Torbay is home to one of Devon’s most distinctive and diverse business communities – combining visitor economy strength, coastal enterprise, innovation, independent business and nationally significant economic potential. Through Devon Chamber, we are helping strengthen connections, raise visibility and support a more confident voice for businesses across the area.
Through events, visibility, insight and stronger local connections, Devon Chamber supports businesses across Torbay to grow their networks, access opportunities and feel part of a wider county-wide business community. Whether you’re looking to connect with other businesses, raise your profile or be more engaged in local and regional conversations, we’re here to help you be part of what comes next.
Join a dynamic group of business professionals for an energising morning of networking, insight, and inspiration over a cup of coffee or tea and a delicious breakfast bap!
Start your day with a warm welcome and a hot drink at our Coffee & Connections Torbay events, taking place from 9.30-10.30am at various venues across the region.
Torbay combines natural assets, entrepreneurial energy and sector strengths that make the area a vital part of Devon’s wider economy. From the visitor economy and hospitality to marine activity, health, creative enterprise and growing professional services, this is a place with real character, resilience and opportunity.
Devon Chamber is committed to supporting businesses in the area through events, visibility, stronger connections and place-led engagement. Our role is to help ensure that businesses here are part of the wider Devon conversation – and that the strengths, challenges and opportunities of Torbay are represented with confidence.
Torbay is home to a broad and diverse business community, shaped by coastal enterprise, strong local identity and sectors that matter to both the local economy and Devon’s wider growth story, including:
Our role is to help strengthen business connections across Torbay, raise the profile of the area’s strengths and make sure local businesses are part of the wider Devon business conversation.
By continuing to grow activity and engagement in the area, we can:
Creating more opportunities for businesses in Torbay to connect, collaborate and raise their profile.
Championing the area’s strengths across hospitality, tech, health, marine, creative enterprise, food and drink, and local services.
Growing Devon Chamber activity in the area through events, conversations and stronger local business participation.
Helping ensure that the challenges and opportunities facing businesses in Torbay are visible within the wider Devon business agenda.
Supporting a stronger, more positive story for Torbay as a place to live, work, invest and do business.
The Torbay Business Board brings together business leaders from across the area to strengthen collaboration, champion shared priorities and ensure the area has a clearer, more influential voice in the decisions that shape its future.
Businesses in Torbay can benefit from regular profile opportunities through the Chamber’s quarterly magazine Profile, helping raise visibility across the wider Devon business community.
Alongside ongoing editorial coverage, the area also features throughout the year as part of the Chamber’s wider content, events and place-led activity.
Become a member of the Chamber and benefit from Local Connections, Regional Strength, National Voice and Global Reach.
Laurence Frewin is Principal and Chief Executive of South Devon College. He brings extensive experience in strategic leadership and partnership working, with a strong focus on supporting growth across Torbay’s unique coastal economy. He works with business leaders to strengthen and build connections across sectors and help shape a clear, place based approach that reflects the area’s opportunities and challenges.
Alongside this role, Laurence is Chair of the Skills and Employment Advisory Group for the Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority and a Non-Executive Director of the South West Business Council, contributing to regional collaboration between business, education and government. He has led South Devon College since 2019, where provision for young people was judged “Outstanding” by Ofsted in May 2024, alongside national recognition including TEF Gold for higher education and a national Green Gown Award for sustainability leadership.
Alex Bickham is Managing Director of MW Benney Ltd, a Torbay-based construction company delivering projects across the South West in sectors including education, healthcare, local authority, heritage and commercial works.
Alex has built his career within the construction industry, progressing through commercial, estimating and site delivery roles before becoming Managing Director. Under his leadership, MW Benney has continued to grow while maintaining a strong focus on collaborative working, quality delivery, local employment and supporting the wider South West supply chain.
Alongside his role at MW Benney, Alex is Vice Chair of Build Torbay, where he supports closer collaboration between employers, education providers and local organisations to help address skills gaps and create opportunities for people entering the construction sector.
As a Torbay Business Board member, Alex is keen to represent the voice of local SMEs, support inclusive growth and help promote Torbay as a place where businesses, communities and young people can thrive.’
Amanda Hill is a senior executive and board adviser with 25+ years of commercial leadership across enterprise, growth-stage and startups servicing technology enabled businesses where the customer or user experience is central to success. She is a Board Trustee of Penny Brohn, a cancer well being charity, Board Trustee of the Engineering Council, the regulatory authority for registration in the Engineering sector and owner of ALH Consulting Limited.
