People

BSc (Hons) Dip TP MPhil MRTPI

Study Director, Master-Coach, Economic Development Consultant, Facilitator and Programme Strategist, Appraiser and Evaluator.

Career History

Karl Dalgleish is a Chartered Town Planner with over 28 years’ experience in economic development in the public and private sector. Since 2011 he has been a director of Kada Research – a niche practice focusing on UK and International programme evaluation and strategy development and impact assessment. For seven years he was a director at ekosgen working on many economic strategies and evaluations for UK authorities and partnerships. Previously, as an Associate Director at ecorys, he worked on pan-EU assignments. He started his career as a researcher at Sheffield Hallam University at the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research.

Strengths

His particular strengths are in business improvement, enterprise, innovation and technology, low carbon and renewable energy, ICT and technology, health and housing, innovation, public policy and sectors/clusters. He has assessed many social, employment and skills programmes too and has expertise around social inclusion and culture. He has worked on the economic impact of economic shocks and recovery programmes.

Experience

He has worked extensively for the LEP network across England, UK governments and Government bodies and institutions. He has also worked for private and third sector clients and on urban and rural development. Karl has managed and directed many regional, UK and International assignments. He is a trustee of a homeless charity in Sheffield, the Cathedral Archer Project.

Skills

Karl’s skills include: facilitation and negotiation; coaching; qualitative and quantitative analysis; strategy and policy development; economic impact assessment; report writing, appraisal, and analysis; presentation; project management; business planning; managing and working to deadlines.

Outside of Work

Karl loves swimming and walking. He is married to Jan and has a daughter Keira and dog called George. He enjoys film, art, and travel.

Interesting Fact

Karl spent a year in Israel and Egypt starting on a Kibbutz.

Career History

Cassie joined KADA Research in 2022, bringing nearly 25 years of experience in economic development. She has worked in the public and private sectors to the role.

Having started her career with Sheffield Training and Enterprise Council, she moved to Sheffield Hallam University’s Business School, before joining the economic development consultancy, ekosgen.

She was later seconded to Sheffield City Council as Head of Economic Strategy and Marketing, before taking up an Associate Director role at AMION Consulting.

Strengths

Having worked on a variety of economic development and regeneration projects for clients including local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Universities, her work covers a wide range of economic development activities, including innovation and business growth, skills and employment, and physical regeneration and capital investment. The work she undertakes ranges from baseline analysis and research to strategy and action planning, project development and business case preparation and monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment.

Such studies have included developing economic baselines and providing regular economic intelligence and technical advice on job targets.

Experience

Cassie has extensive experience of reviewing the growth prospects of local economies, current performance and local intelligence, and a recent focus has been on developing funding bids and business cases, across a wide range of funding streams including Levelling Up Fund, Towns Fund, and the Future High Street Fund.

She is an experienced project manager, successfully ensuring projects are delivered on time, to budget and to meet the needs of clients in the public, private and third sectors.

Skills

Cassie has a degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in Economic Development and Policy from the University of Birmingham.

She has a background in economic data analysis and research and specialises in the development and evaluation of economic development strategies and projects at local, sub-regional and regional level.

With considerable experience in engaging stakeholders and consulting with a wide range of senior officers from both the public and private sector, Cassie is practised in identifying key messages and clearly communicating the implications of detailed data analysis to a range of audiences.

Outside of Work

Cassie lives in Sheffield with her husband and two teenage daughters. She enjoys reading and current affairs.

Interesting Fact

Cassie’s family acquired Stanley, a Jack Russell puppy, over the summer, so she is currently coming to terms with life as a dog-owner.

BSc (Hons) MSc

Study Director, Economic Development Consultant, Place-based Strategist, Sustainability and Innovation Researcher, Economic Analyst and Evaluator.

