Home Programme Breakouts Venues & Map Accommodation Information Sponsors Travel & Transport Speaker Profiles >> Register Contact Us SUMMIT CHAIR JON SNOW BROADCASTER AND JOURNALIST                       Jon Snow is the main presenter of Channel 4’s award–winning flagship news programme, Channel 4 News, which ITN has produced since its launch in 1982. He joined the presenting team of this highly-acclaimed programme in April 1989 and became its full-time presenter four months later. Jon’s skills as a first-rate interviewer and broadcaster take him beyond the Channel 4 News studio. In late January 2003, he was the first mainstream television newscaster to travel to Baghdad in Iraq where he presented Channel 4 News every night for a week. During that visit, he was the first UK broadcaster to interview Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, and the only one to quiz UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix – in a technological triumph – live from Baghdad, with Blix in New York. In July 2002 Jon hosted Channel 4 News nightly for a week from India, as part of Channel 4’s Indian Summer season. He also produced a series of in–depth reports from the region. In December 2000 Channel 4 broadcast the programme ‘Snow in Japan‘, in which Jon reported on modern-day life in Japan and how it was being affected by the worst recession in its history. Jon Snow joined ITN in 1976 after working in local radio and was made Washington correspondent in 1984. He returned to the UK in 1986, spending the following three years as ITN’s Diplomatic Editor during which time he reported on all the major stories around the world. In 2003 Jon received the award for Presenter of the Year from the Royal Television Society. He won Best Male Presenter at the RTS Programme and Technology Awards. He has also won numerous awards for his reporting over the years including the Royal Television Society's 1979 News Feature Award for a report from Poland; the Monte Carlo Television Festival's 1979 Golden Nymph top news award for ‘Eritrea Air Attack’; and the 1980 RTS TV Journalist of the Year Award for his coverage of Afghanistan, Iran, and the Middle East. In 1981 he received the Valiant for Truth Media Award, and in the same year, the Royal Television Society's International News Award for a report on a guerrilla camp in El Salvador. In 1982 he won this award for a second time for his report, ‘El Salvador: Shoot-out on Polling Day’. He also collected the 1989 RTS Home News award for ITN's coverage of the Kegworth Air Crash. Jon has covered a variety of momentous stories from around the globe for ITN. He reported from Germany when the Berlin Wall was finally pulled down and returned there for the historic elections in March 1990. A month earlier he had provided live coverage from South Africa when Nelson Mandela walked to freedom. Other important stories he covered include the Challenger Shuttle disaster, the Pope’s tour of Poland in 1983 and Falklands reports dispatched from Chile. In February 1999 Jon Snow interviewed Monica Lewinsky for Dispatches on Channel 4. As presenter of Channel 4 News, Jon has anchored the programme from wherever major world events occur: from South Africa during the country's first democratic elections; from Washington at the Israeli-Palestinian peace signing; from Hong Kong at the time of the handover to China. Jon was also the main presenter of ITN's 1992 General Election Night programme. Away from the news, Jon is Chairman of the New Horizon Youth Centre, Deputy Chairman of the Media Trust and a Director of the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn. He is also a trustee of the National Gallery and of the Tate, where he also Chair's the Council of Tate Modern. SUMMIT SPEAKERS Speaker profiles are listed in alphabetical surname order. This page will be updated as senior speakers are confirmed. JAN ANDERSON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT, YORKSHIRE FORWARD The delivery of Yorkshire Forward’s urban and rural renaissance programmes; embedding sustainable development principles into the Agency’s and external partner’s activities: implementing new tourism structures within the region: and developing the Agency’s land and property interventions in support of the renaissance and overall investment planning regime. Jan had direct responsibilities for a number of significant renaissance and regeneration projects, including London Docklands and Greenwich. Also, Jan had urban regeneration policy responsibility within the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and worked with Sir John Egan on the Egan Review of Skills for Sustainable Communities. Jan’s previous responsibilities covered English Heritage activities. STUART ANDREWS PARTNER, EVERSHEDS Stuart is a specialist planning lawyer and leads the Nottingham planning team. His experience includes major town centre schemes, large urban regeneration projects and residential development. He has particular expertise in the promotion of redevelopment projects involving complex compulsory purchase orders, substantial highway orders and associated environmental assessment. This experience has involved the conduct of major development projects through application, appeal and other proceedings. Stuart is an experienced advocate and has extensive experience in the negotiation and drafting of complex planning agreements. He has also considerable experience of all aspects of appeal court proceedings, including judicial review. STEVE BEE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AT ENGLISH HERITAGE Since his arrival at English Heritage in 2003, Steve Bee has reformed every area where English Heritage gives professional advice to the planning and development sector. Staff in English Heritage’s advisory service have a responsive work culture, better technology and give their advice 25% faster than before his tenure. Working to the organisation’s new philosophy of "constructive conservation", Steve Bee has put into operation a flexible and progressive approach to conservation as a contributor to regeneration, commerce, community improvement and positive change. 2003- present  Director of Planning and Development at English Heritage 1998-2003  Director of Development Services, Winchester City Council 1987-1998  Director, Llewelyn Davies, Architects and Planning Consultants. 1978-1987  Principle Planner, London Borough of Lewisham. Memberships  Royal Town Planning Institute, the Tourism Society Status  Married with two children Interests  20th century art and design, cities. THE RT HON HAZEL BLEARS MP SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT On Thursday 28 June 2007, Hazel Blears became the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Hazel Blears came to Communities and Local Government from the Cabinet Office where, since May 2006, she has been Minister without Portfolio and Party Chair. Previously Hazel Blears was Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety, when her portfolio included counter terrorism, crime reduction, and active communities, and prior to this, Minister of State for Crime Reduction, Policing and Community Safety. Hazel Blears came to the Home Office in 2003 from the Department of Health, where she was Parliamentary Secretary and then Minister of State for Public Health. Hazel Blears was elected as a Member of Parliament for Salford in May 1997. Before being elected as an MP, Hazel Blears was Principal Solicitor for Manchester City Council. Hazel Blears worked as a solicitor for Rossendale Council between 1981 and 1983 and for Wigan council between 1983 and 1985. She was a Salford City Councillor between 1984 and 1992 and was chair of Salford Community Health Council from 1992 to 1996. Ms Blears was born in Salford on 14 May 1956 and was educated at Wardley Grammar School; Eccles Sixth Form College; Trent Polytechnic; and Chester College of Law where she received a BA Hons, Law. Hazel Blears is married and lives in Salford. Her hobbies include dancing, riding her motorbike and gardening. COUNCILLOR WARREN BRADLEY LEADER, LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL Councillor Warren Bradley is Leader of Liverpool City Council; he was elected in May 2000, originally representing the Church Ward moving to the Wavertree Ward in 2004. Warren has been involved in local politics for most of his life, playing a major role in the electoral victory in 1998 for the Liberal Democrats, when they became the administration in Liverpool. Warren, who was born and brought up in Liverpool, is married to Pauline, and has two children, Daniel and Emily. He has, for the past 20 years, worked as an operational fire officer for Merseyside Fire Service. At the weekend Warren spends time with his family, runs a junior football team, Mosspits Wanderers and watches Everton FC. As Leader of the City Council I am responsible for strategic initiatives, marketing, Capital of Culture Year 2008 and Heritage. He was also announced as the ‘Business Champion’ in 2006 by the private sector, City Growth Board. Warren believes business is the key to the continued success of the city and has been instrumental in starting the dialogue regarding the future of the agencies in Liverpool. Warren sits on numerous boards in the city, as a Director including; Business Liverpool, Liverpool Vision, Liverpool Land, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society, ACE(NW), Culture Company, the Mersey Partnership and North–West Vision. Warren has the determination to leave Liverpool a more dynamic, vibrant and connected city, to achieve this we together have to enable, facilitate, offer opportunity and raise peoples aspirations. COUNCILLOR MARK BRADSHAW EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ACCESS AND ENVIRONMENT, BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL Mark served as deputy director general of the British Retail Consortium (the retail CBI) based in London from 2000–03. He held numerous roles during a 15 year period at BRC, including Policy Director responsible for all