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
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.
Tom Anderson
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.
Charles Grosstephan
Head of Bid & Tender Training
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.
Tom Daniel
Head of Bids
Joining Thornton & Lowe as an experienced Bid Writer in 2017, Tom had previously worked in the IT sector. Tom proved himself as both an excellent Bid Writer and Project Manager across a wide range of sectors before progressing to Senior Bid Writer, then Head of Bids.
Tom is now responsible for leadership of our Bid Writing Team, conducting quality assurance, professional development. Tom also provides direct support and strategic input to our client’s projects, adding value from his cross-sector experience.
Chris Turner
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.
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 since 2013 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.
Thomas Groves
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.
Jade Johnston
Senior 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.
Beth Jones
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.
Patrick Hughes
Bid Writer
Patrick joined the team in 2022. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English with Creative Writing in 2011. Patrick’s bid writing career began in the energy sector, with a focus on energy efficiency improvements for social housing. He then moved into the legal sector, where he built experience bidding for a wide variety of contracts, including in the public, retail and technology spaces.
In his spare time, Patrick likes to play the guitar, listen to music, and spend time with his family.
Laurel Mills
Bid Writer
Laurel recently joined Thornton and Lowe as a Bid Writer. She graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2014 with a 2:1 in English Language, before starting her career in writing as a document writer in business acquisition.
Laurel has experience in bidding, working both in-house and in business consultancies, covering a wide range of industries.
Katie Hetherington
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.
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.
Michelle Leedy
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.
Claire Jepsen
Bid Writer
Claire joined us in May 2022 as a Bid Writer with 5 years experience in bidding on public sector contracts. Previously working at a bicycle manufacturing company for 8 years as a Tender and Bid Specialist, Claire is looking forward to building knowledge and skills across multiple industries. Prior to this Claire has also worked within account management and enjoys interaction with clients.
In 2021, Claire gained both the Foundation and Practitioner APMP qualification.
Outside of work, Claire has a young son and enjoys walking and learning about history.
Lucie Vovk
Trainee Bid Writer
Lucie joined the team in May 2022, having graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester in 2021. She comes from a background in publishing and journalism.
She specialised in English literature with Scandinavian studies, completing her dissertation on postcolonial Sami poetry in the north of Norway. Lucie grew up in seven different countries and speaks four languages, and enjoys mountain climbing and playing the piano.
Joe Garrett
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.
Donna Read
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.
Rachel
HR & Finance Officer
Rachel joined Thornton & Lowe in 2017 after graduating from The University of Salford with a First Class Honours in Journalism and English. She is currently studying for her MA in Early Years and Childhood studies at Leeds Beckett University, with a focus on gender and LGBTQ+ in childhood.
Rachel looks after the HR function at T&L, overseeing the entire employee life cycle, as well as making sure the day-to-day operations run smoothly. Outside of work, Rachel enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.
Steph Rea
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, going to the gym and spending free time with her pets
Emma McCarroll
Support Services
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.
Lyndsey Anderson
Support Services
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.
