Contributors' Biographies

Convention 2013 – 

“Securing the Local Youth Offer”

Contributors’ Biographies

Carol Stone, Retiring Chair, CHYPS

Carol Stone started out as a youth worker in Sheffield many years ago, having accidentally stumbled across a youth and community work course whilst looking for something different. She has worked in youth and community work, and community/adult education in a number of local authorities, and has managed services in Manchester, Wigan and latterly, Calderdale. Carol has evolved during the last year, and is now an Early Intervention Service Manager for Calderdale Council, bringing together preventative services for children, young people and families in one area of the borough. She also has responsibility for youth work, and children and young people’s Voice and Influence. She lives in Manchester, and is currently on a personal mission to make more use of its cultural opportunities. She was, of course, right to be concerned about Manchester City!

Helen McMullen, Director of Children, School and Families Department

Interim Director of Children Schools and Families at the London Borough of Camden since October 2012.   Prior to this Helen was Regional Director for DFE covering Education, Health and Social Care across Yorkshire and Humber Region. She has held a number of Chief Officer posts in Local Authorities including Corporate Director and Deputy Director. Helen is a former head teacher and youth counsellor.  She now specialises in interim management and in working with public services to bring greater efficiencies into organisations. Helen lives in Yorkshire and enjoys playing golf

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive, 4Children

Anne Longfield, OBE is the Chief Executive of 4Children and has worked in the field of children and family policy and services for over 30 years. Anne is a leading figure in the field and has written and led numerous campaigns, research and publications, including a number of high profile inquires and Commissions which influence and shape the policy agenda for children and families across Parliament and government.  She has worked on a number of high profile children and family programmes including a period at the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit at the Cabinet Office. Under Anne’s leadership, 4Children has grown to become an award-winning charity for change. It now runs a national network of approximately 100 Sure Start Children’s Centres offering joined up support for children and families; nurseries and out of school clubs, support for young people including youth activities all RAF bases and family support for troubled families.

Carey Oppenheim, Chief Executive, Early Intervention Foundation

 Carey’s previous roles include Co-director of the Institute of Public Policy Research, Special Advisor to Tony Blair in the Number 10 Policy Unit, specialising in employment, social security, childcare and poverty. Carey has also been a senior lecturer in social policy at the South Bank University, deputy director and head of research at the Child Poverty Action Group, chaired the London Child Poverty Commission and advised the Treasury on welfare reform, and the DfE on childcare and early years strategy. She lately trained to be a teacher and taught history and politics at an inner-city London school.

Fiona Blacke, Chief Executive, National Youth Agency

Fiona Blacke is a professionally qualified youth and community worker with a Masters degree in Community Education. Born in London the bulk of her professional practice and experience was gained in Scotland in both rural and urban settings, initially as a grass roots worker. Latterly she moved to regional and then national roles supporting policy and practice in the spheres of staff training and development, adult learning and finally youth issues. In 2002 Fiona and family moved to Tees Valley where she took on the role of Chief Executive of Connexions and in 2004 she joined the LSC as Executive Director in South Yorkshire and, following their restructuring, Regional Director of Learning Planning and Performance in Yorkshire and Humber.

She has been Chief Executive of the NYA since the summer of 2007 since when she has driven a radical reshaping and refocusing of the Agency. With a new model of working, a new trustee board and a real focus on ensuring services and policy produce better outcomes for young people, the Agency seems set to weather the challenges of the coming years. Fiona is the mother of 4. She is passionate about her family, young people and social justice and likes to garden and cook when time permits. 

Carole Aspden, Chair, CHYPS

 Carole is currently employed by Bournemouth Borough Council as Service Director for Children & Young People’s Services. Prior to joining Bournemouth in January 2013 Carole was at West Sussex County Council, where as Principal Manager for Youth Services, she was responsible for a range of provision including the Youth Offending Team, reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), teenage pregnancy reduction and Connexions. She has strategic level experience including leading the 14-19 reforms, engaging vulnerable young people and change management. Carole is also skilled in developing productive and lasting relationships with partners and has a wealth of experience of working with young people over many years