Career History

Sam Nair is a Director at Kada Research with over 12 years’ experience in urban, rural and regional policy, economic development, and sustainability research and consultancy. Prior to joining Kada Research Sam was Principal Consultant at Urban Foresight, where he worked for four years, leading on strategy development, futures reports, and business cases. His focus was on supporting places to develop the skills and infrastructure needed to benefit from global trends and technological change in an inclusive and sustainable way. Directly before Urban Foresight Sam worked for sustainability consultants epi, supporting global telecoms brands to embed sustainability in their supply chain. For three years as Senior Consultant at TBR Sam worked on sector studies, labour market analysis and evaluations for UK authorities and partnerships. Previously, as an economic analyst for the charity Sustrans, he worked on multi-year evaluations to report the economic, social and health impacts of infrastructure. Sam started his career in the policy and think-tank world with spells at Forum for the Future and Centre for Cities. Sam gained a BSc in Geography with Economics and an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning Studies, both from the London School of Economics (LSE).

Strengths

Sam leads Kada’s sustainability and net zero projects. His strengths are in applying a systems approach which understands the holistic nature of places and their economy, environment and people. He applies cross-sector learning and a multi-disciplined approach to economic strategy development, business improvement, enterprise, innovation and technology, corporate sustainability, sustainable development, net zero transition, and industry 4.0 and 5.0. A key strength is stakeholder engagement and recognising how qualitative insight can tell the story which data alone cannot.

Experience

He has worked extensively for national, regional and local government and private sector clients across the UK. He has developed successful concepts and funding bids for industrial innovation centres, developed net zero plans, and created tools to help public sector decision makers. Sam has worked on evaluations, sector mapping, and skills analysis in many niche sectors. He has engaged stakeholders ranging from presenting to and facilitating discussions with heads of global insurance companies at the Lloyd’s of London insurance market to running focus groups with primary school children in deprived communities, and all types of public and private sector organisations in-between in both rural and urban settings.

Sam has built sustainability reporting tools for global telecoms brands, and has helped value the impact of energy efficiency and biodiversity projects for Kada’s public sector clients.

Skills

Sam’s skills include: qualitative and quantitative analysis; strategy and policy development; economic impact assessment; environmental analysis, Green Book business cases, report writing; presentation; project management; business planning; managing and working to deadlines.

Outside of Work

Sam has a passion for sports, participating some and watching more. He enjoys visiting places, whether cycling in remote Northumberland, walking the centres of global mega-cities, or spending a weekend in less-visited English towns to watch football. At home, Sam battles for space on the sofa with two cats (if they aren’t watching the two guinea pigs) in order to read a spy-thriller or classic crime novel, when he should probably be tending to the allotment. All the above require a strong long black coffee.

Interesting Fact

Sam was captain of the London School of Economics table tennis team. Fluent in the lingua franca of the sport he has played matches in places ranging from Cotswold villages to Guangzhou in China.

Career History

Sabrina joined Kada Research in 2021 after completing her master’s degree in social research at the University of Sheffield. Sabrina works on a variety of projects for clients such as Local Authorities and academic organisations. She has experience in carrying out business support evaluations for Local Authorities, technology development evaluations and skills & employment research for academic organisations amongst others.

Key Strengths

Sabrina works effectively with clients to deliver robust pieces of research and programme evaluations. Her strengths are in reporting lessons and learning from evaluations and writing recommendations for future delivery.

Outside of work

Outside of work, Sabrina enjoys badminton, gardening and is always in the middle of a new sewing project.

Interesting fact

One summer during her travels – which included a jeep tour to a high-altitude valley in Northern Pakistan – Sabrina hiked the foothills of the Himalayas. Luckily, the only animal she encountered was a wild boar and not a leopard!

BA (Sociology), MA (Methods of Social Research), PhD.

Career History

Sophie joined Kada in October 2021, after completing her PhD at the Centre of Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR). Her PhD investigated the impacts of Universal Credit on health and wellbeing, emotions and the ‘self’ and adopted a longitudinal qualitative approach using in-depth interviews and participant solicited diaries. Sophie has also worked as an Associate Researcher at CRESR and Associate Lecturer and Sheffield Hallam University.

Sophie was promoted to Principal Researcher in February 2023.

