Managing Director of a Business Consultancy providing business advice and consultancy to Social Enterprise, Creative and Cultural Industries, Construction skills Training and Local Authorities. Recent Consultancy projects:

Communities united Project, Huddersfield Feb 07-Strategic business mentoring and writing of a business feasibility Study.

Assisi Homeless Project, Bradford, Feb 07- Strategic business mentoring and writing of a business feasibility Study.

The Enterprise Factory-Oldham Dec 06-Feb07-Business Mentoring to clients as part of the New Entrepreneaurship Scheme with Manchester Metropolitan University

The Enterprise Factory, Oldham, September 06, Strategic Business Review for a Social Enterprise business Incubator Unit. Review of current activities and development of 5-year vision.

REELMcr-Social Enterprise Film maker, August/September 06, specialising in developing social cohesion, crime reduction and improved opportunities in excluded areas. Development of Business Plan and forward strategy.

Nornir, Social Enterprise IT Business, June-Sept 06, Market Segmentation and Business Plan Development.

Lincolnshire Creative Solutions Initiative 2005/08 Specialist support to creative and cultural industries in Lincolnshire, including mentoring and counselling.

EBC*L 2005-on going Business Training and subject specialist. Development on new business training qualification, delivery of training and examination subject specialist.

Cheshire County Council May 06 Sept 06. Development of new Arts and Creative industries strategy and sector support body.

HBHG Development Trust, Salford March 06-Sept 06. Development on funding strategy and business plan to support the strategy. Development of Board Governance programme and introduction of ‘good practice in Governance.

Responsible for the delivery of social enterprise business support across Barnsley, and with partners in Rotherham, and Doncaster. Managing contracts to the value of £10million. Also responsible for all intermediate Labour Market Programmes in Barnsley. Managed a team of 14 people. Reported to the Board of Directors of the Agency.
· Achieved full customer first accreditation for unit and the development of professional business advice standards that led to all advisers being accredited to the national Business Link quality assurance standard.
· Undertake and implemented a process of change management in to the unit, this resulted in a 1000% increase in numbers on new and potential social enterprises in Barnsley
· Managed corporate identity change including brand re-positioning and a new corporate format.
· Developed Social Enterprise Barnsley into a regionally recognised centre of excellence for social enterprise development.
· Delivered a new intermediate Labour Market programme for Barnsley.
· Assessed feasibility, developed & trialled innovative ways of delivering business support to social enterprises, leading to the development of a bursary scheme and a more enterprise-focused model of business support.

For six years I worked as a Business Adviser in the Coalfields area of Wakefield and in the most excluded wards of Halifax. I provided generic business in marketing, finance, business planning, sales development and other business areas. In 2000 promoted to regeneration manager responsible for developing new business ideas in areas of social exclusion. Successfully ran a large multi partnership Phoenix Development fund programme and many Single Regeneration Budget projects.