Better Director Series  Creating certainty in an uncertain world

Ms Renison is currently Director of Advocacy Practice at SEC Newgate, and was previously Head of EU and Trade Policy at the Institute of Directors.

She has 15 years of experience working with stakeholders across Westminster and Whitehall, having previously served as Head of Strategy, Trade Advocacy in the Department for International Trade and Policy Advisor to the Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade

Amrik Sindhar is the Business Finance Director of Marshalls. Marshalls are the UK’s leading provider of innovative landscaping, building, and roofing solutions.

By the age of 33, Amrik has built a career as a strong and energetic Strategic Finance Director, working with both a global NYSE-listed company and a FTSE 250 organisation. Passionate about unlocking value in purpose and values driven, ethical businesses, Amrik brings a strong focus on fairness, diversity, equity, and inclusion while driving growth and transformation.

Anna is Chief Economist at the Institute of Directors and has held this role since June 2024.

Anna sits on the steering committee for the Royal Economic Society Women in Economics Network, which seeks to support the career development of women in economics, where she’s responsible for partnerships. She is also on the steering group for the Pissarides Review into the Future of Work and Wellbeing.

Before joining the IoD, Anna was Deputy Chief Economist at the CBI, leading workstreams across macroeconomics, surveys and consulting, and she has also worked in the Government Economic Service, in HM Treasury and DWP.

Dr. Vikas Shah MBE DL is an entrepreneur, investor, non-executive & thought leader with significant experience in founding, leading and exiting businesses to trade, private-equity and listed groups. He is a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) and also a Non-Executive Director of the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Shoosmiths LLP & Enspec Power. In his career, Vikas has also mentored and coach hundreds of entrepreneurs & leaders.

Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours List and in 2021 became a Deputy Lieutenant of the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy. He holds an Honorary Professorship of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester (where he is a member of the advisory board) and is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) by the University of Salford in November, 2022

Sarah Waddington CBE is the CEO of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), the world’s largest professional PR body.
Prior to that, she was a director of Wadds Inc. where she advised creative agency management teams on company direction to deliver sustainable growth.
Sarah is the UK’s only Chartered director and Chartered PR practitioner, offering a unique mix of governance and communications expertise. She holds over 20 years' experience in helping organisations to articulate their purpose, engage stakeholders, create value and deliver social impact.

Sarah is the founder of #FuturePRoof, a community committed to reasserting public relations as a strategic management function and co-founder of Socially Mobile, a not-for-profit PR training school helping those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and under-represented groups to increase their earning potential.
A pioneer of best practice, her CBE was awarded in June 2021 for services to public relations and voluntary sectors. She was also awarded the CIPR’s Sir Stephen Tallents Medal for exceptional achievement in public relations and the PRCA’s Outstanding Contribution in Digital Award.

Sarah is a Past President of the CIPR, a member of the Northern Power Women Power List, features on Provoke Media’s Innovator 25 EMEA 2021 list and is a regular speaker at industry events.