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Who We Are

Meet the CEO & Board

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Amy
Butterworth

Chief Executive Officer

amy@makeithappenbirkenhead.co.uk

Amy is the energetic and inspirational co-founder and CEO, a position she has held since our incorporation. During her working life Amy has been heavily invested in consultation and engagement with and advocacy for others. She believes in people being able to bring about the change they want to see. Amy has presented at National and Local Government levels in respect of young people’s voices. She has developed a unique transformational coaching style and achieved qualifications, she has managed teams and resources, built strong partnerships, networks and friendships and been entrepreneurial in her outlook about what works best.

Amy’s young life was not easy and in the last few years she has suffered bereavement and loss. Against this backdrop Amy is striving to build Make It Happen as an anchor organisation in Birkenhead with a model of respect and care for all to combat inequalities, loss and hardship.

Amy was recognised for the first year of MIH with a Merseyside Women of the Year award and has received many additional accolades.

Amy lives in Wirral and in her spare time enjoys the company of friends and music.

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Chris
Allen BEM

Chris is a retired Chief Executive and former President of a local Housing Association. She has held various non-executive Director roles in Housing, Health, Education and Criminal Justice. Chris is a community activist who supports and mentors other community leaders. She has been recognised both Nationally and Locally for her community work receiving a Children’s Workforce Development Council and Merseyside Women of the Year Lifetime achievement award, a University of Chester Honorary Doctor of Letters and a British Empire Medal.

Chris has extensive experience in governance and leadership, people management and development, business planning and in writing strategies, policies and procedures and more latterly bids. She is a co-founder and the treasurer of Make It Happen.

Chris lives in Wirral and in her spare time enjoys knitting and reading. She is a Christian involved with St Mary’s church in Upton.

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Phil
Dickson

Phil is a retired Environmental health senior officer having worked in local government both in Liverpool and Wirral. He has extensive experience of health and safety and working collaboratively across Public, Voluntary and Faith sectors. Phil is passionate about reducing inequalities in community health and well-being and working according to asset based community development principles to build social capital and resilience.

Phil works with regional and local faith leaders to promote cohesion in communities and encourage neighbourliness. He is often called upon to offer a Christian faith perspective to local conversations.

Phil lives in Wirral and in his spare times enjoys walking, swimming, DIY, crosswords and model boat making.

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Cathy
Palm
er 

BA MSc MRICS  

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Cathy has recently joined construction-based consultancy firm Walker Sime from Wirral Council where she was Head of Regeneration Delivery.  

In her role at the Council, Cathy took the plans for Birkenhead’s Regeneration from strategy to delivery. Her approach to regeneration is very much focused around ensuring the existing local communities are empowered to access the full benefit of the regeneration process, and the establishment of the Dock Branch Community Panel is a working example of this approach.  

Before working in Local Government, Cathy spent her formative years at Deloitte Real Estate where she gained her qualification as a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and worked later for developer Select Property Group, giving her a strong and rounded foundation of experience to enable her to get projects moving, work with stakeholders and navigate complex processes.  

 

In her spare time, Cathy loves nothing more than travelling Europe in her campervan Gloria, with her partner, step-daughter, and Welsh Terrier Bettie.  

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Anne-Marie Harrop BA (Hons), CIA, CMIIA

Anne-Marie is a member of the Chartered Institute of Internal Audit and has expertise in internal audit, risk management and corporate governance. Anne-Marie is a professional auditor and corporate governance expert with over twenty years experience of delivering audit, assurance and consultancy work across the NHS and Central Government.

Anne-Marie lives on the Wirral, is married and has two teenage children.

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Kieran
Gordon

Kieran led Career Connect from its formation and initial incorporation as Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership [GMCP] until his early retirement in 2020. He is now working part time as Executive Director at Careers England. Kieran has extensive knowledge and experience in careers advice and guidance, partnership working, contracts, commissioning and procurement, social investment strategies and partnerships, leadership and strategic development and people management and development.

Kieran has a continued interest in vocational education and training and recognises the difficulties some people face when their experiences have been negative. He is an advocate of innovative learning models.

Kieran has lived in Wirral since 2015 and in his spare time enjoys travel, walking, cold water swimming and learning to play golf.

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Sophie
Stewart

Sophie is a solicitor and partner at a large law firm; she specialises in development planning, infrastructure and compulsory purchase in her day to day practice. She has a background in local and central government and is experienced in delivering results in a regulated environment, governance and risk management. Sophie has previously worked as a legislative draftsperson and currently sits as a member of her firms Sustainability and Green Group with a focus on UN Sustainability goals relating to social justice, inclusion and equality.

Sophie is a Wirral resident who enjoys playing tennis, reading and travel in her spare time.

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Dr. Roy
Williams

Roy is a professionally qualified fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing and has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Roy is the Sovini Group Chief Executive and holds a number of non-executive director positions with external organisations. He also sits on the Boards of Pine Court Housing Association and The Sovini Group.

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Roy is passionate about pursuing our vision and mission to be the best in our approach to everything we do.

Roy is also an Executive Board Member of both One Vision Housing Limited and Pine Court Housing Association.

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Mick
Blease

Mick is a retired Police Inspector.

Mick served as a Neighbourhood Police Inspector for Birkenhead and Tranmere between 2006 and 2011. During this time, he built a strong collaboration between many other organisations delivering a myriad of services to the communities of Birkenhead with the aim of making the area a safer place to live and work. Those partnerships had great successes which enhanced the levels of confidence that the community had in the police. Mick now works with in Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and as the Emergency Planning Lead and Head of Security ensuring that services are continued to be delivered to the communities of Wirral, Cheshire East, Knowsley and St Helens and that the staff who deliver those services are safe. Mick lives in Wirral and never misses an opportunity to champion our wonderful peninsula.

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