About Us

Tim Keeping is a commercial property manager for Workman LLP, managing retail and leisure properties for both private and institutional investors, one of which is The Marlands Shopping Centre in Southampton. Prior to moving into commercial property, Tim had a long career in department store retail and was a store director for nine years. As a result of this background, he possesses valuable insights into property management, lease administration, and commercial real estate as well as a sound understanding of the retail business.

Tim was a founding director of GO! Southampton, initially as Vice Chair of the steering group established to form the business improvement district, taking over as Chair of the first board of directors in 2017. He has been actively involved in the city's development over the past 11 years and has a deep understanding of the BID area and is passionate about the opportunities the city offers.

Tim is also Trustee of Southampton Forward, formerly known as the Southampton Culture Trust, the body responsible for bidding to be UK City of Culture 2025, which the city narrowly missed out on winning behind Bradford. This further exemplifies his dedication to the city's progress in all aspects, ensuring that the city centre thrives, benefitting all businesses, whether independent retailers or multinational corporations.

Caroline Osman is the owner and Managing Director of W. J. French & Son. She is the 8th generation of her family to run the award-winning shoe shop, which has been trading in Southampton for over 200 years. Caroline had a career as a Chartered Surveyor before moving back to her home town of Southampton in 2014 to run the family business. She helps communicate the challenges that face independent businesses and the opportunities they could benefit from. Caroline has been a member of the board since 2016 is Vice president and chairs the Greater City Centre Experience theme group.

Womble Bond Dickinson can trace its roots in Southampton back to 1646 and is proud to support GO! Southampton. Personally, I have lived and worked in Southampton most of my life and I am passionate about helping the city realise its full potential as a world class city. The BID is a great opportunity to bring together people and ideas to deliver tangible change within the city and to help deliver on that potential.

Leigh Rengger, the Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at Solent University and Chair of the Marketing & Events Theme Group, brings over 20 years of marketing, strategy, customer insights, and loyalty expertise from renowned brands like Sainsbury’s, John Lewis Partnership, and Waitrose to the Southampton Business Improvement District Board of Directors. In his role at Solent, he is responsible for external relationships with various stakeholder groups, encompassing brand and marketing communications, international and UK recruitment and partnerships, admissions and enrolment, commercial partnerships, widening participation, and advancement and civic engagement.

Leigh's leadership and strategic acumen make him an asset to the Board and Theme Group. His extensive experience in diverse areas, including marketing, communications, and global partnerships, ensures his unique perspective in contributing to the Board's initiatives. With a commitment to providing great education and being a valuable civic partner, Leigh's dedication to ensuring Southampton's attractiveness, vibrancy, and economic success aligns seamlessly with GO! Southampton's mission. His role as Chair of the Marketing & Events Theme Group further exemplifies his desire to drive improvements for the city.

Allan Gordon, the Managing Director at National Regional Property Group, brings an abundance of knowledge in the Development and Construction marketplace to the Southampton Business Improvement District Board of Directors. After accumulating over 40 years of expertise working for construction contracting companies, Allan also established MDM Ltd, a consultancy firm focused on the South's development and construction sector.

As a large developer in Southampton, National Regional Property Group's objective is to deliver high-quality and sustainable residential and mixed-use developments that align with the city's regeneration program.

With National Regional Property Group pioneering the first Private Rented Sector residential scheme in the South, consisting of 280 flats on a former fruit market site in the city centre of Southampton, Allan's contributions to the Board invaluably drives further regeneration initiatives. His experience and progressive approach aids in fostering sustainable growth and development in the city, making him a significant asset to the Board's efforts.

As the owner and founder of STAKKS Pancake House, established in 2015, I represent the small and independent businesses in the city. I believe that the BID and its main objectives are to improve local businesses, community and the city experience overall and I am proud to contribute to those changes. My main goal as the Board Director is to ensure that those objectives are met, to bring up the issues and struggles of small local businesses on behalf of my peers and to contribute positively.

I believe that Southampton can and should be brighter and better, as this city's potential is immense.

Dishi Umfleet, the former owner of The Docks Coffee House on Oxford Street, is now the Operations Manager at Kindbridge Research Institute and holds a position on the GO! Southampton Board as the Resident Representative. With a deep dedication to inclusivity and promoting diversity, Dishi's passion lies in making a positive difference to Southampton, a vibrant city with immense potential.

Dishi brings a dynamic and energetic leadership style to the Board. With a hands-on approach, she is adept at driving exceptional performance and drawing the best out of organisations. Having experienced global accomplishments, Dishi demonstrates adaptability to international environments.

Dishi’s expertise in business and sales leadership, revenue enhancement, operational consulting, strategic partnerships, change management, and development is instrumental in fostering collaborative efforts to improve the areas and generate benefits for all. Born in Southampton, Dishi's profound understanding of the city's needs and potential adds significant value to the Board's initiatives, aligning perfectly with GO! Southampton's vision for a thriving community.

“I can see the positive changes that are being brought about by the BID and I am really pleased to be able to represent the night time economy as another important element of Southampton’s fantastic offer.”