public policy issues. He was appointed acting director general for 8 months until July 2000. He served as a member of Policy Action Team 13 on improving access to shopping for people in disadvantaged communities and has also contributed to a wide range of reviews, including into local government finance, business crime, better regulation, and retail and transport planning. Mark worked as a consultant between 2003–07 providing public policy advice to various clients, including the ODPM/ Business in the Community funded Underserved Markets Project, which aims to stimulate private sector investment in underserved communities. Since 22nd May 2007, he has been Executive Member for Access & Environment on Bristol City Council, with responsibility for transport and sustainable development, planning policy, regeneration/economic development and strategic and citywide waste issues. He is Labour Co–op Councillor for Bedminster in South Bristol, elected in May 2006. IAN BROMLEY CHEIF EXCECUTIVE, CREATIVE SHEFFIELD In September 2006, Ian Bromley was appointed as the first Chief Executive of Creative Sheffield (Sheffield City Development Company in Sheffield, England). Creative Sheffield is a new organisation encompassing the activities of predecessors, Sheffield One (City Centre Regeneration Company) and Sheffield First for Investment (Inward Investment Agency) and building new capacities in marketing and branding, innovation and the knowledge economy, and regional economic development to create a comprehensive and effective company to transform Sheffield’s economy. Mr Bromley joins Creative Sheffield from Toronto, Canada where he held a number of progressively senior positions in Management Consulting (Boston Consulting Groups), Economic Development, Communication, Marketing and Innovation development in the private and public sectors. Most recently, Mr Bromley served the Government of Ontario, Canada as Director of Urban Economic Development, Director of Economic Development Strategy and Director of Infrastructure and Innovation. Mr Bromley has also worked as a consultant, advisor and teacher in urban and economic development in Japan, China, New Zealand, Brazil, as well as throughout the United States and Canada. Mr Bromley holds a BA (Hons) in Business Administration (with distinction), MA in Economics (Cum Laude), and Executive MBA, granted by two of Canada’s top–ranked universities. He currently serves as Treasurer of the Washington–based International Economic Development Council, the world’s largest professional association for economic development practitioners. He has been a long standing board member with the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, the Toronto Financial Services Alliance, the Ottawa Partnership, the Waterloo Accelerator Centre, the Economic Development Council of Ontario, and the Innovation Systems Research Network. Ian is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Local Economy Journal, published by London Southbank University. Ian has been joined in Sheffield by his wife Carolyn, and his three children – ages seven, ten and thirteen, all of whom are actively enjoying all that Sheffield has to offer. STEVE BROWN DEPUTY CHAIR, EAST MIDLANDS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Steve is Deputy Chair of East Midlands Development Agency, a role he has held since 2004. He is also Chairman of East Midlands Tourism, an organisation created and funded by emda to develop tourism in the region. Steve currently has a portfolio of interests which include being Chairman of Bluestone Leisure Limited (a new holiday company), Chairman of the National Trust in the East Midlands and a Director of Anchor Housing Trust. He also holds directorships in a number of other holiday and leisure companies which include Forest Holidays LLP (a joint venture between the Forestry Commission and Camping and Caravanning Club) and Grand Leisure Limited. Steve is a non–executive Director of North Midlands Construction plc based in Mansfield, a non-executive Director at the National Space Centre in Leicester and is a member of the University of Derby Court. Steve has previously held a number of senior positions with the CBI, having been a Chairman of the East Midlands Region, a member of the CBI National Council and a member of the President’s Committee. He was also the founding member and Chairman of the East Midlands Regional Economic Development Forum (a private/public sector group set up to tackle key regional development priorities prior to the formation of the RDA/emda). He was previously one of the founding Directors of Center Parcs plc, a Director of Thomas Cook and the Managing Director for the Champneys Health and Fitness Group. He has also held a number of senior Non–Executive roles in the National Health Service including being Vice–Chairman of the Central Nottingham Healthcare Trust. JOHN CARLETON FIELD DIRECTOR NORTH, HOUSING CORPORATION John Carleton joined the Housing Corporation in July 2003 as the Director of Investment and Regeneration (North) and was appointed to the role of Field Director for the North of England in October 2004. His career spans both public and private sector where in addition to his work within regeneration and housing he has accumulated over 20 years of work experience in Corporate, Real Estate and Structured Finance across a range of financial institutions. This experiences spans Senior Debt providers through to Specialist ’Niche‘ focussed commercial banks and regeneration developments. John’s early career saw him playing rugby for England where he gained 26 caps between 1979 and 1984. He also won 6 British Lions caps in tours of South Africa and New Zealand. John holds an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business School, and is a member of the Investment Property Forum and Association of Property Bankers in addition to being a Board member for the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA). ALAN CLARKE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ONE NORTHEAST Alan Clarke is Chief Executive of One NorthEast, the regional development agency for North East England. He heads a team of more than 400 employees and is the agency’s accounting officer, overseeing an annual budget of £280m. One NorthEast leads sustainable economic growth across the North East, from the Scottish borders in the north of the region to Tees Valley in the south – an area home to more than two million people. It has produced on behalf of the NorthEast a ten-year strategy mapping out with partners how the region will accelerate economic development and regeneration. The Regional Economic Strategy details the main areas of activity the region will undertake over the next decade to help get 70,000 more people into work, create more than 20,000 new businesses, raising regional GVA to 90% of the national average. One NorthEast in partnership with the public, private and voluntary sectors, will build on existing regional strengths and drive forward the development of a new, knowledge–based economy. Alan has overseen a number of key regional development projects during four years leading One NorthEast. These projects include the exciting Newcastle Science City project, a new streamlined, regional Business Link North East business support service, a new regional tourism offer driving economic growth through increased visitor numbers to the region and the internationally-acclaimed ‘Passionate people. Passionate places.’ marketing campaign, promoting the North East as a leading place to in which to live, work, invest and study. Under Alan’s leadership, One NorthEast was recently ranked the joint top performing regional development agency in England in an independent performance assessment, scoring 22 points out of a possible 24. Alan has more than 30 years experience in economic regeneration. He began his career in the public sector at South Ribble Borough Council in Preston in 1974, and was previously chief executive of Northumberland County Council before joining One NorthEast in 2004. MATTHEW CLIFTON RESEARCH MANAGER, NLGN Matthew Clifton is the Research Manager at the New Local Government Network. He has been a policy adviser in Islington, Enfield and Hounslow councils. In Hounslow he was also a senior economic development officer managing cross borough regeneration. Matthew also spent four years in Brussels working with the European Commission and in the European Parliament where he specialised in EU social policy, civil liberties, and the regulation of public services. Matthew graduated from Exeter University with a BA Honours in Economics and Politics with European Study and has a master’s degree in Mass Communications. He also won a Japanese government scholarship to study in Japan gaining an MA in International Relations at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. COUNCILLOR JON COLLINS LEADER, NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL Currently Leader of Nottingham City Council, Jon Collins has been a Councillor of St Anns, an inner city ward, in Nottingham since 1987. During this time he has served as Chair, Community Development Committee, 7 years as Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Education and Work (1999-2003). Jon chairs the Renewal Community Development Trust and formerly chaired the One City Partnership, the City’s Local Strategic Partnership. He is a Board Member of the East Midlands Development Agency and until recently a Board Member on the City’s Primary Care Trust, the Learning and Skills Council and the Greater Nottingham Partnership Forum. Prior to undertaking his current role as Leader (since 2003), Jon completed an MBA (Public Services) and worked as an Urban Regeneration Consultant and Housing Development Officer. Jon has also carried out several Peer Review and CPA inspections. ADRIAN COY TECHNICAL DIRECTOR-LOCAL AUTHORITIES,SCOTT WILSON Adrian worked for 27 years in Local Government before joining Scott Wilson early in 2006. As Head of Technical Services at a Unitary Council he played an instrumental