Royal Northern College of Music Representative

Director of Programmes

Jenny is responsible for learning and teaching across all junior, undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes of study, access and participation, the School of Popular Music and the Student Health and Wellbeing Hub. An internationally renowned expert in music pedagogy, Jennie has taught music in various contexts for over 26 years. Her experience spans instrumental teaching, ensemble direction, class teaching, and she continues to teach music education at the RNCM, from supervising postgraduate research, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses through to supporting Junior RNCM as a flute and wind coach. She has worked in teacher education and professional development since 2008, working with a wide range of class and instrumental teachers.

Covering diverse contexts spanning music education and community music, Jennie’s research is concerned with the relationship between pedagogy and inclusion, recently leading the AHRC funded research network MUSOC, exploring the concepts of excellence and inclusion in music programmes with a social agenda. She undertakes consultancy work, often involving national curriculum design and development for international governments.

Manchester Metropolitan University Representative

Pro Vice Chancellor for Education

Professor Andy Dainty is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at Manchester Metropolitan University. In this role he leads the University’s Education Strategy, including all aspects of teaching, learning, assessment, graduate outcomes and the student experience for their 41,000 students. He is also a renowned expert on project-based organising, having authored well over 400 peer-reviewed papers and 11 books and monographs over the past 25 years.

In Greater Manchester, Andy chairs both the Board of GM Higher, the partnership supported by the Uni Connect programme which works with schools, universities, and colleges to encourage access to higher education, and the Military Education Committee, a collaboration between the Greater Manchester Universities and the three service units which supports Officer Training Corps within the city region.

University of Manchester Representative

Vice-President - Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement and Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy

Richard Jones is Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy at the University of Manchester; he is an experimental soft matter physicist. His first degree and PhD in Physics both come from Cambridge University and following postdoctoral work at Cornell University, USA, he was a lecturer at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory. He was a Professor of Physics at the University of Sheffield from 1998, moving to Manchester in 2020.

In Greater Manchester, he is the Independent Science Advisor to Innovation GM, a public-private partnership bringing together business, the GM Combined Authority and GM’s universities with the goal of developing Greater Manchester’s innovation ecosystem to help level up communities, generate the solutions needed to achieve net zero, and create the conditions for more businesses in more places to benefit from global exporting and inward investment. He chairs the Greater Manchester Civic University Board, bringing together all five GM Universities to support the economy, people and communities of Greater Manchester.

Manchester Metropolitan University Representative

Director of Business Engagement and Partnerships

Alex provides leadership for Manchester Metropolitan University’s Business Engagement and Partnerships, working with external organisations and employers across private and public sectors to deliver impactful activities that support the University’s education and research priorities, as well as helping the University. He is a Chartered Accountant and has previously held senior roles at Deloitte, Manchester City FC and Manchester International Festival. His contribution to the Civic University Board builds on his experience of strategic collaboration and partnerships in the city-region.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority Representative

Leader of Manchester City Council & Labour Councillor for Burnage Ward

Bev became Leader of Manchester City Council on 1st December 2021. First elected in 2011 as a Burnage Councillor, she has held various roles, including Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, and Deputy Leader overseeing resources, capital programmes, social value, and digital initiatives.

Born and raised on a council estate just outside of Belfast, she was the first in her family to go to university. She moved to Manchester in 2003 for her studies and made it her home. After graduating from the University of Manchester, Bev began her career in Local Government, later working in Higher Education and a national trade union leading on social care. Alongside working full time Bev completed postgraduate degrees at Warwick Business School and the University of Manchester. As Executive Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, Bev oversaw the integration of Manchester’s health and care services and led the city’s COVID health response, focusing on a more equal recovery and championing Manchester’s work to become a Living Wage City.

As Leader, her priorities include Manchester’s COVID recovery, building an inclusive and sustainable economy, supporting children and young people, promoting equalities, housing, and achieving zero carbon. She holds responsibilities within the GM Work and Skills Portfolio and the GM Local Enterprise Partnership. Outside of politics, Bev enjoys sports, the outdoors, music, culture, and exploring Manchester.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority Representative

Director (Interim) Economy

Lisa’s role is to manage the economic portfolio and Directorate within the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, ensuring the right policies, investment and delivery is in place to achieve the city-region’s economic priorities and ambitions. This includes driving the implementation of the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy – including driving innovation-led growth across Greater Manchester and increased international trade and investment - the Good Work and Real Living Wage campaigns, and the commissioning and management of business, innovation and enterprise support programmes.