“GO! Southampton is a great driving force to help attract and grow the business community within the city. As a prominent employer in the heart of Southampton we are excited to work together with other like-minded businesses to make a real difference to the appearance, vibrancy and heartbeat of a truly historic waterfront city.”

Jo Phillips, Chief People Officer at Carnival UK, brings over 10 years of experience at Carnival UK and previous experiences across a number of different industries and global organisations. As one of the largest employers in the area, Carnival UK supports GO! Southampton's mission to bring businesses together and shape the city's bright future, making it an even more attractive place to visit, live, work, and do business. Jo’s passion for improving connections to the cruise industry, its guests and and crew, aligns perfectly with GO! Southampton's vision for a thriving and inclusive city.

With a track record of transformational and creative global HR leadership, Jo has led change agendas in various critical areas and enabled the delivery of business results through people across different organisations. As a seasoned People professional, Jo's experience and knowledge is invaluable in helping the Southampton Business Improvement District Board of Directors in fostering collaboration among businesses, enhancing the city's appeal, and driving positive change for residents and companies alike.

Laura is General Manager of Westquay, the South Coast’s leading retail, dining and leisure destination located in the heart of Southampton. Laura grew up on the other side of the New Forest and has lived close to the city for most of her life. With a background in licensed retail and hospitality, bringing people together to enjoy experiences in a vibrant and exciting destination is really close to her heart.

Laura has operated businesses or regions that span across many different areas of the country – from central London to Yorkshire and from South Wales to the length of the South Coast – and therefore is pleased to be able to bring learnings from other cities and areas back to Southampton to its benefit.

As a business stakeholder in the city, Laura really sees the benefit and opportunity that GO! Southampton has to help bring prosperity and economic success to the city centre.

Toby is Managing Director of Southampton Football Club and a qualified Chartered Accountant. He has been a resident of the wider Southampton area since 2005 and enjoys being part of the BID, which plays a crucial role to improve the experience for businesses of all sizes within the city and everyone visiting the city, regardless of their purpose. Toby also chairs GO! Southampton’s Finance & Scrutiny Committee.

Satvir Kaur, the Leader of the Council at Southampton City Council and representing Shirley Ward, brings a wealth of experience. With a degree in History and Politics from the University of Southampton, followed by studies in law at Southampton Solent University, Councillor Kaur possesses a strong academic background. Additionally, her involvement in the publishing industry and her role in running a local fabric business showcase her entrepreneurial spirit and understanding of the local business landscape.

Councillor Kaur's involvement in outside bodies such as the Arts Council, Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, and Southampton Forward exemplifies the knowledge and insight which she brings to the Board. She is also Chair of Southampton’s Renaissance Board, taking the lead on everything from city-wide master-planning to the city's tourism offer. Being born and bred in Southampton, Councillor Kaur has a deep connection with the city.

Ian Henderson is Head of Property for ABP Southampton where he heads up a team responsible for sites across the port. He previously spent 10 years at Wincanton plc as Group Property Director. A Chartered Surveyor with over 20 years of property experience, Ian is also a board member at the UK Warehousing Association.

Seb has worked for John Lewis for 35 years in different roles across the UK. He came to Southampton as branch manager at the start of the lockdown and is now delighted to be leading a shop that is open to the public! John Lewis is the UK's largest employee owned business and the Southampton branch employs nearly 600 "Partners". Seb has now settled, with his young family, in the New Forest. His partner, Laura was born in the area and her family are still local. More than enough motivation for him to play his part in making the City the best it can be to all visitors.

Greg Baker is the Chief Executive Officer of Saints Foundation, the charity of Southampton Football Club, as well as Director of Community at the club itself. Prior to taking on his current position, he held roles including Sports Partnership Manager at Comic Relief and Regional Community Manager at the English Football League Trust. He grew up in Southampton, and remains a big advocate for the city and its communities.

Spencer is the founder of Southampton based speciality coffee and brunch pioneers Mettricks, established in 2013 in the city centre. He was a founding director and vice chair of GO! Southampton, with a particular interest in ensuring entrepreneurial, small business and visionary voices were prominent in shaping the future of our city and business community. He chaired the Great City Centre Experience theme group for three years and played a key role in developing early accountability and strong collaborative relationships with city stakeholders. He has lived in the city centre since 2008, having grown up in the city, so has “skin in the game” and remains as passionate as ever to see this city of potential actually start to deliver on it.

Claire is currently CEO of Southampton Forward, having led Southampton’s shortlisted bid to be UK City of Culture 2025. Her role, which spans culture, events, destination, and tourism involves working with Southampton’s communities, public sector, cultural organisations, businesses, and academic partners locally and in the wider region. Previously, Claire was an Owner/Director of live music producers, Serious. Claire is also an advisor on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, working with organisations across a range of sectors.

Claire is passionate about bringing out the best in the city and delivering opportunities for visitors and residents alike.

Stephen’s varied experience includes award-winning Beamish, the largest open-air museum in Europe, developing Alnwick and Arundel castles into world-class tourist destinations and developing a heritage gateway for Northampton town centre. He focuses on the importance of high-quality visitor experiences which bring benefits to the city’s businesses and residents.

