Visit Kent Partnership Group

Doug Bannister, Chair

Doug has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Dover, Europe’s busiest passenger and freight port, since January 2019. Prior to this, he was the Group CEO at Ports of Jersey, bringing with him over 25 years of global leadership experience.

Throughout his career, Doug has held a range of senior executive roles, including Managing Director at Maersk Line UK. His leadership experience spans multiple continents, having overseen complex shipping operations in North America, Europe, Asia, India, Australia, and New Zealand. He has developed a strong reputation for driving operational transformation, business restructuring, and performance turnarounds in capital-intensive transport businesses.

Doug earned his MBA in International Marketing from Seton Hall University in 1997 and holds a BA in Economics from St. Lawrence University. His contributions to business leadership were recognized in 2016 when he received the Institute of Directors Jersey Director of the Year award for large business.

A native of Summit, New Jersey, Doug holds dual citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Joanna Richardson, Chief Executive Officer

Jo was appointed CEO at Visit Kent in June 2025, bringing with her extensive leadership experience in marketing within the tourism and hospitality sectors. With a solid track record of delivering brand growth and commercial success, Jo has led numerous strategic initiatives across digital transformation, brand development, and cultural change.

Before joining Visit Kent, Jo served on the executive board as Marketing Director at Heartwood Collection. There, she played a key role in reshaping the company’s brand and marketing approach, laying the groundwork for an ambitious expansion plan that unlocked major growth opportunities.

Jo is no stranger to the organisation, having previously served as a non-executive director on the boards of both Visit Kent and Go to Places. In those roles, she consistently championed the value of the visitor economy and supported initiatives that enhanced the region’s tourism offering. Her experience also includes time as a non-executive director at Canterbury BID, where she contributed to strategic planning and served on the finance sub-committee.

Known for her collaborative approach and innovative thinking, Jo thrives in dynamic, entrepreneurial environments. She holds an Executive MBA from London Business School and is a qualified Executive Coach, committed to nurturing talent and supporting professional growth. Her community-focused mindset and success in developing strategic partnerships, particularly during her time as Marketing Director at Shepherd Neame, underscore her belief in place-making as a driver of both footfall and revenue.

Adam Bryan, Director of Place, Medway Council

Adam joined Medway Council on 14 August 2023, becoming the Director of Place, having been the Chief Executive at the South East Local Enterprise Partnership, overseeing significant regeneration projects across the region. Adam has previous experience working in regional development and in Local Government, having held a number of roles at Essex County Council, including the Head of Place Partnership Integration.

Adam studied a degree in German at University of Nottingham, has a Masters in Management from the Nottingham Business School and is a committed Nottingham Forest fan. Adam also enjoys cricket and exploring the UK on family holidays with their dog.

As Director of Place, Adam Bryan has responsibility for Frontline Services, Culture and Community and Regeneration.

The Directorate’s aim is to establish Medway as a great place to live, to work, to learn and to visit, drawing on our rich heritage to deliver a great future for Medway.​​​​​​ Adam is a Board Member for Locate in Kent, Visit Kent, Kent Chamber of Commerce and Medway Place Board.

Nadeem Aziz, Chief Executive Officer, Dover District Council

Nadeem Aziz is the Chief Executive of Dover District Council. He attended Woolverstone Hall School in Suffolk before studying Civil Engineering at the City University London.  He is a Chartered Civil Engineer with a Masters in Business Administration from the City University Business School.

Local Government roles at both Lewisham and Tower Hamlets Borough Councils in the 1980’s and 90’s ensured that Nadeem developed a real understanding of community engagement and the need for regeneration in areas of deprivation and exclusion.  He is committed to the delivery of value for money services through innovation and putting the customer first.

He has been the Council’s Chief Executive for over almost 20 years taking up the post in April 2002.  Prior to this he was the Council's Director of Planning and Technical Services for two years.

A commitment to partnership working with both community and business interests is evidenced by Board memberships of various multi agency partnerships.

He is committed to ensuring the Council continues to deliver excellent services that provide value for money.  He is also determined that the prosperity of the District will be transformed by the delivery of a range of regeneration projects in the District.

Outside the office Nadeem has a wide range of interests, with a particular passion for sailing.  He is a qualified skipper and is working towards his Yacht master exams.

Stephen Russell, Founder and Managing Director, Copper Rivet Distillery

Stephen started Copper Rivet Distillery in 2016 with his father, brother and Head Distiller Abhishek Banik.

One of just a couple of multidisciplinary, farm to glass distilleries in the UK, their mission is to make whisky, gin and vodka so good that it puts their hometown, Chatham, and Kent on the map as global centre of excellence for distilling – with several awards and growing industry and consumer recognition, they are well on their way. In 2021 they added The Pumproom Restaurant and Cocktail Bar, making Copper Rivet one of the UK’s only distilleries to house a casual fine dining restaurant. Today they welcome c. 20,000 visitors to tour the distillery, enjoy cocktail masterclasses, whisky blending classes and to relax in the restaurant.

Prior to starting Copper Rivet Distillery, Stephen spent 20 years in global banking for firms including UBS and HSBC. During his career he worked in the UK, across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia and developed corporate strategy, executed and integrated acquisitions, designed investment products, implemented corporate governance frameworks and ran sales and marketing functions.

Stephen holds a MSc in Quantitative Economics from the University of Bristol and is a Kent Ambassador, Member of the Employment Advisory Board for HM Prison Elmley, Member of the Finance & Investment Committee for The Worshipful Company of Distillers & Distillers Charity and he is a founder and Board Member of The English Whisky Guild. 

William Benson, Chief Executive, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

William has been Chief Executive at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council since 2010. Before that, he held a number of senior roles in local government with a particular emphasis on performance, transformation and customer care. William’s original background is in international development and he worked for the International Development Select Committee in the House of Commons leading on a range of inquiries and reports.

