President & Chair: Louise Harrington CeMAP – Florence Mortgages Limited
Louise trained and qualified as a mortgage adviser in 2013 and, having achieved her goals in employment, launched her own business Florence Mortgages in July 2017 advising on mortgages and protection insurance. The business flourished and in 2020 her husband John joined her as a co-adviser.
Louise has lived in the Crowborough area since 2002 and is an active member of the local business community. Louise enjoys regular visits to Ashdown Forest and she sings with Crowborough Choral Society.
Louise is looking forward to serving the business community of Crowborough.
Secretary: Sue Todd
Sue is the Sales Director for a print, design and publishing business which was until recently based in East Grinstead, she has over 35 years experience in Sales and Marketing, most of the business is with Local Authorities, tourism and publishing with the addition of advertising sales.
Having lived in Crowborough on the outskirts of Ashdown Forest for 32 years, her interests include wildlife and walking. Also a keen golfer, Sue plays competitively at club and county level but also enjoys a round of golf with friends and family.
Sue is looking forward to promoting the Chamber further across the local business community.
Treasurer: Gordon Phillips
Gordon retired from HSBC in July 2015 and is looking forward to future opportunities. He moved to Crowborough with wife Lynn and his children in 1986 to take on the role of senior clerk at HSBC.
His first management role took him to Hastings followed by Bexhill, Tunbridge Wells, Haywards Heath & Brighton before returning to manage the Crowborough branch in 2004. Their three children all attended Sir Henry Fermor school moving on to Beacon to take their A levels. Gordon is a keen fan of classic cars and can often be found wielding a spanner in his garage.
Committee Members
Gordon Mankelow - Relativity Ltd
Gordon Mankelow is a Director of Relativity a Business Technology Specialist, helping clients implement both their business processes and their technology requirements, integrating the two wherever they overlap.
Although Gordon works with local, national and international clients he does this from his home office just outside Crowborough. Having been born in Tonbridge and later living in Tunbridge Wells Gordon moved to Crowborough in the early 1990’s and has lived on or around the Forest ever since with his Wife and two Children. Gordon is keen to keep Crowborough as a vibrant business community in the future whilst not forgetting its history.
Jeff Thomas - JMT Planning
Jeff is a retired Chartered Town Planner with over 30 years experience in both the public and private sectors. He has worked for South Tyneside Council, East Sussex and Kent County Councils, and for Wealden District Council. More recently he worked as a town planning consultant for DPDS Consulting Group, a national planning and design consultancy, where he was the Regional Director for the South East of England. Jeff set up his own town planning consultancy, jmtplanning, in March 2012 offering a full range of services.
Jeff has lived in Rotherfield since 1985 with his wife, Angela, where they have raised their two children.
Angela Saffrey – Angel's Business Solutions
Angela is the director Angel's Business Solutions, an accountancy firm offering so much more to support small businesses including business coaching, mentoring and workshops. Additionally, she's guest speaks at various events on financial and compliance topics. Her passion is educating and working with business owners to achieve their goals and dreams.
Alongside ABS, Angela is on the Board of Governors as a Parent Governor at a local school and Treasurer of the PFA at the same school. With a lively son that keeps her and her husband on their toes, she is sure to be kept on the go!
John Harrington – Florence Mortgages Limited
John Harrington has been in the property business since 1991 and became Certificate of Mortgage Advice and Practice qualified in 2000. He enjoys using his many years of experience to help his clients through their property journey alongside his wife Louise as directors of Florence Mortgages Limited.
John is a strong advocate for the Chamber being a platform for local businesses of all kinds to do some good within the community, as well as promoting their own goods & services and socialising with other businesspeople at the many and varied events available to Chamber members.
Paul Goddard - The Props Store (Crowborough) Ltd
Despite being vision impaired since birth, Paul has had a varied career in theatre and television. The pinnacle of his career was being Head of Wardrobe and Creative Services for CITV and The Disney Channel. Originally from Birmingham, Paul moved to Crowborough in 2015 and began his props hire business after the pandemic, having noticed the increased demand for props by production companies.
Juliet Morris – Redshield Business Solutions