About Us

The Manufacturer is the premier industry publication providing manufacturing news, articles, events and insights while promoting best practice in the manufacturing industry.

Covering all manufacturing sectors The Manufacturer, is an essential resource for every manufacturing boardroom and for senior management, delivering thought leadership articles, regulatory updates and best practice case studies on a monthly basis.

Far from simply a print magazine, The Manufacturer has a strong digital and social presence and also offers two weekly Digital Briefing e-newsletters.

An active events schedule also attracts an engaged readership community and supports understanding between manufacturers and those providing services to them. Events range from intimate dinners through to themed conferences, with the year culminating in our annual celebration of the industry: Digital Manufacturing Week – consisting of our flagship conference Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, Smart Factory Expo and The Manufacturer MX Awards.

Strong partnerships with academic bodies, including Cranfield University and Cardiff Business School, and trade associations like Make UK (formerly EEF) and MTA make The Manufacturer an important platform for national campaigns and political lobbying. In particular The Manufacturer is proud to support employer-led skills development through its partnership with sector skills council Semta.

Meet the team

Nick Hussey

Chairman

Nick Hussey has a degree in Banking, Insurance and Finance and an MBA and has 25 years experience in media. Nick acquired The Manufacturer in 2008 from receivership and has built it into the most significant and well respected publication and web community within manufacturing.

Grace Gilling

Managing Director

Grace has been working for Hennik Research, publishers of The Manufacturer for over 8 years. She worked her way up from events administrator to operations manager before being made Managing Director in 2016.

Henry Anson

Director

Henry manages Hennik’s commercial activities, developing new concepts and products for The Manufacturer’s readership. He builds bridges between the manufacturing community and the services sector that supports it.

Stuart Biddle

Strategic Accounts Director & Head of Sales

Stuart has been creating and delivering support programmes for manufacturing business leaders for over 12 years. At The Manufacturer he is responsible for our strategic client accounts and ensuring they receive the best possible service. You will also find him hosting round tables and focus groups with industry’s leading figures. Stuart is fascinated by the industry’s people; their creativity, determination, and passion. He is a huge advocate for industry collaborating to mutual success and excited by the opportunities technology can offer.

Alise Vilsone

Operations Director

As Operations Director Alise is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all products and client activity across The Manufacturer portfolio, including management of the ops team. Having worked in events for over 10 years in the UK and EMEA in digital and tech, biochemical sciences, finance, pharma and telecoms, Alise is passionate about building communities. She’s also fluent in 5 languages and in her spare time Alise enjoys travelling, tennis and hiking.

Lauren Archer

Head of Projects

Lauren oversees many of the major projects undertaken by The Manufacturer including the management of the company’s customer data and also contributes to its events operations. Lauren has a focus on the ensuring the smooth operation of The Manufacturer and is referred to as the glue, which binds the team together.

Joe Bush

Editor of The Manufacturer

Joe is an experienced print and online journalist with experience in manufacturing, engineering, automation and electronics. He is growing The Manufacturer’s presence, with a particular emphasis on community engagement.

Tim Brown

Marketing Manager

Tim is currently marketing manager at The Manufacturer and responsible for brand development, delivery of digital products and promotion of the suite of events including Digital Manufacturing Week, Smart Factory Expo, Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit, The Manufacturer MX Awards and Sustainable Manufacturing Symposium.

Ashley Oulton

Conference Production Manager

Ashley has over 20 years of experience researching, organising and producing manufacturing conferences around the world and has spent the last four years developing The Manufacturer’s events portfolio.