The Unlikely Executive

Chief Arcadian. People Champion. Passionate about sustainable transformation and finding solutions to global challenges. Playing his part in helping to preserve the planet and improve quality of life.

Alan was born in Chester in the United Kingdom. He has lived and worked abroad in Asia, but home now is in Warrington, just over half an hour away from where he grew up. He’s married to Tracy and has four children – who are now (young) adults – and is a ‘retired’ amateur singer and lover of all kinds of music.

Alan was appointed Chief Executive...

For more information, please visit:

Company Website: https://careerready.org.uk/

Guest's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-spackman-3bb19a82/?originalSubdomain=uk

barbra@gleecoaching.com | www.gleecoaching.co.uk | (17) Barbra Carlisle (FCIPD) | LinkedIn

If you found this episode of The Unlikely Executive helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple, Spotify or Amazon.

Subscribe now to start your journey of discovery, and together, let’s build a better future—one purposeful step at a time. 

Visit www.gleecoaching.com to learn...

Appointed as Chief Executive, Liz Mayes brings dynamic leadership and a forward-thinking perspective to Connect Northumberland. Her extensive experience in industry and regional development positions her well to drive the organisation's strategic vision. Liz's passion for diversity and equality of opportunity is set to elevate Connect Northumberland's impact, ensuring it continues to address the evolving needs of the county.

For more information, please visit:

Company Website: https://www.connectnorthumberland.org/

barbra@gleecoaching.com | www.gleecoaching.co.uk | (17) Barbra Carlisle (FCIPD) | LinkedIn

If you found...

For more information, please visit:

Company Website: https://www.harrogategroup.co.uk/

Guest's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-wright-bb024516a/

barbra@gleecoaching.com | www.gleecoaching.co.uk | (17) Barbra Carlisle (FCIPD) | LinkedIn

If you found this episode of The Unlikely Executive helpful, please do rate and review it on Apple, Spotify or Amazon.

Subscribe now to start your journey of discovery, and together, let’s build a better future—one purposeful step at a time. 

Visit www.gleecoaching.com to...

Eric is a man on a mission. Having lived in the UK since 2011 he has seen the effects of 'left behind towns' those places once celebrated now forgotten. An academic and a place maker Eric is committed to making universities and places better through research, engagement and teaching. Specialist knowledge in left-behind places, civic engagement, 'third mission', impact, and academia as a profession linked to a wider system of professions.

With over 35 years of experience in Financial Services including Fintech, Pensions and Investment, Steve is a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur who is passionate about helping people maximise their retirement. He is the Managing Director of Pension Potential, a digital at-retirement guidance and advice solution that empowers members and employees to make informed decisions about their retirement. He is a regular writer and speaker on intergenerational working, retirement, and older worker business management issues, and has published several business books about intergenerational managment and inclusive culture. He is committed to developing an inclusive culture in the workplace, where people...

Trisha is the CE of CRASH, The UK’s construction industry charity supporting Adult Homelessness and Adult and Children’s hospices with vital construction projects. She joined CRASH on 1st May 2024 after 19 years in the hospice sector having held various management roles but most recently as Director of Business Development, Operations and Performance. Trisha has a wealth of experience across a vast number of business disciplines including Income generation, commissioning, governance, risk management and has the experience of two charity mergers. With a background and qualification in Finance she has the ability to understand and explain numbers to people at a...

Tree joined Charity IT Leaders in March 2019 and was appointed as their first CEO in May 2020, bringing over 16 years’ experience of working in the charity and NFP sector as a fundraiser and marketer.

She is hugely proud of the work CITL does to support charities and NFPs to get the best outcomes from their investment in digital technology, to empower and enable current and emerging charity technology leaders, and increasingly, to advocate for and on behalf of the sector.

She is openly autistic and ADHD (AuDHD), and is passionate about supporting neurodivergence and in...

Jayne Hughes is the founder and driving force behind Amy and Friends, a UK based charity dedicated to supporting children and families affected by Cockayne Syndrome and other DNA repair disorders.

Amy and Friends is inspired by Amy, Jayne’s daughter who courageously lived with the condition. Amy and Friends was formed in 2007 to provide desperately needed support, research and advocacy for families around the world navigating life with these rare, life-limiting conditions.

