Paul Ormerod (Chair), Partner, Volterra

Paul was born and brought up in Rochdale. He is an economist and is currently an Honorary Professor in the Alliance Business School at the University of Manchester.  He was previously for a number of years a Visiting Professor in the Computer Science department at University College London.

In 2025 he was elected as one of the inaugural Fellows of the Royal Economic Society

Paul is also the Chair of Atom Valley Greater Manchester Mayoral Development Zone

He started his career as an academic but has spent most of it in the private sector as a consultant.

He has written four best-selling books on economics, Death of Economics, Butterfly Economics, Why Most Things Fail and Positive Linking.  The first sold over 1 million copies worldwide and Why Most Things Fail was a Business Week “US Business Book of the Year”.

He read economics at Cambridge and took the MPhil in economics at Oxford.  in 2009 he was awarded a DSc honoris causa by the University of Durham for “the distinction of your contributions to the discipline of economics”

Julia Heap OBE, Principal and Chief Executive, Hopwood Hall College & University Centre

Julia started her career as an apprentice, studying at a local further education college. She is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants and has worked in management and leadership roles across a number of large public sector organisations within Greater Manchester. 

As a resident of Rochdale, Julia Heap and her family are strongly rooted in both her surrounding community and the college itself. A trustee of Your Trust and Springhill Hospice, Julia is a passionate advocate for positively supporting both the borough and the Greater Manchester community as a whole.

 

Paul Simkiss, Owner, Simkiss Controls Limited

Paul grew up in Rochdale and started his career on a YTS scheme with Rochdale Training Association, he undertook an ONC in electrical engineering and went on to do HNC. He set up Simkiss Control Systems in his back bedroom in the 1990s.

The company designs, manufactures and installs electrical switchgear and control systems for industrial and utility businesses.  The business became incorporated in 1999. Paul is committed to the Rochdale area and bringing high quality, skilled manufacturing jobs back to the borough. The moto of his business is ‘Excellence in Engineering’.

The company has gone from strength to strength including achieving major partnership with Siemens and more than doubling the company’s turnover in the past decade.
The company is based at Stakehill, Middleton.

Steve Kuncewicz, Partner, Glaisyers

Steve has been a resident of Rochdale all his life. He attended Bury Grammar School, completed his undergraduate legal studies at the University of Sheffield and his postgraduate Legal Practice Course at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Steve is a practising solicitor, and leads Glaisyers’ Creative, Digital and Marketing Sector Group. He specialises in Intellectual Property, Media, Social Media, Marketing and Privacy Law with a nationally-recognised niche specialism in social media matters. He works mainly in the Media, Digital, Creative, Film, Television, Publishing, Advertising and PR sectors, and is regularly listed as a “Recommended Lawyer” in the Legal 500. He is also the head of our Creative, Digital & Marketing Department, co-founding the Bulletproof Agency Network to help businesses within the sector thrive against a changing commercial and regulatory landscape.

John Holden, Associate Vice-President Major Special Projects, University of Manchester

John is Associate Vice-President for Major Special Projects at the University of Manchester, with responsibility for developing new partnerships with public, private, and charitable organisations to attract national and international activities to the University and city region.

Prior to joining the University in 2020, John spent over 15 years working in economic and social policy in Greater Manchester. His career includes a significant period of time in senior strategy and research roles at the New Economy think tank, where his work included numerous projects promoting regional growth and prosperity.

He has worked as a special advisor on regional economic development to the UK’s Department for Business Innovation & Skills, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Commission.

 

Councillor Stephen Anstee

Steve was born in South Manchester and began his political career in 2015 in Trafford, where he represented Broadheath Ward and served as the Executive Member for Adult Social Care for two of his four years. In 2018, he moved to Heywood with his wife and family, her birthplace.

In May 2021, he was elected to the Rochdale Borough Council, representing the Bamford Ward. He is the Leader of the Conservative Group and Shadow Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Environment. Alongside his political role, he works as a Change Manager at a national bank, overseeing large-scale projects.

He is dedicated to local governance and actively addressing community needs through various council committee positions; recent achievements include infrastructure improvements and supporting local businesses. Looking forward, he aims to enhance the quality of council services whilst strengthening the Conservative presence across the Borough of Rochdale.

Councillor Daniel Meredith

Danny was raised in the Borough of Rochdale and was first elected to the Council in 2015 as a Labour & Cooperative Councillor for the Balderstone and Kirkholt Ward, and member of Rochdale South Township Committee. He has held a number of Cabinet roles and is currently the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Housing leading the Council’s work to tackle homelessness and deliver more affordable and social housing across the Borough. 

In his professional role he works as a NHS Emergency Care Nurse for the Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust.

Professor Abigail Gilmore

Abigail has been a key figure in Greater Manchester’s cultural and academic sector for many years. She is a Professor of Cultural Policy at the University of Manchester and a recent UKRI Policy Fellow for Cultural Placemaking with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Her work focuses on how culture, creativity and local governance support regeneration, economic development and community wellbeing. She has collaborated widely with non-academic partners including local authorities, cultural organisations and regional agencies, including her previous role as Director of the Northwest Culture Observatory.

Abigail is recognised nationally for her leadership in cultural strategy and evidence based policymaking, and her research continues to inform cultural development across Greater Manchester and the UK.