The Trustees

Simon Walker
Trustee
Hi. I’m Simon Walker and I was one of the founding members of MYST and now Chair the Board of Trustees. Although I have a full time job and a family, I am keen to keep my links with MYST as I strongly believe that supporting entrepreneurship, especially in areas that don’t get as much mainstream support, is vital to the local and national economy.
I work for a NASDAQ listed Speciality Chemical Company and as Site Process Engineering & Projects Manager I am responsible for all chemical & process engineering activities across an 80 hectare, multi plant, multi-product, multi business site. Ellesmere Port site is Innospec’s largest manufacturing site, employing over 175 people in the manufacturing area. I have the Site Process Engineer and a multi-disciplinary Projects Team reporting to me and together we deliver the site’s Capital and Decommissioning Projects programme. We also lead on technology development, whether safety, environmental, efficiency, plant availability, cost or business improvement. I also liaise with Research and Technology to bring new products onto new or existing plant.

Alastair Stoddart
Trustee
Joint M-D Food Distribution company 40 years.

Rob Whitmore
Trustee
Rob is the former Chief Executive of the London Youth Support Trust.
Rob started his career as an investment manager in the insurance industry and in 1987 set up his own business specialising in managing interest rates and currency risks for American pension partners. He sold the business in 1995 and started voluntary work at the Prince’s Trust helping young people start businesses.
In 1999, with Phillip Howard, he set up the London Youth Support Trust as 30% of the businesses who were helped by the Prince’s Trust were not starting, as they were unable to get commercial accommodation in London. LYST also provides an intense business support programme.
Rob became Chief Executive in 2012 as LYST continued to expand, since then Rob has gone on to become Trustee of LYST providing valuable support to the charity and the young people they support.

John Corless
Trustee
John practiced as a barrister and was called to the Bar in 1984. He was a member of Atlantic Chambers in Liverpool.
John practiced mainly in the areas of Personal Injury and Professional Misconduct. He sat as a Recorder.
John joined the Board of Trustees at MYST in 2015.
John retired from practice in 2020 and from sitting in 2021

Lynne Jones
Trustee
Lynne is an experienced business adviser, consultant, coach and facilitator with particular interest in supporting start up businesses and the third sector.
Outside of work Lynne is a trustee for The Isabella Trust, a local charity supporting parents and carers of children with autism.