Subscribe now to start your journey of discovery, and together, let’s build a better future—one purposeful step at a time. ...

Mark is the founder and Director of Shared Assets, a community interest company that works with communities, landowners, researchers and activists to create a more just land system. He works to create a socially just future by supporting practical projects that build new relationships between people and the land.

For more information, please visit:

Shared Assets: https://linktr.ee/sharedassets?fbclid=IwY2xjawMdjzRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE0b2hQSTQxNlhYOUd1a2NQAR55FCwVeShf2G1mI3CCZDUoFPX6tuxAhdRxdpLkfNp7dF4V-xvlAlS5vZQ8tQ_aem_vVwv0HKlMueEFqmxp6PV1g

barbra@gleecoaching.com | www.gleecoaching...

Sophie joined Little Village as CEO in February 2021 after spending over twenty years in the social sector including as the founding CEO of City Year UK, a charity enabling young people to tackle inequality through doing a year of voluntary service in schools and as Deputy CEO of the Private Equity Foundation (now Impetus-PEF).

Most recently she was Managing Director of Trustees Unlimited, a B-Corporation focused on strengthening and diversifying charity boards.

Sophie was the Chair of Trustees at Little Village from 2018 until September 2020 and was previously Co-Chair and Co-Founder of Generation Change...

A great job, a great life, a life partner. Then things changed. Hear how Natasha moved from one of the Big 4 Accountancy Consultancies into following her passion to help people and contribute to international equity. Now an experienced not for profit leader with a proven track record of ambitious strategic development and transformational change.

Passionately and ambitiously creating a more sustainable, people focussed world directly and through people whose lives she touches.

After an early career as an auditor, Natasha (she/her) moved into the charity sector to work towards a more sustainable...

Patrick Fox (he/him), youngest in the family, only one interested in art from a young age. He is Chief Executive and founding Director of Heart of Glass - a northwest based community arts organisation. He is a producer, commissioner and senior arts leader who supports artists to engage with communities of place/ interest to create contemporary work that reflects the politics of our times. He is former director of Create, Ireland’s national development agency for Collaborative Arts and the former Head of Collaborations and Engagement at FACT Liverpool, leading the acclaimed arts and older people project tenantspin as...

Emma is radical - in the way she sees the world and the spirit she brings into what she does. With two start up organisations to lead, Emma is a strong story teller with a purpose.

The first organisation is Radical Recruit which is the UK's only charitable recruitment, CSR, ESG and Social Value partner for businesses that want to level the playing field for Radical people and communities. Founded by Emma and Jude (Em's mum) in October 2019, the Radical team has placed over 750 people who are furthest from the labour market ‘Super Radicals’ - into good...

Sabiene didn't need to have left her financially rewarding job in Private Banking, and Financial Analysis: but she did. After spending time raising money on behalf of Huntingdon Disease charity she reflected on where she was at and what she could offer the world. This saw her leave her secure job and start to have a small role fundraising for Be Free Young Carers. Listen to the podcast to find out how she became CEO. What she brings to the role and what her challenges are. Maybe something in what she says will resonate for...

Alan Adams was told that he wouldn't amount to much by his teachers. He is now leading a charitable organisations that delivers the UK's largest flower show - Southport Flower Show every year, as well as managing one of the North West's premier outdoor event spaces - Victoria Park. Listen to him talk about his journey and what he thinks makes a good leader.

For more information, please visit:

Company Website: https://southportflowershow.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthportFlowerShow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southportflowershow/<...

Jacqui Gavin BEM is an internationally recognised and award-winning leader in

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), celebrated for her transformative leadership across

both the public and private sectors. With a career marked by strategic roles in high

profile organisations, Jacqui has consistently delivered cultural change, advancing

inclusivity, equality, and wellbeing at all levels of business and government.

As an active author, Jacqui has recently focused her work on addressing one of

society’s most pressing challenges: finding a way out of the polarisation that

dominates to...

Leah Godfrey is a distinguished leader with 30 years of international commercial and community-building expertise across multiple sectors. As Chief Operating Officer of Neurodiverse Sport, founder of L2 Foundry and Alt Elle, and Head of Events and Campaigns at BAMREF, she leads transformative approaches in women's sports and organisational development.

