Staff

Paul Hammond BA (Hons), Dip Employment and Planning

Paul Hammond is Meridienpure's Managing Director. He is an experienced economic development executive, policy analyst and project manager with over 20 years experience as a regeneration practitioner and consultant. Paul Hammond has researched, designed and evaluated regeneration programmes across Europe and he is the author of several good practice guides to economic development including the former DfEE's "International Ideas and Innovation: Promoting Best Practice in Local Economic Development," the Rural Supplement of the European Commission's "Employment Action Practical Manual," and a "Good Practice Guide to the Local Recruitment and Retention Process" for New East Manchester URC and English Partnerships. He has also presented policy and research papers on a variety of topics including industrial restructuring in Europe's textile and clothing regions, neighbourhood management and youth disaffection across the UK.

Paul is a native of Liverpool and he was educated at the University of Manchester and Middlesex Polytechnic. His career has included time as an academic research assistant, local government officer and international economic regeneration consultant. Previous employers have included the University of Manchester, Greater London Council, Greater Manchester Economic Development Corporation and Lancashire Enterprises. He has managed economic regeneration programmes including a £1.5m business grants programme and he has delivered consultancy assignments valued at over Euro2.5m.

Paul Hammond joined Meridienpure in 1993 and was appointed Managing Director in 1997. Since that time he has led the establishment of the business as a recognised brand in the economic regeneration market and grown sales and the client base across the UK year-on-year. Paul led the management buyout of the business in 1999-2000.

Professor Glyn Owen

Professor Glyn Owen is a professional economist, and an associate director of Meridienpure. He is a native of Mirfield, West Yorkshire and was educated at Sheffield University and he still lives in the City. From 1987 to 1998 he was director of the Policy Research Centre at Sheffield Business School. He specialised in economic, enterprise, labour market and regional policy formulation and evaluation. Prior to that he worked for other universities, the European Commission (DGIV), and private companies including, most recently, as head of policy and research at Kelda plc (Yorkshire Water). He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Lincoln.

Glyn has worked recently with strategic partnerships in Lincolnshire, Sheffield, Knowsley, Wales and elsewhere, on clusters policy for Yorkshire Forward and on impact methodology for the University for Industry where he is a retained consultant. He has particular expertise in inward investment. Whilst at Kelda, he was heavily involved in large overseas (US) and domestic investment projects undertaken by the company. He previously sat on the board of Sheffield First for Investment, established to promote inward investment projects in that city, and in that capacity he has been involved in major projects by Boeing, Dixons, Capital One and others. This experience on both sides of the inward investment 'fence' means that Glyn has an accurate and up to date perception of the needs of inward investors in both manufacturing and services.

Glyn Owen drafted much of "Renewing the Regions" (1996), the report of the Millan Commission established by John Prescott, which forms the basis of current English regional policy. Key projects with which Glyn has been involved include a review of City Centre Labour Market Information and Trends for Liverpool City Council, a Sector Study on Space/Aerospace for East Midlands Regional Development Agency and sub-regional partnership facilitation in Lincolnshire. Glyn was a key member of our team responsible for developing the Flintshire Economic Development Strategy. Most recently Glyn has led our work with East Midlands Regional Assembly on their scrutiny of emda's inward investment performance.

Julie Betteridge, Bachelor of Technology, MSc

Julie Betteridge was born in Sussex but left the South of England to pursue her education and career in Bradford, Tyneside and latterly Rochdale. Julie's career spans both the private, voluntary and public sectors. She joined Meridienpure from Rochdale MBC where she was Head of Regeneration with senior management responsibility for the implementation of the Borough Partnership's Regeneration and Economic Development Strategy. Her achievements in this position included the development of local employment pacts relating to large inward investment projects for the Borough and the development of numerous social enterprises. Prior to this Julie was Director of STRIDE (South Tyneside Resource for Initiating Development of the Economy). STRIDE exists to provide a focal point and capacity development for the voluntary and community sector in regeneration in South Tyneside. For Meridienpure Julie leads on our work with local and neighbourhood economic issues with specific reference to the interface between regeneration and local communities. She is currently assisting the partners in South Yorkshire with the management and implementation of the Home Office's Change Up Investment Plan. Julie's specialisms include business support and social enterprise, business planning and organisational development.

Nick Clay BA (Hons), MSc, PgDip (Urban Regeneration)

Born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and educated in Manchester at the Metropolitan University and later at Sheffield Hallam, Nick Clay has broad experience of economic and social renewal and regeneration projects throughout England and Wales. He has worked for Lancashire Enterprises (as a consultant), Sheffield Hallam (as an academic researcher) and he spent almost two years running his own consultancy practise.

