Responsible for enabling innovation in businesses across the North of Tyne region as part of the brand new Digital Cluster Development Project on behalf of North of Tyne Combined Authority, I lead a team delivering specialist innovation support for digital businesses. If you're a digital business looking to do something new, whether that's new products, services or even internal processes, we provide 1-2-1 innovation support, access to finance support, events and innovation challenges to help drive your business forward. We'll be picking up on key themes and topics for digital businesses throughout the programme and bringing together digital businesses to network and collaborate, in partnership with Dynamo and the Academic Health Sciences Network.

Responsible for leading delivery of two major European-funded projects helping SMEs to do more with digital technology to improve their business, alongside wider digital adoption support through other UMi contracts and the UMi platform.Digital Drive County Durham is a £4m ERDF programme helping businesses across County Durham to embrace digital technology and as a result be more resilient, more productive and ultimately more competitive. The programme combines inspiring information from businesses that have exploited digital technology with a range of practical workshops, 1:1 hands on support and financial assistance for SMEs across County Durham.Digital Knowledge Exchange is part of the wider European-funded Digital Enterprise programme delivered in North and West Yorkshire. Aimed at supporting SMEs in the area with improving their digital maturity through a combination of masterclasses, webinars, digital audits and mentoring, the programme is now in its second phase of successful delivery.From 2017-2020 I was also responsible for leading the events team based in our Seaham office, delivering business improvement programmes, conferences, awards, trade missions and other events all with the aim of helping businesses across the country to succeed and grow.

Responsible for leading BQ's digital strategy, managing a team of online business journalists in celebrating and inspiring entrepreneurship across the UK. My role involves working with entrepreneurs and businesses in the areas we cover, helping them to tell their stories via our website and daily business update emails.Also responsible for leading the initial development and ongoing innovation of BE Group’s business information service, developing long term relationships with customers under the BQ brand. My role includes supporting and designing the introduction of a company-wide customer relationship management and bespoke information system, leading a company-wide project team to share the new vision and principles across the organisation and implement the strategy at each stage.

Supporting the planning, strategy and delivery of the Business Support Helpline via digital channels including social media, I work closely with Government departments and other business support services to provide useful, practical and up to date advice and support to businesses of all sizes across England.My role also includes sourcing and developing engaging content to build a conversation with businesses and pre-starts, followed by gathering analytics and insight data to produce management information and reports on future improvements and ideas for developing the service.

Linked to the superfast broadband rollout across North Yorkshire and York, the Superfast North Yorkshire project provides a programme of digital business support for ERDF eligible businesses across the region through a series of practical masterclasses, one to one support from business advisers and small grants to implement knowledge gained.Project managing the business support programme, my role includes responsibility for reporting to and liaising with the client and steering group, monitoring and managing programme targets and outputs, producing weekly and monthly reports, submitting quarterly claims, organisation and promotion of all masterclass and workshop events (around 90 per year), delivery of large scale awareness raising events, full marketing strategy design and promotion of the business support programme overall via the project website, emails, direct mail, social media and more, liaison with key stakeholders and intermediaries, adhering to funder and stakeholder requirements and guidelines, budgetary responsibility for all events and marketing plus line management responsibility for two members of staff.By December 2014 (with 6 months of delivery remaining), the project had achieved the following:o Over 1500 ERDF eligible SMEs fully registered on the programmeo Over 800 ‘assists’ receiving over 12 hours of intensive supporto Early impacts: 83 jobs created, nearly £6m GVA increaseo 204 events delivered so faro Over 3000 delegate attendances at events

Developed to sit alongside the rollout of superfast broadband across West Yorkshire, the Superfast West Yorkshire Business Support programme was introduced to help local firms exploit the many competitive advantages that faster broadband provides.As Interim Project Manager, my role involved the mobilisation of the brand new digital business support project based in Leeds, including establishing the project outline and targets with the client based on the bid, liaising with the client and other partners in the early stages of the programme, introducing working processes based on the project outline, instructing and implementing the initial website design and content, producing the initial marketing strategy and plan, design and organisation of the initial event programme, recruitment of staff and all staff induction and training coordination to enable smooth transition.

Working on business improvement programmes, projects and initiatives, I organise a number of business support projects and events from inception to completion and evaluation. I'm involved in all aspects of project and event management, including speaker and business adviser selection, venue and contractor liaison and marketing and promotion of projects.Previous sectors/projects have included defence and aerospace, business start up, established business, sustainability, tourism and social enterprise work