Meet The Team

Giles Semper

Giles joins the BID from Place Making Consultancy, the means and has a wealth of experience in planning, setting up and running BIDs. He has led placemaking projects in more than 50 UK neighbourhoods, towns and cities, always with an emphasis on innovation and creativity. He has also worked overseas, and is a founding member of the European BIDs Network.

Rebecca Handley

Rebecca has a wealth of experience within the BID industry. Initially working for Kingstonfirst, the UK's first Business Improvement District leading the Shaping Kingston theme to transform the town centre and latterly as Deputy CEO of Basingstoke Together BID. She joins the team as Operations Director, leading the Great City Centre Experience area of work. To achieve this she works closely with a number of key partners, including Southampton City Council to deliver improvements to the city centre.

Gemma Nichols

Gemma joins the BID with a diverse partnerships and events background. Originating from the North West, Gemma was part of the team that delivered Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2008, focusing on the commercial partnership acquisition and delivery for the city. She then moved to the South Coast initially as Global Partnerships Manager for Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, managing global partnerships and events across the race schedule. Her role at the BID is to develop long standing commercial partnerships and an engaging events that deliver significant economic impact to the area.

Gemma Pratt

Before joining our team, Gemma worked as the Office Manager within an IT Recruitment company. Her organisation skills were also strengthened by her years as Personal Assistant at Southampton City Council for senior managers within the Education sector. As a proud Southampton resident, she is truly passionate about the GO! Southampton mission.

Flo Bevis

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.

Martin Conlan

Martin has recently retired after 30 years with the Hampshire Constabulary, his last 14 spent managing the Southampton City Centre police team in the day and night time economies. He brings with him a wealth of relevant knowledge and experience to assist with the challenge of reducing business crime in our BID area.

Carol Bowers

Carol has lived in Southampton all her life recently retiring from Hampshire Constabulary after 17 years as a Police Constable serving in Southampton. Carol has a wealth of experience of the city centre where she served as a local Neighbourhood Beat Officer for the day and night time economies until 2017. Carols 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.

Debbi Martin

Debbie 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.

Sam

Sam has been working within the security industry for the past 13 years covering retail, static, courts and events in Dorset, Hampshire and the wider area. With this he has acquired a wide knowledge of the sector. While with GO! Southampton he has been helping to support businesses with theft, and anti social issues as well as working alongside other agencies to help improve Southampton City Centre.

Martin Kirby

Martin has been working within the security sector for the last 22 years in a number of roles. As a Business Warden for SWL Security Martin covered both Hampshire and Dorset. Since working with GO! Southampton Martin has been working hard to help bridge the void within the BID area, supporting businesses as well as making the general public feel a little safer.

Martin

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

Jim

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

Rishi Sood

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.