About Us
COMPANY PRACTICE
Independent Business Consultants Network (IBCN) is an ISO Consultancy comprising of a group of like-minded consultants who can operate either individually or form together as a specialist team depending on the size and complexity of the project.
OUR OBJECTIVE
Our objective is to provide experienced practitioners, facilitators, trouble-shooters, designers and implementers to assist in the introduction of practical Business Management Systems which are certified to the highest possible standards.
About Us
IBCN was set up to help small to medium enterprises implement ISO certifications and strategies within their business. We are Associate professionals who can work together to successfully implement strategies that will help you grow your business successfully. There are also many types of businesses that choose to implement an ISO Certification due to industry regulations and government requirements.
ISO certification certifies that a management system, manufacturing process, service, or documentation procedure has all the requirements for standardisation and quality assurance. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, international organisation that develops standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems.
The reason for these international standards is that otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain consistency and quality across industries and nations. ISO standards are in place to ensure consistency.
Have a look through our services pages to see what we can offer your business as well as finding out more about how these strategies can help your business in multiple ways.
To find out more, feel free to drop us an email.
Meet The Core Team
Simon Unsworth
Owner/Business Consultant
Consultant and Lead Auditor
Jeff Ayres
Business Consultant
Consultant and Lead Auditor- See below for more information.
Lisa Laithwaite
Sales Associate
Amy Unsworth
Sales and Accounts Manager
Koby Parsons
Administrative Assistant
Associate consultants
Jeff Ayres
Area of Expertise / Interest:
Aerospace, Engineering, Medical, Print, Direct Marketing, Construction, Logistics,
Qualifications:
Master of Business Administration (MBA).
1982 - 1984 Diploma in Management Studies (DMS).
1981 Certificate in Management Studies (CMS)
1980 City & Guilds Institute - Certificate in Quality Control.
1972 - 1976 City & Guilds Institute - Mechanical Engineering & Craft Studies parts 1, 2, &3.
ITB - Mechanical Engineering, Machining, Toolmaking & Experimental Work.
P.E. Batalas trained - ISO 9000 Quality Auditor.
CMC International - ISO 9001 Transition (Lead Assessor)
CMC International – ISO 14001 (Lead Assessor)
British Quality Foundation - European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model Assessor.
Newcastle College - Diploma in Business Excellence (Revised EFQM Model)
JPD Training – Integrated Management Systems (ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & OHSAS 18001
Associations:
Member of the British Quality Foundation Member of the Essex Chamber of Commerce
Associate Consultant with BSI, SGS, NQA, TUV, BV, URS, TUV, DNV, ISOQAR and UTAC.
Experience (inc industries): Marconi Elliott Brothers Limited. - Apprentice/ Instrument Maker – Aerospace
Eamont Products Limited. - Electro-Mechanical Instrument Maker /Toolmaker /Inspector – Engineering.
Howmedica (U.K.) Limited (Pfizer’s Inc.) - Senior Quality Engineer/Assistant Quality Manager – Medical
GEC Avionics - Senior Quality Assurance Engineer - Aerospace
GEC GEC Avionics - Nightbird Equipment Manager - Aerospace
. GEC Avionics - Tornado Programme Manager - Aerospace
GEC Sensors Limited (formally GEC Avionics) - Business Improvement Manager – Aerospace
Goodspeed Communications Plc (Inc The White Dove Press, Essex Colour Services). - Group Business Improvement Director – Print / Direct Marketing
Vertis Direct Marketing Services Ltd (formally Olwen Direct Mail Ltd)
Business Improvement Manager - Print / Direct Marketing
Jeff Ayres & Associate - Proprietor - Operating as an independent consultant, who assists organisations in the design, development, and implementation of business management systems, such as ISO 9001Quality Management Standard, ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard, ISO 45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management Systems, FSC / PEFC Chain of Custody Certification, Investors in People, and Investors in Excellence
Danny Lee
Area of Expertise / Interest:
Aerospace Quality Management for the Aviation, Space and Defence supply chain, particularly AS9100 and AS9120. Quality Management Systems for ISO 9001 organisations.