Nick Clay is a Senior Consultant with Meridienpure. He joined the company in 1999 after three years working for the Policy Research Centre and the Enterprise Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, where projects included work on the identification of high growth firms, labour market analysis and work undertaken on behalf of the Coalfields Task Force. Nick has experience of using a variety of both uni- and multivariate techniques in analysing surveys and led our work on the baseline study for both Bradford New Deal for Communities and Kingston-upon-Hull's Priority 3 framework studies. He provides the desk research and economic analysis to inform the numerous studies and economic development strategies formulated by Meridienpure.

Sean Brady BA, MA (Political Economy)

Sean Brady has 13 years' experience of developing, implementing, appraising and evaluating a wide range of community regeneration projects, programmes and initiatives. He has worked within the higher education, voluntary and statutory sectors, on issues as diverse as organisational review, policy research, customer focused delivery, project management, general management systems and analysis of need and demands. Sean was Barnsley Council's lead officer for Neighbourhood Renewal and third sector development, work which included setting a framework for the development of community enterprises and the provision of income generating assets by community partnerships. Sean has given seminars on neighbourhood renewal issues to the Local Government Association and Development Trusts Association.

Sean is currently undertaking an evaluation of community led 'local delivery units' in Royston, South Yorkshire and he is providing advice to the Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning on the development of community enterprises in ICT. He has developed the community enterprise focused and community led Integrated Development Plan for Beighton in Sheffield. Sean worked on Neighbourhood Renewal work in Stoke, Wirral, Bradford and Doncaster and developed the Neighbourhood Management Pathfinders for Barnsley and Rotherham. He recently worked on a review of Labour Market Intermediaries for Rochdale Borough Economic Partnership and in Tameside he is assisting a registered social landlord with a strategy to increase and enhance community participation in their work.

Andy Logan, BA (Hons)

Andy Logan is a researcher with Meridienpure. He was educated at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne where he majored in human geography and regeneration. For Meridienpure Andy provides economic and social research support for the majority of our assignments. He has provided the desk research elements for a major SRB evaluation in Leicester, including a review of local business support, and he has contributed data to our preparation of a business plan for the Blyth Valley Action Team for Jobs. He has recently completed research assignments related to Intermediate Labour Markets, Community Engagement and Tenant participation. Andy is currently undertaking desk research covering SRBs in Leicestershire and Rotherham. He was part of our neighbourhood management team in Tendring and he has interviewed business start-ups in North Staffordshire to take their views on the quality of their Business Link experience. In Leeds Andy was a vital part of our team that recently completed a major skills audit (based upon a household survey and focus groups) in three of the City's most deprived areas.

Nikola Abbi BSc(Hons) Geography

Nikola Abbi joined Meridienpure from Shepway District Council where she worked as a Partnership and Regeneration Officer. Her primary responsibility was to develop and implement a voluntary and community sector compact for the District. She also represented the local authority on a number of Steering Groups linked to the Shepway LSP and was the lead officer in the preparation of the LSP's Community Plan. For Meridienpure Nikola has undertaken a wide range of research and evaluation assignments. She has been trained to use Nomis and has an extensive knowledge of regeneration websites. She is able to identify, collect, collate and analyse economic and social research information and contributes to the preparation and presentation of written project results to clients. She brings to the team the ability to speak Punjabi and is able to deliver focus groups, conduct interviews and consultations.

Rhian Stratton, BA (Hons) Environment and Planning

Rhian Stratton supports the team through her assistance with the generation and delivery of consultancy assignments. Her role includes identifying, collecting, collating and analysing economic and social research information. Since joining the Meridienpure team, Rhian has contributed to a number of projects, adding to her academic knowledge of local economic issues. Rhian is a native of Wales and a fluent Welsh speaker. She was educated at the University of Liverpool where she studied urban and rural regeneration, GIS, social exclusion, property development and management and urban design. Prior to joining Meridienpure, Rhian worked successfully in the private sector where she gained invaluable experience and developed her inter-personal skills. In her previous employment she worked on new developments and was most successful in the roll out of a number of new initiatives.

Louise Cooper

Louise Cooper is a researcher with Meridienpure. Educated at Manchester Metropolitan University, Louise has joined Meridienpure from Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council where she was responsible for Management Information with particular reference to the financial standing of training providers, including colleges. Louise played a central role in our review of skill shortages among Merseyside's chefs and she is currently working on the response to the Local Area Agreement Block 4 proposals in Blackpool.