Liz Barclay is the Small Business Commissioner for the UK. She has a background in broadcasting and journalism specialising in small business, personal finance and consumer affairs and is author of several business books. She is also chair of the Fair by Design Campaign (to tackle the poverty premium) and a non-executive director of the Lending Standards Board.
Until she took up the role of SBC Liz was a Financial Inclusion Commissioner, an ambassador for Business Debtline, a member of the Fundraising Regulator Standards Board, the Equity Release Council Standards Board, and ran BackinBusiness.org.uk to give small businesses a voice with policy makers.
She worked with boards and small businesses on improving governance, trust and culture, inclusivity, employee engagement, and understanding customer behaviour. She is also a communication and presentation skills coach and chairs national and international conferences.
Iain McIlwee is a Materials Engineer whose journey in construction started in a scaffolding yard in Hanwell in 1995. He has worked in the construction industry in a number of roles including CEO of the British Woodworking Federation, Director of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme and serving as a non-Exec Director of FENSA and Vice Chair of the Construction Products Association.
Iain is currently CEO of Finishes and Interiors Sector, the trade body for the £10 billion fit-out, interiors and finishing sector. In addition to his role at FIS, Iain sits on the Steering Board of the City of London Corporation’s Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce. Iain has been a FIR Ambassador since 2021.
Stuart Green is professor of construction management at the University of Reading. He has thirty years’ experience of research and consultancy relating to the construction sector. Publications include the critically acclaimed book, Making Sense of Construction Improvement (Routledge, 2024), which offers a critical evaluation of the UK construction improvement debate from 1945 through to the present day.
