Since it launched in 2020, Future of Greater Manchester’s professional development offer has evolved continuously. The constant has been the engagement and calibre of the candidates, and we’ve watched our GM Leaders Plus – and now GM Future Leaders – graduates move up, lead and deliver effectively across housing, regeneration, economic development, health, digital and infrastructure initiatives.
We’re delighted to be part of their professional development, and to have so many alumni actively involved with Future of GM, mentoring next levels and sharing insight with peers and the wider sector. Together with programme sponsors GMCA, Trowers & Hamlins and Arup, we salute them all, and hope you’re fortunate enough to work with them!
See all Future of GM / Future of London alumni here.
GM Future Leaders 3
October 2025 – March 2026
Previous: Employment Manager, Groundwork GM
Natasha is an experienced Employment Manager who's just moved to Saford after leading a team of passionate Project Managers within the Employment & Enterprise Directorate at Groundwork. She oversaw a variety of projects across Greater Manchester, working closely with communities, local work and skills ecosystems, as well as businesses to design and drive ambitious initiatives to support people back into the job market. With previous experience supporting barriered groups such as those with criminal convictions, long-term unemployed and those struggling with confidence and self-belief, she is passionate about connecting these individuals with meaningful, sustainable opportunities, empowering them to make positive progressions.
Georgina's experience involves economic development and regeneration, place-making, town centre masterplanning, asset management and social housing. She’s currently responsible for the facilitation and delivery of a programme of investment and regeneration projects within Rochdale, focusing on the borough’s town centres and Rail Corridor. Georgina's passionate about regeneration and place-based development, dedicated to transforming communities through innovative, sustainable and inclusive approaches. With experience in project delivery working with public, private and community partners. She achieved a First Class BA (Hons) in Business Management from The Manchester Metropolitan University and is a member of the Institute of Economic Development and certified Carbon Literate.
Russell is a qualified Town Planner with 10+ years experience in Development Management gained working for three local authorities across the UK. In Russell’s current role, he has helped to deliver major strategic developments within Trafford, managing a complex and varied caseload. Russell is committed to delivering positive outcomes for Greater Manchester and enjoys working collaboratively across both the public and private sector to secure meaningful and positive changes for the built environment.
Sara is a collaborative and motivated leader committed to delivering excellent public service with twenty years of experience in the community safety field. Sara is skilled at managing people with the ability to translate the strategic vision to engage staff and partners to work effectively across systems to deliver effective community safety initiatives and responses. Sara is passionate about front line delivery and supporting colleagues and partners to respond to challenging complex problems. Sara is proud to have achieved a Masters in Crime and Justice and enjoys the opportunity to get out and about in communities responding to local concerns.
Catherine has 20+ years of experience working in the passenger transport sector, joining Transport for Greater Manchester after graduating from university. After working in various roles during this time, she is now a senior leader in the Bus team, which is at the forefront of a transformative moment following the franchising of the bus network. She enjoys working collaboratively to drive continuous improvement and deliver the best possible outcomes for Greater Manchester.
Paula is a dedicated professional working in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion, with a background in local government and public service. Passionate about equity and access, they are committed to improving outcomes for children and young people, particularly those facing barriers to learning. With experience across diverse educational settings and multi agency teams, Paula brings insight, empathy and strategic thinking to their work. They advocate for inclusive practices that supports every child and young person to thrive and have the best life chances possible.
Jordan is a Senior Town Planner for Arup of 4+ years who previously worked as a DM Officer at Hyndburn Borough Council. My primary focus at Arup is DM and Project Management , working with Clients within the water sector such as United Utilities and Yorkshire Water on their infrastructure frameworks. I also work with Clients within the NHS and a number of Local Authorities.
Previous: Senior Consultant
Aimée is a Senior Project Manager with extensive experience in architectural design and construction project management. She began her career as an Architectural Designer, working across a variety of public and private sectors before moving into project management. Aimée oversees projects from initial briefing and feasibility through design, procurement, construction, and handover. She coordinates multi-disciplinary teams, monitors budgets and schedules, ensuring compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements. Whilst providing a programme-level oversite she engages stakeholders, managing communications, monitors and evaluates progress, mitigates risks, and ensures health, safety, and quality standards are maintained, delivering projects efficiently and to client expectations.
Megan is a Senior Digital Strategy Officer at Manchester City Council, with a focus on ethical and inclusive connected placemaking. She has led award-nominated projects like the People’s Panel for AI and managed Horizon Europe funded tech-for-good programmes. With a background in policy and stakeholder engagement, Megan brings a strategic and participatory approach to digital innovations in placemaking. She’s a national and international speaker on ethical AI and digital inclusion, and is passionate about co-creation, responsible data use, and empowering communities through tech. Megan works with complex private and public stakeholder groups to achieve an equitable digital future for Manchester.