Lisa has 20 years’ experience working in and researching public policy development and implementation, as well as private sector experience in ethical finance and consultancy.

Lisa has a Doctorate from University of Birmingham, which focussed on innovation and local economic development, and worked as an academic with a research interest in innovation policy and practice.

University of Manchester Representative

Executive Director of Social Responsibility & Civic Engagement

Dr Julian Skyrme is the founding Director of Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester. Social responsibility is one of the University's three core goals and ensures that Manchester's learning, research, engagement and operational activities make a positive difference to society. He has first-class honours, master’s and doctoral degrees in political philosophy and social sciences from The University of Manchester and spent his early career as a teacher and Assistant Vice-Principal in a large urban sixth form college. Julian contributes to local, national and international policies, initiatives and networks to enhance the social engagement of higher education. He is a member of: Manchester City Council's Strategic Education Partnership Board; the Board of Manchester's Loreto Sixth Form College; the Board of Trustees at MACC – Manchester's voluntary, community and social enterprise support organisation; Business in the Community's (BITC) North-West Leadership Board; and the global University Social Responsibility network. He's also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, guitarist, everyday cyclist, Manchester United and Wales fan, and father to two children.

University of Salford Representative

Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Development

Jo joined the University of Salford in April 2017, initially looking after the international profile of the University through recruitment, transnational education and global opportunities for our students and developing collaborative UK partnerships with FE colleges and employers, particularly in the delivery of apprenticeships. She is the University Leadership Team lead on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In August 2020 Jo became Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic Development and became Chair of the Academic Development and Number Planning Committee which approves the development and evolution of the University’s academic portfolio. She led the successful bid for the Greater Manchester Institute of Technology with Further Education and employer partners. The GMIoT has been formed to address the regional skills gap and provide additional educational and economic opportunities for under-represented communities in Salford and Greater Manchester, including re-skilling and up-skilling in new and sustainable technologies.

Prior to arriving at Salford, Jo was Vice-President Global Engagement at the University of Sheffield, having held international roles at Northumbria and Durham universities previously, but her professional career started in television, working in the newsroom of the Middle East Broadcasting Company (MBC). Jo has been Chair of the Universities UK Middle East and North Africa Steering Group, Chair of Trustees of the education charity Northern Consortium, and is a reviewer for UUK/UKRI international researcher mobility grants.

University of Salford Representative

Senior Public Affairs Manager

John leads the public affairs activity for the University of Salford at a national, local, and regional level. As part of his role John supports with the senior leadership team with their engagement with civic and political stakeholders in both Salford and across the Greater Manchester region. He is passionate about the positive impact that the Civic University Board will have on communities in Salford and across the wider Greater Manchester region.

Prior to joining the University, John was the public affairs lead for a business membership group in London and has previously worked in the Civil Service and for Members of Parliament in Westminster.

University of Bolton Representative

Assistant Vice Chancellor (Knowledge Exchange)

Dr. Coleman began his working life as a civil engineer, moving latterly into logistics and supply chain management. He worked for a number of years at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), a ‘close to business’, education, research, and knowledge exchange centre at the University of Warwick.

Julian commenced work at the University of Bolton in 1995 as a Senior Lecturer. His expertise in supply chain, and passion for collaboration led him to develop a number of international partnerships to deliver post graduate Supply Chain programmes with University partners in Malaysia, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia and Raz Al Kaimah. He became Dean of the University Off Campus Division, overseeing the growth of the University's collaborative provision until moving to become Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Operations in 2020.

The focus of Julian's work now is Knowledge Exchange, working with colleagues across the University to embed and expand our engagement with practice and industry partners. He is committed to providing relevant, value adding, supportive expertise to the private, public, and third sector. He is also passionate about facilitating an environment at the University in which staff are supported to engage in effective Knowledge Exchange.

Royal Northern College of Music Representative

Director of Development and Alumni relations at the RNCM

With over 20 years experience in fundraising, partnerships and development in the arts and cultural sector nationally. As a member of the Executive team at the Rhiannon provides leadership for philanthropic and sponsorship generation which contribute 10% income to the RNCM.