I’m pleased to introduce myself as the new Regional Director for the North Region, covering the North West, North East, and Yorkshire.
I join RIBA with over ten years of experience in the charity sector, most recently leading the national growth and community engagement strategy for Smart Works, a UK charity that supports unemployed women through clothing, coaching, and confidence-building.
In this role, I oversaw the expansion of regional centres across the UK using a federated structure. This involved strategic planning, identifying new opportunities, and working closely with managers and volunteers to support delivery on the ground.
A key focus of my work was developing strong relationships with regional stakeholders—chairs, trustees, volunteers, and local partners—to foster collaboration and bring a community presence. These experiences have given me a strong foundation in regional leadership and engagement, which I’m excited to bring into my role at RIBA.
I joined RIBA on 22 April and I’ve received an incredibly warm and supportive welcome from the Membership Experience UK team. Despite being based across England and Wales, the team is highly collaborative and works exceptionally well together to support members across the regions. I’ve also met with three Regional Chairs (Grace, Ben, and Ged) and look forward to connecting with the wider network in the coming weeks and months to shape priorities for the North.
Looking ahead, the focus of the RIBA North team is to strengthen member engagement, support and enable our networks and volunteers, and build on the fantastic work already happening across the North. We’ll be creating new opportunities for collaboration and learning through events, forums, building tours, and training. We’re also committed to celebrating the achievements of architects in the region through awards, exhibitions, and public programmes.
Alongside this, we’ll continue to build partnerships, revitalise local branches, and ensure the voice of our regions is heard in national discussions. I’m looking forward to meeting members across the regions and working together to build a strong and inclusive future for architecture in the North.
I hope to meet many of you soon, but in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to share any feedback or ideas with the RIBA North team: riba.northmember@riba.org