Key Strengths

Sophie is an insightful researcher with excellent qualitative and project management skills, and as natural problems solver enjoys working on complex and challenging projects. During her time at Kada, she has worked with clients to deliver high-quality impactful reports including programme evaluations, recommendation reports, strategies, sector studies, and baseline evaluations. Sophie has strengths in interviewing stakeholders and people with lived experience, co-designing and delivering workshops, and analysing and synthesising complex information into accessible documents.

Sophie has experience of working across a range of areas including health and wellbeing, sustainability, innovation, and skills, education and employability. She has particular research interests in health and wellbeing, skills and inclusion, and projects which explore lived experiences of poverty and social security

Outside of Work

Sophie enjoys spending time with family and friends. She likes to explore new places; her last trip was to Budapest. Sophie loves reading, cooking, and making jams and chutneys.

Interesting Fact

Sophie likes to collect vintage homeware especially teapots.

BSc Geography

Career History

Jack joined KADA research in September 2021 from AVIVA having worked for 2 years as a health insurance claims consultant. Jack graduated from Sheffield Hallam in November 2019 with a first-class honours having completed his final year dissertation on the link between deprivation and crime using Birmingham as a case study and implementing GIS software to map the relation.

Strengths and Experience

Jack’s key strengths are in quantitative and qualitative research, GIS mapping and report writing. He has worked on a variety of economic development projects for clients including local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Universities. He has extensive experience of business support evaluations and impact pieces, having undertaken reviews of ERDF and CRF programmes and supporting the production of two UK Shared Prosperity Fund bids. Jack’s experience includes areas such as skills, employment, digital connectivity and inclusion, and ranges from baseline analysis and research to strategy and action planning.

Outside of Work

Outside of work Jack is an avid sports fan – primarily football and cricket – and is a passionate Newcastle United supporter. He also enjoys travelling and visited Iceland twice in the final two years of his degree.

Interesting Fact

Jack took part in a two-week volunteering expedition in Mexico that involved scuba diving and monitoring turtle numbers. Fortunately, he didn’t encounter any particularly unfriendly sea life with the exception of some venomous lionfish.

BA Economics and French

Career History

Bridget joined Kada Research at the start of September 2021, after graduating from the University of Sheffield with an Economics and French degree. During her studies, Bridget enjoyed modules on statistics, econometrics and mathematical methods for economics. In her final year, she completed an econometrics project using statistical software (STATA) to analyse data from the Land Registry as well as Household and SME finances at postcode level in order to look at the effect of the Help to Buy policy on property prices and mortgages across the UK.

Bridget was promoted to Research Manager in October 2022.

Key Strengths and Experience

Since joining Kada, Bridget has managed a number of evaluation projects and undertaken a range of impact studies and place-based plans. She regularly undertakes desk-based research and data analysis for labour market baseline studies. Bridget brings expertise in statistic and economic modelling, and in her role, regularly carriers out economic impact model assessments, contributing to business case work and evaluation studies.

As a linguist, Bridget is a confident and dependable communicator. She has considerable experience in stakeholder and beneficiary interviews and developing and managing online and in-person consultations.

Bridget has worked on projects for a variety of clients including local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships, Universities and private sector clients. She has contributed to projects across a number of different areas such as innovation and business growth, digital skills and enterprise and careers and employability interventions.

Outside of Work

Outside of work, Bridget loves both watching and playing sport especially cricket, netball and tennis. The summer before starting at Kada she worked at Wimbledon. Whilst at university she played for the Women’s Cricket Team, and she currently plays netball weekly for a team in Sheffield. She is also a keen musician and performer, and plays the piano, clarinet, ukulele, and sings. Bridget loves travelling and managed to do a great deal of it in Europe whilst on her year abroad which she spent in Bordeaux in the Southwest of France working as an English language assistant in two secondary schools.

Interesting fact

At university, Bridget performed in no less than two French plays!

