Regional Manager at Innovate UK
Lee is Regional Manager at Innovate UK for Yorkshire & Humber and the North East.
Lee joined Innovate UK from the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership following a career in public sector economic development. Lee’s experience has mainly been in early stage enterprise development, innovation and commercialisation, with cross policy links into skills, trade and investment and business finance.
Innovation Board Member
Dr Nicola Hutchinson, Chief Operations Officer
Since gaining a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University, Nicola has worked in a variety of roles supporting business and industry in the North East. She worked as a Programme Manager and then Head of NHS Innovations North East before taking up the position as Innovation Director at the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria in 2013. In 2017, Nicola changed her role to Chief Operations Officer of the AHSN where she is responsible for overseeing the operational aspects of the business. In addition, she is also responsible for developing strategies to mobilise the unique assets of our regional NHS in support of economic growth. These activities enable companies to access bespoke services from NHS organisations leading to the co-creation and adoption, of new and improved, products and services.
Innovation Board Member
Michael was educated in Cambridge and moved to the North East of England in 1994 via a chair at University College London.
From 2000, Michael was closely involved in forming and delivering the North East regional strategy in the Healthcare and Life Science areas, particularly in the areas of ageing, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. He coordinates the regional pharma manufacturing initiative, First for Pharma. He is a Fellow of the Society of Biology, the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and of the Academy of Medical Sciences. In addition he is a board member of Centre for Excellence in Life Sciences (Bionow), the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and a trustee and Fellow of the Marine Biological Association. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Centre for Process Industries, a subsidiary of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. He is managing director of a community interest company, HealthyLife Sim CIC, that raises awareness of the causes, consequences and remedies for health inequalities, particularly in disadvantaged communities. He is a governor of North East Futures University Technical College; the new school has a focus on Healthcare & Life Sciences and Digital & Computing. He is Chair of its Education Committee and is working with teachers and employers to develop an academic curriculum that brings to students relevance to the world of work.
Michael is emeritus Professor of Physiology in the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Newcastle University.
Schools North East, Director
Chris has been part of the Schools North East team since its inception in 2007 and in 2019 he was appointed Director.
Chris works with other leaders across the North East, the education sector and charity sector to represent the voice of North East schools, and lobby policy makers to ensure that the North East is not left behind when it comes to education policy. Chris has overseen the launch of the Ednorth evidence-based excellence programme, as well as the partnership with SHINE bringing over £500,000 worth of funding to North East schools.
Under Chris, Schools North East has moved to a greater focus on lobbying around education policy, with the launch of the Manifesto for North East Education in December 2019. As well as being a trustee of a local MAT, Chris sits on various boards including the board for Opportunity North East. Prior to joining Schools North East, Chris worked with over 165 schools in the North East and various education organisations including local authorities, Excellence Partnerships, 14-19 Groups, the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, and School Improvement Officers. He led a large scale culture change project in education across the North East and was the development consultant for the LEGI funded Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network.
Board member, Mayor of North of Tyne Combined Authority.
After leaving school at 16, Jamie returned to education as a mature student to gain an engineering degree at Northumbria University. He worked as an engineer making breathing apparatus and in the electronics and IT sector, later setting up his own software development firm. Before being elected to the Office of Mayor, North of Tyne, Jamie was a Labour and Cooperative Councillor in the Monument Ward in Newcastle City Centre. A passionate socialist, Jamie is committed to driving forward his manifesto pledges around community wealth building, addressing the climate emergency, revitalising life in local communities, building affordable homes and delivering lifelong learning for the people North of Tyne. Originally born on Teesside, Jamie now lives in Gosforth with his wife Caroline who is a GP and sons Leon and Nelson.
You can view Mayor Driscoll’s Register of Interests here.
Board Vice Chair.
Martin was elected as a member of Gateshead Council in 1984 and served in various roles including Deputy Leader for six years, before being elected as Leader of the Council in May 2016.
Prior to this, Martin worked for the GMB Trade Union for 23 years undertaking a number of roles including Regional Officer, Head of Research, Health and Safety, and Media and Communications.
As Leader of the Council, Martin is involved in several national and regional bodies. He is Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee and is a board member of the North East Combined Authority, North East LEP, LGA City Regions Board and Gateshead College. Martin is also a Non-Executive Director of Gateshead Health NHS Trust.
Martin is married with one daughter.
You can read Councillor Gannon’s Register of Interests here.
Main Board Observer and Investment Board Member.
Cllr Tracey Dixon is the Leader of South Tyneside Council.
Prior to becoming Leader of the Council in November 2020, she has served for many years as a member of the Cabinet, including as Lead Member for Culture and Wellbeing between 2008-2011, Lead Member for Area Management and Community Safety in 2012-2015, and Lead Member for Independence and Wellbeing between 2016-2020, as well as Deputy Leader of the Council between 2019-2020.
Cllr Dixon was first elected to represent the Labour Party for the ward of Whitburn and Marsden in May 2002.
Cllr Dixon is the Vice-Chair of the North East Combined Authority’s (NECA) and also serves as NECA Thematic Lead for Economic Development and Digital, chairing the NECA Economic Development and Digital Board (EDDAB). She is a member of the North East Joint Transport Committee. She is also a member for the North East Local Enterprise Partnership Board (NELEP) as well as a member of the NELEP Investment Board. In addition, she serves as the co-vice-chair of the Association for Public Sector Excellence’s (APSE) Northern Region.
Professionally, Councillor Dixon co-owns and runs a restaurant, and has an extensive background in hotel management.
You can read Cllr Dixon’s Register of Interests here.
Leader of Durham County Council
Locally, Councillor Henig is Leader of Durham County Council, Chair of the County Durham Partnership and Chair of the Association of North East Councils. Nationally, he is a lead member on the People and Places Board of the Local Government Association and a member of Labour’s National Policy Forum. Councillor Henig is also Principal Lecturer in politics at Sunderland University and an accomplished author on the same subject.
You can read Councillor Henig’s Register of Interests here.
Main Board Member and Business Advisory Board Member.
Cllr Miller was appointed Leader of Sunderland City Council in May 2018. He was first elected to the council in 2006 to represent Washington South ward where he is also school governor. Before becoming Leader, Cllr Miller was the Cabinet’s portfolio holder for Health, Housing and Adult Services. Cllr Miller is particularly passionate about mental health as the basis for good overall health and wellbeing and he is a Health and Mental Health Champion for the city.
He is a member of City Hospitals Sunderland Foundation Trust’s Council of Governors and Chair of Age UK Sunderland. He also represents the council and city on a number of bodies and organisations including the North East Combined Authority Leadership Board and North East Local Enterprise Partnership.
As Leader, Cllr Miller’s focus is continuing to work in partnership on the city’s economic regeneration, building on progress in relation to housing and infrastructure development and skills and employment opportunities.
You can read Councillor Miller’s Register of Interests here.
