The QCA Team

James Ashton is Chief Executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance, the members’ organisation that champions small and mid-sized companies whose shares are publicly traded. James was City Editor and Executive Editor of the Evening Standard and Independent titles and before that City Editor of the Sunday Times. He is the author of several business books and chairs Oscar’s Book Prize, the annual search for the UK’s best picture book. James is also a non-executive director of Finsbury Growth & Income, the FTSE 250 investment trust.

Cleo is the PA to the CEO. Cleo is the secretary for the board of directors and is responsible for the general management of the office.

Hayley is the Head of Operations and joined the Quoted Companies Alliance in 1997. She is responsible for the development of member benefits and services, ensuring that members needs are addressed and helping members to make the most of their memberships. She also manages and develops sponsorship opportunities.

She previously worked at BDO LLP.

Chris is the Membership Manager and joined the Quoted Companies Alliance in 2001. Chris ensures our members’ needs are addressed and is responsible for providing daily assistance to new and existing members.

Samantha is the Head of Marketing & Events and joined the Quoted Companies Alliance in February 2007.

She is responsible for the Quoted Companies Alliance’s marketing activities and oversees the promotion of the organisation’s brand. Samantha also has responsibility for the content, planning and organisation of the entire events programme.

Ruby is the Communications Officer and joined the Quoted Companies Alliance in May 2021. She is responsible for communication activities around policy, membership and events.

Her background is in Corporate Communications & PR, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability and she holds a Msc in Global Governance and Public Policy from Birkbeck University.

Jack is the Head of Policy and is responsible for building the organisation’s policy positions and strategy, leading on engagement with policymakers and regulators, responding to consultation papers and maintaining and updating the QCA’s Corporate Governance Code and various guides and reports.

Prior to joining the Quoted Companies Alliance, Jack worked in a Public Affairs role for a major international charity and also worked for Victoria Prentis MP in her constituency office and interned for Andrea Leadsom MP. Jack holds a BA (Hons) in International Relations from the University of Leeds.

Ben is the Policy Officer and joined the Quoted Companies Alliance in February 2023. He is responsible for coordinating the work the of the seven policy expert groups, responding to consultation papers and contributing to the organisation’s policy positions.

Prior to joining the QCA, Ben worked in both Policy and Grant Fundraising in the charity sector. Ben holds a BA (Hons) in Politics from Newcastle University and an MA in Legal and Political Theory from University College London (UCL).

Iqra is the Policy and Research Manager at the QCA. Her role involves leading on the development and production of key reports and publications to provide a robust evidence base to support the organisation’s work. She monitors the market for any political and regulatory developments whilst also working on consultation responses in collaboration with members of the QCA community.

Prior to joining the QCA, she was a senior research analyst at a legal research firm. She holds an MSc in International Public Policy from UCL and a BA (Hons) in English Literature from the University of Kent.

Thin is the Finance Manager with over 20 years’ experience. She previously worked in practice before leaving Baker Tilly (now RSM) in 2010 to form her own firm, with a focus on providing specialised outsourced financial services to her clients. She joined QCA in 2011 and responsible for looking after all financial aspects of the organisation.