MA (Politics), PGCE (History), MSC (Urban and Regional Planning – Distinction)

Career History

Having graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MA in Politics Pat started his career with the Co-operative Bank before embarking upon a thirteen-year teaching career. Initially teaching in Somerset he returning to Sheffield in 2013 to teach at All Saints School in Sheffield. During his time in education, he undertook a variety of different roles including Head of Department, Head of House, and Strategic Leader. In 2020 he embarked on a career change following up his passion for urban form, design, and social and economic planning. Graduating from the University of Sheffield in 2021, with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning Pat joined KADA in September 2021 as a consultant.

Strengths and Experience

Since starting at Kada Pat has developed specialisms in life science evaluation, place-based regeneration, and social value impact studies, working for a range of clients including the University of Cambridge and Sheffield Property Association. This experience compliments the strong understanding of housing, transport, and urban planning policy he developed during his Masters, and the understanding of UK governance and policy, skills, and education he developed whilst working in secondary schools. His dissertation was focused upon regional attempts to improve air quality through reduced car usage, with other research focused upon including housing affordability, spatial planning strategies, and urban regeneration.

Outside of Work

Pat enjoys spending time with his family. He has three young children and as a family they spend much of their time out in the Peak District walking, exploring, and cycling. He plays rugby for Sheffield Rugby Club, enjoys reading, sport, and cooking.

Interesting Fact

Pat was born with a hole in his lung and has an artificial skin graft on his chest.

Ed.D, MA

Career History

Strengths

Experience

Skills

Outside of Work

Interesting Fact

Sc (Hons) MSc PGDip

Economist, project and strategic advisor, mentor, researcher, and evaluator.

Career History

Costas Georgiou is an economy consultant with significant experience in economic research and European funding. He started work as a researcher for Milton Keynes Development Corporation working on building design and transport mobility. Costas has worked on major funding programmes, local strategy and master planning for Sheffield, Barnsley, and Rotherham local authorities. He was part of the lobby team that secured an £800m European programme for South Yorkshire and was the evaluation manager during its eight-year delivery. He ran Local Economy Matters, a consultancy specialising in evaluation, socio-economic assessments, and funding applications. Having worked as a Kada associate for many years, Costas joined the firm in January 2019.

Strengths

Costas’ key strengths are in managing evaluations on business support and infrastructure projects; conducting impact assessments, socio-economic analysis, and primary research for area-based local economies; and has expertise in strategic planning and funding bids for public, private and third sector initiatives.

Experience

Costas has substantial experience in European Union Cohesion Policy for sector-based funding such as RECHAR and RESIDER; European regional place-based policy for Objective One and Objective 2; and under the PHARE programme, providing advice in Hungary and Bulgaria on EU practices. He worked 11 years on helping to prepare, negotiate, design, and deliver one of the UK’s largest European programmes, South Yorkshire Objective 1. Costas has been deputy manager on a community initiative for the long-term unemployed; principal researcher at Sheffield City Council; equality lecturer; and head of strategy at Sheffield City Region. For eight years he ran his own economic consultancy mainly working for local authorities, universities and third sector clients.

Skills

Costas has an eye for detail with skills in project management; policy and strategic development; research methods and analysis; impact assessment; management of external consultants and human resources; report writing, and funding applications.

Outside of Work

Costas says he is less interesting than his friends and family but enjoys travelling, photography, and reading, and likes to walk and cycle in the Peak District but now does it over shorter distances than before.

Interesting Fact

Costas once owned a family of unsociable alpacas.

Career History

Louis joined KADA in September 2023 after completing his Geography and Planning undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield. He has gained experience in survey design, desk reviews, conducting analysis and economic recovery programmes and evaluations from his short time with us.

Key Strengths & Experience

Louis brings skills in interviewing, data analysis and qualitative and quantitative research to the team, developed through his university dissertation on the North-South divide. And in the brief period since joining KADA, he has already been involved in several of our projects.

Outside of Work

Louis is a keen traveller, from walking across the North Yorkshire Moors and around the UK, to exploring Europe through Italy and Monaco.

He is a big UFC and football supporter and likes to attend music concerts on his travels around the UK.

