Senior Management Team
Nigel Tremlett, Chief Executive
Nigel leads the company in providing high-quality research and consultancy services along with client satisfaction and retention. He is passionate about developing both Step Ahead and its staff. Nigel has twenty-five years’ experience of research and consultancy focusing on economic development, employment, learning and skills, ICT and innovation, the VCS and care sectors and disability issues. He has worked for the public and private sector at national, regional and local levels, writing numerous reports on a range of topics for publication. Nigel gained his research grounding at the National Centre of Social Research (NatCen) and has been a Research Manager at IPSOS-MORI and a Director at Ekos Consulting. He has an MA in Economic Geography.Directors
Dr. Jonathan Pratt, Director
Jonathan is Director of Research at Step Ahead and manages our South East office. Jonathan is a founding member of the company with an extensive track record of research to support policy and programme development. His interests include economic development, learning and skills, and business support. Jonathan is also the Project Director for the South East Business Monitor, an ongoing programme of research, including a quarterly survey of 1,200 businesses, to inform the region’s Business Link Providers’ strategy and marketing. Prior to joining Step Ahead, Jonathan held research posts at Kent Training and Enterprise Council, the University of Bristol and the London School of Economics. He has a PhD in Economic Geography. 
Bruce Nairne, Director
Bruce is our Director for Communities and Local Government. Bruce has many years’ experience of working with and for public sector organisations across a range of different public policy areas. This experience has brought him into close contact with a wide range of public, voluntary and business sector partners and provided him with a sound understanding of the links between a broad range of policy fields, including health, social care, economic development, learning and skills, and employment, in which he has led a wide range of consultancy projects. Prior to joining Step Ahead, Bruce worked in the economic development team at Brighton & Hove City Council, where he also headed up the corporate research and consultation team.
Paul Gallagher, Director
Paul manages our London office and has an impressive track record of working with and for the public sector across a range of skills, employment and economic development activities. Paul has led and managed major programmes for Inward Investment, Sector Development and European Funding, along with policy, partnership and development work for regional and local skills strategies, entry to work support, capturing the Olympic legacy and increasing the take up of higher level skills. Prior to working in research consultancy, Paul has worked for a Training and Enterprise Council, the Learning & Skills Council, and for a Regional Development Agency.
Associate Director
Steve Matthews, Associate Director
Steve has worked on a variety of projects related to skills, regeneration and economic development for local, regional and national clients. This has included research into demand-led learning, apprenticeships, the Level 3 market and the Foundation Learning Tier, as well as the development of employability, skills and learning strategies. Prior to joining Step Ahead, Steve was Senior Consultant at the Individual Learning Company, Business Development Manager at Ufi learndirect and Senior Project Executive at Kent Training and Enterprise Council. Steve holds a master’s degree in European Human Resource Management and is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Lucy Hutton, Senior Consultant