Tell us a bit about your background, and what led you to take on this leadership role with YORhub.

I began my career as a solicitor, working in both the private and public sectors. I moved to Sheffield City Council in 1999 and was fortunate to be involved in several large construction procurements, which really sparked my interest in this area. After a spell in the Council’s Corporate Policy Unit, I joined Sheffield Homes when it was first created, establishing and leading their procurement and facilities teams.A few years later, I wanted to broaden my experience and see procurement from the ‘other side’, so I moved to a tier one contractor in a bidding role. After that, I returned to Sheffield City Council, where I now lead the construction procurement team.

I’ve worked with YORhub for over ten years alongside my Council role—including as Joint Chair of Operations, and more recently as a member of the main Board. I was genuinely humbled to be asked by Board colleagues to take on the role of Chair earlier this year, and I jumped at the opportunity. It’s an exciting time to lead the organisation and build on the team’s many successes.

For people who may not see the Board’s work up close, how would you describe your responsibilities and where you add the most value?

YORhub has built a strong and respected track record, delivering real value for the public sector through collaboration, consistency and trust. As a Board, our role is to steward that success—setting clear direction, providing robust governance, and ensuring we continue to evolve while staying true to our purpose. We’re here to champion our customers, challenge ourselves to keep improving, and create the conditions for our teams and partners to thrive.

We also recognise that YORhub operates in a competitive landscape, and we can’t take our position for granted. Our clients have real choice, so we need to remain relevant by being responsive, easy to work with and consistently delivering value—not just on cost, but on quality, service and outcomes.

As Chair, I see my role as enabling and empowering others. That means fostering an open, inclusive culture where ideas are welcomed, expertise is shared, and decisions are made with confidence and pace. By trusting our colleagues and better harnessing the insight and innovation of our contractor and consultant partners, we can become a more agile, customer-focused organisation—one that not only responds to change, but helps shape the future of public sector construction procurement.

What is your ambition for YORhub?

Put simply, I want YORhub to be the go-to framework for public sector construction across Yorkshire and the Humber—for build, civils and consultancy alike. And not just because of what we procure or who we are, but because of how we work. That means putting customers at the heart of everything we do—making it easy to engage with us and consistently delivering a high-quality experience which demonstrates real value for money. It also means making the most of our network by bringing together the knowledge, creativity and innovation of our colleagues and partners, and using that insight to shape better solutions.

I also want YORhub to be an even greater force for good. We were pioneers of social value when we first launched, and we’ve already delivered thousands of jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities. Together with our partners, we’ve reinvested over £2.5m back into our communities through the YOR4Good Fund – and there is so much more we can do. By staying true to our public sector values while being more agile and outward-looking, we can build on those strong foundations and continue to grow, adapt and lead in a changing market. We have a fantastic platform—and a real opportunity to go further, together.

Finally – what do you enjoy when you’re not immersed in construction procurement and regional delivery?

Life’s short, so nothing beats spending time with friends and family! I’m also very lucky to live on the edge of the Peak District, so I enjoy getting out into the Peaks—especially the moors around Sheffield. I also have a fairly large garden, which I feel very lucky to have… when I’m on top of the weeding. I’m not feeling quite so blessed at the moment!