Interesting Fact

On two separate occasions when abroad in Italy, Louis has encountered natural disasters, including a tornado and wildfire.

Career History

Emily joined KADA in September 2023 after completing her Education and Psychology postgraduate degree at the University of Sheffield and having achieved her BA in Sociology.

During her studies she volunteered as a tutor, helping those students most affected by the COVID school closures and acting as a mentor to help them adjust in their first years.

Since joining KADA Emily has worked on a number of projects in the creative and cultural sector, drawing on her experience of delivering survey and database management, desk-based research and proof-reading and editing.

Key Strengths & Experience

During her time at the University of Sheffield Emily helped to pioneer Alumni Talks – a programme where students get to attend talks and Q&As with successful alumni. These sessions aimed to increase student’s confidence when looking for work after graduation.

She has a wealth of experience in content and narrative analysis from her studies on the themes of moral panic and childhood, which formed part of her dissertation.

As part of her postgraduate dissertation on attitudes and experiences regarding anxiety disorders in young people, she was also able to familiarise herself with qualitative and quantitative research and survey design, and with how to conduct in-depth interviews.

Outside of Work

Emily loves to socialise with friends in her spare time. She is also a keen foodie and enjoys trying out new recipes at home as well as finding new restaurants to go out to.

She regularly travels out into the Peak District to explore the local wildlife through hiking and taking photographs.

Interesting Fact

Recently, Emily purposefully spent three nights in a haunted hotel.

Career History

Amy joined the KADA Research team as Office Manager in May 2023, having spent more than six years working as an office coordinator, safety advisor and workplace facilities manager.

She brings with her a wealth of experience overseeing the day-to-day running of an office, previously working at Arup alongside the Sheffield Senior Leadership team and the international Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ) UK, India, Middle East and Africa (UKIMEA) team.

Key Strengths & Experience

Amy’s key strengths lie in her ability to take an involved approach to her role to make sure she understands the needs of the office, and more importantly the people she supports.

Having previously worked as a safety advisor Amy also used lockdown to complete her IOSH Level 3, utilising her new skills to safely plan the reopening of the office for 180 members of staff, and ensuring all covid safety regulations were met.

She joins KADA Research having been inspired by the team’s passion for the work that they do. In her role as Office Manager, she hopes to provide day to day support to allow the Consultants and Researchers to focus their efforts on their clients and projects.

Outside of Work

Outside of work Amy is a fan of the outdoors and loves going for regular walks.

She also loves nothing more than spending time at home with her three children and other family and friends.

Interesting Fact

In addition to enjoying regular walks in and around Sheffield, last year Amy took on the challenge of Mount Snowden. She has officially caught the bug and now plans to tick more mountains off her list!

BSc (Hons) Dip TP MPhil MRTPI

Study Director, Master-Coach, Economic Development Consultant, Facilitator and Programme Strategist, Appraiser and Evaluator.

Career History

Karl Dalgleish is a Chartered Town Planner with over 28 years’ experience in economic development in the public and private sector. Since 2011 he has been a director of Kada Research – a niche practice focusing on UK and International programme evaluation and strategy development and impact assessment. For seven years he was a director at ekosgen working on many economic strategies and evaluations for UK authorities and partnerships. Previously, as an Associate Director at ecorys, he worked on pan-EU assignments. He started his career as a researcher at Sheffield Hallam University at the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research.

Strengths

His particular strengths are in business improvement, enterprise, innovation and technology, low carbon and renewable energy, ICT and technology, health and housing, innovation, public policy and sectors/clusters. He has assessed many social, employment and skills programmes too and has expertise around social inclusion and culture. He has worked on the economic impact of economic shocks and recovery programmes.

Experience

He has worked extensively for the LEP network across England, UK governments and Government bodies and institutions. He has also worked for private and third sector clients and on urban and rural development. Karl has managed and directed many regional, UK and International assignments. He is a trustee of a homeless charity in Sheffield, the Cathedral Archer Project.