Amanda’s executive track record spans P&L ownership, GTM transformation, and large-scale organisational change. She has doubled ARR to $19.5m with 35% margin expansion at VMware, delivered 50% bottom-line and 15% topline improvement at HPE Software EMEA, led on the divestiture of £6bn of revenue and 22,000 employees during HPE’s UKI restructuring and launched and scaled businesses at YNV. She has developed teams across 28 countries as well as led businesses from between £5k to £1bn focusing on unlocking the growth opportunities, developing the ecosystem and ensuring talent and skills development is at the heart of each company’s strategy.
Amanda brings a consistent focus on customer lifetime value, data-driven decision making and operational rigour. She works with PE-backed and growth-stage businesses in helping leadership teams accelerate commercial performance and build effective operational capability and a talented employee base. As a board member, she offers direct commercial challenge, governance discipline, and deep experience of stakeholder complexity that comes with corporate transactions, regulated environments, and international markets.
Amanda is an active STEM Ambassador and champion for women in business. She lives and works in Torbay.
Ben Coggins is a property developer and entrepreneur with more than 25 years’ experience in construction, design and project management across the UK and Europe.
He is co-founding director of Armada Property UK, an award-winning construction and consultancy business recognised for delivering high-quality residential developments and regenerating brownfield sites. Projects include affordable housing initiatives such as the Brampton House “Hotels to Homes” scheme delivered in partnership with Torbay Council.
Ben is also the founder of Constructing Futures , a foundation dedicated to tackling skills shortages, creating career pathways and improving access to opportunities within the construction industry. Through partnerships with industry, education providers and local communities, the initiative aims to equip the next generation with all elements of construction skills, work experience and routes into long-term employment.
He is also the founder of Gravity Scaffolding that covers the residential and commercial market across the South West and co-founder of Deuce, an isotonic drink developed for racket sports including padel and tennis
Geoff Pring is the Director of Visitor Experience at Buckfast Abbey. As well as an iconic place of worship in the Southwest, the Abbey boasts a variety of services and facilities to its visitors, including a Conference Centre, Hotel and Italian inspired restaurant, San Benedetto’s.
The Abbey works closely with a variety of different stakeholders, continually evolving and adapting to new demands and challenges, with over 1,000 years of history there is still plenty of future thinking and planning. It has been an active member of the Chamber over the last 10 years and is keen to strengthen its and the Chambers role in promoting Devon, and the Greater Southwest, as an important place to do business.
Geoff is a trustee of Cathedrals Plus, representing Cathedrals, Abbeys and greater churches in the UK and Ireland and an active member of the Devon Association of Tourist Attractions. He has worked in many varied hospitality and sales roles through the years and grown his influence at the Abbey over a 20 year career there.
Jenny Paton is the Business Development Manager at Newton Abbot Racecourse, where she oversees the Business Club and its events, sponsorship and conferencing. She joined the racecourse in 2018, having previously worked there in the early 2000s. The Business Club launched in 2025 and already has 27 members from across the South Devon business sector.
Passionate about building relationships and bringing people and businesses together, Jenny thrives on collaboration and is dedicated to supporting the local community through her work with a number of charities.
With a proven track record in event management, marketing and fundraising she brings a wealth of experience to the board. She is a strong advocate for the important role that summer jump racing plays in sport, culture and the local economy in South Devon.
Born and raised in Torbay, Jenny has extensive knowledge of the area and a deep understanding of both its business community and tourism sector.
Kelly Widley has worked across the hospitality, food, drink, events and business engagement sectors for more than 20 years, both in Torbay and overseas. Passionate about supporting businesses and strengthening the local economy, she is committed to building connections, encouraging collaboration and creating opportunities across Devon.
Kelly is a Director of the English Riviera BID Company, Vice Chair of Torbay Business Forum and Project Manager for England’s Seafood FEAST and Riviera Connect Expo. In her role as Partnerships and Business Development Manager at Clear Sky Publishing, she works closely with businesses, stakeholders and partner organisations across the South West, delivering business publications, events, networking opportunities and commercial partnerships.
Known for bringing people together, Kelly has developed an extensive network across the public and private sectors and is a strong advocate for partnership working. She is passionate about ensuring businesses have a voice, sharing best practice and helping to promote Devon as a thriving place to live, work, invest and do business.
Maureen Townsend has lived in Torquay since 2019. She is an experienced business leader, marketing consultant, and partnership specialist with a background in helping organisations grow through collaboration, strategic engagement, and effective communication.
