Karen Tyrell is Chief Executive Officer of Drinkaware, bringing over 20 years of experience across health and social care, including senior roles at national alcohol and drug treatment charities Humankind and Addaction. A collaborative leader with expertise in strategy and communications, she is also Vice Chair of Trustees at the Avalon Group, a social care charity.

Rev Les Isaac is the founder and president of Ascension Trust. He pioneered Street Pastors in the UK in 2003.  In recognition of the contribution that Les has made to society, he was awarded an OBE by her Majesty the Queen and has recently been appointed as an honorary Ecumenical Canon at Southwark Cathedral. He is the author of Faith on the Streets (Hodder Faith).

Allaster Gair is Director of Communications at Bacta, the trade association for the amusements and gaming machine industry, joining from global advisory consultancy DGA Group where he spent five years as Senior Associate. He brings specialist experience in public affairs and gambling policy, with a focus on political engagement, stakeholder communications and repositioning the sector’s reputation with policymakers and the wider public.

Josef Cannon was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 2002 and is ranked Band 1 Junior for licensing by Chambers & Partners, bringing extensive experience in licensing, regulatory work and environmental matters. A graduate of the accredited mediation course at Regents University, he also mediates licensing and public sector disputes and regularly lectures on the benefits of mediation in resolving public sector cases.

Sarah Bradley is Director of Consilium Training and Support Ltd, delivering training and consultancy on criminal investigation, enforcement and prosecution to local authorities and regulatory bodies. She brings cross-sector experience spanning police, local authority and regulatory enforcement, including commended work tackling serious and organised crime.

Gary Grant is one of the UK’s leading licensing barristers, practising from Francis Taylor Building in London. He is top-ranked in both Chambers UK and Legal 500, described respectively as the “best licensing lawyer in the country” and the “go-to counsel for licensing matters.” He has over 25 years’ experience across all areas of licensing law, representing local authorities, trade, police and central government, and is a Consultant Editor of Paterson’s Licensing Acts. He serves as Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Licensing.

Jim Button is a solicitor with over 30 years’ experience in local government and licensing law. President of the Institute of Licensing, he was a founder member and Chair of the Local Government Licensing Forum, the organisation that preceded the IoL. He delivers specialist training on hackney carriage and private hire licensing and is one of the most recognised practitioners in the field.

Nick Arron is a Partner and head of the Betting and Gaming team at Poppleston Allen, the UK’s largest specialist licensing firm. He has responsibility for operating, personal and premises licences under the Gambling Act 2005, advising a wide range of leisure operators from large international corporations to single-site businesses. He is a regular contributor to licensing trade press and is ranked in Legal 500.

Jeremy Phillips KC is one of England and Wales’ leading licensing barristers and a Band 1 Licensing Silk. He is Editor-in-Chief of Paterson’s Licensing Acts and a General Editor of Smith and Monkcom: The Law of Gambling, and has been recognised as a leader in both fields for over three decades. He has appeared in licensing matters from local authority level through to the Court of Appeal, advising operators, trade associations, police and licensing authorities across gambling, taxi, alcohol and entertainment legislation.

Steve Wright MBE is Chairman of the Licensed Private Hire Car Association (LPHCA), the trade body representing licensed private hire operators across the UK. He received his MBE in 1999 for services to transport in London, having played a central role in achieving full licensing of the London private hire vehicle sector through the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998. He served on the Transport for London Board for two consecutive four-year terms, appointed by the Mayor of London.

Steve McNamara is General Secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), the professional and representative voice of London’s black cab trade for over 50 years. He represents thousands of licensed taxi drivers and works across regulatory, safety and compliance matters affecting the trade, including engagement with Transport for London and local and national government.

Andy Mahoney MBE is founder and Chairman of the 24×7 Group, the largest SEND transport operator nationally, transporting over 1,000 children to schools and specialist centres each day. He is Chair of the LPHCA SEND Transport Operators’ Group and has given evidence to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on home-to-school transport provision. He is a strong advocate for national licensing standards and safer regulation across the taxi and private hire sector.

David Lawrie is Director of the National Private Hire and Taxi Association (NPHTA), which he represents throughout the UK. A former taxi driver and former chair of a taxi trade association, he has spent over 15 years working to improve standards and safety across the sector. He gave evidence to the House of Commons Transport Committee in October 2025 as part of its inquiry into taxi and private hire licensing regulation.

Michelle Bignell is Licensing and Public Protection Manager at Cheltenham Borough Council, with over 20 years’ experience in local government licensing. She is Regional Director for the IoL South West Region and a member of the LGA Licensing Policy Forum. Her work spans licensing policy, taxi and private hire regulation, night-time economy partnership, and public protection.