I joined Activate Learning as a governor in December 2020 and sit on the Search and Governance Committee and the Quality and Relevance Committee.

I am a board director of Innovate Surrey Ltd. (ISL) where I promote and advise on University of Surrey’s innovation ecosystem, which includes industry engagement, commercialisation of intellectual property, development of spinouts, spin-ins, start-ups and scaleups and investment funding. ISL provides oversight of the management of Surrey Research Park (innovation and research).

I was Chair of Surrey Research Park Advisory Board until recently when ISL was established.  SRP is the fourth largest research and science park in the UK with over 130 innovative companies based over 70 acres. The Park is part of the University of Surrey with crucial links on research, provision of work experience and jobs. Provision of skills continues to be a top demand of companies on the Park.

I was the chief executive of Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership until the end of July 2022. At EM3 I worked with others to create the environment for businesses to grow and flourish across Hampshire and Surrey, securing over £250m to support innovation, skills and infrastructure improvements.

I have a passion for joining up people and initiatives and was the lead CE for Catalyst South, an alliance of six LEPs that championed the importance of the business community across the South. I was also the cluster lead for the four growth hubs supporting businesses in Hants, Surrey, Berks, Solent, Sussex and Brighton.

I have nearly forty years of experience of working with businesses and people to support economic growth, first in helping the long term unemployed to get jobs, then in work to support young adults get training and assisting business to start up, scale up and grow. I spearheaded the first skills strategy produced by the South East England Development Agency and championed work to get girls in schools interested in IT careers. I’m passionate about achieving greater diversity on boards and in teams. I was honoured to see my work on economic development across the South of England recognised when I received an OBE for the work in 2017.

I live in Oxfordshire and enjoy the local countryside and unwinding in my garden.