Open Meeting 2004: Speakers' Biographies

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10 November 2004
British Library, London

Margaret Ford
Chairman, English Partnerships

Margaret Ford was appointed Chairman of English Partnerships in April 2002. She is a Non-Executive Director of Serco plc, Thus plc and Deputy Chairman of Good Practice Ltd, the publishing company that she founded. She spent her early career in a variety of roles in the public sector and as an adviser to Government. She has worked extensively in housing and regeneration and is a specialist in public sector reform and leadership development.

Phil Hope MP
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, ODPM

Phil Hope, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 16 June 2003.

He supports Nick Raynsford in his role as Minister for Local Government, Regional Governance and Fire, while taking responsibility for building regulations, regulatory and public sector reform, e-local government, the Fire Service College and the Local Government Pension Scheme. Mr Hope also acts as e-champion, Freedom of Information champion and Green Minister.

Phil Hope previously acted as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister and to Nick Raynsford as Minister for State for Housing and Planning. He was first elected as MP in 1997 and previously worked as a teacher at Kettering School for Boys; youth policy advisor to the National Council for Voluntary Organisations; Head of the Young Volunteer Resources Unit at the National Youth Bureau; and management consultant to not-for-profit organisations.

Phil Hope was educated at Wandsworth Comprehensive School and St Luke's College, Exeter. He is married with two children and in his spare time enjoys tennis, juggling and gardening.

David Higgins
Chief Executive, English Partnerships

David Higgins joined English Partnerships in March 2003 having previously been Managing Director and Group Chief Executive of the Lend Lease Group. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in civil engineering. He also has a Diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia.

Following graduation from University, David spent time working in the United Kingdom and Africa. He returned to Australia and in 1985 joined Civil & Civic, a division of the Lend Lease Group in Brisbane, as a site engineer.

Dennis Hone
Regional Director, Eastern England and Milton Keynes, English Partnerships

Dennis Hone is responsible for English Partnerships’ activities in the East Midlands, East of England (excluding the Thames Gateway) and Milton Keynes.

Dennis joined the Commission for the New Towns (CNT) as Finance Director in 1992 and was appointed a Board Member and Deputy Chief Executive of that organisation in 1997. He was responsible for the co-ordination of the transfer of the Urban Development Corporation and Housing Action Trust activities to CNT. Dennis was Director of Corporate Services for English Partnerships between 1999 and 2002.

Dennis qualified as a CIPFA accountant in 1984 and was Financial Controller of London Docklands Development Corporation between 1987 and 1992, having previously worked for the London Boroughs of Enfield, Haringey and Tower Hamlets, and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Parmjit Dhanda MP
MP for Gloucester

Parmjit Dhanda was born in London in 1971. His mother worked as a cleaner in a local hospital and his father was a lorry driver. Parmjit Dhanda went to school in Mellow Lane comprehensive school, before going on to study engineering at Nottingham University. After finishing his BEng, he decided to stay at Nottingham and continued studying, gaining an MSc in Information Technology.

After leaving university, Parmjit worked for the Labour Party as one of their organisers. He then went on to work for Connect – the union for professionals in communications – where he became Assistant National Organiser. In 1998, he was elected as a councillor for the London Borough of Hillingdon and in 1999 Parmjit was selected as one of the youngest candidates in that year’s European parliamentary elections. On 7 June 2001, he succeeded Tess Kingham as MP for Gloucester.

Parmjit now lives in Kingsholm in Gloucester, not far from the rugby ground.