role in developing Local Transport Plans and ensuring cross–cutting links between transport policy and regeneration. He is currently leading the development of Scott Wilson’s Local Authority highways and transportation services and providing expert advice to its framework clients. Scott Wilson is a leading international consultant providing a diverse range of sustainable, planning, transportation and environmental solutions in the built and natural environments. It has recently been appointed consultant for highways and other professional services to the innovative 3 Counties Alliance (Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire County Councils). Adrian is the Framework Director. Adrian has been a prominent member of the professional civil engineering community in the East Midlands for a number of years. He is a member of the ICE East Midland Regional Executive and a member of the ICE Council DR JAYNE CROSSE DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & PRACTIVE, ASC Jayne has worked in regeneration for 20 years and has held a variety of senior management posts in strategy, marketing and research. She joins the ASC from being Head of Strategy and Corporate Services at the Objective 1 Programme for South Yorkshire where she led the development of the new European investment programme for Yorkshire and the Humber and helped to lay the foundations for the sustainable economic regeneration across South Yorkshire. Jayne moved to this role from the North West RDA where she was Head of Business Development, and where she took the strategic lead on the region’s cluster development agenda. Prior to that she was Director of Marketing at the Inward Investment Agency for the North West. Jayne has substantial experience of working across the public private and volcom sectors, in building partnerships and driving initiatives forward. In 2000 she completed a part–time PhD in Management Economics, International Business and Strategic Place Marketing from Leeds University Business School. Jayne also holds an MA (Econ) from Manchester University which looked at place–making and the North–South divide. NEIL DARWIN MANAGER, REGIONAL CITIES EAST Neil is an Economics and Politics graduate. He has worked for a range of authorities within their Economic Development functions, including Milton Keynes, Bedford and Ashfield. He joined Peterborough City Council in January 2000 as the Council’s Economic Regeneration Manager with responsibility for the area’s sub regional economic partnership and programme delivery. He joined the Regional Cities East Core Team as Manager in July 2006 on secondment from Peterborough. Regional Cities East is the network of leading towns and cities in the East of England committed to delivering high levels of sustainable growth through collaboration between its members and with Government. JONATHAN DAVIS DIRECTOR OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS, CABE Jonathan Davis is director of knowledge and skills at CABE where he leads the skills team that is developing the learning of those working in the built environment sector, a think tank developing research and new thinking about ways to improve the quality of design and management of the built environment and the team which works with CABE’s regional partners to build the capacity to demand and deliver good design. Jonathan is an architect and urban designer and holds a masters in regional and Urban Planning from the LSE. Jonathan has many years’ experience working in urban regeneration projects, particularly housing renewal and master planning of large scale projects for both private and public sector clients. He specialises in the sustainable design and management of the built environment and participation to engage citizens and other stakeholders in urban and environmental change processes. Jonathan has worked on projects in Britain, France, Ireland, the Czech Republic and Iceland. Before joining CABE in 2003, Jonathan was with John Thompson & Partners LLP, the London based urban design, community planning and architecture practice of which he was a founding director. JEAN DENT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, LEEDS CITY COUNCIL Jean Dent is the Director of City Development at Leeds City Council. City Development brings together all the Council’s physical, economic, activities, including asset management, design services, planning, economic and business development, highways, libraries, arts & heritage, recreation and sport. The directorate seeks to provide fully integrated services and its aims are to develop Leeds into one of the most prosperous, vibrant, attractive and sustainable cities in Europe. Jean is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. She has spent all her working life at Leeds City Council and worked in many fields of property development, regeneration and economic development before being appointed Director of Development and now most recently Director of City Development. She has played a very active role in the physical development and regeneration of the city working on a number of major schemes, which have helped transform Leeds. She is a member of RICS Regeneration Panel, the Steering Group of the Leeds Property Forum and is a Director of Marketing Leeds. In her role as Director of City Development, Jean has responsibility for a wide range of development, regeneration, cultural and recreation activities in the city; ensuring economic growth and investment; as well as encouraging good quality urban design and ensuring that that the people of Leeds are able to benefit from the success, prosperity and quality of life this brings to the City. CHARLOTTE DIXON DIVISIONAL MANAGER, REGIONAL AND LOCAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY AND FUNDING Charlotte Dixon is responsible within the Department for Transport for strategy on regional and local transport, including its funding. This includes advice on Local Transport Plans and the Local Transport settlement, and links with CLG on local government policy including the development of Local Area Agreements. Her division also leads within DfT on regional policy and on local highway maintenance. Prior to her current post Charlotte spent six years in the South East region, initially with the Government Office and latterly with the Regional Development Agency. At SEEDA she was Director for Sustainability, working on social inclusion, rural and environmental matters and the development of sub-regional partnerships. Most of Charlotte’s earlier posts have been in the central Department of Transport, though a varied career has included posts at DVLC, Swansea, the Highways Agency and the North West Regional Office. NICK EBBS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BLUEPRINT Nicholas Ebbs is the Chief Executive of Blueprint, an innovative Property Regeneration Partnership set up to deliver new solutions for regeneration in the East Midlands. The Partnership comprises English Partnerships, East Midlands Development Agency and Morley Fund Management’s Igloo Regeneration Fund. Nicholas was previously a founder member of Innes England Consulting Surveyors where he was responsible for regeneration and development consultancy. Prior to Innes England he was a director of Black Horse Commercial (Midlands Division). He is a Chartered Surveyor and commenced his surveying career with the Valuation Office where he trained. He also has a degree in Philosophy and Theology. Over the last 25 years Nicholas has worked on many of the Midland’s major regeneration/development projects including City Challenge, Coalfields renaissance and the Government’s Sustainable Communities Plan. He has also written or co–authored a number of Economic Development Studies. He is a regular conference speaker and has been recently appointed as a Special Professor in the School of the Built Environment University of Nottingham. He is a Board member of Broadway Cinema, the National Ice Arena, The Nottingham Design Review Panel and Nottingham Regeneration Ltd. He currently chairs a national working group that is researching "Creating Cultural Opportunity in Sustainable Communities". RICHARD ELLIS GROUP HEAD OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT ALLIANCE BOOTS Richard has spent the past 25 years working for a range of Companies on all aspects of the CSR agenda. The early part of his career was spent in Banking before becoming involved in CSR after the Inner City riots of the early 1980s. After this involvement he held CSR related positions at HSBC, TSB, British Aerospace and ran his own CSR consultancy for five years. In 2003 he joined Boots and became responsible for all the Company’s CSR activities. Following the merger between Boots and Alliance UniChem and the subsequent Private Equity Buy Out he was appointed into his current role. DERMOT FINCH DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR CITIES Dermot has been Director of the Centre for Cities since 2005. The Centre produces practical research on the economic drivers of urban growth and change, and policy solutions for Whitehall, cities and business. Previously, Dermot was a senior policy adviser at HM Treasury (1994–2005), including 3 years at the British Embassy in Washington DC (2001–04) and 2 years as a private secretary in both of Ken Clarke and Gordon Brown’s ministerial teams (1996–97). His range of Treasury policy responsibilities included financial services, the euro, productivity, enterprise and cities. Dermot is from Clitheroe, Lancashire, and studied at Liverpool University (1986–89) and Queen’s University, Belfast (1989–91). CATHY FRANCIS CROSS BOUNDRY PARTNERSHIPS, CLG Cathy joined the Department for Communities and Local Government in April 2007. She is responsible for delivering on the Government’s SNR commitment to facilitate a focus on economic activity in the sub–region through the development of Multi Area Agreements (MAAs). Her last post was in the Cabinet Office where she was secretariat to the independent Equalities Review which reported to