Coachlines - October 2024

31.10.24 Liveryman Adrian Smith

We welcome new Freemen to the Livery

---

Meet our new Freemen, who were recently installed at the Election Court in September.

Freeman John Jackett

John lives with his wife Suzan in Rowde, Wiltshire. He is director and owner of an engineering business which he built over a period of 40 years. John admits work and family take up most of his time, but he enjoys spending time with wider family and friends. He has also supported equestrian Mary King in eventing and provides parts to the motorsport business. John was introduced to the Livery when he commissioned Fenix Carriages to restore a carriage made by an ancestor in 1907. When he heard of our Livery activities, particularly helping young people to pursue careers in engineering, he knew it was appropriate to seek membership, as these aims are close to his heart.

Freeman Helen Hoffman

Helen lives in Chipping Norton and has held various appointments, including as a Parish Councillor. Now retired, she has a BA Econ (Hons) from the University of Manchester and was instrumental in introducing new accounting systems and programmes to allow field operatives to submit sales information online. Helen’s passion is driving her Porsche 911 Convertible, which she has raced a few times. Her late husband was a mechanical engineer holding various roles, including Deputy Chairman of Cosworth engines and was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Engineers. She has always been involved in the automotive industry in some way and has experienced an eclectic mix of motor vehicles, from a Midget to an MGC and also the rare TR7 V8. She identifies with the Coachmakers’ principal of actively supporting young people and is looking forward to helping with our ongoing work.

Freeman James Dible

James and his wife Susan live in Yeovilton, Somerset. He is Deputy Chief Executive of Navy Wings having previously been with the Royal Navy for 40 years. Notably, James was Head of Officer Recruiting and Selection for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. As he holds a Private Pilots Licence, it comes as no surprise that his interests include vintage aircraft as well as sailing and woodwork. James describes his 40 years with the Royal Navy as being a tremendously fun career, having enjoyed a number of years as a naval helicopter pilot, along with appointments such as Naval Attaché in Malta and Portugal. He describes his role in Navy Wings as a second career and is enjoying dedicating his time to the charity and playing his part in maintaining the wonderful collection of historic naval aircraft to inspire young people and preserve its history. James has a deep interest in traditional trades and engineering and sees his membership of the Livery as an opportunity to support the Company’s work in encouraging young people into engineering – particularly aerospace.

Freeman Richard Peberdy

Richard lives with his wife Kelly in Nottingham. He is a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and became an equity partner at KPMG in 2007, and was head of KPMG’s regional deal advisory business from 2017 to 2021. He is now UK Head of Automotive and a member of KPMG’s global automotive steering group. He is a member of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), and the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Motorsport and motorcycles are among his interests and leisure activities since leaving school and says it’s a pleasure to use his professional life in financial services by supporting the automotive sector. As Chair of the Jon Egging Trust, a national youth engagement charity, he supports disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential with particular focus on STEM subjects, including science and engineering. As a member of the Livery, Richard looks forward to learning about different aspects of the Livery, growing his network and supporting the industry and its charitable links more widely.

Freeman Ian Constance

Ian lives in Leamington Spa with his wife Katy. He has a a BEng Production Technology and Production Management from Aston University achieving, a MSc in Advanced Automotive Engineering from Loughborough University and a DEng (Honorary) from Bath University. Ian is a Chartered Engineer, a Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Member of the Institute of Directors, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He has held various posts at Ford from 2000 to 2015 in Germany, Asia Pacific, and Africa and also at its Dearborn facility in the US where he was Global Chief Engineer for large cars where he was involved with the delivery of models such as Mondeo, Focus and Ranger. Since 2015 he has been CEO of the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which supports the sector shift to zero emission technology, helping to deploy more than £1.5bn in UK based R&D projects, supporting 60,000 automotive jobs and vehicles that have saved around 400m tonnes of CO2. He has been a ‘car nut’ for as long as he can remember and enjoys classic cars. With membership of the Livery, Ian sees the core values of automotive and aerospace along with the armed forces as strongly aligning with his professional and personal interests. He looks forward to actively supporting Livery events as well as networking with its membership.

Freeman Camilla Wigmore

Camilla lives with her husband Andrew in Brailsford, Derbyshire. She attended Trinity Hall Cambridge achieving a Masters of Engineering – Manufacturing Engineering with Distinction. Camilla is a Partner with Newton Europe and was previously Managing Director at Abacus Lighting, a Senior Manager at PWC LLP and Operations Manager at Rolls Royce PLC. She is a Make UK Regional Advisory Board Member and a winner of a Queen’s Award for International Trade. Camilla is passionate about promoting careers in STEM and diverse and engaging careers. She is an advocate for British industry and growing our future manufacturing capability. She says membership of the Livery provides an opportunity to build relationships across the automotive and aerospace manufacturing communities. She is keen to have a greater impact in supporting our sectors by understanding the challenges of business leaders.

Freeman Martin Amen

Martin lives with his wife Theresa in Winter Park, Florida, US. He has an MBA from George Mason University and attended Cambridge. He has a MSc in Information Management from Webster University and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Northwest Missouri State University. His numerous appointments and achievements include executive level advisory and consulting roles, Managing Director at FON Advisors, Strategic Advisor at Ascension Engineering and also at Archangel Lightworks. Martin is on the Board of Directors of Federal Solutions and is Chief Growth Officer (CGO) at Flight Research Aerospace. His achievements include setting the concept, negotiating, winning and delivering on a $200m, 18-year satellite ground station and space network management system in Australia, including hiring and establishing the facility in Brisbane. Also, overhauling Park Air Subsidiary managing operations, manufacturing, and directing 200 employees in the UK, updating new UHF radio product lines and improving ROI. Martin is on the Board of US Federal Solutions and the Advisory Board of Archangel Lightworks Optical Space Lasers.