Skills

Karl’s skills include: facilitation and negotiation; coaching; qualitative and quantitative analysis; strategy and policy development; economic impact assessment; report writing, appraisal, and analysis; presentation; project management; business planning; managing and working to deadlines.

Outside of Work

Karl loves swimming and walking. He is married to Jan and has a daughter Keira and dog called George. He enjoys film, art, and travel.

Interesting Fact

Karl spent a year in Israel and Egypt starting on a Kibbutz.

Career History

Cassie joined KADA Research in 2022, bringing nearly 25 years of experience in economic development. She has worked in the public and private sectors to the role.

Having started her career with Sheffield Training and Enterprise Council, she moved to Sheffield Hallam University’s Business School, before joining the economic development consultancy, ekosgen.

She was later seconded to Sheffield City Council as Head of Economic Strategy and Marketing, before taking up an Associate Director role at AMION Consulting.

Strengths

Having worked on a variety of economic development and regeneration projects for clients including local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Universities, her work covers a wide range of economic development activities, including innovation and business growth, skills and employment, and physical regeneration and capital investment. The work she undertakes ranges from baseline analysis and research to strategy and action planning, project development and business case preparation and monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment.

Such studies have included developing economic baselines and providing regular economic intelligence and technical advice on job targets.

Experience

Cassie has extensive experience of reviewing the growth prospects of local economies, current performance and local intelligence, and a recent focus has been on developing funding bids and business cases, across a wide range of funding streams including Levelling Up Fund, Towns Fund, and the Future High Street Fund.

She is an experienced project manager, successfully ensuring projects are delivered on time, to budget and to meet the needs of clients in the public, private and third sectors.

Skills

Cassie has a degree in Economics from the University of Sheffield and an MSc in Economic Development and Policy from the University of Birmingham.

She has a background in economic data analysis and research and specialises in the development and evaluation of economic development strategies and projects at local, sub-regional and regional level.

With considerable experience in engaging stakeholders and consulting with a wide range of senior officers from both the public and private sector, Cassie is practised in identifying key messages and clearly communicating the implications of detailed data analysis to a range of audiences.

Outside of Work

Cassie lives in Sheffield with her husband and two teenage daughters. She enjoys reading and current affairs.

Interesting Fact

Cassie’s family acquired Stanley, a Jack Russell puppy, over the summer, so she is currently coming to terms with life as a dog-owner.

BSc (Hons) MSc

Study Director, Economic Development Consultant, Place-based Strategist, Sustainability and Innovation Researcher, Economic Analyst and Evaluator.

Career History

Sam Nair is a Director at Kada Research with over 12 years’ experience in urban, rural and regional policy, economic development, and sustainability research and consultancy. Prior to joining Kada Research Sam was Principal Consultant at Urban Foresight, where he worked for four years, leading on strategy development, futures reports, and business cases. His focus was on supporting places to develop the skills and infrastructure needed to benefit from global trends and technological change in an inclusive and sustainable way. Directly before Urban Foresight Sam worked for sustainability consultants epi, supporting global telecoms brands to embed sustainability in their supply chain. For three years as Senior Consultant at TBR Sam worked on sector studies, labour market analysis and evaluations for UK authorities and partnerships. Previously, as an economic analyst for the charity Sustrans, he worked on multi-year evaluations to report the economic, social and health impacts of infrastructure. Sam started his career in the policy and think-tank world with spells at Forum for the Future and Centre for Cities. Sam gained a BSc in Geography with Economics and an MSc in Regional and Urban Planning Studies, both from the London School of Economics (LSE).

Strengths

Sam leads Kada’s sustainability and net zero projects. His strengths are in applying a systems approach which understands the holistic nature of places and their economy, environment and people. He applies cross-sector learning and a multi-disciplined approach to economic strategy development, business improvement, enterprise, innovation and technology, corporate sustainability, sustainable development, net zero transition, and industry 4.0 and 5.0. A key strength is stakeholder engagement and recognising how qualitative insight can tell the story which data alone cannot.

