MEET THE BE INVOLVED TEAM

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ANTHONY WADDINGTON

Anthony has been the Business Broker and Programme Manager for Be Involved since the creation of the post in 2004. He has substantial experience of creating award winning community programmes with business. Over five years he has worked for the Chamber of Commerce, Bradford Vision and Business in the Community and has an excellent track record of partnership development and project delivery.

Anthony has a background in the private sector, having been the Marketing Manager for an organic dairy supplying six of the major multiples. Before coming to Bradford he ran the government funded Action Energy environmental advice services for small businesses across 13 South London boroughs.

Be Involved encourages its staff to undertake activity in the comunity. Anthony is a director of Scholemoor Beacon, BizFizz Local Management Group member for Horton Gateway, Member of the board at the Delius Centre and volunteers at Swain House Primary School.

Anthony Says...

“Bradford is a remarkable place with some extraordinary people working to improve the district. Over the past five years I have seen how business can play a key role in galvanising activity and be the catalyst that promotes positive change in our communities. Working in Bradford is challenging but the strength of the partnerships we have with the public, private and voluntary sector has made a real difference in the deprived communities in which we operate.”

 

MICHELLE PYMAN

Michelle is a recent addition to the Be Involved team and joins us as the Young Chamber Coordinator. In this role Michelle will be working with a number of secondary schools in the District to deliver the Young Chamber programme which supports young people to develop their own enterprise projects with help from business volunteers.

Michelle brings a wealth of experience of working with young people on a wide range of projects.

Michelle Says...

"Young Chamber is such a great initiative and I am passionate about supporting its development in the Bradford District. Young Chamber is run by young people for young people. Its representatives get to decide what enterprise activities their schools should have. Businesses get an opportunity to engage with schools whilst potentially shaping and developing the quality and aptitude of their future workforce. The project can add value to all involved and businesses will play a key role in its success."

 

 

CLAUDIA POWELL

Claudia is a qualified HR professional with a strong private sector background. She is employed by Be Involved as our Project Facilitator, a role that utilises her excellent track record in the delivery of projects in business and the voluntary sector.

Claudia has first hand experience of the staff development needs of businesses and has taken businesses through both Investors in People and ISO9000 accreditation. More recently she took on the development of the German Church into the Delius Arts & Cultural Centre in Bradford. This included founding a company limited by guarantee, developing a sustainable business plan and raising significant funding from various sources.

Claudia Says...

"Having worked as a volunteer on various projects in the UK, Israel and Germany for many years I really understand both sides of the equation – business benefits and community needs – and can help businesses and community organisations create outstanding projects."

 

PAUL KILGALLON

Paul Kilgallon is the newest addition to the team joining us as a Project Facilitator. He has a successful history of working in the public and voluntary sectors. Over the past three years Paul has developed successful partnerships with local people, elected members and services as part of his role at Bradford Council and Bradford Vision. He has also paid special attention to business engagement within this work.

Paul has been a volunteer for almost fifteen years at a number of organisations including MIND, Leonard Cheshire and Be Involved, so he had a good understanding of the needs of a volunteer!
 

Paul Says...

I have lived in Bradford for over ten years and found the city to be a warm and friendly place. I graduated here and spent six years as an aspiring musician afterwards. However, I had always wanted to be a civil servant of some sort and help change people's lives for the better. I am a great believer that this project is a way to achieve that dream.

 

 

GEMMA FIRTH

Gemma is the new Be Involved Project Coordinator, a position aptly described as the glue that holds the project together. Gemma is responsible for ensuring that be Involved projects are planned, scheduled and monitored effectively as well as working on communications to showcase the excellent work of our partners.

Gemma is an experienced project manager and joins us from Yorkshire Forward where she had a key role in the delivery of the Renaissance Towns programme.

Gemma Says...

"Be Involved is an excellent opportunity for businesses and individuals to make a huge difference to their local community. The team takes on a wide range of projects and its my role to make sure all these are monitored, communicated and well managed from inception to completion. "

 

SAM  SAXBY

 Sam is the Environmental Advisor within the team. She is a qualified environmental auditor and an active member of both the Institute of Environmental Managers and Assessors (IEMA) & the Chartered Institute of Waste Managers (CIWM). Sam provides advice on a variety of environmental topics, with a specific focus within Be Involved on Social Enterprises. She also provides support on waste reuse in partnership with Why Waste, and coordinates events and activities of the local Better Business Environment Forum (BBEF).

Previously to joining the Be Involved team, Sam has worked in a diverse variety of fields including representation, recruitment, education and business support.

Sam Says...

"Every organisation has different environmental challenges and different opportunities to make cost-effective environmental savings. I'm here to help local organisations solve their problems and make the most of their opportunities. There is a lot of excitement around everything "environment" at the moment, everyone is interested in making the most of resources to save money as well as the planet. My job is very challenging, but I wouldn't change it for the world - there are so many great people to work with in Bradford, genuine enthusiasm, professionalism and passion."

 

DENA HABASHI-AYUB

Dena is the newest member of our team who takes over responsibility of the Mentoring Programme. She graduated in Forensic and Medical Science from Bradford University and has built a formidable reputation in improving organisational efficiency and effectiveness within the Public Sector, Criminal Justice, Further Education and Local Government. She is a proactive and enthusiastic team player who works hard to ensure that targets are achieved and performance improved.

Dena Says...

"I am really looking forward to re-invigorating the Mentoring Programme and realising its potential as an award winning flagship programme for Bradford which inspires the confidence of the business community and leads to positive impacts on our wider society. This is a fantastic opportunity to assist prospective and established businessmen and women to encourage and stimulate business growth and ultimately the Bradford economy. Recognising the growing importance of localism this is an even more exciting challenge."