William sits on a number of national boards and committees that shape and influence national policy towards local government and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Helen Bonser-Wilton, Chief Executive, Leeds Castle Foundation

Helen has been Chief Executive of Leeds Castle Foundation since 2021.  The Foundation looks after exceptional built and natural heritage assets, with a highly diversified business that welcomes over 550,000 day visitors & 100 Hospitality Functions annually, as well as thousands of overnight guests to the extensive accommodation portfolio.   

Helen is also a Director of Visit Kent and Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA).

Between 2015-21, Helen was Chief Executive of the Mary Rose in Portsmouth, King Henry VIII’s flagship, raised from the bottom of the Solent with 19,000 Tudor artefacts.  Helen oversaw the completion of the award winning, purpose-built Museum for this Tudor treasure and guided the Trust safely through the COVID pandemic.

From 2004-2015, Helen worked in a variety of senior roles at the National Trust, leading Marketing and Commercial in Devon & Cornwall, Programme Director for the £18m Tyntesfield Project in Bristol, National Change Programme Director and Operations Director in the South West.

After qualifying as an Interpreter/Translator in German and Spanish, Helen started her career in advertising, before becoming Group Brand Manager for Akzo Nobel (Crown Paint) and Bernstein Kitchens. 

Helen lives on the Leeds Castle Estate in Kent with husband Rob and son Lorcan.  

Neil McCollum, Operations Director, South and East for English Heritage

Neil is Operations Director, South and East for English Heritage and joined the organisation in 2012. He is responsible for managing the English Heritage portfolio across the South and East of England which includes properties such as Dover Castle, Walmer Castle, Osborne House, Battle Abbey and Audley End.

Prior to joining English Heritage Neil spent nearly 20 years working in a variety of local authority roles including Head of Tourism for the London Borough of Greenwich and Tourism Manager for both Canterbury City Council and Thanet District Council.

He is a Fellow and past-President of the Tourism Management Institute and past Chair of the Canterbury World Heritage Site Management Committee. He is currently Chair of Trustees for the Kent Mining Heritage Foundation / Kent Mining Museum.

Stephanie Holt-Castle, Director for Growth and Communities Division, Kent County Council

Stephanie Holt-Castle is Director for Growth and Communities Division at Kent County Council. This is a diverse Division covering more than 20 services across planning, economy, community protection, countryside, and community functions. In a nutshell it is about how the County grows, thrives, remains resilient – and is a brilliant team of 1152 staff (the biggest proportion being our library staff across our 99 libraries). The division brings together the county council’s approach to strategic physical (touchable!) infrastructure with the social infrastructure that helps make Kent the great place it is to live, work, and of course, visit!

Deborah Merrens, Chief Commercial Officer, Le Shuttle

Deborah Merrens has vast international expertise working across Europe, the USA and Asia in tourism.

She has held senior positions at Delta Airlines, British Airways and Hilton Worldwide, where she was marketing director. In 2010, Deborah joined Mastercard in Singapore as senior vice president, consumer and digital marketing for Asia, the Middle East and Africa, before being appointed as vice president global marketing and customer experience for Global Blue, the world leader in tax-free shopping.

Deborah currently serves as Eurotunnel LeShuttle’s Chief Commercial Officer where she has been in position since January 2020.

Nikki Causer, Head of Marketing, Southeastern Railway

Nikki is from a highly commercial background, having had marketing roles across a host of media, publishing and entertainment brands, including the iconic NME, the poptastic Smash Hits, groundbreaking Channel 4, Daily Telegraph, Rough Guides, Macworld and the fabulous Mr Men!

She moved into the world of rail more than seven years ago, thinking it was a stopgap and good learning opportunity, but quickly began to love it.

Nikki loves her role at Southeastern and feels privileged that the network serves the wonderful county of Kent, making it a dream to market the destinations Southeastern travels to. 

No day in Nikki's role is the same,  and meetings can range from planning the latest marketing campaign to maximise ROI, and how much bunting will be needed for a Rail 200 event, to understanding the type of customer who will be going to see the Libertines at Dreamland, choosing the new voice of Southeastern's radio advertising to presenting a new business opportunity to the Department for Transport or developing modal shift messaging. It is so varied but is all centered on the customer. 

Looking to the future, rail is changing at pace as we move towards the Great British Railway, and Nikki is excited to see the bringing together of track and train, which will provide many fantastic opportunities for partners.

Peter Heritage, Centre Manager, Designer Outlet Ashford

Peter is the Centre Manager at Ashford Designer Outlet, one of the South East’s premier retail destinations and part of the McArthurGlen portfolio. He has a strong background in retail leadership and operational strategy, with over 15 years of experience across high street, shopping centre, and outlet environments.

As a local board member of Ashford College and a member of the Visit Kent Strategic Advisory Board, Peter is committed to strengthening links between education, commerce, and the visitor economy. He brings insight into consumer behaviour, brand development, and the evolving role of retail in placemaking and tourism.

Steven Brazil, General Manager, Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa

Steven Brazil is an award-winning hotelier with over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. His career spans more than 15 hotels across England - including in London - within owned and managed estates, franchised operations, and independent properties.

Steve has played a pivotal role in the successful opening of two hotels, contributing from over a year in advance to provide strategic operational input, planning, and execution. During his tenure in Essex, he was actively involved with the South Essex Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman for two years and holding a position on the Board of Directors.

Currently, Steve is the General Manager at Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa, operated by RBH Hospitality Management. With a strong foundation in food and beverage, he also contributes to the RBH Food & Beverage Development Group, supporting F&B initiatives across a portfolio of 50 affiliated hotels.