MEET THE STAFF

SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Richard Foster – as the founder partner, Richard has been in charge of the day to day running of Fosters of Birmingham since 1978. A keen big game fisherman, Richard has jetted around the world in search of large and unusual fish visiting Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania.

Mark Foster – Mark entered into partnership with Richard in 1990 after a successful commercial banking career. It is therefore no surprise that Mark handles the financial side of the business as well as the day to day running of the shop. Mark does enjoy match fishing when he gets the time, but is also an avid cyclist and has participated in several charity endurance events recently.

Gill Foster – Gill is Mark’s wife and heads the Supplier Accounts and Credit Control Department.

INSURANCE, CONSUMER FINANCE, MARKETING & IT

Tom Beckett – Tom originally joined us way back in 1996 as a part time member of staff, before becoming full time in 2003. After leaving in 2005, he rejoined us in 2007 and is now responsible for Insurance Claims, Consumer Finance, Marketing and e-Commerce along with Dave Taylor. Tom also performs IT support duties for the business. He has enjoyed match fishing in the past with some notable successes.

Dave Taylor – Dave joined us in 2007 and is an avid Specialist angler; He has caught carp to over 50lb. Dave is jointly responsible for Insurance Claims, Consumer Finance, Marketing and e-Commerce alongside Tom Beckett, and assists on the Specialist counter during busy periods. He lists music as his other main interest, alongside fishing.

Dave Lloyd – A recent addition to the team, Dave is a well known character on the local circuit, and has notched up notable indivdual and team successes on a range of venues and methods. A member of the Maver Midlands match squad, Dave is responsible for processing the on line orders we receive, along with finance applications and most general email inquiries.

Macauley Walls - Mac is a Match angler, specialising on commercial lakes with some good weights under his belt. Mac's main roles are e-Commerce and finance but also helps with shop sales during busy periods.

SPECIALIST DEPARTMENT

Danny Hale – Danny has tons of Specialist fishing experience, accrued both at home and abroad. He runs the Specialist Department from day to day, and with several large carp and barbel to his name, is always on hand to offer guidance and advice.

Dave Kennedy – DK, as he is affectionately known, joined us in 2003 and has become one of our most popular members of staff. A man of few words, but they are definitely worth listening to – this man knows how to catch big Carp. His record speaks for itself, with several well known specimens to over 60lb from both UK and French waters. Dave is currently on the hunt for his 10th UK 30lb+ of the season!

Tom Colloff – Tom is now firmly established as a key member of the Specialist department. His product knowledge is second to none, and his ability as an angler has seen him bank Carp to over 40lb and several double figure Barbel, as well as a specimen Arapaima on holiday in Thailand.

Bob Davies – Bob is our longest serving member of staff, having been with Fosters since the very beginning in 1978. He is our onsite rod builder, and his award winning custom built rods are almost legendary. Check them out for yourself! Pole and rod repairs are also available, and prove popular amongst our customers.

MATCH DEPARTMENT

Barry Hall – Barry ran his own tackle shop for many years and has a wealth of match fishing experience, culminating in a National Championship winner’s medal. He now enjoys pleasure fishing and smaller competitions, but can still put a bag of fish together and has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the Midlands canal network.

Ade Walker – Ade has been with us for over 10 years now, and is extremely respected amongst staff and customers alike. He is always ready to offer honest, straightforward advice on both tackle and methods in his unique style, which he can back up with a string of open match wins on local waters.

Pete Jones – Pete has a wide ranging knowledge of many venues and methods, which he is always willing to share with anybody who cares to listen. He has match fished to a high level in the past, but nowadays he prefers to pleasure fish on rivers. Pete has also become something of an expert on lure & bait fishing for predators, with several specimen Pike, Chub and Zander to his name.

Paul Downes – One of the most well known faces on the UK circuit, Paul is one of the founding members of the incredibly successful Starlets team and has countless big match wins and team titles under his belt. A natural angler with expertise in both traditional and continental styles of match fishing, and an immensely popular figure in the shop.

Gary Picken – Gary is known for his expertise and success on the Midlands commercial scene, and has won countless matches in the local area where his methodical approach and rigorous preparation has resulted in numerous 100lb plus bags. He also enjoys barbel fishing on the Severn and Wye, and has some decent fish to his name including a 127lb Catfish from Spain’s River Ebro.

GOODS IN

Jamie Law – Jamie has been a key member of our Goods In department for nearly 15 years, and is responsible for overseeing the mammoth task of booking in our numerous daily deliveries.

John Smith – John assists the Goods In department as well as being a valuable addition to the match department.

GOODS OUT

Darren Jones – Darren has been with us since 2004 and is responsible for packing and despatching all of our Insurance Claims and Mail Orders. Also an enthusiastic Carp angler, Darren enjoys getting sessions in whenever he can.