We are delighted to introduce the people who are helping us to shape and build a ‘better’ Midlands.
All of our Advisory and Board members bring with them a vast range of experience and expertise to support and enhance our work. All members have a strong connection to the Midlands’ region and a strong desire to see the region develop and prosper.
Advisory Board
Sarah Perry
Chair of CNM Advisory Board and Consultant, Weightmans LLP
Professor Majid AlSadi
President; Chairman & CEO, Eastern Holding
Chris Smith
Managing Director and Founder
Amardeep Gill
Partner, Trowers & Hamlins
Beverley Nielsen
Research Associate
Joe Elliott MBE
Director, Culture Coventry and Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
Professor Guy Daly
Chair, Housing and Communities Leadership Board
Dan Barlow
Founder and Group CEO, Kagool
Rich Bishop
Director, withdigital
Tim Fawcett
Birmingham Cities Lead, Project Principal, Mott MacDonald
Megan Cooper
Sales Director - Employment and Skills, Serco Ltd
James Prestwich
Non Executive Director, CHS Group
Kai Jackson
Tpas Associate
Professor Guy Daly
Chair, Housing and Communities Leadership Board
Afzal Hussain DL
Chief Officer at Witton Lodge Community Association
Liz Williams
Alan Fraser
Independent Housing consultant and former CEO, YMCA Heart of England
Dr Steven McCabe
Associate Professor, Birmingham City University
Joanna Lee-Mills
Partner and Head of Social Housing Development, Shakespeare Martineau
Mike Leonard
CEO, Building Alliance CIC and Visiting Professor Manufacturing and the Built Environment, Birmingham City University
Dominic Bradley
Chief Executive, Lench's Trust
Ian O’Donnell MBE
Director, Real Point
Rich Bishop
Director, withdigital
Professor Karen Elliott
Chair (Full Professor) of Practice in Finance and Fintech, University of Birmingham
Sarah Windrum
Future Mobility Cluster Lead, HORIBA MIRA
Hollie Whittles
InfoSec Director, Purple Frog Systems Ltd
Professor Steven Furnell
Professor of Cyber Security, University of Nottingham
Hammad Kamran
Lead Data Scientist, Kagool
Professor Ardavan Amini
Complex Adaptive Systems Engineer & Founder, EsseSystems
Parminder Singh Garcha
Deputy Director, West Midlands, Department for Education
Megan Cooper
Sales Director - Employment and Skills, Serco Ltd
Dr Benjamin Silverstone
Associate Professor and Director of the WMG Skills Centre, University of Warwick
Ian Harrison
Director, Growhouse Growth Business
Diane Vernon MBE
CEO and Founder Director, Employability UK
Alison Grade
Author of The Freelance Bible; CEO of Mission Accomplished
Gareth Jones
Head of Strategic Finance, Midlands, Virgin Money
Lewis Walker
Deputy Head, Birmingham College of Food, University College Birmingham
Robert Neal
Business Development Manager, Oxbridge
Tolu Osekita
Strategic Advisor, Family Office
Raynee De Zoysa
Senior Business Development Manager, Balfour Beatty
Tim Fawcett
Birmingham Cities Lead, Project Principal, Mott MacDonald
Andrew Jinks
Regional Director - Midlands, National Highways
Sandeep Shingadia
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Integration, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)
Paul Woods
Infrastructure Planning Director, WSP
Deborah Bunce
Head of Sustainable Construction, University College Birmingham
Craig Flindall
Chief Operating Officer & Birmingham Phoenix General Manager, Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Harbinder Singh Birdi
Creative Director, Birdi & Partners