the Prime Minister earlier this year. Before that Cathy worked in the Government Office for London where she was head of the youth and crime unit, she was also latterly responsible for developing London’s Resettlement of Offenders Strategy. Cathy is a former member of the Social Exclusion Unit. While in the Unit Cathy worked on the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy – the Government’s Strategy to improve the lives of the most deprived people and places. Her Civil Service career began over 20 years ago in the Department for Work and Pensions (formerly DHSS) where she was responsible for the delivery of benefit services in Waltham Forest and Newham. MICHAEL FRATER CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL Michael Frater is the Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council. He started work in local government immediately after leaving school, returning to a university education later. He joined Wrekin Council in 1979, where he held five very different posts in seven years. In 1986 he moved to Kent County Council as Director of Strategic Management and in 1993 he took up the post of Chief Executive of the London Borough of Redbridge. In June 2000 he became Chief Executive of the newly-created unitary authority of Telford & Wrekin Council. He has worked closely with Government to improve performance of other local authorities including part time interim Chief Executive of Walsall MBC for nine months in 2002/03. He was awarded a CBE for services to local government in 2004. In 2006 he took on the role of Chair of the Lifting the Burdens Taskforce established by the Secretary of State for DCLG at the same time as taking up his new post with Nottingham City Council. MARTIN GAWITH CHIEF EXCECUTIVE, GREATER NOTTINGHAM PARTNERSHIP Martin has been in post since 1998 and has helped transform GNP from a successful bidding organisation, which has attracted over £100million to the conurbation, into a Sub–Regional Strategic Partnership (SSP). The SSP is a multi sector organisation with representatives from Local Government, Public Services, Private Sector, and the Community and Voluntary Sector. GNP developed the City Development Strategy for Greater Nottingham – A Vision and Action Plan that will enable Nottingham to be recognised as a leading European and Core City with a modern, dynamic and inclusive economy. The Partnership is responsible for investments of £10million pa on behalf of emda (the East Midlands Regional Development Agency) GNP manages the European Funds for Nottingham City as well as facilitating the Nottingham Skills Board and the "Making the Connections" programme GNP was responsible for managing and implementing the City Growth Strategy Pilot in Nottingham and recently promoted the Nottingham Digital Challenge bid via its ICT arm, Accelerate Nottingham. Martin was formerly a County Councillor in Nottinghamshire (1987 – 1998) and Deputy Leader before taking up the post at GNP. Martin’s background is a mixture of public and private sector having originally trained as an industrial chemist, working in Lancashire and then moving to work in the textile industry in Nottingham (Courtaulds). Martin was also Acting Chief Executive of One City Partnership Nottingham (City LSP) November 2005 to January 2006. DR CATHY GARNER CHIEF EXCECUTIVE, MANCHESTER: KNOWLEDGE CAPITAL TO THE CITIES Dr Cathy Garner is currently Chief Executive of Manchester: Knowledge Capital. Cathy has a background in university–business links, technology transfer and extensive experience of urban regeneration, education and knowledge–based business development. Cathy is a Trustee of the UK registered charity, MIHR and was its founding CEO until 2004. Cathy established and ran the Research and Enterprise Office at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. She led the establishment of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise and was a founder director of the Scottish North American Business Council. She is a member of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) in the USA and served as their inaugural Vice President for International Relations. Her career includes eight years of policy and research management in the public sector and academic research in education. She has acted as an advisor to the UK, Canada, Japan and South Africa on intellectual property matters and served on numerous Boards. She is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. JIM GILL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LIVERPOOL VISION Jim Gill was born and brought up in the North West and educated at the London School of Economics and the University of Sussex. He spent the first 20 years of his working life in the Department of Trade and Industry working initially on regional economic analysis and later on a range of wider industrial planning and regional development issues. He left the DTI in 1990 to join the Amec Group where he was a director of Amec Regeneration and later, Amec Developments. In 1996 he joined English Partnerships, initially as Regional Director for the North West and from 1999 as Commercial Director. In July 2001 he became Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision. GEOFF HALL PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NEW COLLEGE NOTTINGHAM Geoff hails from Sutton Coldfield and graduated in politics from Liverpool University. Geoff began his career as a lecturer at South Trafford College of Further Education. He entered education administration with Northants County Council, was further education officer in Birmingham and then Director of Education for Bexley London Borough. He joined the Further Education Funding Council in February 1993 as Director of Education Programmes. After a short period as Director of Finance and following an organisational review, he was appointed Director of Funding and Strategy from 1 September 1997. His responsibilities included: guiding the Council’s strategic vision and external policy development; advising the Council on the allocation of the grants for transmission to institutions (£3+ billion) and other miscellaneous funds and oversight of the Council’s data collection and analysis. Following a period as Interim Director of Operations at the Learning and Skills Council, Geoff took up post as Director of Learning Programmes at LSC from 1 February 2001. In this role, Geoff was responsible for policy and programmes for young people and adults, skills strategies and workforce development, and funding. From mid–February 2002, Geoff joined New College Nottingham as Deputy Chief Executive. Geoff, as well as deputising for the Chief Executive, Dame Patricia Morgan–Webb, had strategic responsibility for standards, students and human resources. Geoff succeeded Dame Pat Morgan–Webb as Principal and Chief Executive in January 2004. JOHN HEALEY MP MINISTER OF STATE FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT John Healey was appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government on 29 June 2007. Since 2002 John Healey has worked at the Treasury, first as Economic Secretary and then later as Financial Secretary. From 2001–2002 he served as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Adults Skills at the Department for Education and Skills. He has previously served as a member of the Education and Employment Select Committee and Parliamentary Private Secretary to Chancellor of the Exchequer. He has been Member of Parliament for Wentworth in South Yorkshire since 1997. John Healey was born in Wakefield and educated at Lady Lumley’s Comprehensive School, Pickering, and at Peter’s School in York and Christ’s College, Cambridge. Mr Healey worked in the voluntary sector from 1984 to 1990 with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and MIND campaigning to improve rights and services for disabled people. From 1990 to 1994 Mr Healey worked in communications for Issue Communications, a campaign company, and the MSF Union. He was Campaigns Director for the TUC from 1994 to 1997. Mr Healey has also been a part time tutor at the Open University’s Business School. Mr Healey is married with one child and lives in his constituency in Rotherham. COLIN HILTON CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL Colin Hilton was appointed as Chief Executive of the City of Liverpool in July 2006. He is also a Board member of Liverpool Vision, and Liverpool Direct Limited and a member of the Arena & Conference Centre Board. Born and educated primarily in Merseyside he graduated from the University of Wales and taught for 10 years in Bridgend, Coventry and the USA. He has worked for Buckinghamshire, Knowsley and St. Helens Councils before coming to Liverpool in October 1999 as Executive Director for Education, Library and Sports Services. Colin has acted as an education adviser to the Local Government Association, was a member of Greater Merseyside Connexions Board and has supported a number of LEA’s subject to intervention. In January 2006 New Year’s Honours he was awarded the CBE for services to Education. In the last five years Liverpool has undergone a period of rapid recovery on all key fronts: civic leadership, economic growth, investment and delivery of quality public services – a transformation in Colin has played a leading role both in his role as Executive Director and more latterly in his role as Chief Executive. Economically, Liverpool is now the UK’s fastest growing city, primarily driven by the regeneration of its city centre. New institutional investment is coming into the city at a dramatic rate and established institutions are ploughing more back into the city. And, winning the title of European Capital of Culture 2008 is providing further impetus to accelerate this process. COUNCILLER HELEN HOLLAND LEADER, BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL Councillor Helen Holland has been Leader of Bristol City Council since May 2007. She is Leader of the Labour group both on the city council and at the South West Regional Assembly. Cllr Holland previously served as