About Nigel

Biography

I was born in 1971 in Shoreham-by-sea in West Sussex. I went to school at Brighton College (1984-89) where I achieved 10 O-Levels and 3 A-Levels. From there, I went to the University of Bradford (1989-92) and picked up a 2:1 degree BSC (Hons) Social Sciences in Politics and History. After Bradford, I went to Nottingham University (1992-4) where I studied for an MA in International Relations.

I first moved to Ealing in 1994 after finishing university and intially took up a management training position at Tie Rack managing their central London stores. Since Tie Rack, I have taken up positions at Mothercare, House of Fraser, and Electrolux before joining Xerox where I have worked since 2005. I studied for a Diploma in Logistics while working for House of Fraser and have been a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport since 1999. I am currently working in Xerox's Developing Markets Organisation based at their headquarters in Uxbridge where I co-ordinate the supply forecasts for their Eastern European, Eurasian, African, Middle East and South-East Asian countries. I am single and live in my own flat in Hanwell.

Political Career

I first joined the Liberal Party in 1987 while still at school. My father was involved in running a local community centre and this brought us into contact with the local Liberal-run Adur council. I was particularly attracted by their pioneering 'green' ideas and they introduced a green box recycling scheme long before other councils realised the importance of recycling waste to reduce landfill. I was signed up by our local Liberal councillors and delivered my first FOCUS leaflets for my history teacher who was a Liberal/SDP Alliance candidate in Brighton.

However, although I became a founding member of the new Liberal Democrats when the party was formed in 1989 and studied Politics at university, my membership was limited in activity until after I moved to Ealing. In 2001, I helped to run the Lib Dem General Election campaign in Ealing Southall and really caught the political bug. I first stood for Ealing Council in Ealing Common ward in 2002. Unfortunately, I was personally unsuccessful in that election and then again in the 2006 council elections but I take great satisfaction in helping in the election and subsequent re-election of Lib Dem Cllr Jon Ball in Ealing Common ward in both elections.

I was selected as a Lib Dem list candidate in the European Elections in 2004 and also stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the Ealing and Hillingdon constituency in the 2008 London Assembly elections. In 2005 I was selected as the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Ealing Southall and then fought the seat again in the 2007 by-election. In 2010, I fought Ealing Southall for a third time and was finally elected as a Lib Dem Councillor for Elthorne ward.