Our Board


Dr Debra Paul	Jonathan Hunsley	Pete Thompson	Philippa Roll	Chris Martin	Neil Shorter	Suzanne Ray

Dr Debra Paul

Non-Executive Chair, AssistKD

Debra Paul is the Non-executive Chair of AssistKD, having been the CEO for many years. Debra co-founded the Business Analysis Conference Europe and the BA Manager Forum. She is a Visiting Fellow at Reading University (Henley Business School). Debra developed the BA Service Framework and is widely recognised as one of the leading authorities within the global business analysis profession.

Debra was the chief architect of the BCS Advanced International Diploma in Business Analysis and co-developer of the A4Q Certified Service Designer scheme.

Co-author of the following books:

Debra has specialist expertise in the following disciplines: Business Analysis, Business Architecture, Service Design, Business Change, Learning Services, Leadership.

Jonathan Hunsley

CEO, AssistKD

Jonathan Hunsley is the CEO of AssistKD and a founder of the Service Design Forum. He co-founded the IRM Service Design Conference Europe and is the Chief Architect of the A4Q Certified Service Design award. Jonathan is also the Lead Assessor for the BCS Advanced Diploma in Business Analysis.

Jonathan has played a significant role in the development of professional standards and qualifications across business analysis and service design, helping organisations strengthen customer-centric transformation and professional capability development.

Co-author of the following books:

Contributor to the following books:

Business Analysis – Fourth Edition

With particular expertise in the following disciplines: Business Architecture, Business Analysis, Service Design, Customer-Centric Transformation.

Pete Thompson

Learning Services Director, AssistKD

Pete Thompson is the Learning Services Director at AssistKD and a Fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. With over 35 years of experience in business analysis, agile software development, and digital solution delivery, Pete is a recognised authority on digital solutions and professional certification. He is the author of The Digital Solutions trilogy published by BCS Publishing in 2025.

Pete is deeply involved in professional training, qualification development, and apprenticeship mentoring, supporting the development of business analysis and digital change professionals across the industry.

Author of the following books:

Co-author of the following books:

Developing Information Systems: Practical Guidance for IT Professionals

With particular expertise in the following disciplines: Business Analysis, Digital Business Change, Agile Delivery, Digital Solutions Qualifications.

Philippa Roll

Director of Quality and Compliance, AssistKD

Philippa Roll is the Director of Quality and Compliance at AssistKD, responsible for ensuring the organisation consistently maintains the highest standards across professional training, governance, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance.

With extensive senior leadership and board-level experience over the past 25 years, Philippa has played a key role in embedding robust quality assurance frameworks across AssistKD’s business analysis, business architecture, and service design programmes. Her leadership has also supported industry-recognised achievements including the UK Government’s Gold Award for Prompt Payment.

Co-author of the following book:

The Human Touch

With particular expertise in the following disciplines: Quality Assurance, Governance, Compliance, Risk Management, Operational Excellence.

Chris Martin

Sales Director, AssistKD

Chris Martin is the Sales Director at AssistKD with over 40 years of experience in sales leadership, business development, and client engagement across professional training and consultancy environments.

Chris leads AssistKD’s commercial strategy and works closely with organisations to deliver tailored learning programmes aligned to business outcomes. He has played a significant role in expanding AssistKD’s UK and international client relationships and supporting the growth of flexible digital and blended learning programmes.

Chris has particular expertise in the following disciplines: Commercial Strategy, Business Development, Client Engagement and Learning Solutions.

Neil Shorter

Chief Information Officer, AssistKD

Neil Shorter is the Chief Information Officer at AssistKD and an experienced technology leader specialising in IT strategy, operational resilience, information security, and digital transformation.

Neil played a pivotal role in leading AssistKD’s transition from traditional classroom delivery to a fully virtual training model during the COVID-19 pandemic. By overseeing the implementation of secure digital platforms and redesigned delivery methods, he ensured continuity, scalability, and long-term operational resilience across the organisation’s global learning portfolio.

With particular expertise in the following disciplines: IT Strategy, Information Security, Infrastructure, Operational Resilience, Digital Transformation.

Suzanne Ray

Company Secretary, AssistKD

Suzanne Ray is the Company Secretary at AssistKD and an experienced finance and governance professional with more than 32 years of industry experience.

Having joined AssistKD in 2021 as Finance Manager before progressing to Financial Controller and Company Secretary, Suzanne has played a key role in strengthening financial oversight, governance, and operational control across the organisation. She is recognised for delivering clear financial insight and supporting informed strategic decision-making at senior level.

With particular expertise in the following disciplines: Financial Governance, Compliance, Financial Reporting, Risk Management, Corporate Governance.