I lead the business development and industry engagement programme associated with the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre and drive university-business collaborative programmes at the University of Huddersfield.

I work closely with industry identifying challenges and opportunities for collaboration with the academics from the Technical Textiles Research Centre.

I undertook a secondment to Leeds and Partners - the company commissioned to develop and manage the inward investment function for the Leeds City Region. I lead on the development of the manufacturing proposition for the City Region. Leeds City Region has the biggest concentration of manufacturing in the UK and the area has some of the finest manufacturing companies, with a wealth of talented and experienced staff, together with a range of best higher education research and development facilities in country.The perfect place to locate your business.

I managed an integrated team which combines economic intelligence, research and strategy alongside targeted business support functions. My goal was to understand local business and the wider economy and use my knowledge to support resilient job growth and sustainable economic development accessed for and benefited by local citizens.

As Strategy Manager in the Economic Development Service of Kirklees Council I was responsible for the development and delivery of the District's key regeneration ambitions. I had over arching responsibility for the development of the Kirklees Economic Assessment which was first published in 2011. I conceived and lead on the development and implementation of the Kirklees Employer Survey - which has been undertaken regularly since 2008 - 1 in 10 of all companies in Kirklees (1400) randomly sampled but representative of the size sector and location of business. The Employer Survey has become Kirklees' primary intelligence gathering and business engagement mechanism; however it is also the basis of an evidence based approach to delivery. I was the lead officer with responsibility for the coordination of the adult skills agenda in Kirklees and I lead on the development of the Kirklees Labour Market and Skills Strategy (2007) which is still the basis for our joint work throughout the district.I took a lead on and managed the development of a number of key Regeneration Programmes including the North Kirklees Strategic Development Programme. I was also instrumental in securing the funding for and the eventual delivery of the development if the Dewsbury Renaissance Masterplan. I was also responsible for developing the Employment aspects of the Kirklees Local Development Framework Core Strategy.I have a keen interest in urbanism and sustainable development and I was lucky enough to have been involved with some of the most forward thinking cities across Europe in sharing good practice and showcasing some of the abundance of excellence here in Kirklees. In my position as Strategy Manager I was proud to represent my District in many high profile international events often being asked to present to large delegations of international colleagues.

I managed a highly successful Employment Initiatives Service supporting long term unemployed people into work. Job Placement Link was a local labour scheme for Huddersfield. We received national recognition for leading practice in the development of Intermediate Labour Market activities - providing extended (12 month plus) work opportunities alongside a package of accredited vocational qualifications and skills. Job Placement Link worked with local companies providing a range of support, incentives and promotion.JPL piloted a number of ground breaking initiatives including Job Rotation, self build and a local labour in construction programmes.