About Us
The business was formed in 2009 to support organisations to bid and tender for contracts. We have since grown in numbers and now have a directly employed core team of professionals split across our 3 key bid divisions; Bid Writing, Bid Resource and Bid Training. We have experience in both public sector procurement and commercial bidding, which gives us a unique perspective and allows us to maximise our clients success. Our team provide consistency, reliability and allow us to build longstanding partnerships with our clients. We are able to work with our clients, understand their goals and become a key part of their business winning function.
Meet The Team!
Dave Thornton
Director
BA Hons, MSc Housing Practice, CIH
With a background in EU procurement, Dave founded the business in 2009.
He is now responsible for the strategic direction and sustainable growth of Thornton & Lowe. He provides hands-on support with regards to bid consultancy and procurement projects, as well as providing guidance and monitoring progress of the team.
Director
Tom has over 25 years experience in the public and private sectors. He comes from a background of manufacturing and operational management, which has seen him involved in many frontline government schemes both in the UK and abroad.
An experienced bid director, coordinator and bid manager, Tom has the skill set to perform on both the shop floor and in the boardroom. He is often called upon by clients for his innovative solutions to complex issues.
Tom Anderson
Charles Grosstephan
Head of Bid & Tender Training
LLB Law, Member of APMP (Association of Proposal Management Professionals)
Charles heads up our Training & Apprenticeship division at Thornton & Lowe. Charles has a background in commercial, manufacturing, professional services, aerospace and construction, as well as considerable public sector experience. He has been at Thornton & Lowe since 2012 and has been involved in well over 1200 of our bids. Charles runs training workshops and 1-2-1 sessions throughout the UK, whilst also providing support to the bids our team are working on.
Charles has delivered over 240 bid training courses to over 3350 people, with every course receiving positive feedback. Since Covid, Charles has created flexible 1-2-1 training for individuals, as well as successfully moving our training courses online.
Head of Bids
Joining Thornton & Lowe as an experienced Bid Writer in 2017, Tom had previously worked in the IT sector. Tom has proved himself as both an excellent bid writer and project manager across a wide range of sectors. Tom really enjoys building knowledge of new industries, while building parallels and adding value from this cross-sector experience.
Tom Daniel
Emily Mamana Saiwala
Finance Manager
Emily is a seasoned finance professional and obtained her accountancy degree at the University of Salford. Emily joined Thornton & Lowe in February 2016. She is responsible for the management of the organisation's support functions, specifically compliance and regulatory reporting which includes preparation of financial reports.
She has over 10 years’ experience working in logistics and consultancy sectors. She strives for exceptional quality, growth and performance.
Design & Communications Manager
Chris joined our team in 2017 from a background of recruitment and design and has brought with him a range of knowledge from working in large recruitment companies in Manchester. Previous to his years in recruitment, Chris co-owned and ran a successful print and design agency and was responsible for print, design, social media and marketing.
Chris manages all of Thornton & Lowe’s design, branding, social media, marketing activity and also works closely with the Bid Team on internal and external projects and bid documents.
Chris Turner
Maria Edwards
Bid Manager
As Bid Manager, Maria has been involved in over 550 tenders at Thornton & Lowe, including both writing and review. Focusing on assessing a tender’s structure, appropriateness and comprehension, Maria provides detailed and constructive quality assurance.
Using her experience and expertise, Maria provides in-house mentoring and training to our Graduate Bid Writers. Maria has worked at T&L for over 5 years and holds the APMP Foundation certification.
Adam Lee
Senior Bid Writer
Adam has come primarily from an account management/customer service background, with experience in building and maintaining relationships with key customers. He graduated from Lancaster University in 2014 with a First Class Honours in History, specialising in 19th-century science and medicine.
Starting as a Trainer Bid Writer, Adam joined the team in 2018. He has since developed his skills and has been promoted to the role of Bid Writer in early 2019. He has a passion for writing and continuous improvement.
Senior Bid Writer
Tom Joined Thornton & Lowe in late 2019, previously working in Customer Services in Manchester. He graduated from King’s College London in 2018 with a BA Honours Degree in English Literature; completing his dissertation on Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre. Tom has supported the Bid Team on various tender projects in different industries and is currently working towards achieving APMP Foundation level certification.
Outside of work, Tom enjoys supporting Liverpool FC, watching Netflix and listening to a wide range of music.
Thomas Groves
Emma McCarroll
Support Services
MA (Hons) Medieval History
Emma achieved a Master of Arts degree in Medieval History from the University of St Andrews. Subsequently, she embarked on a career in customer service, working Front of House in luxury hotels across Scotland. Following a career break to raise a family and fulfilling voluntary roles in her local community, Emma joined Thornton and Lowe in February 2017 as a Marketing Assistant.
She has since developed her bid writing skillset and works with the bid team to support a variety of submissions to ensure consistency for our contracted clients.
Support Services
BA (Hons) International Fashion Branding
Based in our Scotland office, Lyndsey works with the Support Services team, providing a diverse range of business support solutions to our clients, including our new Search & Select offering. With a background in marketing, customer service and event management, she has worked across various areas of the business since joining in 2016, helping her to grow her knowledge of procurement.