Previous: Housing Growth Lead
With 15+ years experience shaping place-based policy and delivery, Aisling is a senior member of the GMCA Planning and Housing Team, leading strategic initiatives to meet Greater Manchester’s housing and growth priorities. Her work includes developing robust housing delivery pipelines and advancing net zero housing programmes. Having previously worked in academia, she has led research into empty homes and stalled housing sites and has presented her findings internationally. She became Vice Chair of Salix Homes in 2021, a housing provider with 8,500 homes in Salford. Here, she shapes strategic direction and culture while navigating complex political and regulatory environments.
Chris is a positive social care professional with 25 years of experience and holds a Diploma in Social Work (DipSW). Their career is marked by a deep commitment to improving outcomes for young people, with significant roles in both youth justice and as a multi-systemic therapy team therapist. Chris has also demonstrated strategic leadership, successfully managing within Early Help for eight years and leading as a Transformation Manager for a Local Authority. They bring a dynamic and results-oriented approach to everything that he does.
Previous: Senior Consultant, Hatch
Sarah is a senior socio-economic consultant, specialising in social impact. She is experienced in delivering social impact frameworks for both commercial development and institutional investment clients, evidence-based social impact strategies, and the measurement and modelling of socio-economic data. She works across both the public and private sector, including with Manchester City Council, Muse, Legal and General, and Titanic Quarter Ltd.
Gaynor is an experienced Senior Development Manager with 30+ years experience in development for Registered Providers, ten of those years being The Guinness Partnership Limited. Most recently managing new business opportunities to support the various Homes England Funding Programme, she has delivered positive outcomes from purchasing landbank assets to supporting Development Framework opportunities providing affordable homes within the Northwest. Gaynor works with local authorities, registered providers, and private sector partners, and has led on elements of programme delivery including bid writing, acquisition, commissioning, post contract management, subsidy control and stakeholder management.
Martin is a Environmental Officer, starting out at Wigan Councill as an apprentice gardener he has built a solid background in managing council-owned land and public spaces. His role now is diverse, leading projects that bring teams together to regenerate places, make better use of assets, and tackle complex land issues like flooding and underground fires. His role covers everything from tenancy management to parks, play areas, and delivering capital projects that improve neighbourhoods. He cares about keeping things simple, involving communities, and making sure council services genuinely work for local people.
Mason Smith is a Senior Associate Quantity Surveyor at Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) in Manchester, with over a decade of experience delivering high-value commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments. He has successfully led cost management on projects exceeding £100m, specialising in high-end office fit-outs and large-scale residential schemes. Mason combines technical expertise with a passion for digital transformation, exploring the role of AI in reshaping cost management and client service. As Residential sector lead for RLB in the North, he is focused on driving business growth, building strong client relationships, and developing high-performing teams through collaborative leadership.
Previous: GMCA Statutory Scrutiny Officer & Deputy Head of Governance
Nicola Ward is an accomplished governance and scrutiny professional with extensive experience supporting the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and local government over the last 20 years. As Deputy Head of Governance, she leads the delivery of transparent and accountable decision-making across the region. Renowned for delivering expert advice, developing robust constitutional arrangements, and leading statutory scrutiny functions, Nicola excels in stakeholder engagement, legislative compliance, and project delivery. With a strong command of political awareness, stakeholder engagement, and policy development, she is committed to upholding high standards of governance and advancing public service excellence.
With 20+ years experience in the public sector, Amanda has worked across early years education, SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), and further education and skills services. She currently works in the Post-16 Education and Skills sector, where she is committed to ensuring all young people can access the right education, training, or employment opportunities. Amanda is passionate about raising aspirations and supporting the development of meaningful career pathways that empower young people to thrive.
GM Leaders Plus 6
March 2026 – January 2027
Previous: Public Health Service Lead – Portfolio Development, Wigan Council
Shanara has extensive experience in all aspects of public health and a passion for improving health and wellbeing through behaviour change and applied practice. Shanara strategically leads and develops complex programmes to reduce health inequalities. She is a Trustee for the Behavioural Science and Public Health Network, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health and Associate Fellow for the British Psychological Society.
Previous: Strategic Programme Manager
Kirsteen has 20+ years’ experience in regeneration, investment and housing and has strong relationship building skills using this effectively to develop a number of strategic partnerships both with the public and private sector. Her experiences have given her a strong understanding into the detail required for effective and successful programme delivery. Kirsteen’s work involves driving forward the Place agenda, economic development and transformational change through the GM Growth Locations programme. Kirsteen is passionate about ensuring that Greater Manchester is a better place for all of its residents and that everyone benefits from investment and economic growth into the region.