Executive Member for External Affairs and Partnerships and Deputy Leader of the Council. She was Executive Member for Environment, Transport and Leisure from 2000 to 2003 and Chair of Planning, Transport and Development from 1997 to 2000. Since September 2002, Cllr Holland has been a leading member of the Commission for Integrated Transport, the national independent body that advises Government on transport. She recently chaired a CfIT working-group: "Sustainable Transport Choices and the Retail Economy", which published its advice to government in July 2006. Over recent years, Cllr Holland has chaired a number of political working groups set up by the European Commission as part of their transport research programmes. Councillor Holland was instrumental in shaping and guiding the first Bristol Local Transport Plan, which was awarded Centre of Excellence status by the Government in Spring 2001. She received the accolade of Local Authority Transport Personality of the Year in 2001 and was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Highways and Transportation in 2003. She is a former board member of the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and is currently Chair of the West of England Partnership. Cllr Holland is a director of Hartcliffe and Withywood Ventures. She is also an advisor to the Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and chaired the Partnership through Bristol’s bid for Capital of Culture 2008, which led to the city being officially named as a Centre of Cultural Excellence by the government. She is Co-Chair of Destination Bristol (the Tourism Partnership for Bristol and South Gloucestershire). Between 1996 and 1999 Councillor Holland was Chair of the Bristol Regeneration Partnership, an organisation that raised more than £29m for investment in disadvantaged areas of Bristol Cllr Holland represents the Whitchurch Park ward in South Bristol. COUNCILLER KRIS HOPKINS LEADER, BRADFORD CITY COUNCIL Cllr Kris Hopkins was elected to Bradford Metropolitan District Council in 1998 and became Leader of the Conservative Group and Leader of the Council in May 2006. Within the Bradford District, Kris Chairs the Local Strategic Partnership Board – Bradford Vision; is Co-chair of the Equality Forum, Co–chairs the Safer Communities Partnership and is a Director of the Bradford Centre Regeneration Company. Within the Yorkshire and Humber Region, he Chairs the Regional Housing Board and is the Member Lead for Enhancing Work with Communities. Kris also chairs the Leeds City Region Skills and Labour Market Panel. Kris a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly Executive, as well as the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Exec; and a member of the Association of West Yorkshire Authorities. Kris is also a member of the Local Government International Bureau’s International Development Consultative Group. BARRY HORNE CORPORATE DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENT AND REGENERATION, NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL Barry is one of five Corporate Directors at Nottingham City Council and he has responsibility for Sustainability, Planning, Transport, Economic Development, Neighbourhood Physical Transformation, Waste, Recycling, Street Scene, Environmental Health and Nottingham Express Transit. He also shares corporate management responsibilities with the authority’s Strategic Management Team. He has worked for the City Council since February 2003 and acted as Deputy Chief Executive for six months in 2006. In May 1997 he took up his post as Chief Executive of East Midlands Regional Local Government Association. He was centrally involved in the work to establish the East Midlands Regional Assembly and Development Agency (emda) and was Secretary of the Regional Assembly for its first five years. Barry moved to Nottingham in 1979 to study for a Public Administration degree at the then Trent Polytechnic. He initially worked in the voluntary sector and as a community development worker before moving into economic development and local authority corporate management. Following part–time study at the University of Birmingham he was awarded a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in 1994. STEPHEN HUGHES CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL Stephen Hughes began his career in the public sector in 1979 when he worked as an economist in the finance department at Coventry City Council. Since then, he has occupied a variety of posts including Deputy Secretary of the Association of London Authorities, Head of Finance and Property Services at London Borough of Islington and Director of Finance at London Borough of Brent. Stephen joined Birmingham City Council in February 2004 as Strategic Director of Resources and in July 2005 took up the post of Interim Head of Paid Service. At the City Council’s AGM on 23 May 2006 Stephen was confirmed as Chief Executive. Stephen is a CIPFA qualified accountant with a BA Honours Degree in Economics, which he gained at Cambridge University. He is passionate about local government and has sound financial management experience at the highest level. He prides himself on his innovative approach to finance to ensure that resources go as far as they can be stretched. As Interim Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive) at Birmingham City Council, Stephen led officer engagement with a range of external bodies to build good relations and raise the profile of Birmingham at an international level. He has led the way in successful partnership working, with personal involvement in the successful City Region project. He has also progressed the diversity and equality agenda at Birmingham and introduced a robust performance appraisal system for all staff. DIGBY, LORD JONES OF BIRMINGHAM, KT MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENT Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham was appointed Minister for Trade and Investment at the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform on 29 June 2007. He took his seat in the House of Lords on 10 July 2007. Digby served as Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the UK’s ‘Voice of Business’, from 2000 to 2006, where he regularly visited businesses in the UK and worldwide – taking their views back to those who make the rules. During his appointment he took the British business message to 70 different countries. He met on a regular basis political, business and media figures in the United Kingdom and around the world. After some time in the Royal Navy he joined Birmingham law firm Edge and Ellison in 1978, making partner in 1984, Deputy Senior partner in 1990 and Senior Partner in 1998. He was involved in most of the MTSO and M&A activity in the West Midlands in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1998 Digby joined KPMG as vice chairman of Corporate Finance, acting as close adviser to many public companies across the United Kingdom and in KPMG’s global markets. Digby is a Fellow of University College London (2004); an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University (2004); and an Honorary Doctor of the University of Central England (2002), the University of Birmingham (2002), the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology (2003), the University of Hertfordshire (2004), Middlesex University (2005), Sheffield Hallam University (2005), Aston University (2006), the University of Hull (2006), Queen’s University, Belfast (2006), Warwick University (2006), Bradford University (2006), Wolverhampton University (2006), Nottingham University and Loughborough University (2007). He is President of the University College London Campaign, a visiting professor at the University of Hull Business School and Chairman of the Birmingham University Business School Advisory Board. Digby is a Corporate Ambassador for the Cancer Research UK Corporate Ambassadors. He is also a Fellow of UNICEF. He is President of the Diversity Works initiative – a programme led by the disability organisation Scope, a Diamond Ambassador for Mencap’s WorkRight initiative, designed to spread the message of equality for disabled people, a Vice-President of Birmingham Hospice, and a Patron of Lifecycle UK. In 1998 he cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End in 14 days and raised £218,000 for Birmingham Hospice. He completed the 2005 London Marathon in under six hours raising nearly £200,000 for Cancer Research UK and Unicef. Digby is a non Executive Director of Leicester Tigers Rugby Club and Vice President of the Birmingham Civic Society, and a member of the Yorkshire Society, a Freeman of the City of London and a member of the Japan Society. SIR ROBERT KERSLAKE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL Sir Robert Kerslake has been Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council, the fourth largest in England, since 1997. The Council is rated as a four–star authority and was Council of the Year in 2005. The City Council serves a population of approximately 513,000, employs approximately 18,000 staff, and has a gross budget, including housing, of over £1billion. Bob was previously with the London Borough of Hounslow initially in the post of Director of Finance and then for seven years as Chief Executive. Prior to that he was with the Greater London Council, handling Transport Finance, and then with the Inner London Education Authority, where he was responsible for their main accounts with an expenditure in excess of £1bn. Whilst at Sheffield Sir Robert has been committed to many organizations benefiting both the local community and the region. These have included being a Director of South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Vice Chair of Sheffield First Partnership, Co–chair of the Safer Sheffield Steering Group, Member of South Yorkshire Partnership and Co–Chair of Sheffield Partnership for Health. Nationally, he is a non–executive Board member at the Department for Communities and Local Government and is a member of both the Equalities Review