In her spare time, Lyndsey enjoys walking along the beautiful beaches of Fife with her partner and Miniature Schnauzer, Stanley, mascot to the Scotland office.Lyndsey Anderson
Senior Bid Writer
Beth joined us in 2020, having graduated from the University of Chester in 2017 with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Since graduating, Beth has spent 3 years’ working as a member of an in-house bid team for a large recruitment company. Specialising in bids across a range of industries in both the private and public sector, she has extensive experience of working across the end-to-end bid process.
In her spare time, Beth likes reading, long walks and going to the gym.
Beth Jones
Trainee Bid Writer
Ayesha graduated from the University of Manchester in 2020 with a First Class Honours degree in English and Arabic. She joined Thornton and Lowe as an apprentice, working towards becoming a Bid Writer and has recently passed our Bid and Proposal Coordinator Level 3 qualification. She has a great passion for writing and has ambitions of becoming an experienced bid writer and progressing in the field.
Outside of work, Ayesha enjoys travelling around Asia and the Middle East, cooking (and eating) spicy food and long walks
Ayesha
Bid Writer
Katie joined us in 2021 as a Trainee Bid Writer, previously working in Finance as a Purchase Ledger Clerk. She graduated from Bolton University in 2017 with a First-Class Honours degree in English. Katie has a passion for writing and aspires to become an experienced bid writer, building knowledge across a wide range of industries.
In her spare time, Katie enjoys reading, long walks with her dog and competing in CrossFit.
Katie Hetherington
Bid Writer
Ellie joined us early 2021 with two years prior experience in bid writing and coordination. Ellie’s background centres around writing and literature, which saw her graduate from Sheffield Hallam University with her English Degree, in the Summer of 2019. A few of her previous publications include poetry, press releases, articles, and blog posts. With a keen eye for detail, Ellie enjoys not only writing bids, but reviewing them, and identifying ways to elevate the writing as a whole.
Ellie enjoys playing the flute and is currently teaching herself to play the piano. Aside from music, she likes spending time with family and friends, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen.
Ellie Benson
Bid Writer
Jade recently joined Thornton and Lowe as a Bid Writer. She graduated from the University of Chester in 2011, before starting work for a contract catering company in Northern Ireland. Jade has experience in bid writing and sales proposals, as well as project management. Jade is looking forward to putting her skills in to practice across a range of industries at Thornton and Lowe.
Outside of work, Jade enjoys family time and dining out in nice restaurants.
Jade Johnston
Bid Writer
Jo joined the team in 2021, having graduated with a first-class degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Lancaster University. Since graduating, she has spent two years working as a bid writer and co-ordinator for a national waste management company and charity. She is experienced in writing a range of different bid types, including private and public sector bids for the Construction and Rail industries.
In her spare time, Jo enjoys yoga, sewing, reading and running. She is passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the mind, body, and soul.
Jo Buttner
Business Development
With a background in sales, account management and bid writing Donna joined us in 2020 with experience in Lighting and Waste Management.
Donna splits her time at Thornton and Lowe between business development of our existing and new clients, as well as overseeing Bid Resource, Thornton & Lowe’s specialist recruitment division.
Donna Read
Bid Writer
Liz joined Thornton & Lowe in May 2021 as a Bid Writer. She has worked in the telecommunications industry for the past 8 years, most recently as an in-house Bid Manager for an ISP. She has experience in writing and winning bids mainly in the private sector.
Outside of work, Liz enjoys watching sport, reading and attending gigs and festivals.
Liz King
HR & Finance Officer
Rachel obtained her degree in Journalism and English at The University of Salford. She has over 8 years of experience working in Operations, Accounts and HR.
She joined the team in 2017 and looks after the HR function at Thornton and Lowe and helps with the day to day operations alongside Emily and Grace.
Rachel
Bid Writer
Jason joined Thornton & Lowe in June 2021. Jason has over five years of bid management experience in healthcare and hospitality products winning both private and public sector business, with a background in procurement.
Outside of work, he enjoys long hikes with his wife and dogs, and woodworking.
Jason
Trainee Bid Writer
Originally from Chester, Joe graduated from The Open University in 2021 with a First Class Honours degree in English Literature and Language. He decided to apply himself to a career in Bid Writing and joined Thornton & Lowe as a Trainee Bid Writer shortly after graduating.
Joe’s interests include walks in nature, watching films, reading and listening to music. He is a fan of Liverpool FC, and also enjoys watching Formula 1 and Baseball.
Joe Garrett
Bid Writer
Michelle joined the team in 2021, previously working as a document writer and proof reader within business acquisition. She graduated from the Open University with a First Class Honours in Humanities, specialising in Creative Writing.
In her free time, Michelle enjoys reading, embroidery, soap making, meditation and hanging out with her cat.
Michelle Leedy
Sophie Webb
Bid Writer
In 2017, Sophie graduated with a 2:1 in BA Combined Hons in Geography, Politics and English Literature at Newcastle University.
Outside of work, Sophie enjoys cinema, films, eating out and cooking, learning languages, reading and caring for her cat Mittens. ’Having a wealth of experience in finance, insurance, housing and most recently bid writing, Sophie joined Thornton and Lowe January 2022 as an ambitious Bid Writer.
Marketing & Resource Officer
Steph grew up in Ireland but moved to England where she completed a degree in Music Business, receiving First Class Honours.After developing an interest in marketing in previous roles, Steph joined Thornton & Lowe to assist in this area.
Her interests are seeing live music, going for walks and to the gym and spending my free time with pets.
Steph Rea