Aleksandra has 10+ years in developing, commissioning and delivering services for minoritised communities. In the past, she worked on various migration schemes and led the development of the regional Asylum Dispersal Plan, Refugee Health Advocacy Service, and grant funding schemes to improve wellbeing of migrant families. She now leads complex programmes to deliver the public health priorities for children and families. She is passionate about culturally competent health services, improving access to healthcare for minoritised communities and tackling health inequalities across the city.
Richard spent 10+ years in the London market with an industry leader in structural design, AKTII. While there, Richard helped deliver a range of projects from small, bespoke and complex to large-scale commercial, such as Bloomberg’s Stirling Prize-winning European Headquarters. Richard moved to Manchester in 2018 to support an expansion into the region. In 2020 he joined the growing and evolving Civic Engineers team, and now leads the structural engineering group as Regional Director.
Previous: Head of Resident Services, Stockport Council
Emma is a Head of Service at Stockport Council with 20+ years in the public sector. She is responsible for six services ranging from Libraries to Registrars to Welfare rights. Emma's experience is focused on policy and performance, and on managing community-facing services. Her role also means managing significant contracts; a multi-million budget and 200+ staff.
Liz is a Development Manager at Macc, the support organisation for the Voluntary & Community Sector in Manchester. She facilitates the GM Older People’s Network, a member-led network with 600+members that she has raised up to become a recognised and respected collaborator in GM and nationally. Liz has 20+ years' experience managing teams across a range of disciplines, including supported living, homelessness and mental health, in both operational and strategic roles. She is passionate about collaboration and co-design, with a talent for bringing diverse people together to find commonality and shared commitment in developing, policy, strategy and services.
Vandhna is a strategic leader with a proven track record of influencing and working alongside different partners at national, regional, and local level. Currently Assistant Finance Director for Children’s Services, Education & Schools and Public Health, Vandhna provides expert finance advice and leadership to make sure national changes which impact on funding levels and processes are incorporated into financial planning and delivery. Vandhna works through technical funding changes and policy to develop financial approaches that benefit the council.
Natalie is a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI, MHKIP) with nearly 15 years' international experience in masterplanning and new town development. She spent 10+ years leading Arup’s Hong Kong planning team before joining Arup’s Manchester office, where she leads multi-disciplinary teams delivering masterplanning and infrastructure projects across the North West and globally. Natalie is passionate about delivering social outcomes in projects and has been appointed Arup's Social Value and Equity Skills Leader. She also sits on EDI committees at Arup and RTPI, advocating for a more inclusive environment.
Vicki is a Commercial Property lawyer with 10+ years of market-leading expertise in public sector, commercial and residential development. She has worked on projects across the UK, acting for public and private sectors on innovative real estate joint ventures, including corporate and contractual partnerships. Vicki is experienced in acting for Local Authorities procuring a development partner, advising on property documents and the regulatory framework which applies to Local Authorities. She has also done a secondment with a modular housing developer.
With 15+ years of dedicated experience in healthcare, Zabina has become a valued leader known for her commitment to making a sustainable difference in residents' outcomes. Her enthusiasm for change and innovation has led to numerous improvements and advancements in resident-focused services. Zabina's professional journey is marked by a continuous drive to learn and grow, ensuring she remains at the cutting edge of the industry. Her track record of success is a testament to her ability to implement lasting, positive changes.
Gill manages the social impact delivered across Morgan Sindall Construction’s projects. She is a key influencer across the North West, ensuring that opportunities for skills, training, education, employment, local suppliers and community engagement are a key focus for the construction industry. Gill began her career as a site engineer and has also worked as a Safety, Health and Environmental Manager. She is passionate about using her industry experience to prevent future skills gaps and is keen to break the mould of ‘this is how we have always done it’.
Jo is a Chartered Building Surveyor with 37 years experience in Local Authority having progressed and advanced within the council from Trainee Estimator to Strategic Construction Lead . She is responsible for project managing the Councils programme of capital development construction projects across the Borough covering Education, Leisure, Corporate and Commercial portfolio. Jo has led on the delivery of a number of large projects ensuring they align with business plans, budget and quality. Jo is passionate about delivering schemes that make a real and lasting difference for the people of Stockport.
Previous: Regeneration Director, Kajima Partnership
Tamsin has 10+ years experience in housing and regeneration, primarily in London but more recently with a national remit. She has experience working across the public and private sector and is focused on how the two collaborate to create the biggest impact. At Kajima she was responsible for leading the delivery of complex mixed use town centre schemes. Tamsin is passionate about creating high quality places for new and existing communities.