Panel and the National Employment Panel. PROFESSOR SIR DAVID KING CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR TO H.M GOVERNMENT HEAD OF THE OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND INNOVATION Sir David King was appointed as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Innovation in October 2000. Born in South Africa in 1939, and after an early career at the University of Witwatersrand, Imperial College and the University of East Anglia, he became the Brunner Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Liverpool in 1974. In 1988, he was appointed 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and subsequently became Master of Downing College (1995-2000), and Head of the University Chemistry Department (1993-2000). He retains his position as Director of Research in the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University. PROFESSOR MARK KLEINMAN DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL, URBAN AND ECONOMIC POLICY, CLG Mark Kleinman is Director of Regional, Urban and Economic Policy in the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). As Director he leads DCLG’s work on Cities and Regions policy, urban design, property and urban regeneration and European regional funding programmes. Mark’s Directorate sponsors the work of English Partnerships and the Academy of Sustainable Communities, and provides the major funding for the nine English Regional Development Agencies and the Commission of Architecture and the Built Environment. Previously, Mark has been Director of Policy and Strategic Planning at the Audit Commission, Head of Housing and Homelessness at the Greater London Authority and Senior Policy Analyst in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. Prior to his career in government, he taught and researched housing, urban and social policy at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics and as Professor of International Social Policy at the University of Bristol. He is the author or co–author of more than 100 books, articles and papers, including Housing, Welfare and the State in Europe: a comparative analysis of Britain, France and Germany (1996); A European Welfare State? European social policy in context (2001); and Working Capital: Life and Labour in Contemporary London (2002). Mark Kleinman has been an adviser and consultant for, among others, HM Treasury the European Commission, the Department for Education and Science, the National Audit Office and many local authorities. He has given lectures and seminars in New York, Boston, Paris, Rome, Bologna, Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Kyoto and Osaka. He was visiting Urban Research Fellow at the Centre for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York University in 1995 and a member of the U.S. Social Science Research Committee Global Cities Working Group in 1993–1995. He is a Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the University of Sheffield, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. SIR RICHARD CHARLES LEESE CBE LEADER, MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL Sir Richard was born, brought up and went to school in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. After graduating from the University of Warwick he worked as a teacher in Coventry and as an exchange teacher in the USA before moving to Manchester to take up a post as a youth worker. Sir Richard has been employed variously in youth work, community work, and education research 1979-1988. He was elected to the City Council in 1984 becoming Deputy Leader from 1990 to 1996 having previously Chaired the Education Committee (1986-90) and Finance Committee (1990-95). Sir Richard’s political interests include the links between economic development and social policy, developing open democracy and the community leadership role of local authorities; and the role of cities in creating a sustainable future. Sir Richard is heavily involved in regeneration activity including being on the board of the East Manchester Urban Regeneration Company and also the Chair of Manchester Airport Group’s Shareholders’ Committee. Interests outside politics include cinema, music, and sport as a spectator (principally football and cricket), a regular swimmer and cycling to the Town Hall most days. DR ADAM MARSHALL SENIOR RESEARCHER, CENTRE FOR CITIES Adam Marshall joined the Centre for Cities in October 2004, prior to its public launch. He writes extensively on city governance and financial devolution, and is presently running the Centre’s work on urban transport. Prior to joining the Centre, Adam worked for the Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI), where he was responsible for developing links between CMI, industry and the UK regions. He holds a BA from Yale University and MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Cambridge, where he completed research and publications on comparative urban governance, the EU Structural Funds, and regeneration. Adam has also worked on local governance and economic development issues in his native Washington DC. RAY MILLS PARTNER, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ray is a Partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Public Private Advisory (PPA) team. Ray leads the Real Estate and Regeneration Group focusing on advising public and private sector clients on creating and capturing value from real estate development and regeneration programmes. He is also a board member of PwC’s national Local and Regional Government team. Ray has over 15 years experience in regeneration and economic development and has a particular focus on the development of public private partnerships in the area of regeneration. He is currently leading advisory teams on a number of groundbreaking PPP initiatives in urban regeneration projects in the North of England, Scotland and in the Thames Gateway. Ray has considerable experience in raising finance and in corporate finance and is leading a PwC team aiming to develop new funding solutions to support growth and regeneration including the financing of enabling infrastructure. Outside PwC Ray is a non-executive director of the board of Creative Sheffield, one of the first city development companies established to drive forward the economic transformation of the city. He is also a visiting professor at Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies. PETER McDERMOTT DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, UK TRADE & INVESTMENT. UK Trade & Investment is the Government’ international business organisation that provides support services to UK companies trading overseas, and markets the UK as Europe’s premier inward investment location. It is a joint Foreign Office and Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR – formerly the DTI) body. Peter McDermott was appointed to his present post in November 2000 following four years as Marketing Director of Invest.UK, the national inward investment agency. He has had a marketing career spanning both the private and public sectors covering construction, consumer foods, publishing, television production and railway franchising. He is a former visiting lecturer and external examiner in marketing and management at Kingston University. Peter is a graduate member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has an MBA from Imperial College, London. BRENDAN MOFFETT DIRECTOR – STRATEGIC MARKETING Brendan is a brand marketer with extensive top level experience. He has worked for some of the world's leading Marcomms Agencies, such as WPP, working with brands ranging from Guinness to General Motors. He has had 2 spells with media giant EMAP in a variety of roles, at the sharp end of dynamic markets in broadcast, publishing and b2b. Between these spells, Brendan was on the founding board of ZOO Digital Group in Sheffield, which grew the business to a £40m market cap and AIM status. He joined Creative Sheffield in April in a dream role, to market his home city. DR SIMON MURPHY PROJECT DIRECTOR, BIRMINGHAM & BLACK COUNTRY CITY REGION Dr Simon Murphy is the Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country City Region Project Director. Prior to this he was the Chief Executive of the professional and financial services policy and lobby organisation, Birmingham Forward. From 1994 to 2004 he was a Labour Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He has also worked as a company director, a University Tutor, and as a local government officer. He has held a number of unpaid positions, as a member of the Better Regulation Task Force, the MG Rover Taskforce, the Technology Transfer Fund Investment Group, and as a Governor of the University of Wolverhampton. He is also currently the non–executive Chair of the Sandwell Local Improvement Finance Trust Company, and is a member of the West Midlands Ambassadors group. He is married to Bridget, and they have two young children, Jonathan and Niamh. CHRIS MURRAY DIRECTOR, CORE CITIES Chris took up post as Director of the Core Cities Group in 2006. Prior to this he has had a long association with economic development, regeneration, culture and public policy. A member of the Egan Task Force on Skills, during 2005 Chris was seconded to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to establish the Academy for Sustainable Communities, a national regeneration skills agency based in Leeds. In 2002 he was appointed as a Director of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Before this Chris worked in local government for 10 years, establishing the UK’s first local authority cultural planning unit in Milton Keynes, responsible for economic, cultural and some urban development in the new town and outlying rural areas. He has also worked in education, community work and as a psychiatric social worker. Chris holds qualifications in art and design, teaching, business and marketing and European cultural planning. He writes and presents extensively on a number of subjects connected with his work and broad interests, and has published