Nichols plc is a soft drinks business with a stable of brands including Vimto, Panda and Sunkist, which are sold to over 65 countries worldwide. It is one of the UK's leading suppliers to the retail, wholesale and independent sectors. The company employs more than 150 people, with partners based all over the world from China to India and the Middle East to South Africa. He joined Nichols plc in October 2002 as Group Finance Director.

Prior to joining Nichols, Brendan worked in a wide variety of sectors at plc main board level. Previous roles have included Executive Director at Knowledge Management Software plc, Group Finance Director at William Baird plc and Director of the Consumer, Retail and Distribution (CRD) practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, advising Times Top 100 companies. He started his career with Pilkington’s and was latterly Finance Director of its high technology Optronics division.

Brendan is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and has an MBA from the Manchester Business School. A family man with 3 daughters, Brendan is passionate about the arts and sport, and is a season ticket holder at Manchester City. He is also a member of the Criticaleye Advisory Board.

Andrew Minton

Charlie Wagstaff

Matthew Blagg

We've all heard the phrase, 'It's lonely at the top'. As chief executives across Criticaleye's Membership tell me, being a leader can be immensely rewarding, but also quite isolating. Who do you turn to when it comes to debating important issues on strategy? And, where can you go for solutions?

Unlike the individuals on the teams you lead, who are more than likely encouraged to share ideas and information, there are few people you can ask for useful and impartial advice. Your staff will expect you to have the answers already and professional advisors are likely to push their own agendas. In addition to this, the immediacy of today's business environment, where advances in technology and communications have intensified the pace of change, has created a world where leaders and directors have to be up-to-date and on-message around the clock.

Criticaleye was created in 2002 with the aim of helping leaders across industry sectors, business functions and geographical locations resolve business issues through peer-to-peer debate and discussion. Our Community works on the premise that business leaders and chief executives  need a safe space to ask questions and discuss solutions without the threat of being held to ransom by employees, stakeholders or the media for not knowing the answer to every problem or challenge that presents itself.

Being part of the Criticaleye Community means a number of things: Access to a managed network of leaders who can offer you fresh perspectives on and solutions to your critical issues. Intimate events on topics that have been generated from within the Community; a dedicated Relationship Manager to monitor your Membership activity and ensure you're getting the most value from it; a seasoned executive or 'Associate' to provide high level advice and ensure you are talking to the right people in the Community. And access to Criticaleye's Insight through an interactive online knowledge portal which is made up of cutting-edge business research, event write-ups, film footage of events and interviews and Community Articles by other Members.

Matthew Blagg, Founder & CEO, Criticaleye