Her strategic consulting spans diverse sectors, leveraging her ability to drive innovation across Fortune 100 and FTSE 100 companies, academic institutions, governmental bodies, sporting clubs and communities and non-profit organisations. Alongside her entrepreneurial focus she applies her industry-agnostic experience to empowering young female founders, demonstrating her commitment to holistic...

Matt Cliff is transforming lives by teaching vital living and mobility skills to people navigating sight loss. But this isn’t just about support—it’s about empowerment. As Director of Bradbury Fields, Matt has turned his own challenges into fuel, building a vibrant community hub where others with similar barriers can live boldly and confidently.

“If I’m honest, I didn’t want to be disabled. I didn’t want to live with sight loss. I didn’t want to try blind sports,” Matt shares.

Yet, through embracing the unpredictable nature of life, he’s carved out a...

"This is a new journey that has taken me on a wild ride", just one of, Founder of Supersmith, Tom Morgan's reflections on trying to change the disability market. Tom started his career in automotive manufacturing, which in itself is an interesting tie back to what he finds himself doing today. Operational improvement and supply chain management gave Tom a breadth of skills and space to develop his naturally acute problem solving talents. In recent years Tom has worked with a global design and consultancy business, Arcadis, holding roles in the UK and the US. Tom left the safety...

Chelsea has dedicated her work to achieving gender equality within the tech sector. Her direct experiences of inequality within her previous roles inspired her to start InnovateHer, a social enterprise who are on a mission to get girls ready for the tech industry and the industry ready for girls. With her team, Chelsea plans for InnovateHer to become a pioneering industry-led STEAM education provider, inspiring teens to reach their potential and create a more inclusive future in tech, with a community of 1 million globally.

In other work, Chelsea has supported many organisations and government bodies on...

All Nick ever wanted to do was to play football... he was half decent too, playing for Stockport County as a teenager. However, he didn't make the grade and moved through job roles and ending up being Head of Operations, a stressful full-on job.

This eventually took a toll on him, suffering a severe stroke in 2012. As a stroke survivor, Nick felt that there was a lack of support, information, guidance and HOPE for people like him, so he started a blog and set up a charity.

Driven by a passion to build...

Along with his wife, Rob Lapsley set up Love, Jasmine in 2016 to provide peer support to families bereaved by the loss of a child. This was due to their own experiences following the loss of their daughter Jasmine who was just 6 years old when she died.

Before the loss of Jasmine, being a charity leader was the last thing on Rob’s to do list – in this podcast episode Rob shares his thoughts on the journey to being an authentic leader in a charity that is very personal to him.

Subscribe now to start your...

Sean died in 2019. He wanted help, he wanted to get better. The type of support he needed didn't exist. There was nowhere men could go to to feel good about themselves. His sister Debbie, felt a fire in her to create change, so that men, like her brother, didn't take their own liives. Five years later, Debbie - who previously worked in school administration, has ensured that Sean's Place is a thriving mental health service for men. 

Debbie shares her leadership journey, and gives insight into how to be a leader in a new and growing non-p...

Cohan follows his purpose with a very clear passion. A passion to increase diversity within the Tech sector.  Cohan had experienced the sector and knew that there was more diverse talent that could be tapped into to accelerate the tech sector as well as the careers of highly talented individuals. After being made redundant he bit the bullet and set up Equity in Tech, to support others to excel. 

In our latest podcast Cohan talks to us about how mental wellness impacted his decisions, and how, as a start-up, there are lots of arrows to be thro...

Marg Ollivier came back home to the North after carving a career out in HR and governance in London. She came back, to be closer to family, to be closer to her beloved Liverpool Football Club and to look for work.  

Six years later she is now CEO of Expect Ltd, whose mission is to help to deliver person-centred support to people with a disability, promoting and enabling their independent choice and integration into the community. A mission close to Marg’s heart. 

Did she plan this? No.

Find out how Marg became...

Michele Afif pivoted her career- From being a full-on consultant paediatrician with a Medical Law Masters, to being the CEO of The Brain Tumour Charity. 

What made her switch in mid-life? Hear how Michele is deeply committed to driving groundbreaking research and advocating for the brain tumour community. Her personal experience caring for children with brain tumours ignited a lifelong passion for improving outcomes and addressing inequalities in care. 

Michele joins the podcast to share her inspiring journey and vision for creating lasting change in this vital field.

F...