one book and contributed to a number of others. He is Lead Advisor to the Arts Council of England on regeneration and sustainable communities, ran a working group for the Department of Culture Media and Sport on the future of the Creative Economy, and is a Trustee of a public arts charity. Making Sense of Place: New Approaches to Place Marketing Comedia and De Montfort University 2001 Rethinking the Neighbourhood: in; A City of Quarters: The Urban Village in the Contemporary City Jayne, M, Eds; Staffordshire University 2003 The Artist as Placemaker: in; Re-Views Charity, R Eds; Black Dog 2005 Forthcoming Urban creativity: moving beyond the hype: in; BCN_LDN 2020 Beunderman, J, et al Eds; Fundació Ramon Trias Fargas and Demos 2007 07780 664 257 0161 235 6700 c.murray@corecities.com WALLY OLINS CHAIRMAN, SAFFRON BRAND CONSULTANTS Wally Olins is a co-founder of Wolff Olins and was Chairman of the company until 1997. He is Chairman of Saffron Brand Consultants. He was awarded a CBE in 1999. He was nominated for the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 1999 and received the Royal Society of Arts' Bicentenary Medal for his contribution to design and marketing. Wally Olins has written several books including the seminal work Corporate Identity', first published in 1989 and reprinted many times, in many languages. "Trading Identities - how countries and companies are taking on each others' roles" was published by The Foreign Policy Centre, the UK Foreign Office think tank. His new book "Wally Olins On Brand" has just been published. He has advised many of the world's leading organisations on identity, branding, communication and related matters; these include 3i, Akzo-Nobel, Repsol, Q8, Tata, The Portuguese Tourist Board, BT, Prudential, Renault and Volkswagen. He has also worked with a number of countries on branding issues. He has acted as advisor to major strategic consultancies. He is one of the world's most experienced practitioners of corporate identity and branding. His main interests are the big ideas behind organisations, and mergers and acquisitions. He has a particular interest in and experience of the branding of regions and nations. He is currently Visiting Fellow at Said Business School in Oxford, and Visiting Professor at Lancaster University and Copenhagen Business School, and holds seminars on branding and communication issues around the world. Wally Olins was born in London, educated at Oxford, is married and has four children. PROFESSOR MICHAEL PARKINSON CBE DIRECTOR, EIUA Michael is Director of the EIUA. He leads the Department of Communities and Local Governments expert panel on Cities, Neighbourhoods and Regions. He led the national research team which produced The State of the Cities Report 2006 or the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He was Director of the Economic and Social Research Council’s CITIES: Cohesion and Competitiveness Programme, a major, five-year research programme involving 25 Universities. Michael acts as adviser on urban affairs to the European Commission, the O.E.C.D., EUROCITIES, the Department of Communities and Local Government, the National Audit Office, the House of Commons Select Committee, the Core Cities and a range of cities in the UK. He was a member of the Minister’s Urban Sounding Board. He has served on many Advisory and Steering Committees. He was a member of the Living Landmarks Committee of the Big Lottery. He publishes extensively, lectures nationally and internationally. He is a regular contributor to the media about urban regeneration. Michael was awarded the CBE for services to urban regeneration in 2007. He is author or editor – singly or jointly – of amongst other things : State of the English Cities (2006) A visioning Study for Birmingham Masterplan (2007) Final Evaluation of Sheffield One URC (2007) Interim Evaluation of New East Manchester (2006) Cardiff : A Competitive European City? (2006) State of the Cities: A Progress Report to the Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit (2005) Competitive Scottish Cities? Placing Scotland’s Cities in the UK and European Context (2005) Competitive European Cities: Where do the Core Cities Stand? (2004) City Matters: Competitiveness, Cohesion and Urban Governance (2004) Belfast: A Competitive City? Belfast City Council (2004) Urban Neighbourhoods – Urban Studies (2001) The Urban Audit, Volume I and II (2000) The State of English Cities (2000) Urban Regeneration Companies (2000) Combating Social Exclusion: Lessons from area-based programmes in Europe (1998) Building Partnerships in the English Regions (1998) Strategic Responses to Area Regeneration: A Review and Research Agenda (1996) City Challenge: Interim National Evaluation (1996) Regional Government in Britain: An Economic Solution? (1996) Public/Private/Community Partnerships in Local Government (1995) Assessing the Impact of Urban Policy (1994) European Cities Towards 2000: Profiles, Policies and Prospects (1994) Cultural Policy and Urban Regeneration: The West European Experience (1993) Urbanisation and the Functions of Cities in the European Community (1992) Leadership and Urban Regeneration: Cities in North America and Western Europe (1990) Regenerating the Cities: The U.K. Crisis and the U.S. Experience (1988) Reshaping Local Government (1987) Liverpool on the Brink (1985) U.S. and U.K. Education Policy: A Decade of Reform (1979) The Labour Party and the Organisation of Secondary Education (1970) ANGIE ROBINSON CHIEF EXECUTIVE, GREATER MANCHESTER CHAMBER Angie was appointed Chief Executive of Manchester Chamber of Commerce and Industry in July 2000. The Chamber has undergone considerable change since her arrival, and is now recognised to have one of the strongest policy and public relation functions in the country. The Chamber is highly active in its local areas and also at regional, national and international level and has a successful joint venture business support company, Business Support Solutions (formerly ChamberLink.) Angie is a Director of North West Chambers Ltd and holds a variety of board level positions in Manchester organisations. Previously, Angie was the Chief Executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise and Business Link. During her two and half years tenure, the Chamber doubled its membership and established extensive international links. The Chamber also successfully secured the contract to deliver the Government’s Small Business Service Activity. Prior to this she was the Deputy Chief Executive at Staffordshire Training and Enterprise Council. During her time here she led the development of an economic strategy bringing together seven Local Authorities. She had a lead role in establishing the Business Excellence Model as the basis of TEC licensing and assisted in improving performance of the TEC into the nation’s top ten. Her early career was spent with the Manpower Service Commission where she was involved in training, marketing and employment. Angie later became a consultant with Training for Advancement, working in the private sector. She is married with a grown up son and daughter and lives in Cheshire. JULIE ROBSON REGIONAL SKILLS DIRECTOR, BIRMINGHAM AND SOLIHULL LEARNING & SKILLS COUNCIL Julie began her career as a civil servant in the Manpower Services Commission in Leicester in 1982. Transferring to Birmingham in 1984, Julie had a range of roles including the management of a regional Youth Training Scheme for the Department of Employment. Joining the Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) in 1992, Julie worked on the employer engagement and economic development with a focus on key sectors, including Business & Professional Services. She became a Senior Manager of the TEC in 1993, and led the Economic Development team. Julie then specialised in European Funding for the TEC having a local, regional and national role. On transferring to the Learning & Skills Council in 2002, Julie worked on the national development of the ESF Co financing model. Moving back to a local role, later in 2002, Julie was the Director of Skills & Workforce Development for Birmingham & Solihull Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This role focused on the demand issues for the LSC, working with employers and partner organisations to ensure workforce skill levels are improved, and included economic development in Birmingham and Solihull. Following work on the Bullring and other major development projects, she led the skills and training co-ordination work for the MG Rover collapse in the West Midlands region. Julie was appointed to the West Midlands Regional Skills Director post in January 2006, and has since played a pivotal role in ensuring that the LSC forges effective partnerships with key stakeholders to support the needs of employers and individuals. Of particular interest to Julie is the importance of joining skills and employment strategies for the benefit of disadvantaged communities. Julie has been involved in City Strategy with Job Centre Plus, Local Authority and other key partners since its inception and chairs the core management group. Julie is 47 years old and married with 2 children. Her interests include running, swimming, cycling and the occasional game of golf. She recently had a first attempt at a sprint triathlon. She also has a keen interest in travel. JOAN RUDDOCK PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE Joan Ruddock’s responsibilities cover climate change, waste and recycling, biodiversity. Joan Ruddock has been the MP for Lewisham, Deptford since 1987. She has introduced a number of Bills to Parliament, including the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill. In November 2002 she won a place in the Private Members Ballot and took forward the Household Waste Recycling Bill. Now an Act of Parliament, it requires all local authorities to ensure that every household has a collection of at least two types of recyclable waste by the year 2010. In the last parliament she sat on two Select Committees – the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee and the Modernisation Select Committee. Until her appointment she was a member of the International Development Select Committee. She is a Vice President of Globe International, and a Vice President of SERA, the Socialist Environment and Resources Association. She piloted a Private Members Bill on Flytipping through Parliament, which became the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act in 1989. She attended Pontypool Grammar School for Girls in Wales, and has a degree from Imperial College, London. COUNCILLER JOHN SHIPLEY OBE LEADER, NEWCASTLE CITY COUNCIL John Shipley is Leader of Newcastle City Council. He represents Parklands Ward and was first elected as a Councillor in May 1975. The City Council has 78 Elected members (46 Liberal Democrat, 32 Labour). The City is the regional capital of North East England, with a population of approximately 270,000. From 1978 – 1998 John was Leader of the Liberal and then Liberal Democrat group on the Council and Leader of the Opposition for ten years from 1988–1998. Since the local elections in May 2004 when the Liberal Democrats became the majority party, John was a member of the ten–strong Executive as the Portfolio holder for Policy Co–ordination and Development. He now Chairs the Executive, following his appointment as Leader of the Council in May 2006. John represents the City Council on a number of outside bodies including the Northern Way Steering Group and English Core Cities, Tyne & Wear Development Co. Ltd Board of Directors and the Theatre Royal Trust Limited of which he is Chair. He was appointed a Board Member of One NorthEast in December 2005. John spent his early years in Whitby, North Yorkshire and after graduating in History from University College London in 1969, John has lived and worked in Newcastle. He retired as Regional Director of The Open University in 2005. He was awarded an OBE in the 1995 New Year’s Honours List. He stood as a Parliamentary Candidate for the Liberal Party in 1974 (Blyth twice), Hexham 1979, Newcastle North 1983 and 1987. John is married with two children. His interests include music, theatre, local history and the First World War. DR. ANDY SOUTHERN MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRANSPORT PLANNING Andy Southern is managing director of Atkins’ Transport Planning Business and has 30 years experience in the transport sector with a particular emphasis on integrated transport and land use studies, scheme appraisal and policy research. His experience extends to advising UK and international governments on transport policy and transport scheme impacts. Andy has directed Atkins work on evaluating local transport planning in England and has advised local authorities on how to improve performance. He has led Atkins work on the prioritisation of regional transport policies and schemes and has advised Regional Development Agencies on how best to influence the transport debate. He has advised the Scottish executive on best practice in developing national transport strategies and directed Atkins 2001 and 2006 studies for the Commission for Integrated Transport on European Best Practice in delivering integrated transport. Recently he has advised the Commission for Integrated Transport on integration and governance and directed Atkins work for PTEG on options for Metropolitan Transport Governance. Andy is a leading commentator on transport policy issues both within the profession and for business leaders more widely. He is a member of professional and business partnership committees and think-tanks including PIARC and London First. CAROL TAYLOR DIRECTOR OF THE BASIC SKILLS AGENCY, NIACE Carol Taylor is the Director of the Basic Skills Agency at NIACE. She was formerly a Deputy Director and the Executive Director for Innovation and Development at the Basic Skills Agency; before that she was the Director of Read On &das Write Away!, a cradle to grave literacy initiative in the East Midlands. She has 30 years experience of teaching and managing basic skills with learners of all ages, from pre–school, through primary and secondary, as an advisor, to FE and adult education, in a wide range of settings including homes and communities. She has taken a strategic role in the management and planning of basic skills developments, has led on a number of national initiatives and has contributed to a range of publications, national projects and research materials. Her passion is community focused basic skills. On July 1st 2007, the Basic Skills Agency merged with NIACE (National Institute for Adult Continuing Education), working with Tribal Education Ltd, to create a powerful and experienced alliance for Literacy, Language and Numeracy. JOHN TILL DIRECTOR, thinkingplace John started life in electrical retail with Thorn before moving to the heady world of fashion at Next on their prestigious Fast Track programme. As a promotion within the Group he helped set up a joint venture company between Next and Kingfisher to deliver financial services for Comet and B&Q becoming one of the youngest Directors within the Kingfisher Group. He oversaw the marketing to over a million card holding customers and developed a unique product and brand proposition. Next came food as John became the first Marketing Director of the largest independent player in the wholesale market and delivered a radically new corporate and own label brand that was a first in the market. John then returned to his University City of Hull to help transform its image and reputation by setting up the city marketing company and introducing the most comprehensive brand strategy seen in the UK. The approach taken by Hull is regarded as best practice by private and public sector and John has spoken at various place branding conferences and shared his knowledge with numerous cities. He has been able to blend his considerable private sector branding knowledge and communications expertise with a personal passion for place to meet the broader regenerative and public sector requirements of place development. Latterly, John Till and former Cityimage Marketing Director, Deb Tate, established thinkingplace, a specialist company focused on helping neighborhoods, towns, cities and regions to enhance their image, reputation and experience in order to improve their attractiveness and competitiveness. BEN WALKER NEWS EDITOR, REGENERATION & RENEWAL Ben Walker was born in Nottingham in December 1975. He spent his early years in Ilkeston, a small, largely white working class town on the edge of the coalfield on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire border. Many locals, like his father, then a construction surveyor, worked in the trades, while others make the six mile commute to service jobs in Nottingham. His mother worked in the voluntary sector. During the 1980s recession, Ben’s father lost his job and retrained to become a system analyst in the then nascent IT sector. Later, Ben’s father found work with the Alliance & Leicester Building society, which resulted in Ben’s family relocating to Leicestershire when Ben was nine years old. Ben spent his teenage years in Leicester, before leaving town at 18 to attend Newcastle University to read geography. He graduated at 21 and spent six more years in a variety of jobs in Newcastle, before attending journalism school in London in 2001. He immediately found work with an online start up, which went bust just six months later as the dotcom bubble burst. Ben was hired by a food trade magazine, where his feature writing helped him win a national PTC award for newcomers to journalism. He was later recruited by major publishing house Haymarket, where he took up a post as Regeneration & Renewal’s economic development editor. In 2003, Ben was named journalist of the year for the company, which produces almost 100 titles. In 2004, he was promoted to deputy news editor. In summer 2006, he was promoted to news editor. His professional interests include transport, devolution and governance. He enjoys music, football, cricket and poker in his spare time. JULIAN WARE PRINCIPAL – CORPORATE FINANCE, TRANSPORT FOR LONDON Julian Ware joined Transport for London as a Principal in the Corporate Finance team in March 2007. He is currently working on the funding and financing of projects such as Crossrail and on the restructuring of existing projects. Before joining TfL, Julian was at KPMG for six years, advising public sector clients in the UK and internationally on rail and metro projects. Julian’s background includes stints in the Strategic Rail Authority and the then Department of Transport. ROY WICKS CHAIR PTEG/ DIRECTOR GENERAL, SOUTH YORKSHIRE PTE Roy Wicks has been Director General of South Yorkshire PTE since November 1998, moving from West Yorkshire. A chartered Civil Engineer, Roy’s background has been in the public sector. His experience ranges from involvement in South Yorkshire’s low fares initiatives in the Eighties, to major project development and implementation. South Yorkshire’s passenger facilities have won many awards for the excellence of their customer services. Major schemes are nearing completion to improve stations and interchanges in Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster. Together with West Yorkshire PTE, they are promoting countywide Real Time Information and piloting Smartcard ticketing. South Yorkshire has led the way in exploring the options open to them for delivering their Bus Strategy in order to improve the services to match the infrastructure. Roy has been the Chair of pteg since April 2007. pteg have been actively campaigning for the opportunities it believes that the Local Transport Bill will bring. Please Note: This site makes use of JavaScript, cookies and popups to display dynamic content and enhance the navigation capability. You must have these features enabled within your browser to benefit from the full features of the site. If you are concerned about privacy or an issue relating to these settings please see our Privacy Policy or contact us on the details above.