Alex has nearly 10 years in residential and mixed-use regeneration projects. Joining from Greystar Real Estate Partners, Alex managed the delivery of a West London regeneration masterplan delivering 2,000+ new homes, commercial space and public realm as part of a new waterfront community. Since joining Muse in the North West, Alex has been leading delivery of a complex town centre masterplan, in partnership with a local authority, to deliver a brand-new neighbourhood. Alex is passionate about regeneration and placemaking, and bringing accessibility to the forefront of design.
Previous: Principal Manager - Education, Work & Skills
Sharon has 20+ years’ experience in strategic partnership and leadership roles in the VCFSE and public sectors. She started in social housing and customer services and now has extensive policy and delivery experience across all aspects of Education, Skills & Work, first in local authorities and now at the GMCA. She is currently working on implementation of the GM Integrated Technical Education City Region programme and GM Baccalaureate; design, commissioning, and oversight of GM NEET Prevention programmes, testing a new place-based approach to delivery; and development of inclusive youth employment pathways.
Hello I'm Lauren. I am an Assistant Director of Acquisitions at Homes England and I absolutely love my job. To keep me out of trouble, I am also a Member-Nominated Director for a Pension Scheme and have a side hustle as a private landlord. I value honesty and authenticity, I am driven by achieving good value, any opportunity to learn or grow and creating an environment where people can be their best….and of course I wouldn't be very good at buying land if I didn’t love a good bargain.
GM Future Leaders 2
February 2025 – July 2025
Matthew is a venue consultant and systems integrator with experience in designing and delivering technically complex and high value projects in the Broadcast and Culture sectors internationally. Prior to joining Arup, Matthew worked for over a decade as a senior technical project manager. Within Arup he works with a creative and passionate team focussing on the design of cultural developments and venues globally.
Alima has nearly 10 years' experience in retail & shopping centre management, working with managing agents such as JLL and Knight Frank. She has honed her skills in financial oversight of large budgets and developed innovative approaches to Estate operations. Alima joined Stockport in June 2024 and manages multiple contractors and internal stakeholders, working closely with colleagues across the council to meet local asset needs.
Michael is a Chartered Associate Building Surveyor with nearly 10 years' experience. He joined the industry as a graduate and has progressed to his current level at RLB Manchester since joining in 2016. Michael loves building long-term client relationships and has worked on a variety of commissions for public and private clients in sectors including public & civic, retail, education and healthcare. As his experience has grown, he has taken an increasing role in team management, financial management, service improvement, training and mentoring, and has recently become an RICS Assessor.
Esther's role includes project management and consultancy across a variety of projects, with specialisms in economic and social impact assessment, appraisal, business cases and evaluation. She has a strong appreciation of HMT Green Book and Appraisal Guide principles, and works for public and private sector clients across Greater Manchester, including GMCA, local authorities, Oxford Road Corridor Partnership, University of Manchester, HOME and Factory International.
Previous: Principal Programme Manager,
Kate is an experienced programme manager with six years at GMCA, most recently managing large-scale capital programmes in the Investment Team. She has delivered positive outcomes across policy areas including Brownfield Housing Fund, Skills & Employment, Local Growth and Children's Services. Working with local authorities, registered providers, and private sector partners, Kate has led on elements of programme delivery including designing investment, commissioning, contract management, subsidy control and stakeholder management. She also plays a key role in reporting progress on key GM programmes to central government.
Heather is a chartered Quantity Surveyor and has worked at Identity Consult for 7 years. She has worked on projects in the residential, industrial, health and education sectors and on commercial refurbishment schemes. Alongside QS responsibilities, she manages projects as an Employer's Agent pre- and post-contract Heather has a University of Manchester BSc (Hons) Mathematics, specialising in core maths and Fluid Mechanics, and her skills as a mathematician complement her analytical role.
Persephone is a Chartered Planning & Development Surveyor working on a long-term regeneration programme for the City, overseeing a number of workstreams and a pipeline of projects that will deliver half a billion pounds of investment over the next 15 years. In her eight years in the public sector, she has worked on high-profile, strategic projects across the city. She has a particular interest in the need to make the surveying profession more diverse and equal.
Previous: Project Manager
Joe is a Chartered Town Planner with a background in urban design, masterplanning and placemaking. He has worked for organisations including an international consultancy, architectural practice and now Homes England, where he helps partners secure government funding for large-scale housing and regeneration projects across Greater Manchester, with a focus on the Manchester City Council area. He works with partners from private developers to local and combined authorities, as well as the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Sam is a built environment professional with 10+ years’ planning experience in academia and practice. Sam is committed to enabling community voices to shape the built environment and create successful places. His work at PLACED seeks to embed community views and voices alongside other stakeholders in planning and design processes. Sam’s work demonstrates the potential to successfully open projects to enable early and meaningful engagement. With a strong commitment to accessibility and inclusion in planning, Sam has also focused on new approaches to continually improve the accessibility of community engagement.