Qualifications:
ISO 9001 Lead Auditor (IRCA CQI) AATT AS9100 (IAQG sanctioned) (AS9120 pending)
Associations:
Practitioner of the Chartered Quality Institute (PCQI).
Experience (inc industries):
15 Years in the Royal Air Force with over 2 years as the Senior Quality Manager leading a team of 131 staff conducting audits for the logistical and engineering management of Puma and Chinook helicopters. Consultant for organisations conducting manufacturing and distribution activities within the Aviation, Space and Defence supply chain. Industries include: Precision engineering, PCB manufacturing, helicopter, fixed wing aircraft and material component procurement and distribution.
Gavin Rudd
Area of Expertise / Interest:
Cyber & Information Security Audit & Assurance, Cyber Security Governance Risk & Compliance. Cyber security maturity assessment, GAP analysis and roadmap creation. Supply Charin Security Assurance & Third Party Risk Management. Implementation & Audit of various management systems including ISO 27001, 42001 & 22301
Frameworks & standards: NCSC CAF, GovAssure, Cyber Essentials
MOD; Defence Cyber Certification, DefStan 138/139, JSP 440, 604 & 453.
NIST CSF, 800-171, 80-53, 800-30/37 RMF
Qualifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
NIST CSF Professional (NCSF)
ISO Lead Auditor
AgilePM & PRINCE 2 Practitioner
Associations:
UK Cyber Security Council Chartered Professional (ChCSP)
Registered Auditor – IRCA
Registered Quality Practitioner - CQI
Experiences (inc industries):
HMG - MOD / Police / Home Office / DWP:
- IS Ops Management
- GRC lead
- ISMS management
- Delivery/project Security architect/security assurance lead
- TPRM programme design and implementation
- CAF/GovAssure audits – ALB’s
Commercial:
- ISO 27001/22301 implementation and support
- DefStan & SbD support for Gov suppliers
Louise Postill
Area of Expertise / Interest:
Construction, engineering, IT, health & safety, temporary traffic management, logistics and storage.
ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 45001
BS EN 99001
ISO 27001
National Highway Sector Schemes 7, 8, 12 & 16.
Qualifications:
CQI Practitioner PCQI, IRCA Lead Auditor, ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, ISO 14001 Lead Auditor, IRCA Internal Auditor, GDPR Practitioner & Certified Data Protection Officer, Lantra 12D M7, BSc (hons) Equine Studies and Business Management, Awaiting NEBOSH exam result and booked to complete ISO 42001 and ISO 45001 Lead Auditor courses.
Associations:
Member of CQI
Experience (inc industries):
Previously worked as Group Quality Assurance Manager & DPO for a utilities and construction company.
Worked for BSI as a Client Manager 2021 – 2024, subcontractor work for BSI 2024 to present.
Peter Montgomery
Area of expertise/interest:
Information Security and Data Protection, Digital Identity, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery and Incident Response, Quality Management, Third Party Risk Management, GRC, Data Privacy
Qualifications:
CISM CRISC CIPM IRCA ISO 27001 Lead Auditor ISO 27001 Practitioner ISO 27001 Lead Implementer Certified Data Protection Practitioner QA AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner NIST Cyber Security Practitioner APMG Change Management Foundation + Practitioner Chartered Management Institute Level 5 Management and Leadership
Associations:
CIISEC Member NI Cyber NCSC CyberFirst Ambassador ISACA Ireland member ISACA Certification Working Group Member Edinburgh Napier Industry Advisory Board Member, Cyber Security & Systems Engineering ISC2 Member
Experience (inc industries):
Significant Public Sector experience in a highly regulated environment and with highly sensitive data. 7.5 years as a commissioned officer in the MOD, 6 of those running GRC and security roles with the last 4 years at Force HQ level working on significant policy development, strategy, building teams, processes and overseeing a significant change programme. Alignment to NIST, CAF, Security by Design and ISO standards. Over 2 years in a Public Sector Tech SaaS Digital Identity company as the GRC & Security Lead overseeing and implementing all frameworks and certification, ownership of Security and Privacy by Design, CE/CE+, ISO 27001, 22301, 27701, 9001 and 42001. Lead for data protection and information