Flo joined the team after finishing her Masters degree at Solent University in Journalism and Multimedia Communications. During her time in education she worked as an intern with GO! Southampton primarily working on the marketing and execution of the SO What? magazine. Prior to this Flo completed her undergraduate degree in Multimedia Journalism at Solent and therefore holds strong written and communication skills. She has lived in the city for six years and has worked in the hospitality sector in Southampton as well as working for Solent Creatives.

Gemma is keen to make sure BID members are receiving a return on their investment. If you are a BID member and would like to know more about GO! Southampton, she is always happy to meet to explain the benefits and listen to how the BID can help.

Before joining our team, Gemma worked in both private and public sectors in Southampton. From Limited Companies to Community Development schemes, she has gained a great understanding of different business structures.

As a proud Southampton resident, the GO! Southampton mission is very important to her. She is passionate about having a positive impact on her home city and its businesses. Outside of work, Gemma lives a creative lifestyle and likes to be a part of the thriving creative community in Southampton.

Rishi has over 15 years experience developing relationships and adding value across the public and private sectors. Managing the implementation of a national buying group to over 100 Business Improvement Districts, Rishi and his team at Place Support Partnership bring extensive knowledge of the energy, water, telecoms and merchant commodities providing businesses with expert advice, market intelligence, unrivalled support and choice.

Tom moved to Southampton four years ago and joined the team as the first internal finance manager at GO! Southampton bringing the finances in house.

Before joining the BID, Tom has gained experience in finance across a range of different industries.  Originally trained as a Management Accountant in the NHS, he then worked in Finance Consultancy roles in international development across east Africa. Returning to the UK he undertook Accountancy jobs in the oil and manufacturing industry.  Tom is proud to be a member of the BID and he has a real passion in supporting people and businesses to develop Southampton's city centre.

Martin retired from Hampshire Constabulary after 30 years. His last 14 years were spent managing the Southampton City Centre police team in the day and night time economies. GO! Southampton saw this experience and knowledge has critical to retain for the city, leading to his role as Case File Builder. Martin's work aims to continuously reduce business crime in the BID area.

Before joining GO! Southampton, Carol had retired from Hampshire Constabulary after 17 years as a Police Constable serving in Southampton. Carol has lived in Southampton all her life and has a wealth of experience in the city centre where she served as a local Neighbourhood Beat Officer for the day and night time economies until 2017. Carol's last three years of service was based in the Resolution Centre Business Crime Team. With this knowledge and recent experience within the Business Crime team Carol assists with the challenges in reducing business crime for the day and night time economies.

Jade is a City resident and is passionate about making a difference for local businesses, residents, and visitors alike. She will be Co-ordinating an events programme, delivering the Evening and Night-Time Economy Strategy and leading on Clean City Centre.

Before joining the team, Jade has worked in Local Government Economic Development for nearly 10 years. Purple Flag and Night-time Economy is an area she is well experienced in and this is a key focus of her role. Ensuring the streets of Southampton stay safe, particularly for women and girls is of high priority, especially having two young girls of her own.

Debbi is Southampton based and has gained over 17 years of Customer Service experience in both the retail and hospitality sectors. Her role as a Street Ranger is both diverse and rewarding, from reporting environmental issues to welcoming and directing tourists. No 2 days are ever the same! She hopes to make a real difference to the City so that Southampton is an even better place to work, live and visit.

After moving to the UK in 2018, Christina considers Southampton as her home away from home. Originally trained as a nurse, Christina has enjoyed working with the public across a variety of clinical settings. After discovering a passion for marketing, Christina has previously worked for an ecommerce business in the pet industry before joining our team at GO! Southampton. She is excited to support BID businesses and share her passion for the city through her work.

Sunitta is our dedicated Administration Officer, bringing her experience in Administration to our team. Hailing from Southampton, Sunitta is deeply rooted in the local community and takes immense pride in her family's rich history in the city. Her grandfather and great grandfather were pioneering figures as the first Asian migrants to officially settle in Southampton. They established the city's first Indian Grocer, Asian restaurant, and even Hampshire's first Asian pub landlord.

Outside of her professional life, Sunitta is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys running and staying active. She is also passionate about giving back to the community through her charity work. Her strong ties to Southampton, both personally and professionally, make her a valuable member to our team.

Sunitta is excited about her role's diversity and looks forward to forging meaningful relationships with local businesses, offering them the support they need. Her positive attitude and friendly demeanor perfectly complement our dynamic team.

GO! Southampton support businesses with theft, and anti social issues as well as working alongside other agencies to help improve Southampton City Centre. Andreea, Gary and Sam are key members of the daytime security team. With a combined security experience of over 35 years, the team have acquired the skills to support all businesses and sectors within the BID. Our night time (NTE) team are led by Latrice and Toby and aim to add support for vulnerable people during the evening and night time period. Their friendly approach and knowledgeable support, helps to keep the city safe and an enjoyable experience - all contributing to the Purple Flag accreditation.

Martin and Jim are part of the fantastic GO! Southampton cleansing team which was launched in partnership with Southampton City Council.