Robert Audley - Chairman and CEO
Graduating with an Honours Degree in Economics from The University
of East Anglia, Robert Audley joined AGB Research in 1980, gaining
experience across a range of operational areas during the heyday of
the international Group.
Inheriting a keen interest in publishing, he rapidly rose to Managing
Director of the news-trade distribution company, Magnum, a position
that was to occupy him for most of the 1980s, a period during which
he also managed the Group's contract publishing interests.
In 1990, following the acquisition of Prolog by Caverswall Holdings,
of which Robert is the sole shareholder, he took over as
Managing Director of the then little known Suffolk-based marketing
support services company. Under his direction Prolog has shown
consistent year-on-year growth, from a turnover of less than
£4 million in 1990 to more than £41 million in 2009.
Thanks to the Audley family's vision and its policy of
concerted investment in the business, Prolog is ranked in the
UK marketing premier league, with the capacity, infrastructure
and motivated workforce to consolidate further on its primacy in
the coming years.
Darshana Bawa - Chief Operating Officer
Darshana Bawa graduated from Leeds with a BA Hons Degree in Accountancy.
She joined AGB Research as a graduate accountant in September 1981 and
qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Management
Accountants in 1985.
During her career with AGB, Darshana held several senior financial
positions within the Group including the role of Corporate Accountant
at Head Office. Darshana joined Magnum Distribution as Financial
Controller in 1987 to work for Robert Audley and was part of the financial
team involved in the Audley family's purchase of Prolog from Pergamon
AGB in 1990.
Darshana was promoted to the Prolog Board in 1995 as Finance Director
and she has been instrumental in managing the company's fortunes through
the most active period of its development. As well as managing the
Company's assets effectively, her work in developing and refining the
financial and management information systems has provided an invaluable
resource that has guided management in achieving the Company's goals.
Peter Tyrer - Director
Educated at University College School, Hampstead, Peter Tyrer's
early career was punctuated by two years in the Royal Navy. On
leaving the Service, he took articles with the City accountancy
firm of Barton Mayhew & Co. and qualified as a Chartered
Accountant in 1962. He became a partner in the firm five years
later, and stayed on through several mergers.
Peter left the accountancy partnership, by now Ernst and Whinney
(more latterly Ernst & Young), in 1983 to join the Board of AGB
Research where, as Finance Director and Company Secretary, he
played a prominent role in developing the Group's extensive
overseas businesses.
Shortly after the takeover in 1989 of AGB by Robert Maxwell,
Peter joined Sir Bernard Audley and Robert Audley in Caverswall
Holdings, and he was directly involved in the acquisition of
Prolog from Pergamon AGB.
Peter has held a seat on the Board of Prolog since 1990, initially
as Finance Director, and for the last seven years as Director
with special responsibility for the company's substantial
property development, both in the East Midlands and in East Anglia.
Ian Dignum - Commercial Director
Appointed to the Board in March 2004, Ian Dignum has spearheaded
Prolog's development in line with its aggressive growth forecasts,
enhancing the company's reputation as the outsource supplier of
choice of blue chip, public sector and not-for-profit-sector
clients.
Ian joined Prolog in April 1996 as Customer Service Manager at
the British Airways Executive Club Service Centre at Croxley
Green. His enthusiasm and confident management style earned him
rapid promotion and in January 2000 he had taken over as Account
Director, bringing his extensive agency recruitment experience
to bear in forging a multi-role, multi-lingual team to look after
British Airways' European frequent business flyers.
The following year, Ian was further promoted to Associate Director
and transferred to Sherwood Park to manage the company's expanding
Midlands-based call centre operation, along with all Midlands
recruitment - responsibility that was extended in 2002 to cover
the entire general management of the Sherwood Park site.
Ian Dignum brings to Prolog the quality of experience gained only
at the 'coalface'. His career reflects a commitment to growth,
and determination to ensure that key areas work as one to provide
unrivalled quality of service to clients.
Peter Ray - Transport and Logistics Director
Peter Ray is Prolog's longest serving director, having been
appointed to the Board of Mander Walsh (later to become Prolog)
at the time of that company's acquisition by AGB Research in
1988.
With more than 25 years' experience in warehouse production and
in transport and distribution logistics, Peter has played a key
role in developing robust warehousing technologies and integrated
workflow control.
As the company has grown, he has taken pivotal responsibility
for its national and international road transport and distribution
network. In addition to building and managing Prolog's own
transport fleet, Peter has been instrumental in developing a
network of contacts throughout the courier industry that has
enabled Prolog to offer a complete range of haulage and delivery
options to meet all client needs - and with the competitive edge
obtainable only through economies of scale.
Karen Richardson - Client Relationship Director
Karen Richardson joined Prolog in 1997 as Senior Account Executive,
bringing with her the strengths of an already well-founded career
in retail logistics, including senior administrative responsibility
for the supply of 300 high street stores. While at Prolog, she has
headed more that 50 major commercial and charity sector accounts,
involving retail logistics, mail order and POS fulfilment.
A highly experienced account handler and accomplished communicator,
Karen has achieved a reputation for confident leadership style,
tested repeatedly in her sure-footed management of blue chip
accounts, and her ability to take in her stride the significant
challenges faced in relocating large, complex logistics and customer
loyalty accounts.
Promoted to Associate Director in 2006 and to the Board of Prolog
in June 2009, Karen inspires the confidence of her staff and
clients alike through a natural commercial flair, excellent
man-management skills and an intimate knowledge of Prolog's IT and
warehousing management systems. Her service delivery and the ability
always to find the most innovative and closely crafted solutions
to their business needs are second to none.
John Shore - Director
John Shore brings almost 30 years' warehousing experience to the
Prolog Board.
Holder of an Engineering degree from Trent Polytechnic, he joined
the company in 1997 as a senior manager seasoned in international
road freight operations, freight forwarding and warehousing
logistics.
Promoted to Associate Director in 2003, John has been an
inspirational manager at Prolog's showcase distribution hub in
the East Midlands, and a key architect in its rapid development
from a single facility at Sherwood Park near Nottingham to a
multi-site storage and distribution complex comprising seven major
warehousing units and encompassing well over a million square feet.
Since joining Prolog's management team, John has been responsible
for the implementation of more than 100 new accounts, many of them
for blue chip clients and government departments. A tireless
and dedicated manager, with a thorough knowledge of modern
warehousing operations, technology and mechanised handling, he
is constantly appraising Prolog's systems and procedures and
reviewing the design and fit-out of all our facilities to ensure
that clients benefit from optimum solutions for their widely
varying business needs.
Chris Wyatt - Finance Director
Chris Wyatt brings over 13 years experience in accountancy to the
board of Directors at Prolog as well as retaining his role as Company
Secretary.
With a degree from the University of Durham, Chris is an excellent
Accountant with a deep commercial understanding of Prolog and the industries
in which we operate, having gained experience during his career at companies
such as Ernst & Young and Communisis plc.