Experience

He has worked extensively for national, regional and local government and private sector clients across the UK. He has developed successful concepts and funding bids for industrial innovation centres, developed net zero plans, and created tools to help public sector decision makers. Sam has worked on evaluations, sector mapping, and skills analysis in many niche sectors. He has engaged stakeholders ranging from presenting to and facilitating discussions with heads of global insurance companies at the Lloyd’s of London insurance market to running focus groups with primary school children in deprived communities, and all types of public and private sector organisations in-between in both rural and urban settings.

Sam has built sustainability reporting tools for global telecoms brands, and has helped value the impact of energy efficiency and biodiversity projects for Kada’s public sector clients.

Skills

Sam’s skills include: qualitative and quantitative analysis; strategy and policy development; economic impact assessment; environmental analysis, Green Book business cases, report writing; presentation; project management; business planning; managing and working to deadlines.

Outside of Work

Sam has a passion for sports, participating some and watching more. He enjoys visiting places, whether cycling in remote Northumberland, walking the centres of global mega-cities, or spending a weekend in less-visited English towns to watch football. At home, Sam battles for space on the sofa with two cats (if they aren’t watching the two guinea pigs) in order to read a spy-thriller or classic crime novel, when he should probably be tending to the allotment. All the above require a strong long black coffee.

Interesting Fact

Sam was captain of the London School of Economics table tennis team. Fluent in the lingua franca of the sport he has played matches in places ranging from Cotswold villages to Guangzhou in China.

Career History

During the past 25 years Colin has worked with, coached, facilitated and served as a change catalyst to companies, management teams and leaders throughout the World. He has worked extensively in China, South Africa, USA, Mainland Europe and Scandinavia, oh and every corner of the UK.

He specialises in helping professional services firms (consultancies) accelerate their business growth and has worked with over 100. He brings all that experience to his role as KADA’s Board Chair.

Interesting Fact

Colin lives in Torrance, a small village just outside Glasgow. He is married to Irene, has a son Mark,and grandson Aaron. He is passionate golfer who rarely finds the time to play.

Surriya has been involved in PR & Communications all of her working life first in London and then in the Sheffield area representing clients all over the UK and more recently companies who are investing in SY Region. She has been involved in major regeneration and redevelopment projects and in supporting cultural activities and organisations as they recover from the fall out of the pandemic – working to link productively with public and private sectors to drive economic growth and wellbeing.

She is excited to join the Kada board supporting the significant contribution to the essential planning and review stage of public and private sector agendas such as Levelling Up.

Career History

Rachel joined the Kada Research Board of Directors in March 2022, bringing with her a wealth of experience having set up, run and developed a small business of her own

The Managing Director of the grants and tenders’ consultancy FCS Associates, which she founded in 2004, Rachel provides a unique insight into the business support and contract delivery needs of SMEs, charities and the public sector alike.

Working alongside clients including Sheffield and Barnsley Councils and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, she has helped to secure funding ranging from £100 – £2m, and everything in between.

While FCS is a commercially minded organisation, it is also a family-run business and Rachel and the team work to similar ethical, governance and social (ESG) values as Kada.

This year they are providing bid writing services pro-bono for the United Women’s Association in Sheffield – a charity that is dedicated to empowering women, young mothers, single fathers and young people to reach their full potential, particularly within underprivileged communities.

Rachel’s experience means she has an in depth understanding and interest in the changing policy, economic and funding landscape, meaning she is a valued sounding board for her fellow Kada Board members when it comes to devising future growth strategies.

Outside of work

A mum to 18-year-old twins, outside of work Rachel enjoys running, yoga and genealogy… when she gets the chance.

Interesting Fact

Although she’s still not entirely sure what they are, Rachel’s ancestors were once Iron Puddlers*, amongst other things, including miners and chimney sweeps!

*An iron puddler was a worker in iron manufacturing who specialized in puddling, an improved process to convert pig iron into wrought iron.

Outside of Work

Interesting Fact

Jan once spent an evening lost in Hanoi looking for her hotel on a tuk-tuk!