of experience as an RYA Instructor. In 2017, Jen crossed the Atlantic, teaching herself celestial navigation along the way. After sitting...