Rushanara Ali MP, Shadow Education Minister

Rushanara Ali is the Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow, and is currently Shadow Minister for Education. She was elected in May 2010 with a majority of 11,574, having defeated George Galloway’s Respect Party. Her previous role was as Shadow Minister for International Development. As part of this role she was the Labour spokesperson on International Development matters for Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, climate change, conflict and stabilisation as well as gender equality. Prior to her election in May 2010, she was Associate Director of the Young Foundation. She previously worked at the Communities Directorate of the Home Office, leading a work programme in response to the 2001 disturbances in the North of England (2002-2005). Rushanara has worked on human rights issues at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2000-2001); as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research (1999-2002) and as Parliamentary Assistant for Oona King, former MP for Bethnal Green & Bow (1997-1999). She has also worked as the Research Assistant to Lord Young of Dartington (author of the 1945 Labour Party manifesto), helping him to set up Futureversity (formerly known as Tower Hamlets Summer University) and Language Line, a national telephone interpreting company.

David Wright, CEO, CHYPS

David has been Chief Executive of CHYPS since March 2010, prior to that he had been Principal Officer, Young People’s Services in Sandwell MBC for 10 years.

David began his career in 1981 in East London working residentially in both Forest Gate and Plaistow for a large voluntary organisation.  He moved into local government in Norwich, where he worked with a range of community and youth centres and projects, and developed their “Community Power” initiative in the late 1990’s. He then joined Sandwell MBC where he managed an ever-changing and diverse service that included Residential Education Centres, Healthy Schools and the Drugs Education and Treatment team (DECCA); this service won 2 national “Children & Young People Now” Awards.  .

David has been closely involved in the development of the Institute for Youth Work being a member of the Support and Challenge group and  chairing the Steering Group. David has overseen the development of the Young People’s Service’s VFM tool, and has engaged in initiatives through the  Youth Innovation Zones and the devlopment of new ways to deliver young people’s services.

Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society, Cabinet Office

Nick Hurd is the Member of Parliament of Ruislip Northwood Pinner and the Minister for Civil Society. He was elected in 2005. Nick represents the fourth successive generation of his family to serve as an MP. Before entering politics he developed a business career over 18 years which gave him the experience of running his own business and representing a British bank in Brazil (1995-1999). In Parliament his focus has been on social policy and the need for stronger communities and better protection of our natural resources. Nick was born in 1962 and is a graduate of Oxford University. He was married to Clare in 2010 and has two sons and two daughters from his previous marriage. He is also a Governor of Coteford Junior School.

Jon Coles, Chief Executive, United Learning

Since January 2012, Jon Coles has been Group Chief Executive of United Learning. Prior to this, he spent much of his career in the Department for Education, including four years on the Board as Director General for Schools and then Director General for Education Standards.  Previously, as Director of 14-19 Reform, he led work to raise participation post-16 and attainment at 19 and reduce NEET numbers.  As Director of London Challenge, Jon was responsible developing and implementing the strategy to improve secondary education in London, which also led to similar approaches in other parts of the country. In his career, Jon has been responsible for various Green and White Papers and for taking the 2002 Education Act through Parliament. A qualified secondary teacher, his previous jobs included implementing the infant class size pledge and, on secondment to the Cabinet Office, developing a strategy for e-government.

Brian Lightman, General Secretary,  ASCL

Brian Lightman became General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders on 1st September 2010. Brian was Headteacher of St Cyres School - a large, mixed 11-18 comprehensive in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan from 1999-2010. He taught Modern Foreign Languages for 16 years in three comprehensive schools in the South East of England before becoming Headteacher of Llantwit Major School in 1995. He was President of ASCL in 2008-9.  With his extensive experience as a teacher, school leader, external examiner, Estyn inspector and representative of school and college leaders. Brian is an acknowledged and high profile authority on the English and Welsh education systems.

Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for Skills and Enterprise: Joint, Department for Education and Business, Innovation & Skills

Matthew John David Hancock grew up in Cheshire. He attended Farndon County Primary School, West Cheshire College and The King's School, Chester. He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Exeter College, Oxford, and gained a Master's Degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge.

