Social Value Commission Thames Freeport

Alison Charles is Interim Chair of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Essex and founder of Real Resilience, where she’s known as The Leadership Liberator, helping service-sector founders and senior leaders who are doing too much and getting too little back to build the leadership strength, structure, and space to grow again.

A former corporate transformation specialist and Army-trained leader, Alison’s career has spanned Shell, Hambros Bank and global training consultancies before founding two successful businesses: Real Resilience, which partners with scale-up firms to develop authentic, empowered leadership cultures, and Wellbeing for Life, where she helps professionals overcome stress and burnout through somatic and neuroscience-based techniques.

Her work blends boardroom strategy, behavioural science and embodied resilience, challenging traditional notions of leadership and wellbeing. At the IoD, Alison champions innovation, inclusion and sustainable business growth across Essex and the East of England, curating events that connect bold thinkers, drive collaboration and inspire leaders to rise beyond resilience.

Andrew was appointed Chief Executive of London Borough of Havering in 2016, having joined in 2009. He has led major transformation, culture change, and partnerships. A qualified accountant with 30+ years in local government, Andrew also leads on health and social care for Havering, North East London, and London Councils.

Anthony is Director of Strategic Engagement at Ufi VocTech Trust, leading its partnership, grants, and public affairs teams, and developing high-level relationships and initiatives to support its mission and long-term goals.

Anthony has a background in research, policy and social innovation work spanning learning and skills, economic security, institutional change, future of work, public service reform, political identity and change, and economic policy.

Prior to joining Ufi, Anthony was Director of Policy and External Affairs at the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Chief Research & Impact Officer at the RSA where he led social and policy impact programmes from 2016 to 2022.

This work included the Ufi-supported Cities of Learning programme, a precursor to Ufi’s ongoing strategic partnership with the RSA.

Dave Smith is a career public servant. He has been a Chief Executive in local authorities since 2005. He is currently Thurrock Council’s Managing Director Commissioner, appointed by the Secretary of State MHCLG, to support the improvement and recovery programme as part of the government’s intervention in the council. He has been in this role since March 2023. Prior to this Dave was the Chief Executive of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for six years having supported authorities in South Yorkshire to establish the Mayoral Combined Authority and worked with the first mayor for the region through his first term in office.

Dave has an academic background in economics and social psychology.

Fiona is the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham’s Chief Executive, a position she has held since May 2022.

She is Barking & Dagenham’s principal advisor on governance and advises the Leader, Cabinet, Chief Officers and Council Committees on strategy, policy and regulatory matters.

Fiona is a solicitor and has over 30 years local government experience working for several local authorities. Prior to her current role she was the council’s Director of Law & Governance and held the statutory position of Monitoring Officer for over 10 years.

A key focus of her role has been partnership working. Convening and influencing beyond her organisation working with the voluntary sector, statutory organisations and private business.

James is an experienced polling expert working on dozens of political and corporate campaigns across the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and the Republic of Ireland over the past decade and a half. His main topic of expertise is ‘geo-demographics’ and what drives people to vote, and take political action. He is best known for his work in the seat identification, political hypothesis and naming of the ‘Red Wall’ – prior to the UK 2019 election. He is currently Chief Research Officer of Britain’s fastest growing polling firm Focaldata. He is a regular columnist for the Times on social and cultural trends and an Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for Public Policy.

Katie Kelly is the Chair of New Local, an independent think tank and network of public sector bodies with a mission to transform public services and unlock community power. She is an affiliate at Nurture Development, a solace associate, executive coach, mentor and strategic advisor. She is the former Deputy Chief Executive with East Ayrshire Council where she developed and led the unique and nationally acclaimed Vibrant Communities approach. She has recently retired following an incredible career of over 30 years in the public, health and communities’ sectors.

Across the UK Katie is an outspoken champion for community power, servant leadership, community wealth building and public service transformation, and is a regular contributor and panel member at national conferences. Katie has been a member of a number of expert advisory groups including health inequalities, violence against women and girls, people and place, gambling harm and the local news commission.

Focused on ensuring that opportunities are created for all in a connected, international, rapidly transforming city, Patrick is driven to deliver high-quality services and world-class infrastructure enabling residents to live healthy, happy and financially independent lives, alongside creating the conditions for business to thrive.

Patrick’s current priorities include the major regeneration of the city centre, securing significant private sector investment to deliver ambitious plans at pace, including the Riverside Sunderland development, described as the UK’s most exciting regeneration project.

Patrick has also led on the successful development of a trailblazer devolution deal for the North East including the creation of the International Advanced Manufacturing Strategic Site, and support to progress Crown Works Studios with the potential to establish Sunderland as one of Europe’s largest film and high-end TV production locations creating over 8,000 jobs and a £336m per year boost to the regional economy.

Based on the commitment that no one and no place will be left behind, Patrick has forged ground-breaking strategic partnerships to establish Sunderland as one of the UK’s smartest cities, leading the way in digital innovation to deploy next generation technologies for living, learning, working, culture, travel and all aspects of city life.

Patrick was awarded an OBE for services to local government in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list and is a member and chair of a number of national and regional boards that share his commitment to support people and communities to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

Rob is an entrepreneur and founded businesses in the health and technology sectors using innovative and disruptive technology to develop new markets. He continues to have a strong interest in new technology. He has invested in new tech companies and taken a number of senior business roles that are in areas of interest, but particularly in new breakthrough technologies and products.

Rob is chairman of WheelPower a charity supporting disabled people into sport and owners of the home of the Paralympics at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, also the National Centre for Disability Sport. He was an MP and Minister and has published two books ‘5 Days to Power’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’.

Sally has been a senior leader in schools and colleges for the past forty years. She has led two successful, innovative colleges – Milton Keynes (1996-2003) and Activate Learning (2003-2022). While at Activate Learning, she and her team transformed a medium-sized failing institution into a high-quality, financially strong group of seven innovative colleges across three counties, three training providers, six schools and international work with a turnover of 150 million pounds. Sally’s key interest is in creating learning organisations where people develop both their emotional and thinking capabilities. To this end, she developed a Learning Philosophy which became the cultural heart at Activate Learning.

Since leaving Activate Learning in April 2022, she has held a portfolio career working in the private, public, and charity sectors. She chairs three boards: helping parents learn, sexual and mental health, and a group of FE colleges. Is a trustee on two University boards. She is an executive coach, designs and runs leadership training, and sits on a range of boards as a trustee. She is involved in an innovative start-up focused on gaming and learning.

She is a keen advocate for vocational education and was President of the Association of Colleges from July 2020 to October 2022. Sally was awarded the CBE in the Queen’s birthday Honours in 2013 and a DBE in the King’s New Year Honours List in January 2023 for her work in education.