Roger Dicker
A professional economist with substantial experience of managing economic development programmes and regeneration initiatives, Roger Dicker has specific experience in a range of programmes tackling disadvantage and regeneration. His experience includes community-based approaches to economic development, work in and with voluntary and community organisations and strategic initiatives with local partners. Roger s consultancy experience over the last six years has been applied to regeneration strategies, funding bids, business plans, programme and project evaluations and employment research and action. Roger has senior management experience in local government including a period as Head of Economic Development at Leicester County Council. He has also gained experience as a human resources manger, covering the full range of personnel functions. Roger is a self-employed consultant but has previously worked for CSR Partnership and Ecotec Research & Consulting. He can be contacted at roger.dicker@zen.co.uk
David Evans
Evaluation | Business Development | Education and Training | ICT
David Evans is joint owner of JME Associates Ltd and has worked in many areas of ICT, education and training for over twenty years. In a large FE college, he was responsible for promoting and developing early computer managed learning initiatives and later managed a large ERDF funded community open access learning centres project. During his time in FE, he worked extensively on EU funded projects in Eastern Europe, acting as contractor to a successful £500K Tempus programme which established a new multimedia degree programme in Timisoara and Sibiu, in partnership with Universities in Finland, France and Denmark. The partnership established through this project led to extensive business and educational collaboration between Romania and Finland, as well as further successful projects to create a distance learning support network, an online Masters degree programme in multimedia and most recently, an m-learning system using mobile phone technology. David has also worked on IT projects in Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Jamaica and Zimbabwe.
Since leaving FE, David has worked both as an independent consultant and contractor specialising in e-learning design and development, and for several years as a Training Specialist for a large multinational company in the financial services sector helping to install and manage a Learning Management System. He currently provides ICT consultancy and support on training related matters to a number of SMEs, and e-learning support to banks and financial training companies. He can be contacted at david@jmea.co.uk
Steve Hutton
Economic Development | Creative Industries | Business Development | Social Enterprise
Steve is an economist and since 1990 he has worked as a consultant in Regeneration and regional and sectoral Economic Development throughout the UK and overseas. Prior to 1990 he worked in the DTI and local authorities in the West Midlands and London . He is skilled in strategic and business planning; programme and project design; organisational review and development. In addition he is experienced in all aspects of project management. Steve has been commissioned to deliver training for Board members and the management of several companies.
His work in the Creative Industries field has been extensive and at high level. For example, he worked with ERM Ltd on Liverpool City Council’s European City of Culture 2008 Bid, producing a 5 year business plan, and devising a Monitoring Framework for the social and economic impact of the creative and cultural industries in Liverpool .
In 2005 Steve became a Director of Social Enterprise Europe Ltd, which promotes effective social enterprises in the UK and Europe , developing and utilising accessible and powerful tools including; social licenses, social audit, Project Cycle Management. He has also, since 2000, been an Associate Lecturer in Business Strategy for the Open University Business School ‘s MBA Programme. A full CV can be obtained from sshutton@btinternet.com
Stephen Lydon has worked at a senior level for the Learning and Skills Council, and his previous experience was within the Training & Enterprise Council, Business Link and Further Education. His most recent post was as Director of the South West Regional Skills Partnership.
Stephen has extensive experience of translating blue-sky thinking into practical action, primarily by focusing on meeting the needs of the end user and maximising resources to that group. His experience of strategic planning and development has included contributions to the Black Country LSC Strategic Plan, the West Midlands Objective 3 ESF Co-financing Plan, the South West Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy, and the South West Regional Skills Strategy. He has ensured that strategy translates into action by, for example, implementing the South West Train to Gain programme and setting up the Black Country Business Group. In this context, Stephen has been involved with a number of Leadership and Management initiatives, promoting organisational change.
Partnership working and membership of numerous national, regional and sub-regional bodies has been central to Stephen’s work. This has included involvement in regeneration initiatives, Local Strategic Partnerships, and other Boards and Governing Bodies. In this context he is skilled in lobbying and establishing high-trust working relationships.
Stephen has recently established his own consultancy business working in the Midlands and the South West with local authorities, partnerships and training bodies.
Narendra Makanji
Narendra has over 25 years of experience in community development at both grass roots and strategic levels. He served as a councillor in Haringey for 24 years (1982-2006), during which time he held a number of posts as an Executive Member, including Chair of Finance. In 2003, he helped establish Neighbourhood Assemblies in Haringey with a budget of £50k pa for small projects that would improve health and well-being of each area and increased local residents’ involvement in decision-making.Â
Narendra has been appointed to serve on The Adjudication Panel for England (by the Ministry of Justice) and on the Consumer Council for Water (by DEFRA).
For four years 2003- 2007, Narendra was the Chair of The Whittington Hospital, an acute services trust, which achieved year on year improvement in its ‘star ratings’ during his tenure. He led the “Building for Babies†appeal which successfully raised £500k+ for the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) through community activity and contributions.
Since February 2008, he has helped manage Nafsiyat – the Intercutural Therapy Centre in North London which deals with mental health issues amongst people from a diverse range of communities, including the UK, Turkey, Afghanistan, Africa, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean. Narendra is also a Trustee on the board of The Selby Trust (in Tottenham) and Collage Arts (formerly Haringey Arts Council). He can be contacted atnarendra52@yahoo.co.uk
John McRobie
John has wide-ranging experience in labour market related research and consultancy with particular emphasis on strategic evaluation and impact assessment of economic and community/ social development programmes. He has conducted work for numerous LSCs, TEC/CCTEs, Local Authorities, Government Offices/Departments, SRBs, City Challenges, major foundations, voluntary agencies and enterprise and employment development agencies throughout the UK. His areas of specialism and expertise include strategic employment and enterprise development, evaluation, training and human resources development and their direct and indirect impact on community economic development and restructuring. He has extensive experience of undertaking/reporting on qualitative evaluations.