During her senior leadership career with Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, she played a key role in developing partnerships between businesses, public sector organisations, educational institutions, and regional stakeholders, creating opportunities that delivered lasting value across the business community.
As founder of Accentuate Visuals, Maureen brings expertise in business development, marketing strategy, content creation, and commercial photography, supporting organisations to strengthen their profile and achieve sustainable growth.
She is also a founding partner and co-organiser of Devon Women in Business, supporting and encouraging female business women across Devon
Recognised for her ability to bring people and organisations together, Maureen combines commercial insight with a collaborative approach, enabling businesses to build meaningful relationships, unlock opportunities, and achieve long-term success.
Nigel Fenn MBE is a business owner with NEon Solution and an experienced Skills leader with over 20 years’ experience operating at senior leadership level. He has a proven track record developing award winning and successful skills programmes and delivering strategic business improvement projects.
Nigel grew up in Torbay and has always worked in Devon and the wider South West. He holds a degree in Business Information Technology, a level 7 CIPD Award in Human Resources and a Postgraduate CPD in Management.
Nigel is passionate about supporting people and local businesses. He has Chaired the South West Apprenticeship Ambassador Network for 10 year and grown the network from 40 employers to over 400 ambassadors with a common desire to promote apprenticeships as a pathway to career and business success. Nigel was recognised with an MBE in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Simon Beer is MD and co-owner of Bigwave Marketing, a B Corp certified agency based in the Southwest. The agency employs 55+ specialists across advertising, content, creative, paid media, SEO/GEO, video and web development. It supports public sector, charity and purpose-led clients across the UK and Ireland that deliver positive outcomes for their communities.
Bigwave and its creative output have won awards from Western Morning News ‘Best Place to Work’ to UKactive ‘Best campaign of the year’. The agency is a Google, Microsoft and Meta Partner and a Real Living Wage accredited employer.
Simon holds an eMBA, a degree in Electronic Imaging and Media Communication and was part of the first UK cohort to complete Google’s Squared Online digital marketing programme. He previously held roles in a UK top-100 PR agency.
He is a member of the Devon and Torbay CCA Business Advisory Board and a founding member of the Torbay Creative Cluster.
Sue Julyan is Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice Torbay and Citizens Advice Exeter, where she leads a team of paid staff and volunteers delivering vital advice and support services across Torbay and Exeter. She is an experienced strategic leader with a strong track record in organisational development, partnership working, and championing community impact.
Before moving into the charity sector, Sue spent over 24 years in education. She served as Headteacher and specialised in leadership development, culture, and collaboration working across multiple schools. She brings extensive experience of governance, financial management and working with diverse stakeholders, including local authorities, the NHS and voluntary sector partners.
As a Torbay resident, Sue is passionate about improving outcomes for the local community, tackling inequality, and ensuring that the voices of people in Torbay are heard. She is pleased to represent the area on the Devon Chamber Place Board.
Simon Steer is a Commercial Insurance Broker at Konsileo, based in Torbay, where he works closely with businesses to help them identify and manage risk while providing tailored insurance solutions that support their growth and resilience. In industry he has worked in for the past 15 years.
Alongside his professional role, Simon is passionate about championing the local business community. As Chair of the Paignton Chamber of Commerce, he has focused on strengthening collaboration between businesses, growing engagement through successful networking events, and helping to raise the profile of Paignton as a thriving place to live, work and invest.
Simon also serves on several local boards and partnerships, giving him a broad understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing businesses across Devon. He is committed to ensuring that the voice of local businesses is heard and that collaboration between the public and private sectors delivers meaningful, long-term economic growth.
Troy Wheeler is Managing Director and co-owner of Tomlinson Solutions Ltd, a South West technology company supporting organisations with managed IT, cyber security, digital transformation, web and growth-focused technology services.
Based in Torbay, Troy works with businesses across Devon to help them use technology more strategically, securely and effectively. His role focuses on business growth, innovation, cyber resilience and helping organisations turn technology from an operational necessity into a driver of long-term success.
Troy is a Chartered Innovation Professional and brings experience across IT, cyber security, consultancy and business strategy. As Managing Director, he is helping shape the next stage of Tomlinson Solutions’ growth, with a strong focus on people-first technology, measurable outcomes and supporting local businesses to become more resilient and future-ready.
As a board member of the newly formed Torbay Business Board, representing the Devon Chamber of Commerce, Troy is committed to championing the Torbay business community, strengthening collaboration across the region and supporting initiatives that help local organisations grow, innovate and succeed.
Chamber members are three times more likely to survive – and thrive – than other businesses.
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