Peter has a Masters in Town & Country Planning and 25 years of public and private sector experience in planning and regeneration across GM. At Stockport Council, he's involved in delivering the ambitious town centre regeneration, focussing on the historic Old Town area, physical and economic revival. Peter is a member of the IHBC and is RTPI accredited.
Carl is a Chartered Building Surveyor with 20 years’ experience in the public sector. He has worked on a variety of projects from inception and design to construction. Projects include refurbishments and extensions to many Manchester buildings such as libraries, art galleries and schools. He has managed the Education Maintenance Programme in Manchester for the last four years and is currently working on the programme for 2025-26. He enjoys working with stakeholders, bringing people together to collaborate with the aim of delivering a project or programme.
Previous: Team Leader
With a background in criminology and psychology, Rebekah leads the delivery team on the Peer Support contract at CLI. She works in close partnership with probation services and other partner agencies in Greater Manchester to support individuals in leading more fulfilling lives and successfully reintegrating into their communities. Rebekah is passionate about her ongoing learning journey, empowering her team, and making a positive impact on the lives of CLI's service users.
Sam is a results-driven Chartered Project Manager with a proven track record of delivering complex construction projects on time and within budget. With over 16 years of experience in the construction industry on a practical and professional level, he has successfully managed projects, for both public and private clients, across a variety of sectors. He has experience of leading teams through all RIBA Stages, from initial preparation and briefing, through the design stages, to procurement of contractors, managing construction contracts, and handover.
GM Leaders Plus 5
March 2024 – January 2025
Previous: Associate Planner
Anna is a chartered Town Planner with 10+ years experience at Arup UK and Australia. She worked in the North West for 5+ years and recently returned to Manchester after leading the Melbourne planning team for 3 years. Anna leads multi-disciplinary teams on complex masterplanning and major infrastructure projects and has played an integral role in the successful delivery of planning consents and impact assessments for several large-scale infrastructure projects. She has sat on Arup's Diversity & Inclusion and Wellness committees, and is passionate about inclusive placemaking.
Jemma has extensive healthcare experience at regional and local level. An experienced nurse, manager and leader, she trained as a nurse and worked in acute and community services before moving into commissioning in 2017. In recent years, Jemma has led on several successful large-scale system transformation programmes. She currently leads a locality and GM portfolio covering nursing, quality, safeguarding & continuing healthcare. Jemma is committed to improving the quality of patient care, reducing inequalities and providing strong leadership across the GM system.
Victoria is a Planner (MRTPI) and Surveyor (MRICS) who manages regeneration and housing projects in Manchester on behalf of Homes England. Previous roles include Strategic Land Manager for Barratt David Wilson North West, development viability specialist for Cheshire West & Chester, Property Consultant at GVA Grimley and initially as an English Partnerships graduate. This has given Victoria cross-sector perspective which she uses to support GM in delivering regeneration and housing priorities.
Previous: District Centres Programme Manager
James is a passionate urbanist with 15+ years of local and central government experience in regeneration and local government policy, strategy and delivery. After working in the civil service and at a number of councils in London, James relocated to Manchester in 2021. He now leads on MCC’s District Centres programme for the north of the city, working with partners across the public and private sector to deliver on the Council’s inclusive growth agenda in areas including Strangeways, Moston and Harpurhey.
Previous: Associate Director
Claire is an award-winning professional who has worked as a leader in public sector communications and involvement in Greater Manchester for nearly 20 years. She is passionate about patient and stakeholder engagement and is a qualified coach and mentor. Claire has also led staff working on equality, HR and Organisational Development, governance, emergency preparedness and social value – demonstrating her ability to apply general management skills across a wide portfolio.
Catherine leads an established team of expert welfare rights and debt advisers, and has 30 years' experience in local government focused on tackling poverty and inequality. Catherine started as a welfare rights practitioner then moved into a commissioning role, focused on a strategic approach to improving financial inclusion in Salford. She has a long-standing relationship with Salford University, working with academics in Social Policy and with the Salford Business School on a range of research projects.
Melanie is a Communications Business Lead for the council's Growth & Development directorate and has 15+ years' public sector experience. She leads the communication of directorate priorities including affordable housing, regeneration, heritage, infrastructure and highways. A key part of her role is providing specialist comms support to Heads of Service and the wider organisation including reputation management. Having lived and worked in Manchester all her life, Melanie is fiercely proud of the city and her role has enabled her to work on groundbreaking projects that make a real difference to residents.