John worked for over 6 years for the Centre for Employment Initiatives, later CEI Consultants Ltd, (London, Edinburgh and Liverpool), and then for 7 years for WMEB Consultants, as Consultancy Manager. He now works on a freelance basis for a variety of public and private sector clients, and specialist consultancy firms. He can be contacted at john.mcrobie@skillsforlogistics.org
Jon Morris
Regeneration | Planning | Housing | Partnership Building
Prior to becoming a consultant, Jon was Director of the New Deal for Communities scheme in Coventry . He has been active in the Royal Town Planning Institute including seven years as convenor of its national Housing Development and Renewal Panel. He is an acknowledged expert on planning, housing and renewal issues and has been a member of a number of government advisory committees, an expert witness to the House of Commons Select Committee and an advisor on planning and housing to the British Council.
He created and chaired a partnership between the RTPI, DETR, Housing Corporation, House Builders Federation and the National Housing Federation to produce a good practice guide on planners and developers working together. This became the RTPIs best selling publication.
Throughout his career, Jon has moved between developing and implementing regeneration programmes and lecturing or producing strategies and policies building on the work he has undertaken. He has often worked closely with government in piloting new approaches and then implemented them throughout his organisation when they have become national policy. Trained as a town planner, he has used this knowledge to develop a wide range of successful regeneration initiatives in some of the most deprived areas of Britain. Many of these have featured in national best practice guides and some have been included in national legislation.
Matthew Noden
Neighbourhood Management | Strategy Development | Neighbourhood Renewal | Community Consultation
Mat Noden previously worked as a senior consultant for CSR Partnership, and before that as a Research and Development Officer for Lancaster City Council’s Neighbourhood Management Round 1 Pathfinder team. He has worked closely with the voluntary, community, and public sector clients on strategy development and around the thematic areas of unemployment, crime, health, youth, housing and education and training issues. His consultancy experience is specialised in the areas of Neighbourhood Renewal, Neighbourhood Management, the voluntary and community sector, youth policy and practice, evaluation, delivery plan development, and qualitative research and community consultation. Until 2005, Matthew worked for CSR Partnership where he played a central role in managing the West Midlands Neighbourhood Management Network and evaluations of Neighbourhood Management pilots and initiatives in both the West Midlands and the North.
A full CV can be obtained from mnodi76@hotmail.co.uk .
Howard Parker
Education and Skills | Regeneration | Health and Social Care | Voluntary & Community
Howard is a successful consultant, trainer and teacher, specialising in helping individuals and groups in a variety of settings to develop their knowledge and skills. He has extensive and long-standing knowledge of social policy issues, and current government strategies in areas including Education and Skills, Health and Social Care, and Regeneration.
Howard has worked extensively with community organisations, and is able to lead and support groups at all stages of the project development process, from initial planning to implementation and evaluation. His work in the NHS has been with Primary Care Trusts, the Health Development Agency and the Healthcare Commission, and has included resolving NHS patient complaints. Conflict resolution and conciliation is a particular skill that Howard brings to a range of consultancy projects. Based in Wolverhampton and Oxford , Howard works on a regional and national basis and has been part of international projects involved in learning and training in Germany and Poland. A full CV can be obtained from howpark@aol.com
Kram Sadiq
Economic Valuation and Apraisal | Regional and Urban Development | Private Sector Development Economic Development
Kram Sadiq is an economist with some 18 years’ experience of economic development in the UK and overseas and is a director at Manchester Economics Ltd. Previously he was a partner in ERM Economics part of the ERM group where he led the economics team in the North West practice and economic appraisal work. He was involved in a range of economic development projects for NWDA, English Partnerships, the RDAs and private sector clients. Examples include the economic appraisal of Kings Waterfront Arena Liverpool, Daresbury Science Park, Liverpool Lime Street Gateway, Liverpool Cruise Liner Facility and Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Stoke-on-Trent. Recent assignments include acting as a regeneration expert witness at the public inquiry on the redevelopment of New Brighton Waterfront and working with White Young Green examining nuclear decommissioning business development opportunities for West Cumbria.
Priory to joining ERM in 2001 he worked for KPMG Consulting where he was a principal consultant in the Strategy and Economics group in London for some six years. Whilst at KPMG he worked on a range of issues for private and public sector clients on the areas of economic policy and private sector development, economic valuation and appraisal, privatisation and restructuring, policy evaluation and economic development in the UK and overseas. Prior to joining KPMG in 1995 he worked for Pieda Plc focusing on UK regional development issues and business development support measures. Over this period he worked on the evaluation of a number of urban regeneration initiatives for central Government and the EU; including Task Force audits, the Interim Evaluation of the East of England CSF programmes 1998-1994, Review of TEC Corporate Plans and various economic studies. In 1989 he was seconded to the Ministry of Planning and Development in Guyana where he worked on macro economic and trade related reform measures as part of the IMF/IBRD economic recovery programme. Prior to this he worked for the Centre for Local Economic Strategies in Manchester, Â Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council, West Midlands Economic Development Unit.
Further details and a full CV can be obtained by emailing kram.sadiq@manchestereconomics.co.uk