Married for 18 years to a Watford girl born and bred - Dean’s ties with Watford are strong.

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And, with his daughter born in Watford General Hospital along with family having lived in the area for over 130 years he fully understands both the positives and negatives of life in the area.

Coming from a working-class background, Dean has experienced a diverse education and career. Gaining a Physics and Business Studies degree BSc(Hons) and an MPhil in Physics and Material Science, he then saw a career in senior positions advising global brands, CEOs, government and philanthropists.

He also runs his own presentation and pitch business “Win That Pitch” where he advises start-ups and small businesses and was appointed as a start-up mentor in 2018 by London & Partners as part of their Business Growth Hub.

He has also lectured at multiple universities around the UK and has been appointed as a lecturer for the Institute for Direct & Digital Marketing and as an adjunct lecturer at Ashridge Business School.

Dean has been a regular commentator on communications, especially in social media, digital and new technologies. This includes writing columns, articles and press interviews for publications including the Health Service Journal and Third Sector magazine.

He was also a founding Vice Chair for NHS Healthspace, which was the first initiative to investigate allowing patients to access their Summary Care Records directly online.

Most recently he has been interviewed on television news channel Indus International News and in print for The Economist.

Having travelled widely around the globe managing teams in business across Europe, Middle East & Africa, Dean has also performed charity missions in the Philippine jungle and helped give the gift of hearing to children in a deprived area of Manila with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. He also supported a Basket Brigade to provide food and gifts for struggling families at Christmas in London.

Dean is no stranger to the world of politics. He is a former St. Albans District Councillor during which time he led a significant reform to create a Health & Wellbeing Partnership.