Who we are

VANBAR associates takes its name from its two founding partners, Vanessa and Barry White.

Vanessa has a wealth of media and event management experience gained most notably through almost a decade as Yorkshire Head of Region for the Big Lottery Fund.  Previously, she ran a number of All Party Parliamentary Groups in the House of Commons, and held various roles in marketing and policy development.

As a busy working Mum, Vanessa is skilled in the art of multi-tasking, rustling up last minute fancy dress costumes, passing off shop bought cakes as her own, and answering the important life questions such as, would dinosaurs and dragons have been best friends?  

Barry has worked for communications agencies in London and Yorkshire, served as senior press officer for Yorkshire Forward and spent more than 25 years advising local and national politicians in Westminster, Yorkshire and Northern Ireland.

He is a former Trustee of the Dickie Bird Foundation and, in September 2014, organised a charity dinner in Northern Ireland which raised almost £14,000 for good causes.   Barry has completed the London Marathon and four Great North Runs in aid of children's heart and cancer charities, and now fancies doing something on a bike.