Matthew’s first job was with his family computer software business.  Later, he worked for five years as an economist at the Bank of England and in 2005 moved to work for the then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. He stepped down from his role with George Osborne in February 2010 after being selected as the Conservative candidate for West Suffolk for the 2010 general election. On winning the seat, Matthew was elected to the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises and questions the way that Government departments spend taxpayers’ money and the Committee on Standards and Privileges that adjudicates on MPs’ conduct.

In 2011, he co-authored 'Masters of Nothing' with fellow new MP Nadhim Zahawi. The book explores the human behaviour that caused the crash and the changes needed to ensure it doesn't happen again.

As part of his constituency duties, representing Newmarket, Matthew is a passionate supporter of the horseracing industry. In the summer of 2012, he took part in a charity horse race at Newmarket’s famous July Course. He crossed the line first, becoming the first sitting MP known to have won a horse race since the First World War.

In September 2012 Matthew was asked to become Minister for Skills, and stepped down from his Committee roles. As Skills Minister Matthew is responsible for Apprenticeships, sixth forms, and Further Education working across the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education. In October 2013 Matthew was asked to become the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, continuing his joint role driving up standards in skills and taking on responsibility for Enterprise.

Matthew is married to Martha, and has three young children. He is a keen cricketer, and former secretary of the Lords and Commons Cricket Club. In 2005, Matthew set out on foot to play the northernmost game of cricket on record at the north pole. He didn't make it to the pole, succumbing to frostbite on the Arctic Ocean, but he did succeed in playing the most northerly recorded game of cricket. He retains all of his fingers.

Helen Marshall, Chief Executive. Ambition

Helen has 20 years’ experience working at senior level in the private and public sectors. She specialises in social and economic regeneration, corporate social responsibility, grant fundraising and developing new business.  Helen started her career as director of Thomas Miller & Co, a mutual insurance company in the city of London. In 1997, she changed direction to work in the voluntary sector, becoming Head of Foyers at East Thames Group.  Eight years later, Helen set up a new charitable business unit for the organisation focused on social regeneration of local communities through employment and training opportunities. Before joining Ambition, Helen was a partner in Carter Marshall, a consultancy specialising in working with housing associations, contractors, charities and further education colleges.

Graham Parry – Youth, Employment & Skills Director, Groundwork, London

Graham has worked for Groundwork in the East Midlands, Greater Manchester and London for 18 years. He has developed and managed projects that assist long term unemployed people back into work.  A key component of this work has been in the establishment of Intermediate Labour Markets and jobs with Social Enterprises, particularly within the green sector. He was the winner of the ESF Sustainable Development Mainstreaming Leader Award, described how Groundwork has been at the forefront of sustainable development for many years, bringing together its environmental values with opportunities for disadvantaged local people and showing the potential for green led economic development. See the interview here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nv3FiBS--78

Kevin Ford, Director, FPM

Kevin, FPM's Chief Executive, is one of the UK's leading thinkers and writers on workforce and service development in the public and not for profit sectors. He has specialised in the development of inter-organisational relationships (networks, partnerships and federations), organisational change and development, governance and the involvement of users in decision making processes. Kevin is the author of over forty publications on management, governance and service delivery, including Leading and Managing Services for Young People (2005). He has been involved in the design of over 100 contextualised workforce development programmes. Kevin is leading FPM's work in relation to delivering public services via a mutual model. 

Rikki Garcia, Commissioning Manager, NCS Trust

Rikki Garcia is the Commissioning Manager for the NCS Trust (National Citizen Service). NCS provides life changing opportunities and is open to 16 and 17 year olds across England. It is a unique programme where participants build skills for work and life while taking on challenges and contributing to their community. Rikki joined the NCS Independent Management Body in August from One Housing Group, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational management of supported housing for young people for the largest developer of supported accommodation in the South East. Rikki qualified as a youth worker in 1998 having started as a volunteer youth worker in Kent a few years earlier. His first full time youth work role was managing a large youth and community centre in North Solihull. Rikki has also been an area youth worker in Somerset, a senior youth participation worker for City of Westminster and a Neighbourhood Youth Work Manager in Hackney, before becoming Head of Youth Service for the London Borough of Bromley. Rikki then went on to become programme manager at the GLA, overseeing the Mayor’s Youth Fund and assisting with London wide youth policy, before moving to One Housing Group and then onto the NCS Trust.