Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiRs)

David Bell is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, company director, and executive advisor with extensive experience in technology, communications, and business leadership. He serves as Senior Entrepreneur in Residence at Anglia Ruskin University, working with the AREA team for over 10 years to support students, graduates, freelancers, and founders in building and scaling their ventures.

David began his entrepreneurial journey at 17, co-founding APC Solutions, an international wireless communications company. He later founded Simboc Limited, a business and technology consultancy, and The Speaker Expert, helping individuals and teams develop confident communication skills.

He also co-founded ChatBox Productions and holds a leadership role at Symbiosys IT, a global technology solutions provider. David brings a practical, energetic approach to mentoring, with a strong focus on helping others achieve their potential.

Nish Kotak is a Chartered Accountant who qualified with Coopers & Lybrand before moving into management consulting at PwC. In 1999, he joined the corporate venture fund of Great Universal Stores, where he was responsible for acquiring digital e-commerce businesses. He was later headhunted to lead Strategy and Business Development for United Business Media’s digital division.

Following this, Nish founded a professional services change management business, which he exited in 2012. He then co-founded a global executive search and professional services firm, successfully selling the business in 2018. In 2020, he co-founded Bergman Holt, a specialist executive search firm focused on startups and scaleups.

Nish works closely with founders from early-stage development through to scaling leadership teams, advising on executive hiring, organisational design, and sustainable growth. He also contributes to panels and advisory groups supporting founders on their scaling journeys.

Lucy Colson is a strategist, founder, and advisor working at the intersection of business design, growth, and people leadership. She has built, advised, and scaled founder-led businesses across sectors including SaaS, healthcare, hospitality, and community ventures, from early-stage startups through to successful exits.

Her work focuses on helping founders move from fragmentation to clarity and traction, designing commercially successful businesses with sustainable operating models. Lucy brings a systems-led approach, combining strategy, execution, and behavioural insight to support decision-making during critical growth phases.

In addition to her advisory work, Lucy has founded multiple ventures, including initiatives addressing loneliness and modern work culture, and has held senior operational roles in scaling organisations. As an Entrepreneur in Residence at ARU, she supports students and early-stage founders through focused, problem-led mentoring, providing practical insight into building resilient and viable businesses.

Nicholas Looby is an expert in human interaction, communication strategy, and the psychology of impactful messaging. He specialises in helping individuals and organisations cut through communication noise and ensure their message is not only heard but truly understood.

With over 20 years of experience, Nicholas has supported professionals across industries to communicate with clarity, confidence, and influence. His work focuses on enabling people to achieve meaningful results through powerful, authentic communication, particularly in high-pressure and competitive environments.

Stephen Tunnicliffe-Wilson is an engineer and business leader with extensive experience in technology innovation and scaling companies. He began his career at Cambridge Consultants before co-founding Inca Digital Printers.

At Inca, Stephen led the Research and Development team for 16 years before becoming CEO in 2019. He successfully guided the company through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw its acquisition by Agfa in 2022.

He is currently Director at Alliance Strategy Consulting Ltd, where he advises technology companies on growth strategies, operational transformation, and successful exits.

Dr Tamsin Holland Brown is a paediatrician and entrepreneur, and the founder of Hear Glue Ear, an initiative focused on improving outcomes for children with hearing loss.

She has participated in leading innovation programmes including the NHS Innovation Accelerator, Accelerator@Babraham, and the Cambridge Global Health Partnership. Her work spans digital health, health education, and entrepreneurship, with multiple publications in these fields.

Tamsin serves as NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur Programme Co-Clinical Lead, is a member of the Digital Committee at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and acts as a World Health Organization task force advisor on hearing care.

Faye Holland is a senior technology and communications leader with over 30 years of experience across global technology, media, and innovation-led businesses. She is recognised for her ability to connect people, ideas, and organisations across the public, private, and third sectors.

Faye began her career at PIPEX, progressing into senior marketing leadership roles, and later joined IBM, where she held pan-European and global positions in emerging technology sectors. She has contributed to major multi-million-dollar programmes across wireless, RFID, and outsourced services.

In 2014, she founded cofinitive, a PR and marketing agency supporting high-growth technology businesses, which became one of the UK’s most respected agencies before its acquisition in 2025. She also founded the #21toWatch Technology Innovation Awards.

Faye is Chair of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, co-host of the Cambridge Tech Podcast, and an active mentor supporting entrepreneurs across leading UK universities.

Mat Parkins is the founder of AI Guys, a company focused on helping organisations harness artificial intelligence in practical and accessible ways. With deep experience in AI implementation and technology strategy, he supports businesses of all sizes in adopting innovative solutions to drive growth and efficiency.

Mat’s entrepreneurial journey provides him with first-hand insight into the challenges of building and scaling technology ventures. He is particularly passionate about enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs to leverage AI as a driver of innovation and competitive advantage, offering a hands-on, application-focused mentoring approach.

Paul Nash is an entrepreneur with experience across multiple sectors, including facilities services, specialist vehicle hire, hospitality, and digital directories. Over the course of his career, he has built, scaled, and exited several ventures, developing practical expertise in operations, customer acquisition, and business resilience.

He is the founder of the ‘Things To Do In’ directory network, an online platform supporting local businesses through affordable digital visibility and franchise expansion across the UK and the United States. Alongside this, he has operated long-standing service-based businesses and developed commercial property and events ventures.

Paul brings hands-on, real-world experience of starting, growing, and adapting businesses in changing markets. His mentoring focuses on practical execution, sales development, and sustainable small-business growth.

Alex Mann is a startup mentor and advisor with a background as a serial technology founder and a successful exit. He has founded or co-founded ventures across a range of sectors, including telecommunications, application distribution, social media intelligence, IT services, and edtech.

Alongside his mentoring work, Alex works part-time at Anglia Ruskin University, where he supports students in assistive technology, digital and AI skills, and academic development. He brings a practical, founder-led perspective to supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, combining technical expertise with real-world experience of building and scaling businesses.