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OUR TEAM
A network of top-flight policy, research and economic development associates
MIKE SPICER
Founder and Managing Director
Mike has over 20 years experience working as an economist, policy expert and advocate at the interface between business and government. Before founding PolicyDepartment in early 2020 Mike was Director of Economics, Policy and Research at the British Chambers of Commerce. He spent a decade at the BCC representing the interests of business to government and as its lead spokesperson on local growth issues.
While at BCC, Mike set up the LEP Network – the association for Local Enterprise Partnerships in England. His successful campaigns achieved policy changes across all areas of business life. He oversaw BCC's research and economics programmes, including the UK's largest private poll of business sentiment on the economy. Before BCC, Mike worked as Senior Strategy Executive at former UK Regional Development Agency EEDA. Mike started his career as an economist at commercial real estate giant Jones Lang LaSalle and leading forecaster Cambridge Econometrics. He studied economics at the University of Warwick and University of Bath, England and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
ASSOCIATES
STEVE HUGHES
Economics & Policy Research Associate
Steve is a leading policy researcher and Founding Director of Policy Points. He was previously Head of Economic and Social Policy at the think tank Policy Exchange. Steve has worked at the Bank of England and as an economist at the British Chambers of Commerce where he advised on tax, international trade and SME finance policy.
DAVID MARLOW
Economic Development Associate
David is Mike Spicer's co-host on the LED Confidential podcast and author of Positive, Progressive Placemaking. He is one of the UK's leading experts on local economic development, CEO of Third Life Economics, and Visiting Professor at the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS), University of Newcastle. He has occupied senior positions across the sector in the UK and overseas.
These include CEO of the East of England Development Agency; CEO of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council; Senior Institutional Development Advisor for the UK's former Department for International Development; and Head of Economic Development for the Government of Montserrat.
HANNAH LAZARUS
Labour Markets Research Associate
Hannah specialises in economic research and stakeholder engagement in local economic development. She is an expert on local labour markets and their impact on business growth. Hannah started her career as an analyst in HM Treasury and has worked for a range of regional governmental organisations as an economist, including at the former East of England Development Agency.
DAVID PERRY
Qualitative Research Associate
GLENN ATHEY
Economic Development Associate
Glenn is one of the UK's leading economists working in economic development and regeneration. His 25-year career includes senior positions at Scottish Enterprise, Centre for Cities and the former London Development Agency. He is Founder & Director of My Local Economy, a leading economic development consultancy. Glenn is an expert in the economic appraisal and evaluation of publicly-funded enterprise programmes.
VIC ANNELLS
Enterprise & International Trade Programmes Associate
Vic is an expert in convening and getting actionable insights from business audiences - at the highest levels, and in varied geographic contexts. He was previously CEO of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, and spent years working across the world in senior roles in the private sector and with the former UK Trade & Industry (now part of DBT), including in Italy and the Middle East.
Vic has deep experience of complex stakeholder environments in local economic development, including as a member of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority's Business Board. He is a subject-matter expert in designing, appraising and delivering publicly-funded programmes related to international trade and investment and was previously a board member of regional agency, East of England International.