Previous: Delivery Manager - Place Directorate
Steph has 15+ years’ experience in the public sector across the North, using her strategic and partnership skills to deliver complex regeneration schemes from establishing partnership vehicles to developing nationally recognised and innovative housing-led health models. Steph's work involves driving forward the Place agenda, economic development and transformational change through the Growth Locations programme. This involves working with Districts to support and unlock their pipelines and deploying funding, such as the Brownfield programme. Steph is passionate about delivering projects that create healthy environments for all stages of life.
Previous: Head of Development & Regeneration - Stockport Council
Robert is a chartered development surveyor with 20 years experience across private and public sectors, professional consultancy, property company, developer and local authority. He moved to TfGM in 2024; at Stockport he was responsible for development and regeneration projects with a focus on strategic town centre development schemes across all sectors.
Gary is in the Real Estate Finance Security team at Trowers. He acts for funders, borrowers, and registered providers in all aspects of property charging and refinancing, including due diligence; preparing and negotiating certificates of title; and dealing with conditions precedent under loan agreements. His wide-ranging experience in secured lending extends to large-scale private and affordable housing portfolios, commercial property, and high-value residential transactions. Gary has been involved in diverse matters such as capital markets debt, Islamic finance, and taking security over real estate to secure pension liabilities.
Previous: Head of Housing & Strategy - Salford City Council
Andrew has 25 years’ experience working in public sector housing with a focus on strategic housing and development. He recently led the successful registration of Salford’s local housing company as a Registered Provider and is a key player in Salford’s ambitious housing delivery programme. He has a collaborative approach to leadership and is used to working in partnership with a range of stakeholders to ensure the delivery of the Council’s strategic housing and homelessness priorities. He is driven by a strong sense of social justice and the role homes and place play in addressing inequality and providing opportunity.
Previous: Senior Manager - Place & Partnerships
Lucy has 20+ years experience in housing and regeneration, primarily in Greater Manchester and more recently in a national role at Homes England. She is also a qualified career coach and provides ongoing coaching support. Her career focus includes strategy development, housing delivery and regeneration, giving her insight into the complex relationships behind the big picture and the detail required for successful project and programme delivery. Her current role spans regional delivery in the Midlands and development of Homes England's national place-based delivery approach.
Jo's Special Project team plans and delivers a variety of projects across the charity; the team is designed to be agile, deliver at pace and form relationships across departments to bring together the expertise required to successfully deliver at scale. Jo's background is in operational management, and having worked in the housing sector for many years, she has experience in operational delivery as well as strategic planning. She has centred her career on doing the right thing for the people her organisations serve and always tries to maintain integrity in her work. She lives in Manchester with her husband and two children.
Previous: Senior Engineer
Grace is a civil engineer with 10+ years experience delivering infrastructure projects from urban realm schemes for local authority clients to major highways projects for National Highways. Originally from Lancashire, Grace moved to Manchester in 2018 and has since taken on more complex projects with challenges such as developing procurement strategies and writing strategically focused business cases. Grace has a passion for creating sustainable solutions by building and leading collaborative teams. She is particularly driven by socially useful projects that are designed with the local community in mind.
Tony has worked in education leadership across Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire. Drawing on experience from schools, councils and the private sector, he has expertise in performance improvement and partnership working. His work has led to better pupil, school and borough outcomes, alongside successful partnership establishment, development and impact. Tony currently oversees a broad range of functions from music to attendance, and chairs the Greater Manchester school improvement group.
Nicola works to understand systems and support people to create change, and in her current role, is committed to valuing the voices mid- and later-life people to improve outcomes in their neighbourhoods. Through her career in local authority policy, strategy and commissioning, social enterprise and gender equality, Nicola champions collaboration, co-production and social investment to tackle inequality. She is also an experienced coach, facilitator and advocate for the power of creativity in mobilising social action. Nicola is a Non-Executive Director at Livv Housing Group where she chairs the social investment committee.
Previous: Director – Built Environment, Gleeds
Sophie is an experienced Development Manager with a planning, urban design and regeneration background. She has 15 years’ experience across the public and private sectors, having started at Deloitte and worked at Cheshire East Council, Homes England and the GMCA. Before moving to Wigan in 2026, Sophie's team at Gleeds focused on supporting a range of local authorities and public sector organisations across the North with unlocking and bringing forward challenging and complex built environment projects.
GM Future Leaders 1
February 2024 – July 2024
Gail has worked in the public sector for 19 years, 14 of them at Oldham Council. She's a qualified CMI Chartered Manager and has worked on the Building Schools for the Future and Academies programmes and a wide range of regeneration projects. In her current role, Gail is responsible for the co-ordination and strategic management of the Creating a Better Place Transformational Programme and Project Management Office for Oldham Council.
