Chain Reaction

Howard Dawber has been Strategic Advisor at Canary Wharf Group since August 2004. In addition to work on corporate strategic issues, he is responsible for public affairs, government and external relations. Howard manages Canary Wharf Group’s Public and Community Affairs Department including the Social and Economic Development team. Howard represents Canary Wharf on the Board of Think London, Gateway to London, Tour East London, East London Business Alliance, Legacy 2020, UK Careers Academy Foundation, Campaign for Crossrail, and on various committees for business group London First. Howard was a member of the London 2012 Business Board and played an active role in London’s successful bid for the Olympics which was sponsored and hosted by Canary Wharf Group. In 2006 he set up the business consortium which won the Government’s Legacy Trust competition to deliver the cultural and social legacy of the games, and he is now a Governor of the Legacy Trust. He is the Chair of the Isle of Dogs Community Foundation and a Trustee of THESIS, a charity working on educational projects in Bangladesh.

Michael Cole-Fontayn is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of The Bank of New York Mellon’s Depositary Receipts Department. Michael is based in London. Michael manages a worldwide staff of 250 DR professionals responsible for the Bank’s DR business (http://www.adrbnymellon.com). Michael has been with the Bank since 1984 and within the DR Division since 1992. During that time he has worked on many DR equity capital raising transactions, including numerous privatisations and equity offerings around the world. Previously, Michael ran The Bank of New York Mellon’s Issuer Services Group in Hong Kong for seven years from 1993-2000. He is a member of the Operating Committee and European Executive Management Committee. He chairs The Issuer and Treasury Services Committee. He is also Executive Sponsor of the European Philanthropy activities. Michael is also a member of the All Party Parliamentary Corporate Governance Group.

A wild-eyed explorer of the urban landscape, as an artist I believe in magic and mayhem in equal amounts. I am always willing, and occasionally able, to pull the rabbit out of the hat. My work, using painting, performance and poetry, explores themes of childhood, memory and nostalgia. I collect old ephemera to use in my art, with an interest in old packaging and vintage advertising. Much of my work consequently involves collage or assemblage. I have exhibited at Worthing Museum & Art Gallery, Start Gallery Brighton, Chequer Mead Arts Centre, Brighton Fringe Basement, The Capitol Horsham and Littlehampton Museum. I’m founder of the Revolutionary Arts Group, various events like Worthing’s open houses and the Made In Worthing Festival, and nationally - the Empty Shops Network. The Empty Shops Network was founded early in 2009 to record projects in empty shops (I’ve been involved in using them as temporary art spaces for nine years), to lobby for recognition for the sector, and encourage more work in empty shops. Read more about the Empty Shops Network

Mindfulness is a way of being more deeply aware of yourself, others and the world about you – from moment to moment. Derived from meditative traditions but now finding its way into corporate and healthcare contexts, the mindfulness approach to personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence and stress reduction has increasingly been subject to scientific research. Michael is a leading teacher of mindfulness-based approaches to work. He trains senior executives, executive coaches and other high performers in this highly effective approach to creativity and personal effectiveness. Read more

David Robinson is the Founder of Community Links, now Senior Advisor. David is also the founder and, now chair of We Are What We Do, co-founder of the Children's Discovery Centre, and a founding Trustee of TimeBank. He also collaborated with Gordon Brown on the Prime Ministers new book "Britain's Everyday Heroes" and leads the Prime Ministers Council on Social Action.
Read more about Community Links / Read more about We Are What We Do