As Founder and CEO of The MATRIX I am constantly working with and looking for new partners to deliver the best service possible for our clients. Based at The ORACLE in Bridgend town centre I am fortunate that The MATRIX Advantage is constantly being approached to work on new and innovative projects.Our latest success if The BOMB -a youth enterprise that produces personalised gifts, promotional products and clothing for both individuals and the corporate market. It is run by young people, supported by The MATRIX Advantage and hopefully will be released as a fledgling enterprise in the Spring of 2015.The MATRIX Advantage is a social enterprise that works with individuals and groups, in the community that are deemed “hard to reach” and “disadvantaged” by society. Our ethos is to encourage and facilitate the personal development of the individual whilst at the same time encouraging them to choose the right path to transform their lives.The MATRIX workshops allow each person to fully investigate their own personal potential and aspirations towards becoming financially independent and break the benefit trap, by integrating personal development, life management and business skills.Our main objective is to work with people facing the biggest barriers; women, young people, lone parents, people with disabilities, victims of domestic abuse - men and women, black and minority ethnic communities, people on long-term benefits, offenders and ex-offenders and their families and those struggling with financial issues.We engage with our clients by working in partnership with a range of organisations, from statutory bodies and local authorities, private companies, third sector organisations, charities and the voluntary sector.Our partners have one thing in common they want to help individuals transform their lives, reach their true potential and play an active role in their community.

As Founder and Director of Inside Job Recruitment I am currently working with the prisons in Wales, Probation, the Police, partner organisations and potential employers setting up the systems ready for our launch in the New Year.Inside Job Recruitment is a social enterprise primarily set up to work within the criminal justice system, both inside and outside prisons, to secure volunteering opportunities, work placements and ultimately employment for offenders on release as a means to reduce re-offending. Inside Job Recruitment has a secondary objective to work in the community with young people who have already been involved in, or are on the cusp of the criminal justice system prevent offending and re-offending through education, training and employment.To achieve these objectives, Inside Job Recruitment will work with offenders within HM Prisons to achieve levels of ‘work readiness’ by identifying existing work-related skills and training needs; delivering training; delivering help with the practicalities of applying for work, and finding opportunities for volunteering, work-placements and jobs.

In 2006 I founded Morphious: a Social Enterprise working with the most disadvantaged and marginalised within Welsh society. Specialising in employability, enterprise development, training and on-going support for individuals and groups throughout Wales. Our ethos is to encourage and facilitate the personal growth of the individual in conjunction with the growth of their business idea, its development and sustainability.Working in partnership with organisations, on a local, regional and national level, in order to develop networks that enable Morphious to reach some of the most disadvantaged groups. Our client groups cover a broad sweep of those facing the biggest barriers to success in enterprise: women, young people (14-30), people from black and minority ethnic communities, people with disabilities, offenders, ex-offenders and social enterprises.

In 2001 I founded 21st Century Business Solutions aimed at providing administration and facilities support to SME’s within South Wales. 21st Century was a “one stop shop” designed to remove the pressures of business administration, dealing with one-off tasks, large or small, or simply taking over the daily administration of small businesses allowing them to get on with what they did best. Whilst running 21st Century I was nominated for the Swansea Bay Business Woman of the Year.

I worked as the National Network Development Manager, designing and establishing a National Network to support prisoners, which was a project funded by the Home Office via the dti’s Small Business Service (SBS), Phoenix Development Fund. I worked within the prisons, the Governors, officers and the prisoners themselves to ascertain what their needs were and then developed a network with outside organisations in all three sectors, who were prepared to work with this client group. Making the links from the inside to outside, i.e. through the gate. This role also entailed working with the Home Office, Prison Service, Probation and partner organisations to establish a route by which prisoners can access support to set up their own enterprise on release.

Managed the MI (Musical Instruments) department within the company, liaising with Japan, America, Ireland and Germany for the supply of the products, with the retail outlets for the sale of the products. Managed the day to day running of the department, ensuring that there were sufficient supplies to meet demands. Organising trade fairs and exhibitions and ensuring that the staff and products were there on time and ensuring that the artists (for the demos) were also available.