Neil is a motivated and passionate leader with 10+ years of management experience across the private and non-profit sectors. Working in the social housing industry, Neil has gained valuable experience in leading customer service and repairs teams. Neil's current role involves shifting between strategic and operational responsibility, identifying and addressing business-wide problems through project management and lean six sigma methods to enhance value for customers and the business.
Previous: Project Manager
Hannah is a chartered Associate Project Manager with 15+ years’ experience, having joined the industry as a trainee. She has spent her whole career in Manchester, primarily in the public sector delivering housing, schools and public and civic spaces. As her experience has grown, she has taken an increasing role in training, mentoring and team building. Working for RLB over the past four years, she started by helping coordinate the national public sector service offer, and more recently, has taken an active role in building a strong regional project management team.
Samiya has 20+ years’ experience in local government, including extensive experience in delivering large-scale projects, building partnerships & working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders. Samiya has been at the heart of Manchester’s approach to delivering the Prevent strategy, including co-creating a campaign designed with local communities called RADEQUAL. Most recently Samiya led development of the Council’s first social cohesion strategy, Building Stronger Communities Together.
Emma is a Chartered Civil Engineer specialising in regeneration and the development of constrained brownfield sites. She has worked on a variety of projects, from early inception and masterplans through to construction design. In addition to undertaking design work and acting as Civil Lead on multi-disciplinary projects, Emma has acted as an advisor to local authorities on flood risk, sustainable drainage, utilities and energy
Davina is a proactive and enthusiastic communications manager with over eight years' experience in public relations, social media and communications. In her role with Manchester City Council, Davina leads on and oversees the social media strategy for the corporate channels.
Future Leaders 2023 pilot
Miriam has 20 years as an economist working in economic development and regeneration. She worked in the private sector delivering economic research across housing, transport, regeneration and the environment before joining Homes England in 2021. Miriam works with delivery teams, partners, and other parts of government on major projects to secure funding, develop bespoke tools and support wider research to assess and monitor the economic impact of housing interventions. A Manchester graduate and resident, Miriam is keen to connect with peers across the sector.
Shelley has 25 years’ experience in public sector development and thrives on the challenges of this fast-paced environment. Her flair for communication, attention to detail and technical ability have led to successfully managing projects and leading teams in Housing, Facilities, Commercial, Corporate and Educational settings. Shelley is passionate about continuing her learning journey, developing her team, improving services through transformational change, and making a positive impact for Wigan residents and service users.
Matthew recently gained his RICS Chartered Surveyor accreditation, following a decade of diverse international experience in public- and private-sector commercial property. Matthew has also taken on the responsibility of guiding and mentoring graduate surveyors. A conscientious communicator, he excels in fostering long-term relationships and effective negotiation. Matthew's aim is to contribute positively to the field.
Previous: Principal Consultant, Hatch
Sean is a senior economic development consultant in Hatch's urban solutions team . Sean has 5+ years’ experience with Hatch. Sean regularly provides socio-economic development insights for clients in the land and property sector. Sean’s main specialist interest areas are economic impact, sustainable development and urban regeneration. Sean's role involves project management of research teams across a variety of projects including economic impact studies, business cases and evaluations.
Previous: Senior Economist, Homes England
Neelam is a Mancunian economist with 10 years’ experience specialising in housing, infrastructure and regeneration. She has worked at Homes England since 2020 where she currently leads economic analysis across eight major (£50m+) regeneration schemes and oversees the economics inputs for ongoing delivery of the £5bn Housing Infrastructure Fund. Before this, she worked in private sector consultancy across planning, transport, and local economic development.
On joining Future Leaders: Architect, Stockport Council
After qualifying as an architect, Sarah spent five years in London delivering refurbishment schemes for NHS Trusts. In 2015, she moved to Manchester, progressing to a senior role in a large practice, working across sectors and leading internal design teams. In 2020 she joined Stockport Council as an architect and project manager in a multidisciplinary team. She leads a small team and is responsible for projects from design through delivery across masterplan proposals, refurbishments and new build projects.
Future Leaders 2023 pilot
Hannah has been in the development industry for eight years, completing her Masters and becoming a chartered town planner during her time working for a strategic land promoter. Since then, Hannah has worked for a major homebuilder and now works in social housing. Hannah has worked on range of developments, from garden villages to high-rise apartments schemes.
Kelly-Marie is a dedicated and experienced architect who embraces collaborative working to find creative and robust solutions. Her leadership skills help inspire thoughtful designs underpinned by pragmatic understanding of built environment challenges. In 2022 Kelly-Marie started her current role with GM Moving as a Public Practice Associate. Using change models and system thinking, she is responsible for strategic priorities to support sustainable, healthier and equitable design across the city region.
Ryan started in local government in 2005 as a Regeneration Apprentice on the redevelopment of East Manchester. Here he worked on high-profile projects such as the Manchester City FC complex while gaining his degree in Regeneration & Neighbourhood Renewal. For the past decade he has worked in economic development, first in North Manchester and more recently leading service delivery across South Manchester and Airport City. Ryan is a proud Mancunian, passionate about creating positive outcomes for residents and seeing the impact of his team's work in the city.
James has been working with CLI for over two years and is responsible for the team's work on the Changing Futures, Housing First and Liverpool recovery project, all of which are in partnership with different agencies. James has also worked as a support worker and volunteer coordinator in the criminal justice sector, and has worked with looked-after children who experienced trauma, in residential and education settings.
GM Leaders Plus 4
March 2023 – January 2024
Previous: Design & Technical Services Manager > Head of Capital, Design and Technical Services, Stockport Council
Future of GM Mentor
Previous: Partnership Director NW, L&Q
Future of GM Board
Previous: Strategic Lead for Sustainability, RBH
Future of GM Board member, Alumni representative
Previous: Major Projects Manager (Bury North), Bury Council
On joining GM Leaders Plus: Enhanced Service Manager, Homes & Communities - Wigan Council
Future of GM mentor
Previous: Change & Transformation Lead, Manchester Local Care Organisation
On joining GM Leaders Plus: Senior Consultant - Arup
Future of GM mentor
Previous: Senior Transport Planner, Arup
Future of GM Alumni representative
Future of GM board member
Previous: Principal, Planning & Housing Research
GM Future Leaders Pilot
June – November 2023
Previous: Principle Finance Manager
(On joining GM Future Leaders: Work & Skills Specialist, Manchester City Council)
(On joining GM Future Leaders: Principal Project Manager, Arup)
(On joining GM Future Leaders: Business Partner - Greater Manchester Resilience Unit)
Previous: Senior Consultant, Hatch
Future of GM Alumni Representative
On joining Future Leaders: Strategic Housing Senior Project Manager – Manchester City Council
Previous: Senior Consultant, Hatch
Previous: Principal Engineer
On Joining Future Leaders: Planning Officer, Oldham Council
On joining Future Leaders: Better Places Research Facilitator, Stantec
Previous: Business Support Manager
Previous: Estates Manager, CBRE
On joining Future Leaders: LGBT+ Youth Work Manager, The Proud Trust
GM Leaders Plus 3
March – December 2022
On joining Leaders Plus: Head of Strategy, RBH
Previous: Interim CEO - The Proud Trust
Future of GM Board
Previously; Chair, Shadow Leadership Board - Homes England.
On joining Leaders Plus: Digital Social Inclusion Lead
Previous: Development Manager > Head of Development & Regeneration - Stockport Council
On joining Leaders Plus: Delivery Manager
On joining Leaders Plus: Associate Civil Engineer
Previous: Director - Hatch Urban Solutions
On joining Leaders Plus: Major Projects Manager, Bury Council
GM Leaders Plus 2
February – December 2021
Previous: Service Manager (Place Planning); Transport Strategy & Growth Manager – Stockport Council
Previous: Senior Partnership & Business Development Manager
Previous: Director - Winning Moves
Previous: Head of Estates & Asset Management - Stockport Council > Assistant Director, Corporate Property > Director of Housing & Property - Wigan Council > Director – Lawrence Rose Property Services
Previous: Head of Industrial Strategy > Assistant Director, Economy – GMCA
Previous: Head of Youth Strategy & Engagement – Manchester City Council > Chief Executive – The Proud Trust
Previous: Service Manager, Parks & Streetscene – Wigan Council
National Head of Heating & Hot Water Services – Guinness Partnership
Previous: Inclusion Manager – Stockport Council
Previous: Associate Director, Social Value - Arup
Previous: Head of Finance – Manchester City Council > Deputy Treasurer – GMCA
Previous: Associate Civil Engineer – Arup
Previous: Senior Associate – Trowers & Hamlins
Previous: Assistant Director – Barnardo’s > Director of Operations – Arawak Walton
GM Leaders Plus 1
February – December 2020
Previous: Senior Associate > Partner – Trowers & Hamlins
Previous: Town Centre Regeneration Programme Manager – Stockport Council > Head of Strategy – Government Property Agency
On joining Leaders Plus: Head of Work & Skills – Manchester City Council
Previous: Strategic Lead for Organisational Development – GM Health & Care Partnership
Previous: Head of Neighbourhoods - Manchester City Council
Future of GM Board member (2023-26)
Previous: Deputy Director, Information Governance, GMCA
Previous: Associate Director, Hatch Urban Solutions
Future of GM Board Member 2024-27, Alumni Rep
Previous: Director, Strategy, Research & Policy - GMCA